I would like to know what types of sub-woofers can be connected to the S1pro. Does the impedance have to match? What might I consider to make sure my powered Home Theater type sub would work? Thank you
Hello DIYPercussion,
You can only connect powered sub-woofers to the S1 Pro, i.e., sub-woofers that have their own internal power amplifiers.
"Does the impedance have to match?" Impedance matching is usually only a concern when connecting one or more unpowered speakers to a power amplifier. The power amplifier's manufacturer will specify how much wattage it can deliver at a certain impedance, and the limits that will operate without equipment damage.
"What might I consider to make sure my powered Home Theater type sub would work?" The S1 Pro's line outputs and inputs are designed for "pro audio" as opposed to "consumer level" (industry terms that generally outline the connections and signal levels used to interconnect devices.) There's no way to know without the make and model of the home theater sub-woofer, and preferably a link to an owner's manual to know a) whether interconnection is possible, and b) whether it's advisable.
Also, there's no way to predict the sound quality. The S1 Pro is designed as a full-range speaker; the home theater sub-woofer is designed for low frequencies only. The S1 Pro has only has an internal crossover to separate highs and lows between its built-in speakers -- but signals sent from the "line out" port are full-range. If you send a signal from the S1 Pro to the sub, does the sub have an internal low-pass filter to keep it from trying to process high frequencies it's not designed to handle? Likewise, if you send the signal from the sub to the S1 Pro, does the sub have a high-pass filter to keep the S1 Pro from duplicating low frequencies the sub is already handling?
Bose recently started selling the Sub1 and Sub2. These subs have switchable high-pass filters designed for the L1 Pro and S1 Pro series speakers, and can be used with other systems as well.
I can appreciate the desire to use equipment you already have. However, without more information, about your existing sub, there's no way to know.
Does that help?
How about the sub1 from the L1 legacy system?
Hi Chesher!
The legacy B1 and B2 bass modules do not have an XLR or 1/4" connection, only a speakON connection, which means they are not compatible with the S1 Pro systems.