Hafler help

[mbeigh]

Just getting back into listening to my vinyl. I am running a Rega P2 thru a Hafler D200 amp and DH101 preamp with sound out JBL L-100 speakers. I am wondering if it is possible to hook my powered Klipsch sub woofer into this system.

Any thoughts?

M Beigh

[melvin walker]

Just getting back into listening to my vinyl. I am running a Rega P2 thru a Hafler D200 amp and DH101 preamp with sound out JBL L-100 speakers. I am wondering if it is possible to hook my powered Klipsch sub woofer into this system.

Any thoughts?

M Beigh

The JBL L-100 are very efficient. The JBL are also quite bright more of the west coast sound. What speakers are inside the Klipsch ? Klipsch was noted for building enclosures not raw speakers. What type of enclosure is the Klipsch sub woofer in ?
With this type of information you be able to answer your own questions.
It will require a little research. You might also want to change your JBL L-100's. to a larger speaker system. The JBL L-100's are not noted for their bass response. Take a look on Ebay.

[JohnMichael]

Welcome to AudioReview. Question does your Klipsch subwoofer have both preamp inputs and speaker level inputs/outputs? What is the model of the subwoofer? If you have speaker level inputs and outputs you can take the outputs from the amp to the subwoofer speaker inputs and then from the speaker out to the JBL's. If your preamp has an extra preamp out you could send that out put to the siganl level inputs of the sub. This will work as long as the volume control effects both outputs.

[mbeigh]

thanks for reply. It is a SW-8 klipsch. On back of speaker have input and output rca plugs and left and right speaker cable hookups to speakers and from amplifier.
Also phase switch and level dial and lowpass dial 40-120.

thanks
M Beigh

[melvin walker]

thanks for reply. It is a SW-8 klipsch. On back of speaker have input and output rca plugs and left and right speaker cable hookups to speakers and from amplifier.
Also phase switch and level dial and lowpass dial 40-120.

thanks
M Beigh

Don't mix and match speakers. If your JBL are lacking bass and they do. get larger JBL's., if you like the JBL sound. Remember many speakers built in the days of your 100's were very colored. JBL's tended to color the mid range. To get any kind of decent bass from JBL s you need the larger JBL's. Example the L200 which uses a 15 inch woofer.

When you mix and match speakers you create many problems. Maybe you are not a critical listener , if so then it doesn't matter , if you are then don't match JBL's with a
speaker that maybe very different.

The speakers Klipsch put in their cabinets were generally of lower quality than the speakers used by JBL.
A 1974 Consumers Digest test report of the JBL 100 Century reported " The bass ends and starts fading around 70Hz. Which contributes to a pronounced edgy brightness of the sound.
Indeed this brighness became downright hardness on much material, Coloration of sound is well above average "
Your speaker are very efficent. Using a 12 inch woofer , 5 inch cone midrange and a one and a half inch tweeter. Rock music fans love them because of the great presence.

These speakers have a personality , you might like the sound. I use JBL's but they are much larger. I would never use a subwoofer made by another manufacture.

[JohnMichael]

Don't mix and match speakers. If your JBL are lacking bass and they do. get larger JBL's., if you like the JBL sound. Remember many speakers built in the days of your 100's were very colored. JBL's tended to color the mid range. To get any kind of decent bass from JBL s you need the larger JBL's. Example the L200 which uses a 15 inch woofer.

When you mix and match speakers you create many problems. Maybe you are not a critical listener , if so then it doesn't matter , if you are then don't match JBL's with a
speaker that maybe very different.

The speakers Klipsch put in their cabinets were generally of lower quality than the speakers used by JBL.
A 1974 Consumers Digest test report of the JBL 100 Century reported " The bass ends and starts fading around 70Hz. Which contributes to a pronounced edgy brightness of the sound.
Indeed this brighness became downright hardness on much material, Coloration of sound is well above average "
Your speaker are very efficent. Using a 12 inch woofer , 5 inch cone midrange and a one and a half inch tweeter. Rock music fans love them because of the great presence.

These speakers have a personality , you might like the sound. I use JBL's but they are much larger. I would never use a subwoofer made by another manufacture.

Melvin he was asking for advice on how to hook up what he already owns and not your views on the different products. Many use subs of different manufacture than their main speakers. Some companies such as REL specialize in subs.

mbeigh feel free to use the Klipsch to fill in with some bass. I would set the crossover frequency around 40hz which is the lowest and then increase it if there seems to be a gap in response. I would set the phase switch to the setting that gives you the better bass.

[anamorphic96]

mbeigh,

Go with what John Michael said.

Yes you can use different brands of subs with your speakers. Melvin's info is completely wrong when it comes to subs. As far as the JBL's being colored and hard sounding. That is true. The only time you want to keep the same brand and line of speaker is when you are setting up a home theater. When you mix and match brands with a HT you can get an uneven tonal balance across the front stage which can make the panning of effects, dialog, and music to sound uneven.

Mixing your sub with different speakers is not a problem. Just make sure you cross them over where the main speakers roll off and you get the level of the sub to blend so you can't notice it's there. As well as finding good placement so it does not sound muddy or poorly defined.

[Ajani]

thanks for reply. It is a SW-8 klipsch. On back of speaker have input and output rca plugs and left and right speaker cable hookups to speakers and from amplifier.
Also phase switch and level dial and lowpass dial 40-120.

thanks
M Beigh

Based on my limited knowledge of subs... I would say YES... you can integrate the sub into your current system....

either

1) If you have an additional 'preamp' output on your Preamp, then run rca cables from that to the rca input of the sub...

or

2) Run the speaker wire from the Amplifier into the subwoofer input and run the output from the sub to the speakers....

I can't tell you what to set the sub at between 40-120, hopefully one of the experts will jump in with suggestions...

EDIT: Looks like JM has already said what you should set it at..

Good Luck...

[markw]

Ya gotta love how he jumps into a thread and, rather than help the poster, twists the thread into his own personal soapbox where he can denigrate someone else's equipment and tastes.

And some argue he's not an intentional troll?

For the OP, everyone else's advice here is useful and meant to help, including mine.

You have several options on connecting a subwoofer:

1a) Line level, via the preamp output, and filtering out the lows from the main amp and speakers: For this, you would feed the preamp out to the sub's line level (RCA jack) inputs. then, feed the line level outputs to the power amp's inputs, thereby inserting the sub between the amps.

1b) Line level, via the preamp output, but retaining the full frequency range to the main amp and speakers: You get two "Y" connectors, with one male and two female RCA connectors. Insert the male RCA plug into the preamp out and send one side to the power amp and the other side to the sub's line level input. You don't need anything on the sub's line level output.

2a) Speaker level and filtering out the lows from the speakers. Basically the same as 1a except the sub is between the main amp and the speakers.

2b) Speaker level but retaining the full frequency range to the speakers. simply connect the sub's inputs in parallel the the main speakers. The high input impedance of the sub will prevent it from causing a drain on the amp.

Personally, I use 1b with the crossover set to low pass below 55 - 60 hz but YMMV.

And, welcome, this can be a fun and useful site once you learn who to ignore.

[E-Stat]

You have several options on connecting a subwoofer:

1a) Line level, via the preamp output, and filtering out the lows from the main amp and speakers: For this, you would feed the preamp out to the sub's line level (RCA jack) inputs. then, feed the line level outputs to the power amp's inputs, thereby inserting the sub between the amps.

1b) Line level, via the preamp output, but retaining the full frequency range to the main amp and speakers: You get two "Y" connectors, with one male and two female RCA connectors. Insert the male RCA plug into the preamp out and send one side to the power amp and the other side to the sub's line level input. You don't need anything on the sub's line level output.

2a) Speaker level and filtering out the lows from the speakers. Basically the same as 1a except the sub is between the main amp and the speakers.

2b) Speaker level but retaining the full frequency range to the speakers. simply connect the sub's inputs in parallel the the main speakers. The high input impedance of the sub will prevent it from causing a drain on the amp.

Personally, I use 1b with the crossover set to low pass below 55 - 60 hz but YMMV.

And, welcome, this can be a fun and useful site once you learn who to ignore.

What Mark said.

rw

[emaidel]

It's funny how this industry is now, and has always been, so full of those who absolutely know what's good, and what isn't. Even before I began selling audio equipment several old-timers in an audio room bitterly condemned the AR turntable as "a piece of junk." They couldn't have been more wrong: my purchase of my AR turntable, way back in '64, was one of the most sastisfying ever. I sold dozens and dozens of them eventually to very satisfied customers, and recommended it highly to my friends.

When transistorized equipment was first introduced, many disliked the sound of solid state equipment when compared to tube equipment, claiming tubes were "warmer." That was around the late 60's, and that debate still rages on.

At ESS, one of my reps asked me what speakers I owned. When I told him I owned Dahlquist DQ-10's, he resonded with, "I'd rather listen to two dixie cups tied together with string." That was back in '79, and guess which speakers I'm still listening to?

A business partner one year was determined to convince me that the JBL L-110 was an "accurate" and very high quality loudspeaker, and so he lent me his samples. I had several acquaintances over my house at the time, and played something on my DQ-10's, then disconnected them and played the same thing on the L-110's. All of us thought the same thing: the L-110's sounded awful. But my partner still insisted he was right, and the rest of us wrong.

Then came audiophile-grade speaker wire and interconnects. Did they make any difference? Yes, they did, or NO, they didn't. It simply depended on whom you spoke to, and it still does.

The biggest debate still continues, and that's the "CD vs. LP" debate, or digital vs. analog. I suspect that's one that will never end, but one good thing will come of it: manufacturers of either CD players or turnable/cartridge combos will continue to make their products better and better, in an effort to "prove" one's superiority over the other, and along the way, consumers will have the opportunity to purchase better and better equipment, whether it be digital or analog.

It's still a fun business, with strong opinions all over the map. That's why we have sites like AR and others, so we can share our opinions and observations with others.

And what was the purpose of this thread originally? I dunno - I forgot.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Pix was off Thursday and Friday, or is that Friday and Saturday, but was back in bidness Sunday/Monday morning.

[Groundbeef]

Pix was off Thursday and Friday, or is that Friday and Saturday, but was back in bidness Sunday/Monday morning.

Pix just wasn't here. He was working his other job stocking shelves at "Crappy Advice R Us". Incidently, he gets free samples, and typically uses them here on this board.

It also appears that is where Mr. Walker shops for his blather. I wonder if he buys it, and his colostomy bags in bulk (He packs them full of BS)?

[GMichael]

As long as someone keeps up on the crazy posts, then it's OK. I've got to have some kind of comic relief during the day. Otherwise I might have to go postal.

[Groundbeef]

As long as someone keeps up on the crazy posts, then it's OK. I've got to have some kind of comic relief during the day. Otherwise I might have to go postal.

Go postal? What do you need to go there for? You know they sell stamps at the grocery store now? You can pick up your lottery tickets, get some stamps, and have Melvin bag it up all real nice like. Supplements his social security/medicare benefits. Plus he looks real smart in his red smock.