Dan Prorok
Active member
So, I have an SMS-1 on the way. The inner geek in me is anxious to start tweaking and measuring and tweaking again. While I have been waiting for the device to arrive, I've been wondering how best to integrate it. At present, I do not use my Descent for 2-channel at all: it's attached to the subwoofer output of my B&K Ref 50 and since I run my turntable and CD player in "analog" direct mode on the processor, there is no sampling done by the Ref 50 to do the crossover and bass management.
There are numerous ways to integrate the SMS-1 into my setup, but the two most straightforward are to either:
1. Run the subwoofer output of the Ref 50 into the SMS-1 and just use the SMS-1 for home theater duty. This has the advantage of keeping my two-channel path more pure, but with a Ref 50 in the middle, even in bypass mode, it can't be *that* pure.
or
2. Disable the subwoofer output entirely on the Ref 50, set the front speakers to "large" and then run the front two channels into the SMS-1 for all bass management. This has the advantage of permitting bass management (and use of the descent) for two-channel as well. This set-up also lends itself to two variations for the "high-pass" going to the SL-3's:
You might wonder, with me using a B&K Ref 50 as a prepro that I'm not that serious about two-channel and, for now, you'd probably be right, but I am also trying to think ahead since my next upgrade will likely be a real dedicated two-channel preamp for the CD player and turntable with the processor either running through a passthrough or just another input into the preamp. This would give me the opportunity to put the SMS-1 between the processor and preamp and thus only use it for home theater or put it between the preamp and the front channel amps to use for everything. The disadvantage to the latter, again, is added complexity to the two-channel path.
Using the SMS-1 and Descent for home theater is a no-brainer; it's the two-channel I waffle on each day. Are there any two-channel fanatics out there who have given this some thought?
There are numerous ways to integrate the SMS-1 into my setup, but the two most straightforward are to either:
1. Run the subwoofer output of the Ref 50 into the SMS-1 and just use the SMS-1 for home theater duty. This has the advantage of keeping my two-channel path more pure, but with a Ref 50 in the middle, even in bypass mode, it can't be *that* pure.
or
2. Disable the subwoofer output entirely on the Ref 50, set the front speakers to "large" and then run the front two channels into the SMS-1 for all bass management. This has the advantage of permitting bass management (and use of the descent) for two-channel as well. This set-up also lends itself to two variations for the "high-pass" going to the SL-3's:
2a. Hook the high-pass up to the "THRU" jack and send the full-range to the SL-3's. This might be preferable for 2-channel, but might be nasty for home theater and its extreme bass.
2b. Hook the high-pass up to the "OUTPUT" jack and make use of the 80 Hz analog cross-over.
2b. Hook the high-pass up to the "OUTPUT" jack and make use of the 80 Hz analog cross-over.
You might wonder, with me using a B&K Ref 50 as a prepro that I'm not that serious about two-channel and, for now, you'd probably be right, but I am also trying to think ahead since my next upgrade will likely be a real dedicated two-channel preamp for the CD player and turntable with the processor either running through a passthrough or just another input into the preamp. This would give me the opportunity to put the SMS-1 between the processor and preamp and thus only use it for home theater or put it between the preamp and the front channel amps to use for everything. The disadvantage to the latter, again, is added complexity to the two-channel path.
Using the SMS-1 and Descent for home theater is a no-brainer; it's the two-channel I waffle on each day. Are there any two-channel fanatics out there who have given this some thought?