Many audiophiles consider a subwoofer to be an essential part of their system. The good news is that the design of NVA passive pre-amplifiers includes 3 sets of line level outputs. Even if you are already bi-amping, this still leaves you with a spare set of outputs to connect an active subwoofer via the 'low level' subwoofer inputs.
In our experience, a subwoofer can make a very positive difference, depending on what speakers you are using and how you position and set up the subwoofer. Here are some things to consider when deciding whether to add a subwoofer to your system:
Always use the 'low level' connection. Using the 'high level' connection from the speaker outputs will invalidate your NVA warranty and may damage your NVA amplifier.
We think that a sealed box sub sounds much better than a ported subwoofer, especially when it comes to timing and 'slam'.
If your existing speakers are ported, block the ports.
Do the 'sub crawl' to find out where in your room is the best place to site the sub.
If you are severely limited as to where you can place the subwoofer, consider using a basic DSP unit such as Anti Mode or miniDSP.
Cross the sub over at the bass frequency drop off point of your existing speakers.
Set sub phase to 0 for initial listening, then adjust by ear (if required).
Be gentle with the sub's volume control! The idea is to give a subtle foundation to the music. Stunt bass is for movies, only!
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