Always take into account the very experienced views on this forum, but also keen to try things and see hat it sounds like to my ears and in my setup (will always wonder ‘what if’ otherwise!) Is anyone able to tell me if I can hook up my ASW610 to a SN3 with a 3M RCA cable from the SN3 sub pre outs without doing any damage? This would be the easiest way to dip a toe without spending further! Though I suspect without a seperate dsp and microphones and software etc its not going to sound very good…
It’s about the driver alignment and sound pressure radiation. For Hi-Fi or critical listening you expect minimum phase issues from your Hi-Fi speaker drivers across its working frequency… ie minimum sound pressure dips and peaks… a sub unless matching a speaker performance can introduce phase issues with your main speakers across shared frequencies around the cross over with the sub causing peaks and troughs, and potentially smearing the sound. (We are often only talking not much more than two octaves of performance and rarely above 12dB per octave). That is why setting up a sub(s) to work with multi driver Hi-Fi speakers (unless potentially active eq’d at the preamp such as in many home theatre setups ) can be challenging… but yes is possible.
But ultimately it’s straight forward to connect up and function, it’s something else to get it to sound the same quality as you are used to .
In music typically you will often find a continuous but varying spectrum of frequencies… where very high and low frequencies add to the feel and ambience of the mix or recording. Though in mastering many frequencies below 50 Hz or so tend be attenuated and often cut or heavily filtered below 30 Hz… it’s not useful bandwidth but takes up space in a master.
I really would contact Naim. Most of the Naim pre amp (NAC) outputs are not designed to drive long (greater than 1 metre) lengths of cable…though the sub out may be more tolerant.
Though rather than speculate here on this forum, I am sure Naim support can advise what you can and can not do and what the trade off is if any. I have always found the staff at Naim pleasant to talk to.
Although @Richard.Dane does a sterling job being forum administrator, I am not sure he really wants to be a proxy for the support desk and team at Naim.
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Hi willbonnet,
I would ask your question again.
Maybe since the SN3 has specific sub pre outs, then maybe they have already considered that long interconnects will be used and therefore the slugging with 100R resistors is already taken into account there within the unit?
This would of course need to be confirmed by Naim. Perhaps @Richard.Dane could answer or direct the question to naim staff that can
Regards
Mark
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Thanks Simon and Mtuttleb - still waiting on an email I sent Naim 6 days ago and didn’t manage to get through on phone (did only try twice though). Just thought someone would likely have encountred this on forum before. However, still happy enjoying my newly acquired nDAC at the moment so in no real rush to try hooking up the subwoofer!
Yes, I believe the sub outs on the Supernaits are designed to drive long sub i/cs. Naim can confirm though for sure.
I agree that you should contact service to be 100% sure, but if they advise you need something other than a standard cable I think it should be mentioned in the manual, which as far as I can see it’s not.
Thanks very much - will still contact Naim to confirm before trying as advised, but hopefully can give it a go without incurring further cost, though obviousy the danger it will open up a whole new avenue of spending!
We’ve used SN3 > 5m cables > sub/s without any issue so 3m cables will be perfectly fine.
Btw, please try and use both L+R outputs from SN3 and into both L+R inputs on the sub and later on for superior performance use a 4 pin din (SN3) > 2 x RCA cable into the sub.
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Luck has nothing to do with effectively understanding, following and correctly implementing procedures and parameters so that satellites and their sub/s blend seamlessly and work in harmony within their environment. It’s worth the time and effort.
I think you are quoting out of context for some reason. I actually said you will need to carefully set it up to work, unless you are lucky… and yes it is involved and will likely require much trial and error in terms of placement and phase settings in the average domestic environment, but yes you need to know what you are listening to check for , but possible, I do wonder how realistic it is for the average audiophile, probably better to use a specialist who can also advise if you need room treatments as well
I have heard relatively many disappointingly poor (slow ponderous, lumpy, badly integrated) sub setups for Hi-Fi with audio enthusiasts that does tend to support my impression it may be beyond many.
I know what you are saying.
To ensure there is seamless integration between the sub, satellites and their environment there has to be effective alignment, calibration and dialling in. As long as sub is capable playing cleanly at frequencies of 80Hz and above and done correctly then the sub/s will optimally support the system and consistently disappear into the soundstage. And now devoid of lag, bloom, bloat, boom or blur you’re instead presented with sub bass which is launched instantly, high speed, sharply focused, powerful and snappy.
I wonder whether staying within the same manufacturers range for main speakers and a sub makes integration and performance easier. I went with a Totem Storm with my Forest Signatures for this reason, with the Storm placed just inside one speaker, as per Totem’s recommendation.
Do you get nervous installing systems for Blofeld?
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Hi guys (and gals). I am now catching up on this topic and, based on my limited (2 years) experience since adding a sub, I also don’t know how I was able to survive without one for so long .
I have a Rel T9i, indeed seems to do all the tricks as advertised 
.
There was however one issue that I still don’t get, maybe someone can light this up for me. When I replaced the XPS DR with the 555 DR on my 272, turned out that I also had to change the phase on the Rel from 0 to 180. Otherwise I was getting less bass than even with the sub off.
The Rel is positioned in the left corner of the room, firing straight through the room diagonal, intersecting with my main listening position.
Has anyone else experienced something similar and/or has an opinion on what was the impact of the 555 DR on the phase?
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Hi Randi,
When the REL was being installed Rob from REL told me that if you are firing into the room in the same direction as the main speakers its 0 opposite direction 180 as you are 90 degrees its one or the other, perhaps the increase in the power supply h as pushed it to 180. A big speaker in with other speakers does suck the bass and performance out of your main speakers I experienced this when I had an Orangle 4 x 10 guitar amp inbetween them - the sopund was terribel until I removed it.
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Over the last sixteen years I’ve underpinned SCM40MK1’s and SCM40MK2’s with subwoofers with great success.
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Gut reaction. It was always wrong and the better power supply lowered the floor enough for you to notice.
DC is DC. Noisy DC (and with the XPS it was hardly noisy before anyway) won’t invert the phase of a downstream AC audio signal.
Well, that could be one explanation, even if I explicitly tested the 0 phase as correct, when I added the sub into the system (with the XPS at that moment).
PS: I guess it’s the other way around, noisy AC not filtered enough downstream to DC 
. And yes, I know my AC line is noisy, the 555 does buzz very loudly on various notes sometimes, depending on the network load.