Passive Subwoofer - Where and How?

If it has a crossover already then just get a cheap amp to drive it like this one which is built like a tank and has tons of power, and then use one sub in the front and one in the back of the room:
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4142945

I run 4 passive subs. In my opinion it gives me more flexibility for wiring etc. But it does cost more $ (seperate power amps, EQs and highpass filters). Unfortunately, you won't know the best placement in the room until the room is finished and furnished. There are some "suggested" placement areas but I would not consider these until you can test them out. Can you provide the name and model of the passive sub as it may not be worth it to use in your setup.

You will need a power amp to power it in a best case scenario. I would also suggest a steep low cut off filter if the sub is ported so you won't overdrive it. But you will need to know its tuning frequency.

I checked out your link, but it just took me to a whole page of products on JR's website. I'm in the market for some good, reasonably priced power amplifiers for a bi or tri-amp project, so I'd really like to get your recommendation narrowed down to a specific product. To which amplifier were your referring?

Thanks, Lou!

Doug

If you need a good sub amp, then I highly recommend the Crown K series. I used two and these things are very flexible and do not have fans. If you want a cheap amp to experiment with biamping then I would suggest the Sonic T amps. They are extremely low power 15 wpc into 4 ohms. You are not going to get rock concert levels out of these unless you have really efficient speakers but it does give you a glimpse into biamping on the cheap (about $40 - $50 with AC adapter). I used a pair of self modified Sonic T amps to biamp Totem Arros and PMC DB1s. To simply my 3rd setup I now just use one power amp for the Arrors.

I have a great sub amp already, a Phase Linear 400, 200 w/ch RMS with a damping factor of 1000. Other amps include a pair of AudioSource 100 watt mono-blocks for the mid-ranges and a Scott Class A 30 watt/channel I'm going to use for the high end.

I'm looking for a good stereo power amp in the 100 watt range to push the woofers. The system will be 2.1 and the 2 main speakers will be tri-amped using an active crossover. The PL will power a homebuilt double voice coil sub and the signal feed will be line level sub out from the 2.1 processor.

Any specific suggestions for the woofer section? Solid state is OK with me, but I would like for them to be in the 100+ w/ch RMS range. I like the AudioSource stuff I have already b/c they have XLR connectors built in already, and most of the commercially available crossovers use XLR. RCA phono jack equipped crossovers are few in number and expensive, so if possile more XLR stuff would be preferable.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have, EC.

Doug

I would second the suggestion for using a Crown K series amp. I use a Crown K2 to drive my pair of JBL sub1500 800w subs.

I also use an Active Crossover in my main system, a Bryston 10B balanced of course . The amps that I find have good control over the bass is the Bryston gear - even the older stuff. So look for something in the "3B" range however the "4B"s are more powerful and popular. However I think you are looking for a cheaper solution. The amps that I have used are either the really cheapo stuff to the decent stuff. Many of the conumer power amps will have XLRs. All the pro amps will have some type of balanced connections. It may be best to stay with Audio Source. BTW - I used to own Quad II monoblock tube amps circa 60's - one of audio's classics which I now regret selling.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. It's hard not to like the Bryston stuff!!

You are right about economy being a consideration for now, though. My only beef with the AudioSource stuff is their fans are noisy, but if I hide it in a ventilated equipment closet that's not going to be a factor. IMHO it's pretty good value for the $$, but since I only need 2 channels of amplification I may save my $$ for a bit longer and look for the Crown or the Bryston stuff. I did look at the Crown XLR 202 series stuff--I assume by virtue of the name that they are XLR equipped and they are pretty reasonable--in the $300-$400 range. I've long been a fan of Crown's stuff and in fact have a Crown IC150 preamp (sadly, in need of repair).

As for my Scott Class A amp, I also have the matching preamp and tuner. I don't use those right now, though, but "...ain't they purty?". Tube stuff sounds so good--I love the "warm" sound it has.

Doug