Subwoofer setup

[Rocketmannequin]

I wanted to share my experience of connecting my DB3D B&W subwoofer to my 220 Pro CI.

While I own a pair of B&W 804 D3s that work perfectly down to 20Hz, I decided to add the DB3D subwoofer for some further punch. While the SQ from the beginning was excellent as expected, the further result is that I now have added rumble and deep bass that adds an extra depth to music tracks, for a much improved the listening experience.

In terms of setup, thanks to the advice on this thread from John and Trevor and the technical support of B&W, I have set it up in the following manner.

While I could have set my Expert 220 Pro CI to cross over at 60Hz-80Hz, a crossover setting in the Dev is not necessary as the B&W subwoofer app allows you to set your crossover automatically by selecting “804 D3” as your master/main speakers. According to B&W, this sets the subwoofer low pass to 24Hz. (804 D3 frequency range is 20Hz to 35kHz). My connection is via the PreOut, full range both master speakers and PreOut, PreOut summed to mono and connected to the DB3D’s R/LFE connection with a single QED Performance Subwoofer cable. ‘

If you don’t have B&W speakers, you can also choose “Other Speakers” and set the Low Pass Filter Hz, Slope and Phase. I will be experimenting with the non-auto subwoofer settings in the app and trying the crossover settings in the amp.

I would be curious to know if anyone has any other suggestions regarding crossover frequencies, single or stereo connections (PreOut stereo via Y-cable to both L+R RCA of the subwoofer provides another 3db, apparently?), or on the setup above.

Thanks!