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Subwoofer Connection Question
#426436 08/22/17 04:04 AM
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2x6spds Offline OP
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OK, so, I have this 2 channel system with a Sonic Frontiers SLF 1 preamp which has 2 pair of output RCA jacks. I use one pair output to the Conrad Johnson tube amp. The preamp does not have a sub out - low level output. The EP 600 sub has 4 high level inputs, which take banana plugs.

I have to run about 20' from the preamp to the sub.

I figure I can get some long interconnects (RCA) from the preamp, each one split into 2 bananas, or some long speaker wires from the sub, into a single RCA which I can plug into the preamp.

Any thoughts as to whether it is better to have a long run of interconnects or speaker wire?

Is there such a thing as an RCA/Banana splitter?

Thanks.
2x6

Last edited by 2x6spds; 08/22/17 04:31 AM.

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Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426439 08/22/17 02:08 PM
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I guess gauge and shielding would be things to keep in mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Speaker-Banana-Phono-Adaptor-Receiver/dp/B013Z7NUR4

Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426440 08/22/17 02:09 PM
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AFAIK the high level inputs on the EP600 are meant for use with speaker outputs from power amp, not line level from pre-amp.

There should be some line-level aka low-level (RCA) inputs on the EP600 as well IIRC. Depending on the vintage there *might* be XLR instead of RCA - if so then I think you would want an RCA to XLR connection.

RCA to banana feels like one of those "if you think you need one of these then step back a minute" things smile


M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
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Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426441 08/22/17 03:58 PM
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2x6spds Offline OP
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That made me laugh! Yes sir, step back and give that one another thought indeed!

RCA to XLR sounds much better! Thank you Bridgman!


Enjoy the Music. Trust your ears. Laugh at Folks Who Claim to Know it All.
Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426448 08/23/17 01:03 AM
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axiomite
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This is embarrassing - it just occurred to me that I -do- need a couple of RCA to banana cables.

I have had an old cheapo integrated amp sitting around for about 40 years (since I worked part-time in the camera/audio department at Woolco) which actually sounded pretty good, but I haven't gotten around to hooking it up because it has RCA jacks on the back for the speaker outputs.


M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426449 08/23/17 01:10 AM
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2x6spds Offline OP
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Phono RCA Phono Jack To Speaker Banana Terminal...

Item ID: 121428701083
Quantity: 2
Estimated delivery: Sat. Aug. 26
Paid: $34.28 with PayPal

Unable to post picture because Photobucket has gone so strange.


Enjoy the Music. Trust your ears. Laugh at Folks Who Claim to Know it All.
Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426450 08/23/17 01:21 AM
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I was flipping through manuals etc.. for various EP600 vintages and AFAICS all of them have an RCA input as well as the XLR input. Maybe you have one of the very early ones ?

That said, one thing I missed was that all of the EP600 versions seem to only have a single mono line-level input (ie not left and right) while your pre-amp has separate left and right outputs.

In principle all you need is a dual-RCA to single-RCA stereo-to-mono summing cable with mixing resistors between the pre-amp outputs and the subwoofer input, but AFAICS nobody seems to actually make such a thing. Closest I could find was this.

Using a splitter cable to merge left & right is considered a Bad Thing here, because it connects the pre-amp outs from left and right together without mixing resistors. Found multiple reports of people killing their electronics that way.

EDIT - Awesome, thanks for the tip about RCA to banana. I put that string into Google search and came up with a bunch of hits from Amazon and others.

MORE EDIT - found a good page talking about the details of what you need, including a note about the impact of the summing resistors on channel separation IF the two sets of pre-amp outputs are just wired together internally rather than being driven separately.

http://www.rane.com/note109.html

LAST EDIT - there is still an easy solution, which is to run speaker wire from power amp outputs to subwoofer high level inputs... as if the subwoofer was a pair of speakers that you were hooking up in parallel with your "real" speakers.

You could probably have banana jacks on both ends smile

But that would take all the fun out of it.

Last edited by bridgman; 08/23/17 01:59 AM.

M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
Re: Subwoofer Connection Question
2x6spds #426454 08/23/17 02:01 AM
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2x6spds Offline OP
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PM your address, and I'll mail them to you. I don't need them. My purchase was the product of bad thinking. I'll be very glad if you could put them to good use.


Enjoy the Music. Trust your ears. Laugh at Folks Who Claim to Know it All.

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