[brycejohnson]

Hello everyone,

I'm Bryce, and I'm pretty new to the world of audio separates—I've just moved on from my KEF LS50 Wireless to a setup with dual Schiit Tyr amps, a Kara pre-amp, and a Bifrost DAC. My Orchard Audio Pecan Pi is running into the Bifrost via USB and the Kara via XLR. SchiitStack.JPG

I'm using my old Bose 301V speakers, and they sound pretty awful, although the Tyr pushes them at higher volumes, okay. They've been boxed up for about 8 years, but no worries—I've got a pair of Ohm Walsh 2000 Tall Speakers on the way, and I'm excited to hear them in action by the end of next week!

In the meantime, I'm using Roon for my audio sources and experimenting with different DAC configurations (Schiit Bifrost via USB (Pecan Pi Streamer), Orchard Audio via XLR to Kara, and HiFi Berry DAC2 HD via RCA to Kara). I can already notice subtle differences when switching sources, which is intriguing.

I've decided to withhold any critical judgments on sound quality until my new speakers arrive, as I suspect any issues I'm noticing are likely due to the limitations of the Bose speakers. Speaking of which, I grew up thinking Bose was the peak of audio achievement—funny how times change!

I have a question for the community: How do I integrate my KEF Kube 8b subwoofer into this setup since I don't have a dedicated subwoofer output? Do I need another amp for this, or is there another way? On this forum, I read that the Ohm's do not excel at the lower ends. Is the scenario where I push the pause button and just experience everything for myself -- I tend to be the guy changing 6 things at once and then wonder why it doesn't work.

I'm holding off on using Roon's Parametric EQ as my adjustments make things worse. I don't know what I'm doing, and I suspect the Bose 301s are not helping.

I'm not here to show off; I'm eager to learn and get the most out of my setup. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

I do not have permissions to post anywhere but here, sorry if this is the wrong forum.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and I look forward to becoming a part of this community!

With gratitude,

Bryce

 

[Hypops]

Welcome. You may not get too much response since this is primarily a headphone enthusiast forum, but I can say a few things.

To your question, there are many alternate ways to integrate your subwoofer, depending on your amp and your subwoofer. If your amp doesn't have a dedicated subwoofer output, you can use the speaker binding posts on your amp. If your subwoofer has dedicated binding posts (usually labeled as a "high-level input"), you just run those in series with your speakers. You can also try the "pre out" RCA outputs on your amp to run to a subwoofer. Those are usually variable outputs and will vary their output based on the gain of the amp (so that your subwoofer changes volume with your speakers). If your amp doesn't have a variable output "pre-out" and your subwoofer doesn't have a "high-level input," then you can use a speaker-to-RCA converter (like car audio enthusiasts use) to run a subwoofer signal out of your amp's binding posts to your subwoofer's RCA input.