[doug s.]

If this is a requirement for you, which speakers do you currently have with this feature?  I know of no speakers that have this ability and don't know a lot of people using passive subs anyway (requiring amplification).  There are lots of active sub options that would go well with these speakers (or any speakers for that matter).

i actively bi-amp, or tri-amp, and yes, i use passive subs that require outboard amplification.  if the soundfields could be hi-passed at ~80hz, then i'd be ok.  not sure how it works, w/its active powered woofer built-in.

doug s.

[neekomax]

i actively bi-amp, or tri-amp, and yes, i use passive subs that require outboard amplification.  if the soundfields could be hi-passed at ~80hz, then i'd be ok.  not sure how it works, w/its active powered woofer built-in.

doug s.

The 8" subwoofer driver does (about) 20Hz-200Hz. The 5.25" Kef concentric drivers take over at 200Hz. Why would you want to high pass the monitors? They make very good bass, IMO.

Whatever the case, you probably could get a custom setup. After all, AJ builds them to order, I believe.   

[jackman]

The 8" subwoofer driver does (about) 20Hz-200Hz. The 5.25" Kef concentric drivers take over at 200Hz. Why would you want to high pass the monitors? They make very good bass, IMO.

Whatever the case, you probably could get a custom setup. After all, AJ builds them to order, I believe.

Neeko,
Those are cool looking speakers and I'm sure they have great bass for their size.  But if you think you are getting 20hz from 8 inch woofers in those cabinets, you are mistaken.  Don't get me wrong, 20hz capability is not necessary for any music I listen to and if you are getting in-room bass in 30's at normal listening levels with those speakers, you are doing very well.  Also, unless you are using a system for HT, you may not want speakers that play to 20hz.  Run some test tones through those and see what I mean.  Those woofers will be going crazy at 35-40hz tones. 

This is not a slam on the Soundfield speakers, because they are pretty cool looking and appear to be an awesome value.  They appear to have better bass response than any other small monitors I have seen, so my comments (above) are meant to be a compliment.  I'm just saying, you can't get close to 20hz from these or any other monitor speaker with an 8" woofer. 

I'm not sure how big a deal the ability to drive other subs with the built in amp (I'm talking about additional passive subs) is going to be (unless the Soundfield guy is going to offer passive subs that offer a similar value) for most people.  There are lots of good, inexpensive active subs available if you need more bass. 

[neekomax]

Yeah, I probably was a bit low estimating the low freq threshold. Anywhat, they go low  . I wouldn't want to miss out on the sound by high passing them, but that's just me.

[doug s.]

my issue is i actively cross subs to my mains at ~60-80hz, (depending on mains), and there's no way i am gonna run any speakers w/o a true subwoofer set-up.  aj could probably let folks like us know the best way to integrated subs w/his speakers.  not sure i'd want to be running my subs up to 200hz if they were connected directly to the soundfields; that's another issue that would need to be worked out...

not that i really need any more speakers, haha!  but, these seem intriguing.

doug s.

[AJinFLA]

my issue is i actively cross subs to my mains at ~60-80hz, (depending on mains), and there's no way i am gonna run any speakers w/o a true subwoofer set-up.  aj could probably let folks like us know the best way to integrated subs w/his speakers.  not sure i'd want to be running my subs up to 200hz if they were connected directly to the soundfields; that's another issue that would need to be worked out...

not that i really need any more speakers, haha!  but, these seem intriguing.

doug s.

Hi Doug,

These speakers are just like any passive, non-powered speaker, except you plug them into a wall . You simply connect your existing speaker wires (from your main amp) to the speaker input on the back. Adjust the (sub) level on the plate amp to match your main amp...and your done.
That way, if you have your main amp hi-passed at 60hz, that's what the SAM1's will be fed. And your line level sub outputs are free...to feed as many subs as you need.
I highly doubt you will bottom or overdrive the built in subs listening to music. They are designed to be run full ranged in small to medium sized rooms and provide healthy sound pressures..of course dependent on the amp driving them.
HT is another story. Two 8" subs are not going to play back WOTW at reference levels in an auditorium...nor were they intended to do so.
The subs are sealed, not vented, so it is entirely possible for the in room response to extend down into the mid 20's (as shown by the in (my) room response in the CapFest thread). YMMV.
If you need HT ref levels in a large room, you'll just have to wait for the Model 2's or 3's 

cheers,

AJ

[doug s.]

Hi Doug,

These speakers are just like any passive, non-powered speaker, except you plug them into a wall . You simply connect your existing speaker wires (from your main amp) to the speaker input on the back. Adjust the (sub) level on the plate amp to match your main amp...and your done.
That way, if you have your main amp hi-passed at 60hz, that's what the SAM1's will be fed. And your line level sub outputs are free...to feed as many subs as you need.
I highly doubt you will bottom or overdrive the built in subs listening to music. They are designed to be run full ranged in small to medium sized rooms and provide healthy sound pressures..of course dependent on the amp driving them.
HT is another story. Two 8" subs are not going to play back WOTW at reference levels in an auditorium...nor were they intended to do so.
The subs are sealed, not vented, so it is entirely possible for the in room response to extend down into the mid 20's (as shown by the in (my) room response in the CapFest thread). YMMV.
If you need HT ref levels in a large room, you'll just have to wait for the Model 2's or 3's 

cheers,

AJ

aj, thanks for the clarification; it is as i suspected.  one question about the possibility of future connecting passive subs directly to the sam1 - will they also be driven to 200hz, or is there a way w/the bash amp to cut their response, while the sam1 woofers still go to 200hz?

thanks again,

doug s.

[JohnR]

doug, why wouldn't you just use the (I assume) outboard amps that you already have for your subs?

[AJinFLA]

aj, thanks for the clarification; it is as i suspected.  one question about the possibility of future connecting passive subs directly to the sam1 - will they also be driven to 200hz, or is there a way w/the bash amp to cut their response, while the sam1 woofers still go to 200hz?

thanks again,

doug s.

The 200hz XO is electro-acoustic, which means it is the sum of the electrical (plate amp) and acoustic (speaker) response....which includes diffraction loss (aka "Baffle Step" as you might have seen it referred to). A (typical) ground based subwoofer size box would have a different acoustic response...and thus a different electro-acoustic XO when connected to the plate amp. One could run a slave sub like this, the actual XO would be closer to what you dial in on the plate amp, but unless you are lucky, I wouldn't particularly recommend it. A bandpass might work, but it would really depend on what modes were overexcited, etc., etc.
The real reason why the slave output is mentioned as a future upgrade (and it will become available once I work out the mishap prevention connection scheme) will soon be revealed.
It's more of an alternative to the multi-sub approach (which I like, but is not feasible for all) that (hopefully) achieves a similar(smoother at the LP) effect.

cheers,

AJ

p.s. as John points out, you absolutely can still use your existing subs to augment/smooth/etc the response. I encourage it if needed.

[doug s.]

doug, why wouldn't you just use the (I assume) outboard amps that you already have for your subs?

john, this is certainly the logical choice.  but, if the subs could have been driven off the sam1's built-in amps, it simplifies the set-up.

i suspect aj's "soon revealed' plans entail subs specifically designed to mate w/the sam1's, so the issues mentioned in trying to randomly make my passive subs work won't be issues...   

doug s.

[AJinFLA]

AJ, any chance of these making an appearance at RMAF?

A plot has been hatched.....

[jkelly]

Mine just arrived - gonna be a great weekend!

Jeff

[jackman]

Mine just arrived - gonna be a great weekend!

Jeff

Hey Jeff, I look forward to your impressions.   These are cool looking speakers and they appear to be  getting very popular.  Let us know your thoughts, and the type of gear you try them with.  Also, please compare them to other speakers you have owned or auditioned.

Cheers,

J

[jkelly]

Sure - for starts I will be using:

Pure Music
Mac Mini
Tranquility Dac
Bob Latino 120 amp
multiple cables.

Jeff

[neekomax]

Mine just arrived - gonna be a great weekend!

Jeff

Awww yeah. I believe you are in for a sonic treat, my friend.

[jkelly]

Me love that!

[eclein]

Tell us what you hear....I'd like to hear your very first impressions right out of the box!! Whatever you do enjoy it thoroughly and have fun!!!!! Congrats jkelly!!

[neekomax]

JKelly... so?

[neekomax]

So AJ, your first customers appear to be... AUDIOPHILES!!!      Good luck with your new venture, man.


Neekomax, enjoy buddy. Can't wait to hear your impressions.

After lurking on AVS recently, I now finally understand the meaning of this post.

 

[Chris Adams]

Oh boy, oh boy! I have a pair of these being shipped in the next day or two. So far from what I've read, these are going to be amazing. Of course the proof is in the listening. I'm very pleased with the design and the fact that the midrange/tweet array is highpassed at 200hz. That means there are an abundance of modest power amps available to use, including tube amps .