Help wiring a sub-woofer into my system please. Best option, if I can?

Akagi · 7 Feb 2019 at 17:07

Help wiring a sub-woofer into my system please. Best option, if I can?

Hi guys, so I currently have a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.2's which I want to add a Wharfedale Diamond SW150 to for a little more bass punch.

I have two amps to choose from, a Marantz PM5003 and an Arcam A75, I don't mind which one I use.

The outputs on the back of the amps look like this:

A75:

PM5003

And the inputs on the sub:

TIA

With the Arcam could I use the pre-out to go to the line level input on the sub, then wire the speakers to the sub? And potentially the same with the Marantz with the recorder outs?

Akagi · 7 Feb 2019 at 17:49

I was with you, then you lost me.

So I'd plug the sub into the pre out, and leave the speakers wired into the amp?

How would I control frequency crossover?

I thought I'd have to plug the speakers into the sub to be able to control that.

Akagi · 7 Feb 2019 at 18:59

Awesome thank you.

so, another daft question, if I use the marantz could I use the poles for the second set of speakers (there's an option to turn each set on and off individually) and effectively have an on off switch for the sub?

Akagi · 7 Feb 2019 at 20:18

Awesome, I'll grab some more speaker wire and give it a stab with wiring them paralell. Thanks for all your help. It seems a simple thing now, but having not done it before, I just couldn't wrap my head around how to do it!

Akagi · 8 Feb 2019 at 12:53

Actually forget that, I'm going to use the A75. I've been using the PM5003 and the A75 has just been sitting there (I bought them both at the same time, and honestly only use the Marantz because it looks nicer on the shelf...) but having just looked into it a bit more, the Marantz was released at £220 in 2008 and got generally mediocre reviews, whereas the Arcam was released at £1000 in 2001 and got generally very good reviews. It also has a higher power output.

Since audio tech in amps and speakers tends to progress very slowly, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Arcam is still a hugely more capable amp and I'm a muppet for leaving it sitting there...