Speaker/sub question

[tullymars]

I have a Denon 2 channel reciever it has no sub outs,so I route my speaker wire to a powered sub then my speakers,sounds real good what Im wondering is,am I missing anything in my music with this setup?Its 2 channel stereo,no surround sound.

[This Guy]

you should be fine as long as you have your crossover on the sub set right. First find the approximate frequency that your main speakers start to drop off. Lets say they drop off at 70 hz. You want to set up your subs crossover at 80 to 90 hz. Experiment with what sounds best. I believe the general rule of thumb for setting up a subs crossover is by setting it a half octave higher then where your main speakers start dropping off.

-Joey

[tullymars]

Joey Im not totally in the dark,but you have taught much in the past 24 hours man,and I appreciate it very much!Next question how do I know the hertz range that my main speakers start giving out?And...just wondering,I had a Onkyo tx 8511 reciever I bought a year ago,it was just $300,and its high current 100wx2 rms really good little reciever I think for the bucks.When I bought my Boston's(vr950 lynnfields) I heard them on a Denon dra 685 reciever 100wx2rms both recievers claimed to handle 4ohm speakers but the Onkyo had a switch in the rear to swap from 8 to 4 ohm,everything Ive read and heard about amps with a switch is they aren't very effient in the 4ohm setting I have always wanted a pair of Magnapans so being their 4 ohm,I thought I would buy a little better reciever.Well I owned an NAD back in the mid 80's so I new how good they we're even though their power (watts) were rated on the low side,but I understand the differenc between high and low current that being said I read and listen for a couple weeks and the Denon dra 685 and the NAD c740 became my final two choices.Had a hard time they were both same price $400..demo's,more power out of the Denon,NAD had a mosfet amp,really couldnt tell a difference in the show rooms,so I opted for the Denon,just because Ive never owned one,what do you think of my decision,I never had a complaint on my Nad from 20 years ago,so far I lovee the Denon.I do see a difference between the Onkyo and the Denon,at volume 3:00 and less the Denon has better puch/sharpeness and better volume,and it stay a good bit cooler too,after 203 hours of play.Hey sorry so long winded,just wanted to get your thoughts...thanx again!

[This Guy]

the Denon was a fine choice as long as you like it and it drives your speakers well. You should set your sub's crossover frequency between 60 and 70 hertz cause your speakers start dropping off at around 50. PLay around see what works best. If your Denon says it can play 4 ohm speakers it should do so, but probably not as well as a power amp. The Magnepans are very hard speakers to drive, low impediance, low efficency. So your Denon will heat up faster and will reach its limits at a lower volume. Now the Denon will drive them, but you may want to think about a power amp in the future to connect to your pre-outs if you do get the Magnepans. Here's my plan, I actually hope to get Magnepans new speakers that go for $300 a pair, they are 4 ohm and 86 db 2.83 volts at 1 meter and around 83 db at 1 watt at 1 meter. Manufacturers use the 2.83 volts to add another 3 decibels so it appears the speaker has a louder efficiency. Now I'm gonna try running these speakers off my Marantz HT receiver, and if it doesn't sound too good I'll just use my Audiosource Amp three power amp. It puts out about 300 watts at 4 ohms and weighs as much as my receiver. Check them out they're going on ubid and ebay for about $200 refurbished. I got mine at ubid refurbished last year and it's been great.

http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/magnepan_mgmc1_mgcc2.htm

That's the link where I saw the magnepans I was looking at.

-Joey