hello,
is it possible to connect a sub on the RS520? if so, how?
thank you!
Yes. The most obvious method would be to connect the pre-amp (RCA) outputs to powered sub’s input or inputs, if using a two subs is what you had in mind.
thank you! Indeed, I had in mind to use 2 subs, SVS 3000 micro or KEF KC62. Do you know how I would go about setting the crossover on the sub? does it make a difference in the set up of the sub that the RS-520 was not designed to have a dedicated sub output ?
Stereo preamp outputs are suitable for subwoofer output provided that you will have sub crossovers, control over the crossover point and level controls, which in both cases you would have. In my opinion the KEF is the better engineered product, and better suited to the average listening environment, but SVS has earned a pretty solid reputation. SVS is a somewhat newer company while KEF has been making hifi speakers for 60 years and it was the first in the world to employ speaker design software back in the 1970s.
You would have to experiment with settings but the manufacturer’s manuals will provide some recommended settings. Here is a link to the KEF manual: https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s–v4AzuKO8–/3b3a4790ce3fbaac2db09ff555d67a3796c8b7dd.pdf
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Thank you so much, this is very useful!
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How would volume be controlled? Does controlling volume for the speakers then also control volume for the subs? Is that the “proper” way? Just learning… thanks in advance.
I use a SVS PB2000Pro with Rose 520.
I’ve had these settings since the beginning of the 520/SVS and it works great. The volume is automatically increased.
For a second sub, there are Y-cables, or the SVS has another sub output for connecting a second one.
If you have technical knowledge, you can then check the group delay of the subs.
In other words, carry out a room measurement.
Ask @BorisM (Hi Boris), he has the necessary specialist knowledge.
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That’s helpful, thank you. Can you also define the subwoofer crossover frequency within Rose, or how would that be done? I’ve read that in other products you can just do it in an app, which would then only send specific frequencies to the sub out. Curious how that’s done here.
No, you can’t. The 520 doesn’t have a sub output. You set the crossover frequency on the woofer. I chose the SVS because the sub is controlled via an app and I sit exactly in my sweet spot and can make the settings. The SVS also has parametric EQ to counteract room modes. But it would be better if you first measured your music room to detect room modes.
I hope @BorisM reads this and sends you a comment.
Pretty much what @Bonte said. Run speakers to 520’s speaker terminals and plug subwoofer in pre-amp outputs. Volume will be controlled for both.
Unfortunately, Rose is behind even rather commodity vendors like Wiim and does not offer a proper crossover with sub output in their devices. That said, as long as your speakers do not start to distort too much from seeing unfiltered full-range output, it will still sound quite lovely.
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@BorisM and @Bonte - thanks for the replies. Do I understand correctly?
(1) To pair a sub with the Rose, the sub would have to offer the ability to set the crossover, either manually via some knob or dedicated app?
(2) Since the speaker still would see the full frequency range, adding a woofer wouldn’t take away from the speakers frequency band, therefore potentially not offering the same precision of a device with a dedicated sub out?
The other option is a NAD M33, which would also offer proper room correction via DIRAC. And dedicated sub out. Really torn between the two…
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You’re welcome!
Yes, but honestly I am not aware of any sub that does not have the low-pass control.
There might be some subs that have a high-pass filter on speaker level outputs, but I do not have any experience with using those.
M33 is a bit more money, and you are giving up the big screen, and (not particularly useful) support for higher resolutions. With a dedicated sub out and Dirac it is likely to sound a bit better. By how much, hard to say. I have to say that the 520 with Mission floorstanders and SVS SB-2000 Pro sounds very good after room correction applied.
The big screen is indeed a selling point. And, I have to say, I liked the sound quality on the Rose a lot on the Fyne Audio F501SP speakers I plan to get. I’ve heard the NAD M10 v3 on the same speaker, but not the M33 yet. Compared to the M10, the RS520 sounded better.
How did you apply room correction on your system since the RS520 doesn’t offer it? And, not having a high-pass filter (I think it’s called that?) to filter out the lower frequencies from the speaker which the sub covers doesn’t create any obvious audible distortions? Thanks for the help with all these theoretical (and beginner) questions – just trying to get educated before committing 
(This forum also seems like a cool selling point for Rose. Don’t think NAD has a similar community)
UPDATE: I’m learning… perhaps, based on this article from REL, using a high pass filter is not even recommended. While I have zero experience, I can follow the logic in that article.
Pre-outs are certainly the easiest and cheapest way to integrate an existing sub. most subs have the controls built in for xover / Level and such.
Some subwoofers come with High level inputs (REL is the biggest one that specializes in that). Those are supposed to follow the sound signature of the amp, so of makes sense. I have never done so I cannot comment. SVS I think makes a module that lets you do this for a sub that only has line level inputs. Again no idea if its any better than just running an RCA from line out.
I use a JL Audio CR-1 which is built to be between pre and amp, so not much help here.
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I am playing everything from Roon, so I have created convolution filters for all of my endpoints (I used Focus Fidelity to make them, but there are lots of alternatives) and have Roon apply it.
It could, but generally, unless you are playing movies with explosions at ear-splitting levels, any decent speakers should not distort too much with normal musical content at normal listening levels. They would just have low output at those frequencies. Now, if you were to try correcting it with no sub (or just boost the bass with EQ) you could certainly get it to distort… Once you add the sub, which has its own boost control, you can even lower the overall bass level in the source while still having proper bass output.
It may not be quite as optimal as having a crossover somewhere before the speakers, so you are not even amplifying and passing any of the bass to the speakers that won’t play it effectively, but it still can work well enough.
Like anything else from REL, this is BS. They do not even make subwoofers, just some very expensive mid-bass reinforcement boxes using very odd connection topology. There’s some FUD about filters aimed at people who paid for $100K speakers with no bass and do not want to “spoil” their pristine analogue sound with nasty digital processing, or some nonsense like that. They go on about a 6dB/octave filter (which can work just fine because you DO want overlap between speaker and sub anyway), but any decent DSP can, and will, much steeper filters.
Of course it might make some sense if you are using REL boxes, where you need to get their $8K top of the line box to achieve twice less bass than a $1000 SVS makes, while their $1650 T/9 goes about as low as my bookshelves do, but if you get real subwoofer thatr you want to use to fill in what the speakers do not reproduce well, this is not an issue.
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I am playing everything from Roon, so I have created convolution filters for all of my endpoints (I used Focus Fidelity to make them, but there are lots of alternatives) and have Roon apply it.
Funny you mention that. I spent this afternoon prompting ChatGPT (and Grok3, which is surprisingly good) about room correction options for the Rose. One of the suggestions was to apply a filter via Roon DSP, with measurements from something like REW. I wasn’t aware that’s even an option. Unfortunately limits the correction to the Roon outputs and not TV, but at least it’s an option.
It could, but generally, unless you are playing movies with explosions at ear-splitting levels, any decent speakers should not distort too much with normal musical content at normal listening levels. They would just have low output at those frequencies. Now, if you were to try correcting it with no sub (or just boost the bass with EQ) you could certainly get it to distort… Once you add the sub, which has its own boost control, you can even lower the overall bass level in the source while still having proper bass output.
It may not be quite as optimal as having a crossover somewhere before the speakers, so you are not even amplifying and passing any of the bass to the speakers that won’t play it effectively, but it still can work well enough.
I admit, I’m probably overthinking this point anyways. I intend to pair the Rose with a pair of Fyne Audio F501SP speakers, which have more than sufficient bass output for our current place. Would only consider adding a subwoofer if we ended up moving into another space that’s substantially larger. And, based on what you wrote, perhaps my concerns around distortion are overblown, particularly with a solid speaker like the Fyne seems to be.
Appreciate the back and forth. Cheers!
You would be surprised what a good sub integrated properly can do for a 2 channel system. My Sopra 2 easily go down to 30-35 range with no distortion. But it pushes them, it effects other frequencies if you push the system. if you really want the low end to shine w/o raising the volume to compensate, at a sub.
Properly integrating it is the hard part. I too use Focus Fidelity, but I also use the room for HT use. The 2.1 of my HT is my 2 channel. Two complete systems that meet at the CR-1. The CR-1 with Focus fidelity and Roon make a killer combo… not cheap, but it lets me use a real preamp instead of my HT AVM-70. Just finsihed my room and i have not had time to run the new filter, I tried listening to music but the bass was not right. I am too used to it being tuned. once you do it, you will never go back.
FYI - I use a Rythmik G25HP. The RELs are good, very good, but way overpriced to get the same deep bass. Like 9k vs 3k for what I have. The CR1 supports dual sub, so I am thinking of adding second.
Take the time, do it right, you will NOT be sad you did.
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I believe you entirely, but that sounds like a more involved and advanced setup 
. For now, I just want a good (and preferably pretty) box like the Rose, that’s reasonably future proof, and some good speakers.
Btw, by HT you mean Home Theater? Do you have a Rose device in that setup somewhere?
Definitely a rabbithole hobby with lots of future expansion potential. Appreciate the detailed insight
You’re welcome!
Honestly, none of them are anywhere near “good.”
Yes, which is why if you are planning to use “it” (whatever “it” ends up being) for other things, it is better to have built-in room correction. Just for stereo use with Roon, you can get very good results designing a filter yourself.
Yeah, I think you should be perfectly fine.
There you go. If your Fynes (that’s kind of like Tannoy thing, right?) play without distorting now with unfiltered input, they will play without distorting once more of the bass is reinforced by the sub, too.
I believe so. Never heard Fyne’s specifically, although always wanted to have a Tannoy somewhere but if you like how they sound now, with a sub and DRC they can sound even better.
Of course, keep in mind that by default DRC will try to linearize in-room sound, and I am not sure if Fyne’s are particularly well-measuring speakers so you may need to fiddle with the target curve a bit to keep more or less the same character. Or maybe you will like it with one of the preset curves anyway.
But yeah, for stereo, as long as you stick to Roon or a similar source that can apply convolution filters you will be fine.
I would disagree about REL’s. If you are looking for a subwoofer, they are not any good. You need to go to the top of the line (very expensive) models to get anything resembling a subwoofer output (and even then theyt want to sell you a stack of them, because they are still rather week down low), and they do not play nice with any proper external bass management system. As mid-bass reinforcement they would work, albeit very expensively, but with your Fynes you do not really need that.
