Adding a PreSonus Eris Sub8 to a desktop speaker setup

A corner of my desk, with the Sub8 underneath

For about 4 years I’ve had a set of Wharfedale DS-2 speakers on my desk at the office. They sound great and while intellectually I knew I was missing low end, I was happy enough for the setup I didn’t bother to see if I could add a sub. Lately I was toying with adding an ELAC SUB1010 and a miniDSP, but that seemed like it would be overkill.

Enter the PreSonus Eris Sub8. It has a built in amplifier and, critical, a two way cross-over. The low pass is variable (up to 130 Hz), while the HPF is fixed at 80 Hz. I picked up a pair of 3.5 mm / RCA cables (normal and right angle) and connected the sub inline between my audio source (a Mac Mini) and the Wharfedales. I left the LPF at 80 and switched on the HPF, turned the gain almost all the way down (50W RMS sub, paired with 15W RMS desktop speakers), and started exploring.

Unholy just sounds fucking sinister. Sarah Jarosz’ Fischer Store Road has hints of depth I wasn’t expecting. Tool’s Undertow (album and title track) pounds relentlessly. Halsey’s Bad at Love (Klangkarussell Remix) lulls and then when the bass drops, surrounds. Nightwish’s remastered Amaranth just cascades over you. Rammstein’s Sonne takes an already intense track and hammers it up to 11.63. (Converting to European units doesn’t allow for neat round numbers.)

Why didn’t I do this before?!