NHT Sub wiring issue

[HJ957]

OK fellas, I've got one for you.

My current system has a NHT SubOne i connected and it works fine. This older generation NHT unit uses an external control box. So the sub out from my UMC200 goes to the controller and then to the sub itself. No problems there.

I got a good opportunity to buy an NHT SubOne which I couldn't pass on. My plan was to split the controller output and run to both subs. Here's the issue - the SubOne i uses a standard RCA cable, the SubOne uses a 8 pin mini din cable. Naturally the connector type was the one question that never crossed my mind.

Both subs have their own controller boxes, but I'm hoping to run both subs from one controller.

Right now I'm thinking of just putting a mini din-8 to rca adapter on it and hoping it works. Any thoughts on whether this is a terrible idea?

Also, the UMC200 has a three pin sub output (looks like XLR), if there's any chance of finding a din-8 to XLR adapter, will the UMC200 output to both connections at the same time?

Any thoughts and ideas are most welcome.

[LCSeminole]

Not sure if running both subs from one controller is a good idea, but to answer your last question, yes both the RCA and XLR subwoofer outputs on the UMC-200 are active at the same time.

[HJ957]

Thank you for the reply. NHT does make schematics available and a very nice fellow is going try to decipher the pins on the DIN8 and make an adapter cable for me. We'd have to determine the pins on the DIN8 regardless if it's RCA or XLR, so sticking with RCA for now. I'll post up results if it works.

[ansat]

see audiokarma.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-309334.html It looks like you might be best off using 2 controllers.

Tony

[HJ957]

Thanks, I previously found that posting during my info research. Using two controllers will be my last ditch attempt. The NHT controllers want the left and right front outputs from the preamp in to the controller, then back out to the amp.

If I used both controllers then I think I'd need to run from the preamp to one controller, then out to the to the other controller and then to the amp. It could work but it seems that splitting the sub out from one controller is the better solution. Probably the best solution is to scrap the whole idea, but I haven't given up the ship yet.

My original setup has the SubOne i which is an updated version of the SubOne. The big difference is that the later version has a controller that has it's own power source. The original SubOne draws power from the speaker through the DIN8 cable.

[HJ957]

I'm posting this in case someone else does a search via Bing or Google and this thread comes up. It's hard to imagine that I'm only person in the world that's tried this. Then again, maybe I'm the only one dumb enough to try it or with gear this old.

The issue at hand is to integrate a SubOne subwoofer into an existing system that includes a SubOne i. Both subs have external control boxes.

The SubOne i is the newer version, the control box has it's own power source, LFE in and Sub out as well as front Right and Left inputs and outputs with low and high pass filtering. It runs a basic RCA cable from the control box to the sub itself. It has LFE gain and volume controls.

The older SubOne's control box is powered by the subwoofer itself through a mini DIN8 cable, the sub itself has all the power supply. The controller has front R and L in and outputs, plus the DIN8 connector and high and low pass filters, but no LFE control. This one has only volume control.

My hope was to create an adapter from DIN8 to RCA so I could split the output from the SubOne i output and run it to both speakers and not use the SubOne's controller at all. This would require figuring out the DIN8 pin configuration. NHT provides schematics for the controllers but they do not show the pin configuration. NHT says that the pin configurations are "no longer available". Magically though, they can still sell me their proprietary DIN8 cables and extensions.

So rather than hiring someone to disassemble the whole unit and map the pins, I decided to try using both controllers. I was hesitant to do this due to duplicating crossovers and not being sure if the LFE input should be first or last in the chain and other possible things that could happen that I don't understand. Normally I take the position of "don't wrench on anything you don't understand", but I opted to ignore the rational part of my mind.

The short ending is this - it works darn good so far.

The longer ending is that I ran the Right and Left speaker outputs from the UMC 200 to the L/R inputs in the SubOne controller. Then ran the SubOne L/R outputs into the L/R inputs on the SubOne i controller. Then the L/R outputs from that controller to the amp (XPA 5). The Sub output from the UMC 200 runs to the LFE in on the SubOne i controller and the Sub output from that controller runs to the SubOne i speaker itself.

Both controllers have the low pass set at 180hz and high pass at 75hz.

I may try to reverse the two controllers so that the SubOne i is first in the chain, but since that controller has a separate LFE in and Sub out, it probably won't matter if it's first or last in the chain.

I need to get a DIN8 cable extension because the one I have now is too short to allow me flexibility to position the SubOne. Right now the SubOne speaker is behind my listening position and pointing about 225 degrees off axis (firing back left towards a far corner) and about 15 feet away from the other sub. I want to move it another 7 feet back and orient it so it's firing about 125 degrees off axis.

Without any other tuning it has smoothed out the bass response noticeably, previously I had distinct hot spots and weak spots. I've been able to reduce the volume on the subs as well which has reduced some boominess.

As of now I'm pleased but the final judgement will come later on after I've messed with and lived with it for a while.

I still really love my NHT speakers, which is why I still have them. But if I were shopping now, NHT would be about last on my list.

I sent an abridged version of the first half of this post to NHT tech to get thoughts and opinions and the response was "sorry, I couldn't wrap my brain around any of this"

The surf must have been up that day, or a new bag of weed. Or both maybe. Sheer awesomeness in any case.



Edit 2/6/15

I think I'll just edit this post so it doesn't keep moving up to the top of the forum every time I update. I realize that the number of people that may be interested in this topic is going to be a very small number!

My first opportunity to really listen to the system with the new configuration revealed a weakness in the mid bass that wasn't there previously, both in music and movies. The "punchiness" of the bass was degraded. I haven't made any changes to the UMC200's PEQ at all yet and won't do so until I get the new sub in a more or less final position which will be another few days.

I went ahead and changed the order of the control boxes so now the SubOne i controller is first in line and connected to the UMC200 while the SubOne controller is hooked up second and outputs to the amp.

This made a surprising change. My mid bass response came back and I was quite pleased with the sound overall. I had to increase the main sub volume a wee bit and other sub has an output volume that is about 60% of the main sub's volume. Previously I had them close to equal volume levels.

Now going through this configuration a couple times, it seems that using both controllers is the better option after all. If I had actually had both subs running from a single control box then I would not be able to adjust the volume of the second sub, and it would probably be way to strong.