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Stereo vs mono subwoofer output and the Parasound P5 preamp

Posted by tketcham (A) on October 10, 2016 at 06:44:31

I've been reading about the differences between mono and stereo subwoofer output and there appears to be disagreements as to the advantages and disadvantages of each. I'm of the opinion that stereo low bass output, when included in the recording, is a valuable addition for systems that can take advantage of it. I have experienced the differences between a single subwoofer, dual mono subwoofers, and stereo subwoofers and prefer stereo subwoofers, especially when they've been carefully integrated into the system and room.

Here's my point...

I was considering getting a Parasound P5 preamplifier because it has an onboard mains/subwoofers crossover feature I could use with my stand-mount speakers and powered subwoofers. But when I saw that the P5 (and preamp section of their Integrated amp) uses mono (summed channel) subwoofer outputs I decided against it. So the question is why would Parasound not include stereo subwoofer outputs in a preamp obviously designed for stereo music? I can't imagine that it would cost that much more to incorporate stereo output but perhaps they just used their simple 2.1 design rather than a new 2.2 design because 2.2 is in fact considerably more expensive.

I thought about writing to Parasound but first I wanted to get some perspective from Asylum members. Is stereo subwoofer output important enough to justify the additional cost?

Thanks for any comments.

Tom

PS: I found other preamps with stereo subwoofer cross-over features but they're much more expensive than the Parasound P5 because they include more expensive materials and features. I haven't found anything of similar design with stereo subwoofer outputs.

Edits: 10/10/16 10/10/16 10/10/16 10/10/16

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