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So a little update on my MS-8 based system. After having the MS-8 control all 4 driver sets for a year and a half now, I've noticed more and more that (as a number of MS-8 users have) that I'm missing too much mid-bass. This is mostly noticed at comfortable listening levels when your ear is looking for some bass riffs, such as in some Blues tunes that you know are there. This has to do with how the MS-8 does it's equalization for the sub/mid-bass crossover. One way to fix this is to calibrate the MS-8 in 3-way mode without the subs and then after calibration split the mid-bass out of the MS-8 (as in with RCA-"Y" adapter) add the subs and then control the mid-bass/sub crosssover on the external amplifier. I've done this and I've got my mid-bass back (big hurray!). I've been on some comfortable topdown cruises lately and feeling the bottom end without having to crank up the volume is fantastic.
One problem is that this is a fine edge. Some content is produced with more of a heavy hand on the bottom end than others. Since I can't use the tone controls on the head-end to easily trim some of this (a plus in the "replace the head-unit" column when thinking about updating a system) and reaching for a different EQ preset on the MS-8 while driving is difficult since it's tucked away in the center console, this presents a challenge. I've recently learned more about how the remote sub-level control on my amp actually works (Arc Audio XDI-805). Instead of adjusting the level across ALL sub frequencies it actually adjusts the level at a controllable "bass boost" frequency. I'll be playing around with this over the weekend as well as maybe closing off the sub port. Fun, fun, fun...
Oh, and to the earlier poster who asked but never got an answer; I'm running the tweets off of the MS-8's internal amp, the mids and mid-bass and subs are off of the XDI-805. The internal amp on the tweets has never run out of legs and limited the output of the system.
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