Performance series PS1400 bass + PT 800

[fast_mick]

I am after some suggestions for my docked speakers, I mainly use them for hifi use.

I have found the PS1400 while an active subwoofer takes on the flavour/influence of the amplifier driving it.

The problem is for the PT800 I like to use a tube amp for a very smooth clear sound. However the tube amp seems to have no damping and the bass from the PS1400 is uncontrolled.

If I use a Perreaux 2150B as the power amp the bass sound from the PS1400 is strong and tight. However the PT800 while still good isnt as nice as the sound when using the tube amp.

I have tried a Ashley crossover to split the signal but you lose a bit of nice fine detail sound resolution from the crossover.

Any suggestions?

[Mr. Widget]

I am after some suggestions for my docked speakers, I mainly use them for hifi use.

I have found the PS1400 while an active subwoofer takes on the flavour/influence of the amplifier driving it.

The problem is for the PT800 I like to use a tube amp for a very smooth clear sound. However the tube amp seems to have no damping and the bass from the PS1400 is uncontrolled.

If I use a Perreaux 2150B as the power amp the bass sound from the PS1400 is strong and tight. However the PT800 while still good isnt as nice as the sound when using the tube amp.

I have tried a Ashley crossover to split the signal but you lose a bit of nice fine detail sound resolution from the crossover.

Any suggestions?What you are saying follows what I have found to be the case in general. I can't give you specific advice since I am not actually very familiar with the Performance Series operationally... I could read the manual, but I am not quite that generous with my time. There are quite a few forum members who are very familiar with these speakers, but some may not have listened quite as carefully as you or are using their systems in different ways.

How are you using these speakers? The woofer has it's own amp, I believe. Can't you simply run paralleled signals from the preamp outs to the sub amp and to the tube amp powering the HF section? Isn't there a built in passive high pass on the HF section? I assume the woofer's amp has a built in low pass filter for the woofer. You shouldn't have to send a speaker level signal to the woofer... do you?


Widget

[rdgrimes]

The PS1400's plate amp combines the LF (<130Hz) content from the speaker level input with the LFE content from the LFE input. Each input has a level adjustment. If the plate amp is shut down, both pathways are lost. I'm not really sure what the effect would be of feeding a signal to the speaker input that was XO'd below 130Hz, but it should work OK. Bypassing the plate amp completely would be the only way to really control what the driver is getting. (using an external amp). But it's fair to say that unless the plate amp IS bypassed, it won't matter what you're driving it with, amp-wise, because it'll be getting driven by the plate amp.

It sounds like the OP needs to remove the plate amps and use an external active XO and separate amps to drive the PT800 and PS1400 individually.