Stellar Dac/M700 Adding a sub

I have a Stellar Dac/M700 combo connected via XLR (I’ve had issues with noise that using XLRs has eliminated). I want to add a sub. I have two questions:

  1. Assuming I don’t have a sub with XLR inputs, can the XLR and RCA outputs on the Dac be used simultaneously with the RCAs attached to a sub (I have a sub with RCA inputs that I could use. I’d have to buy something new if I need to go the XLR route because of noise)?

  2. If so, what is the best way to deal with the the db difference between the two outputs?

Any and all help is appreciated.

Yes, you’ll need to adjust your subs accordingly. With my SVS’s I keep them minus 4db, the default setting is minus 10db. That seems to make things blend seamlessly.

Alternatively, if sub has high level input, it can be connected to M700’s speaker binding posts directly. See this.

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I have a pair of REL subs that are connected through the M700’s. I did have to run a RCA connection from the sub to the preamp as well to get rid of a low level hum.

You can definitely run the XLR and RCA at the same time. A lot of folks run their subs in this exact configuration. Your sub should have gain control which will take some tweaking and playing around with to get just right. I’m fortunate my SVS has a remote because I play around with its level quite often. Some genres need a little more kick.

I run my SVS subs using the RCA outputs of my SGCD, using XLR’s for interconnects, and it works great. Just adjust the sub levels to taste and enjoy!