Makes sense. Many thanks for the information. Much appreciated.
Splitting the AUX outlet on WiiM Mini to add Active Subwoofer?
- Thread starter Erebus
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Makes sense. Many thanks for the information. Much appreciated.
No problem!
Note that even without an HPF you might be able to get an OK response, you'd just need to tune your sub's low pass frequency to roughly match the bass roll-off of your Echo device. I've used this approach in the past and it can work well with a bit of tuning. It is absolutely something to consider if on a budget!
If this is your main target, just having a more pleasant presentation at low levels, did you try to simply apply one of the Loudness GEQ settings to the Echo? EQ won't turn it into a bass monster, but it's totally free and may just suffice.
To be honest I don't know what you're referring to, but I do use EQ settings in both WiiMs and the Echo. I use Rock in the WiiMs and have maximised bass in the Echo. I have also tried Bass Boost but find it takes away too much of the higher end.
slartibartfast
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One of the GEQ settings is labelled "Loudness" isn't it?
If you're referring to the Echo, I only see Bass, Mid Range and Treble adjustments. I cannot find any reference to GEQ or loudness. Do you have a screenshot you can share please to point me in the right direction?
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Ah, I thought he was referring to the Echo settings. I will try Loudness on the WiiM Mini connected to the Echo to see how it sounds. Thank you for the clarification.
I think we moved away from this original question with other aspects relating to subwoofers, but I think the query is still a valid one and I'm interested to hear what others think about splitting the 3.5mm output.
Given that line outputs are voltage sources, and line inputs typically have high impedance I believe a parallel connection like you propose should in most cases be fine.
With a parallel connection the load impedance "seen" by the line output would be reduced (e.g. if both devices connected on parallel have 10k Ohm input impedance the line output would see half of that - 5k Ohm), which means the line output would need to produce more current.
So as long as the load impedance remains sensibly high (which IMO it should), this shouldn't introduce distortion, but it *might* potentially introduce some very high frequency roll-off (this will depend on analog circuit design on both ends).
The second thing is subwoofer integration - obviously by using a parallel split cable you cannot implement a high pass filter (HPF) for the mains.
So you'd need to run the mains full range, and configure the sub low pass filter to match the bass cutoff of your mains. But you may have to do this anyway if you don't have a bass management in your source with a dedicated sub out, or if your sub doesn't have the HPF function on its line outs.
Lastly, with unbalanced connection there is a risk of ground loop hum. But this is not specific to the parallel split connection; it could happen in other layouts as well.
Hope this helps!
That's all very interesting and informative, thank you. I was looking at using a splitter adaptor plugged into the WiiM Mini with 2 separate cables attached to the splitter. I guess this is probably the same?
There's no functional difference between using a "Y" splitter cable vs a "Y" splitter adaptor with cables connected to it.
However, you should just make sure that what you have is really a stereo splitter, in the sense that it splits one stereo output to two stereo outputs connected in parallel.
I'm stressing this because there are also adapters that split a stereo output to two mono outputs (L and R).
Yes, good tip, thank you.
I tried the Loudness EQ in the WiiM Mini, but it didn't sound very good at all with the Echo speaker. I think it takes too much away. I have reverted to Rock which sounds the best to our ears.
Thank you to everyone for their help and tips here.
This is the frequency response of the Echo 4th gen by RTINGS. Based on this, it can be inferred that the Echo is bass-enhanced, but rolls off steeply below 60 Hz.
Amazon Echo Gen 4 Review
The Amazon Echo Gen 4 is a small, spherical speaker with built-in Alexa capabilities. You can activate Alexa using your voice or with a button on the speaker, an...
www.rtings.com
On the other hand, the loudness EQ on the WiiM tries to boost below 63 Hz, and the Echo may not have felt the sound was better because it can't reproduce this frequency range.
In my opinion, sound quality can be improved by adding a sub, setting the crossover to around 60 Hz and using RoomFit to compensate up to 200 Hz. If a high-pass filter is available, the crossover can be increased further.
Someone will correct me if I'm wrong
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