I'd like to tap the collective experience of the forum again, please.

I am about to get an Audiovalve valve amp with a single pair of speaker posts and a pair of tape out phono sockets. I want to feed a Bastani type pair of speakers where there are stand-alone Mission amp plates for the subwoofers. These have individual volume controls. The subs can be fed by speaker wire (into the bass unit and out again to the top speakers or just into the bass unit if bi-wiring) or by line in phono cables:

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Am i right in assuming that, if I don't want to be climbing around the back of the speakers all the time, I need either to bi-wire the speakers if I want to control the level from one knob or to use a headphone amp/pre-amp/stepped attenuator to intercept the tape out line to adjust the subwoofer volume and live with a two knob solution (no laughing at the back, there!)?

The problem with bi-wiring is not just sheer laziness - the Mission amps require those horrid pins you find on AV amps for the speaker cable and the rest proper banana plugs.

I guess the worst solution is to get a speaker switch box of the sort Tandy/QED used to sell which allows two sets to be used simultaneously...?

I must confess I'm scratching my head a bit but there must be an elegant solution .

Any thoughts please?

Peter