Subwoofer hookup

[lastcaress83]

Recently got lucky and picked up a pair of CF-4's along with an SW-15ii subwoofer. This is my first foray into a 2.1 system and I've got a couple of questions. Why would one hook up the sub via speaker terminals vs the pre-amp out and in? What do you think would be best for my setup (16x16 room)?

[billybob]

If the sub in question is compatible with hooking

straight to the preamp sub

out then why not indeed.

Congrats and welcome.

Would try first just the CF

speakers alone.

[lastcaress83]

My apologies, I should've been more clear. My receiver (Sony STR-GX909ES) does not have a dedicated sub output. I will either have to use the preamp out(80 hz hi pass) or the speaker out (120hz hi pass)

[001]

congrats on the cf4's!  they are great speakers.  i tried to find a pic of the rear of your sony receiver & didnt find any clearly showing the outputs, but there is a surround RCA output section & RCA main in/outs.  so if there is a single sub out that most 5.1 receivers have, you could use that with a Y splitter.  BUT older 5.1 receivers dont have any real bass management & when you tell it sub on, it cuts the main speaker at 80hz.  the cf4 are a full range speaker & you dont want to cut any of the low bass out of them. your other option is to use the main pre outs with a y splitter & have 2 going to the sub & the other 2 back into the main rca inputs on the receiver.  that will keep full range to the speakers. 

 

another suggestion on that sw15 sub is to not use it at all... the sw subs are very old from the early 90's & dont compare to todays subs.  they are lower power & dont go much lower than the cf4s anyways & definitely not at the volume the cf4's can do.  if you want a real sub, consider a newer option with better inputs/outputs & freq options.  personally i would sell the sw15 for a better sub or just run the cf4's alone full range. 

 

& another suggestion is to get a newer receiver with more power & output & bass management options.  the sony ES stuff is decent, but these speakers are made to handle a LOT more power than 80watts.  they will really come to life with great bass with a real 150-200 watts.  you could keep the sony as a pre & buy a better separate amp with more power that will make a world of difference vs the sony & let the subwoofer quality bass of the epics shine. 

 

so basically, try the speakers by themselves & i bet they sound better than with that sw sub.  or try the sub with the main outs & a y splitter for full range to the speakers.  & if you really want/need a sub, sell the sw15 & find a better modern sub, even an entry level modern 12" sub will best that ancient sw sub.  ive owned the sw10, sw12 & sw15,   they are mediocre at best compared to newer subs.     

 

 

[lastcaress83]

Thanks a lot for your help, EKF. Oddly, lack of bass is not why I'm asking about the subwoofer. The CF4's easily put out plentiful bass on their own in my setup, so much that it can be difficult to get a handle on. Not only do I have to consider imaging and soundstage when placing the speakers, but also the occasionally overwhelming low-end. I was going to try the sub because I figured I could place the speakers where they image the best and then worry about the subs proximity to walls etc... kind of a divide and conquer strategy (my pervious cornwalls always just sounded best in the corners facing 45 degrees out, easy peasy). Concerning the amp, I've also got a Crown XLS1502 300 watt per channel power amp that I've tried. The bass might be a little better with it but the entire presentation just falls completely flat. The music is not engaging at all. I know a lot of budget audiophile guys covet these crown amps for planars and other hard to push speakers but, in my setup, the Sony sounds startlingly  better. As for modern subs, I'm a big klipsch fan, any recommendations from their current line that would be comparable/better than the SW15ii? 

[001]

On 1/21/2020 at 12:26 PM, lastcaress83 said:

Thanks a lot for your help, EKF. Oddly, lack of bass is not why I'm asking about the subwoofer. The CF4's easily put out plentiful bass on their own in my setup, so much that it can be difficult to get a handle on. Not only do I have to consider imaging and soundstage when placing the speakers, but also the occasionally overwhelming low-end. I was going to try the sub because I figured I could place the speakers where they image the best and then worry about the subs proximity to walls etc... kind of a divide and conquer strategy (my pervious cornwalls always just sounded best in the corners facing 45 degrees out, easy peasy). Concerning the amp, I've also got a Crown XLS1502 300 watt per channel power amp that I've tried. The bass might be a little better with it but the entire presentation just falls completely flat. The music is not engaging at all. I know a lot of budget audiophile guys covet these crown amps for planars and other hard to push speakers but, in my setup, the Sony sounds startlingly  better. As for modern subs, I'm a big klipsch fan, any recommendations from their current line that would be comparable/better than the SW15ii? 

 

you are very welcome.  the epics are front ported & should make placement rather simple compared to rear ported or rear passive radiators etc.  i liked my cf4s close to but not tucked in teh corners & not towed in much, more forward facing, the big mid horn will throw a pretty large sound stage & stereo imaging was excellent.  i would play with their placement a little more to get the sound you are happy with, them deal with the bass, if its too strong, with tone controls or EQ. 

 

these epics are one of the most efficient speakers klipsch makes, so big solid state power like that crown is not needed & likely why the sony ES sounds better at everything besides rock concert levels.  if you want to use a separate amp, i would suggest something a little more refined & lower power, more like 150-200wpc & a brand geared more towards sound quality than quantity. i have ran my cf4s off an adcom gfa555ii & a rotel amp, both were 200wpc.  also keep in mind that receivers are not the best pre amps, getting a real pre amp will sound a lot better than a receiver. 

 

every system & room is different so just play around with placement & settings for what you have now, but i still say the sw15 is outdated & not a good mix for the might cf4's!  klipsc has some good subs, but many of them have amp issues & are expensive to fix.  i would suggest looking at SVS or HSU or velodyne or other brands that specialize in subs.  svs has excellent customer service & usually will replace a failed amp even out of warranty sometimes.  might want to start another thread in this sub section for suggestions on a good klipsch sub.