advise of sub woofer please anyone?

[Colinijohnson]

Please help. Love my small Martin Logan Speakers but would like to add a sub. These are powered via Musical Fidelity JS modded power amp via my Naim Unilite. So far so good & yes theres a big improvement via the power amp as opposed to just using the Naim amp.

Trouble is theres only 1 audio out which is taken by the power amp.

Would it be possible to connect a sub via the Naim speaker terminals? ( I know the amp can be switched to using internal & external amps). If so, would it need to be a passive sub amp & how could I then control its volume independently of the external amp.

Could someone out me straight here & possibly recommend a suitable sub?

thanks

Colin

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[Macca]

It depends on how the Unilite designed. If it's speaker terminals are still active when a separate power amp is in place then you can do what you propose.

I don't know if they are or not.

If they are then either an active or passive sub can be connected in this way. I would recommend an active sub. you might be hard pressed to find a passive one these days anyway. If the budget is large then look at something like Velodyne. If not BK subs are decent for the money.

[Colinijohnson]

thanks macca
the speaker terminals are still live, so an active is the way to go. thanks

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[camtwister]

I second the recommendation for BK Electronics.
Excellent value for money.

https://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers.htm

I've used the forward firing (FF) XXLS400 and XLS200 with good results.

[Mr.Ian]

From my extensive trials i have found the best solution was pretty much as Richard Lord, orginal founder of REL prescribed in the 90s a large sub from the orginal REL ST series wired to the main speakers terminals at either the amp or speaker end works best for music. Think Rel studio, stadium, stentor.

What ever approach you use you will probably need equalisation in the chain

[Colinijohnson]

very interesting. thank you

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[Filterlab]

I can third BK subwoofers. They used to build subwoofers for REL some years back, so to say they know what they’re doing is an understatement.

I have a BK Double Gem which is a twin 10” sub, sealed enclosure and 300wrms. I’ve tried it on line input and it’s very good, but on high level input via a Neutrik Speakon (I use an Audioquest SLiP cable) it’s astonishing. Lows in films literally make parts of my lounge vibrate, yet when music is playing the deep bass is quick and agile, and notes stop with no perceptible overhang.

BK are also exceptional value for money on the performance-per-pound scale.

I had Martin Logan Aeon-i electrostatic speaker years back and at the time I had a BK sub. Blended seamlessly it did. Ideally go for a sealed enclosure model if you’re using it for music.

[Colinijohnson]

thanks - this is my speaker, & very nice too..
what do you mean by "enclosed speaker" ?
thanks
Colin

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[Filterlab]

A lot of subwoofers have a ported enclosure, much like many speakers. The port is tuned to accentuate the bass by offering a secondary method of loading the room in addition to the air movement produced by the driver/s alone.

For music playback however, many find that sealed subwoofer enclosures (no port) are better for musical timing due to the limiting back pressure on the driver/s (in that no air can exit or enter the enclosure). The driver/s have a more restricted movement as the air within the enclosure acts as a brake. The thought is that the driver/s will have reduced note over hang - i.e. the driver/s will stop faster at the end of a note as the air within the enclosure moves less easily.

Having said that, enclosure design is very difficult and any engineer worth his/her salt will design the enclosure to exactly match the driver and its output at various frequencies, regardless of the enclosure type.

I personally find sealed enclosure subwoofers to be snappier than ported enclosures, but as always YMMV and the engineering that goes into a higher end ported sub may well outperform a cheaper sealed enclosure sub. And the start of the note could potentially be restricted in terms of a quick response as the driver has to ‘push’ against the internal air pressure when it begins movement.

Always audition and let your ears be the guide.