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Y Adapter Feeding back?


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1 hour ago, Marvel said:

 

1/4 watt resistors would be more than adequate. I would be so crude as to rip apart a couple cheap cables, solder everything together and wrap with tape. If it does what you want you could tidy it up, but that's just me.

The hardest part of this is that it’s temporary. Later this year I plan on upgrading my sub to Rythmik which has stereo ins. So I’m trying to cheap out and do something that has to last a couple months tops.

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I think I'd get a couple of RCA female-to-female connectors, bust them open, break the center conductor and install a resistor, then tape them back together. They, in conjunction with the Y-cable that you already have, would do the job.

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Here's a picture of an inline attenuator that I built along the same lines. It consists of an RCA male plug and an RCA female jack. I soldered a resistor divider inside, whereas you'd just need a resistor. I soldered the outer shells together.

Hpim1458.jpg

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10 hours ago, Moosh Bronsun said:

The hardest part of this is that it’s temporary. Later this year I plan on upgrading my sub to Rythmik which has stereo ins. So I’m trying to cheap out and do something that has to last a couple months tops.

 

If feeding the sub from one channel works fine, why not just stick with that?  If it's only for a few months, you should  be fine.  Most subs need only a single signal to be sent to them, just like any other speaker, powered or not, no matter what it costs.  It sounds like your linestage doesn't have a sub output, and you're trying to work around that.  The thing is, with most recordings, the bass part tends to come from the centre of the sound stage, or close to it.  This means that the output from either channel will likely carry most, if not all, of the signal from the bass instruments, so you won't be missing much (or possibly anything), whichever channel you choose to feed the sub.

 

So is that the case?  Are you trying to feed the sub from a source that has no Sub outlet?

 

Another point is that even bass instruments make sounds that reach into the midrange, like the sound of the musician's finger on the strings, and that's what your ears and brain will pick up and use to place the instrument on the stage.  This is often audible, when you can pick out the same beat coming from one speaker and the centre of the stage simultaneously.

 

EDIT:  Just Checked.  My new Paradigm sub has two inputs.  They are:  

                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                 and        R  Sub In

                                                                                                                                      LFE In

 

 You may find something similar on your new Rythmik sub when it arrives, since this is not at all unusual.  For a Centre Rear speaker, for instance, the manual may tell you to connect to one of the surround rear/surround back outputs on the pre-amp/linestage/AV receiver, whichever is indicated on the unit for Single Channel Out.

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11 hours ago, babadono said:

Not to be a d*%k but of course a Y adapter shorts TWO OUTPUTS together. That is not what Y adapters are for. They are to feed TWO INPUTS with one output. I use them on the inputs of my RSW-15 subs. This helps insure the auto on feature works even at relatively low input levels.

 

Did you find that you had to dial your subs' level controls WAY DOWN?  I use Y connectors to split the single Sub Out signal on my bedroom receiver, so it can feed its signal to two subs.  That works fine.  At the other ends, I used Y connectors to feed both inputs, mainly to keep dust out of the unused sockets.  At the time, I didn't realize that feeding both Sub Inputs would boost their output by 6 dB, probably because they had only 90 watt amplifiers in them.

 

However, when I did the same with the 400 watt subwoofer that I got in 2005, it nearly kicked the sofa across the room.  I quickly consulted the owner's leaflet (4 pages is not a manual), and found that if I needed 6 dB more output, I could use a Y connector to get it.  How helpful!  That Y connector is now in a box somewhere, in case I ever turn my home into a dance club, but the sub is working happily with a single input, especially because the 2020 sub has an 850 watt amplifier.

 

If I seem to be bragging lately, it's because I got some cool stuff that I'm having fun with.  First was a DragonFly Cobalt DAC/headphone amp, which I hadn't planned to buy, partly because it's a lot of money for something the size of my baby finger.  However, it does make the headphones sound even better, and with all the Shop Local! ads, it seemed like a good time to actually buy something from the hi-fi shop where I hang out and get advice.  That led to my mention of thinking about a newer and better sub, and next thing I knew, I was being shown A Price I Couldn't Refuse.  So that arrived in about a week, which worked out well, since my bro-in-law's sub had quit a few months ago.  So that's where  my 2005 sub went.  Now he's really happy, the guys at the shop are happy, and I'm happy.  Sometimes money can buy you happiness.

 

Anyone reading this should think about their local hi-fi shop and think about how you'd feel if they went out of business, during this tough time or soon after.  If you have any cash waiting to be spent, you could make someone's day, and maybe get a great deal, too.  BTW, the shop was closed, but I didn't know that.  They answered the phone when I called, and were happy to make an appointment for me to come in.

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Yes I get plenty of level from the subs at relatively low  main volume setting (about 12 o'clock most of the time) And yes the first thing that happens to the two inputs is they get summed and this adds 6dB. The problem it overcomes for me is the subs auto on feature not being sensitive enough, with 6dB more input it functions fine.

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18 hours ago, Moosh Bronsun said:

Relatively cheap audio transformers(which this is) are notoriously poor performers at low frequencies. Caveat Emptor.

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14 hours ago, Islander said:

 

If feeding the sub from one channel works fine, why not just stick with that?  If it's only for a few months, you should  be fine.  Most subs need only a single signal to be sent to them, just like any other speaker, powered or not, no matter what it costs.  It sounds like your linestage doesn't have a sub output, and you're trying to work around that.  The thing is, with most recordings, the bass part tends to come from the centre of the sound stage, or close to it.  This means that the output from either channel will likely carry most, if not all, of the signal from the bass instruments, so you won't be missing much (or possibly anything), whichever channel you choose to feed the sub.

 

So is that the case?  Are you trying to feed the sub from a source that has no Sub outlet?

 

Another point is that even bass instruments make sounds that reach into the midrange, like the sound of the musician's finger on the strings, and that's what your ears and brain will pick up and use to place the instrument on the stage.  This is often audible, when you can pick out the same beat coming from one speaker and the centre of the stage simultaneously.

 

EDIT:  Just Checked.  My new Paradigm sub has two inputs.  They are:  

                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                 and        R  Sub In

                                                                                                                                      LFE In

 

 You may find something similar on your new Rythmik sub when it arrives, since this is not at all unusual.  For a Centre Rear speaker, for instance, the manual may tell you to connect to one of the surround rear/surround back outputs on the pre-amp/linestage/AV receiver, whichever is indicated on the unit for Single Channel Out.

Yes, my preamp outs are just stereo. I'm rolling with it as is for now.

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13 hours ago, Islander said:

 

Did you find that you had to dial your subs' level controls WAY DOWN?  I use Y connectors to split the single Sub Out signal on my bedroom receiver, so it can feed its signal to two subs.  That works fine.  At the other ends, I used Y connectors to feed both inputs, mainly to keep dust out of the unused sockets.  At the time, I didn't realize that feeding both Sub Inputs would boost their output by 6 dB, probably because they had only 90 watt amplifiers in them.

 

However, when I did the same with the 400 watt subwoofer that I got in 2005, it nearly kicked the sofa across the room.  I quickly consulted the owner's leaflet (4 pages is not a manual), and found that if I needed 6 dB more output, I could use a Y connector to get it.  How helpful!  That Y connector is now in a box somewhere, in case I ever turn my home into a dance club, but the sub is working happily with a single input, especially because the 2020 sub has an 850 watt amplifier.

 

If I seem to be bragging lately, it's because I got some cool stuff that I'm having fun with.  First was a DragonFly Cobalt DAC/headphone amp, which I hadn't planned to buy, partly because it's a lot of money for something the size of my baby finger.  However, it does make the headphones sound even better, and with all the Shop Local! ads, it seemed like a good time to actually buy something from the hi-fi shop where I hang out and get advice.  That led to my mention of thinking about a newer and better sub, and next thing I knew, I was being shown A Price I Couldn't Refuse.  So that arrived in about a week, which worked out well, since my bro-in-law's sub had quit a few months ago.  So that's where  my 2005 sub went.  Now he's really happy, the guys at the shop are happy, and I'm happy.  Sometimes money can buy you happiness.

 

Anyone reading this should think about their local hi-fi shop and think about how you'd feel if they went out of business, during this tough time or soon after.  If you have any cash waiting to be spent, you could make someone's day, and maybe get a great deal, too.  BTW, the shop was closed, but I didn't know that.  They answered the phone when I called, and were happy to make an appointment for me to come in.

with a single channel running into the sub i had to turn it up a smidge. I played records long into the night and I feel like its close to being where I want it. Probably won't mess with it much more as I'll upgrade subs later in the year.  Thanks though.

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