Need a sub with
Athenas?
July 30, 2003
I am thinking of buying the Athena AS-F2 for my front
speaker system, and a pair of Athena AS-B1 speakers for my rear speakers. Will I need a
subwoofer with this setup?
Howie
The AS-F2 is rated to play down to 35Hz, which is quite
low bass. To better that specification you'd have to buy a pretty robust subwoofer.
Whether adding a subwoofer like Athena's own AS-P400 is needed will depend entirely on
what you want out of the system and how much you value super-low bass (which depends
largely on what type of music you like and the size of your room). Why not try the AS-F2s
on their own and then make a determination whether or not you need more bass? That's
really the only way you'll know for sure.
Installer feedback
July 27, 2003
Your advice that accompanies the letter "Car stereo
pre-outs" was right on target. I am a installer for a custom car shop in Los Angeles
and run into this type of question all the time. The one thing I would add is that a
six-channel amp in place of using a powered (amplifier built in) head unit and a sub amp
would be ideal for the situation. Good going GoodSound!.
Tom Thomas
Passive or active?
July 24, 2003
I am picking a sub for my home-theater system. I have a
McIntosh MX130 surround processor and a MC7106 six-channel amp. The two are connected via
a McIntosh interconnect cable. The manual states that I should connect the subwoofer to
the amp, but should I use a passive or an active sub?
Dan
I believe McIntosh makes at least one passive subwoofer.
If they suggest connecting the sub to the amp, then they are referring to a passive unit
that would be powered by one channel of the six-channel amp, leaving five for the rest of
your system mains, center, and surrounds. A powered subwoofer would be connected via an
RCA cable from your processor. Which is better? Tough call, there's a lot out there to
choose from. I'd say that if you like McIntosh gear, give their offerings a try. You
already have the amplifier power to run a passive sub, and I'd be willing to bet they make
a good one.
Car stereo pre-outs
July 22, 2003
I know nothing about car sound systems. I was considering
switching my stock radio with a new one and buying 12" subs. I was just wondering
about radios -- what "pre-outs" are and what they do. How many pre-outs would I
need in order to hook up my front and rear speakers plus two 12" subs?
Mike
A pre-out is a RCA output on the head unit that connects
to an external amplifier. Your new deck will send a stereo signal through the pre-outs,
which you can use to bypass the head unit's power-amp section, or you can use it for
additional channels (which you'll do, see below). So what you can do is use your head
unit's power amp to run your front and rear speakers, assuming you buy a unit that is
rated at, say, 25W x 4 (you need four channels to do this). You'll then buy a dedicated
subwoofer amp to drive your two 12" subs (this amp will connect to the pre-outs). In
this configuration, you need only one set of pre-outs. Oh, and be sure to buy an amplifier
with a built-in crossover.
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