Sub Woofer by Mains Pre Out or Sub Pre Out

[PVOIGT]

Just wondering what pro's and con's other users have experienced with the following two subwoofer setups :-

A) Using pre out mains on receiver with mains set to large, and then setting the crossover on the subwoofer to match.

B) Using pre out sub on receiver and setting the crossover on the receiver.

I have tried both and have found some pluses and minuses for both. Using the main pre out option, the sub seems to auto turn-on much better, and also gives me the low end extension even when using pure direct! On the other hand, using the receivers cross over just seems to give a smoother sound - I guess this is due to an overlap between the mains and sub!

 

[jcPanny]

Sub config

If you configure your receiver and sub correctly you should get the same amount of bass with the sub connected to the Main line outs or sub out.

The following settings will effect the total bass output of your system:
Mains (SMALL or LARGE)
Receiver crossover.
Receiver Sub setting (SUB or BOTH SUB AND MAINS)
Receiver Sub volume level.
Subwoofer volume knob.
Subwoofer crossover knob.

Adjusting the sub volume level in the receiver will fix the sub auto-on problem. Also, when changing from main outs to sub out, you would need to adjust he sub volume knob and crossover knob to achieve the same total bass.

 

[j_garcia]

If the sub has a dual input, try using a Y to both of them from the single sub pre-out. That will raise the input voltage and should alleviate the auto on/off problem. You can also dial back the sub a bit and raise it correspondingly in the receiver's speaker level menu as jcpanny mentioned. In nearly all cases, I recommend using the sub pre-out. If you use the main outs,you need to set the crossover manually so that you have the proper blend, while using the sub pre-out the receiver is handling the x-over and the sub should either have it's internal x-over bypassed or turned all the way up if you can't bypass.