Wits End! Trying To Hook Up Sub To McIntosh C11-Help Please!

[126mhz]

I feel really dumb asking this but I need help. This morning I swapped a buch of components and changed my systems around.

I'm told my old McIntosh C11 tube pre amp. can use a sub woofer. In this case it's a Sunfire MkII true sub. (The sub has worked fine last night with other components)

There seems to be only two possibilities, 1.) the single jack right next to the "Main output" jacks, (located half way inbetween the "R" and "L" main outputs and it's marked "L+R") I'm guessing it is for a center channel speaker OR a sub.

OR

2.) two very small screws on the bottom left corner as you're facing the back of the pre amp that say, "To speaker."

Bottom line, I seem to get the smallest amount of bass with a RCA jack into the single output from the Pre amp marked "L+R" but it's lame as can be.

Any suggestiopns guys?

Thanks as always,

Bill Woodward

[Al Klappenberger]

Bill,

The L+R output is for a center channel.

You need to connect the L and R outputs to a subwoofer crossover netwrok then on to your amp. The C11 was designed LONG before subwoofers came along. It has no provisons for it.

Al K.

[Hardhead]

An Outlaw ICBM may be your best bet. It will give you all kinds of flexibility.

[126mhz]

Thanks Al,

What the heck is a crossover network going to cost?

Damm I feel dumb,...

An Outlaw network??

I need to start looking, I'm sure the same goes for my Scott 299D.

Thanks again guys.

Bill Woodward

[WMcD]

I'm surprized the L+R doesn't work for you. I assume there is a line level into the sub and this is what you're feeding it to. Are you sure the program has bass of the type you expect. I know it is a dumb question.

You mentioned a connection marked, to speaker. On some McIntosh pre-amps there is no internal amp for headphones but there is a headphone jack. So there is a scheme for wiring the amp output back to the pre-amp box, and then out to the speakers.

With many subs there are inputs meant to be driven by the main amps speaker output. But I suppose you know that.

Best,

Gil

[Al Klappenberger]

bill

Here's what I suggest. It's a later version of the one I use: http://www.marchandelec.com/xm1.html

It will cost you a heck of lot less than you paid for the C11! I promise you that much!

Al K.

[Istari]

The Scott 299D has a derived center output jack on the back. You should be able to run a single (mono) rca or subwoofer cable from the 299D center output to the subwoofer LFE input. Be sure toset your subwoofer level to its lowest setting power up the Scott and set it to a listening level you like. Then go to the sub and start increasing the LFE input until it reaches the level you want. I have a Scott 222 with the Derived Center and have it hooked up to my sub this way. It works great. One drawback though on the Scott design, there are steep filters that cut everything from 20 Hz down to a very low level. Scott did this back in the days of extreme turntable rumble. The 20 HZ filter kept the rumble out to avoid wasting amp power.

[Mick Bell]

Neither the "center out" on my C-28 nor the "sub out" on my new JoLida 707A have enough output to drive my Outlaw LFM-1 Sub-woofer. I have to drive it via the speaker outputs. Luckily, the LFM-1 has provision for that. I even sent my JoLida 707 back to the factory to have them check its sub out. They claim the JoLida's sub output is fine and that some sub-woofers require more input than others. The JoLida sub-out may be "fine" but boy it won't drive my sub!

On the other hand, I have a cheap little Pioneer receiver with a pre-out for a center channel. It drives the sub woofer just fine. Go figure.

Mick

[j-malotky]

I have a friend who used a sub on his MC38 and has it on the second channel L+R output. This way he can easily turn it on and off. I am surprised this is not working for you?

JM