I was wondering how the sub woofer output works on my SN3. My sub woofer has both a coax and stereo cinch input. Currently the sub woofer is connected to my surround amp with the coaxial.
Now if I connect the SN3 to the sub woofer with a cinch cable does the sub woofer output work for all inputs on the SN3 eg phono, cd and streamer ? Also does it also send a signal to the sub in „AV“ mode. Obviously I need to avoid the sub woofer getting a signal from both the SN3 and the AV amp.
The Supernait sub out will work with any input.
If your AV amp has a separate.1 sub output you want it to have a separate connection to the sub. Some subs have a dual purpose input which uses one of the stereo inputs as an LFE input from an AV amp. What works best for you depends on how these inputs are configured.
What sub do you have?
Hi Chris - thanks for the info on the inputs. I have a Dali E-9 sub with a Denon surround amp which has 2 sub woofer outputs. I wanted to connect the SN3 just to see what 2.0 sounds like with the sub but I want to avoid blowing up the sub woofer if it is connected to both the Denon via the coax and the SN3 with the cinch when I use 5.1. Unplugging the cinch cable every time I want to use 5.1 is not very practical. Thanks for any insight
You should ask Dali whether or not it’s possible to have two amps connected at the same time. I suspect not as I don’t think there is any way to switch between them, also there could be grounding issues.
Hi Chris - I think you are right. I will try Dali and see if I get an answer. Until then I will use only one of the inputs on the sub woofer. If the sub woofer output on the SN3 works when I use the AV input then I can just use the cinch input for 2.1 and 5.1.
Hi, I’d imagine that if the sub has LFE and stereo inputs, and there is no switch on the sub to choose between them, then it’ll switch automatically based on the incoming signal. My sub does that, MA Silver W12, and worked great with my SN3 and Denon surround amp.
I’ve just had a quick read of the manual for the subwoofer. Linked here:
From what I can see there is no specific mention about running both inputs at the same same time but the manual only ever says ‘or’ rather than ‘and’. Some subwoofers, like BK, do enable you to have both high level and low level connected at the same time.
The LFE input on the Dali bypasses the subwoofer’s filters. The stereo RCA does not. Assuming it is safe to do so, one option would be to have both connected as long as you DO NOT have both amplifiers on at the same time. The main issue I can foresee with this is that both setups will probably require different settings for volume which you would have to change ever time you switch systems.
Do you use your SN3 as the front left/right amplifier in your AV set-up? If so I think you would need to consult your Dali dealer to check because, if you connected the SN3’s pre-outs and the LFE from the Denon while watching a movie, this is where you might have problems. Of course you could disconnect the Denon’s LFE output but then you could loose some of the LFE channel effects depending on how your AVR processes things with a sub marked as not present.
Yep I reckon so. With the SN3 in AV bypass mode it won’t send anything to the sub output, since that’s on the pre side. Can’t remember if the manual states that or not.
@ChrisSU I didn’t have any grounding issues here, AV amps are often not grounded, my Denon isn’t … which does surprise me!
Hi Alex - that is the point exactly- the SN3 is the left/right channel of the 5.1. Therefore I cannot switch off one amp in 5.1 mode. Options are to connect both LFE from Denon and cinch from SN3 and then for 2.1, I don’t switch on the Denon and for 5.1 I should be ok as the SN3 does not appear to send anything on the sub output in AV bypass mode.
Sounds like a good solution and a clever design from Naim. Is there anyway of checking this? If you have not done so already, could you disconnect the LFE from the Denon while in 5.1 mode and see whether the Dali still receives any signal. If not then you can be confident that the SN3 does not output via its subwoofer outputs when in AV bypass mode and I would have thought you are good to go.
If the above is the case, the only thing you might have to do is adjust the subwoofer volume when switching as the Dali only seems to have one volume control. Alternatively, could you set the volume correctly on the subwoofer for when running the SN3 in 2.1 mode, then use the Denon’s internal set-up options to set the correct level for LFE when watching movies rather than relying on the subwoofer’s adjustment.
Hi Alex - thanks for your detailed answer. I have just had time to connect everything. The interesting thing is that in AV mode the SN3 is definitely still sending a signal to the sub-woofer. So by first testing this before using both cables I have avoided any damage to my sub woofer or amps. So the hoped for outcome is not there. I can either unplug the cinch lead (presumably better to do it at the amp end to avoid any unintended noise or shorts) when I use 5.1, or only use the SN3 for the sub woofer and permanently disconnect the LFE cable or just don’t use sub woofer for stereo. I will need to experiment. Sub woofer with stereo is an acquired taste and not for every type of music but great to have as option when you fancy some really fat bass.