Thiel SmartSub SS1, Owner'S Information

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Do you require a crossover?
Without a crossover the subwoofer will provide very high
quality reproduction of the Low Frequency Effects (LFE), or
“point 1”, channel of a multi channel sound system.
When used with a crossover, the subwoofer can, in
addition, also reproduce the low frequency part of the main
channels in a 2 channel or multi channel music or video
sound system. It is desirable to use the subwoofer in this
capacity if the main speakers do not reproduce the entire
bass range or if the main speakers cannot play at the volume
level desired without distortion. Depending on your
requirements, the crossover can be either the bass
management capabilities of a sound processor, one of our
dedicated passive crossovers, or the SmartSub Integrator.
Here is a description of each of these with their advantages.
Processor Bass Management
Surround sound processors have the ability to redirect
the bass energy away from your main speakers and into the
subwoofer channel where it is reproduced by the subwoofer,
with the benefits of allowing the main speakers to play
louder than they otherwise would, and the bass to be
reproduced better. This is implemented by telling the
processor that your main speakers are “small”.
The limitation of this bass management approach is the
poor balance and integration between the subwoofer and the
main speakers that the processor’s generic filters provide. It
may be suitable for low standard video systems and will
seldom be suitable for music.
THIEL Passive Crossovers
There are several passive crossovers available that match
a THIEL subwoofer to various THIEL speaker models.
Since they are designed for specific models, they achieve very
good integration and balance between the subwoofer and the
main speakers. Also, being passive, they are of quite
reasonable cost. They allow the subwoofer to
augment the
main speakers in the precise way that will enable the
combination of main speaker and subwoofer to produce
perfectly balanced and blended sound with the bass range
extended to below 20 Hz. Two passive crossovers can be
used with two subwoofers to provide stereo bass
reproduction.
A limitation is that these crossovers do not redirect bass
energy away from the main speakers and so the main
speakers will not play any louder than otherwise.
This is often an ideal system for music systems and a
good approach for video systems when the main speakers
play sufficiently loud but do not have extended, deep bass
response.
THIEL SmartSub Integrator
The SmartSub Integrator provides a high level of
flexibility, universality, and functionality. It provides near-
perfect integration with any main speakers, regardless of
brand. It can be used both in
augment mode, where the
subwoofer extends the bass range of the main speakers, and
in
crossover mode. In crossover mode the built-in high pass
filter transfers bass energy away from the main speakers and
redirects it to the subwoofer, so that the main speakers are
able to play louder. The Integrator also allows adjustment of
crossover frequency, LFE level and separate adjustment of
main channel bass extension and low frequency level. In
addition, it can control stereo subwoofers, and be used to
control systems with up to 16 subwoofers.
This is a complete, no-compromise approach with no
limitations.
Crossover Use
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Crossover type Integration Flexibility XO mode?
Processor Poor Low Yes
Passive XO Very good Low No
Integrator Excellent High Yes
Crossover Types Compared