Need Help with A Sub

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 01:32 pm:

I recently bought a new suround sound reciever and the subwoofer input is a RCA type (like the red or white cables on all tv's) with a black rim around it. i have a firly old sub which is powered and on the back of the sub there are outputs with the red and black speaker cables. someone told me to connect the speaker cables from the sub to one of the inputs on the reciever like front center but im not sure if im supposed to do that. thanks!

Silver Member

Username: Arande2

400dB could probably d..., 4000 isnt ev...
100,000dB FU...

Post Number: 581
Registered: Dec-06

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 01:36 pm:

Well, first I think you're confusing inputs with outputs. Second, your receiver has a high chance of not being able to handle the lowered impedance.
That's all I know that I can solidly contribute.

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 01:37 pm:

yes im not really educated in the home audio language

Gold Member

Username: Nuck

Post Number: 5168
Registered: Dec-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 01:47 pm:

Bob, did you get a manual with your new receiver?

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 4
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 01:50 pm:

I looked in the manual and it says i need a mono aural audio cord. i looked and i couldent find anything named that is there any cord i could get or something

Gold Member

Username: Nuck

Post Number: 5169
Registered: Dec-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 02:16 pm:

It's an rca, Bob.

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9591
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:01 pm:

.

If your sub has no line level (it uses an interconnect with RCA plugs on both ends) inputs, run the sub off your front speaker outputs. Do not run the sub off the center speaker outs. Run your speaker cable from the main front speaker outputs to the sub and from the sub out to your speakers.

If you have a line level connection on your sub, run a single RCA interconnect from the receiver's sub (or LFE) output to the sub's line level input.

.

Silver Member

Username: Davidpa

Portland, Oregon
US

Post Number: 278
Registered: Nov-05

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:05 pm:

Dont get more simpler than that.
Jan just about covered the whole deal, in the shortest post I've ever seen him do!

Silver Member

Username: Davidpa

Portland, Oregon
US

Post Number: 279
Registered: Nov-05

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:06 pm:

Alright theres been a few shorter ones.

not many.

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 5
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:32 pm:

so theres no cable i could get that has speaker cabele on one end and a RCA cable on the other that would work in this situation?

Silver Member

Username: Davidpa

Portland, Oregon
US

Post Number: 280
Registered: Nov-05

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:52 pm:

DIY I've seen. Soldering experience is helpful.

Silver Member

Username: Davidpa

Portland, Oregon
US

Post Number: 281
Registered: Nov-05

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:53 pm:

found this real quick.
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/speaker-con-ram.html

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 6
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 03:58 pm:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102955&cp

could this work also??

and one more thing if i plug my sub to my front left then i cant hear anything from the left side so i thought center would work but Jan said i should no do center...

Silver Member

Username: Arande2

400dB could probably d..., 4000 isnt ev...
100,000dB FU...

Post Number: 597
Registered: Dec-06

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 04:03 pm:

Guys wouldn't that use extra power from the receiver? Or wouldn't it overpower the sub? (the voltage) If anything I'd think you'd have to have the gain all the way down.

Silver Member

Username: Arande2

400dB could probably d..., 4000 isnt ev...
100,000dB FU...

Post Number: 598
Registered: Dec-06

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 04:06 pm:

Oh wait I was thinking in the opposite manner.

The receiver has the RCA out. I still think it'd use too much power from the receiver. Wait I think I'm wrong. Most subs have a high input impedance. Yeah I think you could.

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9596
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:02 pm:

.

"so theres no cable i could get that has speaker cabele on one end and a RCA cable on the other that would work in this situation?"

STOP IT! PUT THAT DOWN BEFORE YOU HURT YOURSELF!!!

Sure there's such a cable. You buy a regular RCA interconnect and chop the plug off one end. You strip back the insulation and you now have a bare wire connection that could be made at a speaker.

But why would you want to do this?

Speakers cannot be driven by the low level voltage that is present at a (RCA) line level output. If you make this connection from line level sub out directly to your sub's speaker inputs, you won't hear anything. Line level and speaker level are two different things and cannot be combined. Roughly speaking the line level RCA output is a few millivolts while the speaker level output is several volts. You use one or the other to drive your sub's plate amplifier but you cannot go from one to the other.

" ... if i plug my sub to my front left then i cant hear anything from the left side ... "

Then you've made the wrong connection. Quite honestly, I don't have a clue as to where you are making connections either at the receiver or the sub. You need to give sufficient information that we can follow along and help you get everything working. We need to know what you are connecting to what and from where to where.

Outputs go to inputs. Inputs do not go to outputs.

Keep the flow of the signal in your head when you are describing your connection process.

Go back to what I posted earlier. If you are running the low frequency output(s) of the receiver from the line level (RCA) connection, the connection at the sub is made at the line level (RCA) input. End of connections, that's all you have to do.

If you are running the receiver's signal from the speaker level outputs, you make the connection at the sub at the speaker level inputs of the sub. Then the sub will provide separate speaker level outputs that run to your speakers (inputs).

What sort of connections does you subwoofer provide? Line level? Speaker level? Both?

What kind of amplifier and subwoofer are we talking about?

.

Gold Member

Username: Nuck

Post Number: 5172
Registered: Dec-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:13 pm:

Name and model?

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9598
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:21 pm:

.

Just the facts, sir, just the facts.

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 7
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:24 pm:

im sorry everyone but im only 15 so i dont know alot about frequesncies and all that stuff. I have a insignia IS-HC040917 Reciever and a Optimus sw-120 sub and i want to connect the sub to the sw outlet on the reciever. if you need any more info let me know.....THANKS EVERYONE

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9600
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:31 pm:

.

Out goes to in. In does not go to out.

The receiver has what type of subwoofer output? Line level? Speaker level?

The sub has what type of inputs? Line level? Speaker level? Or both?

Does the subwoofer have speaker level outputs?

.

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9601
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:32 pm:

.

Doesn't the new receiver's owner's manual cover all this? Have you looked at the manual for assistance?

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 8
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:39 pm:

i looked in the manual and this is exactly what it said about subwoofers

CONNECTING A SUBWOOFER

TO CONNECT YOUR OWN POWERED SUBWOOFER, A MONO AURAL AUDIO CORD (NOT INCLUDED) IS NEEDED (RCA TERMINAL)

Gold Member

Username: Nuck

Post Number: 5174
Registered: Dec-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:45 pm:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Optimus-200watt-sub_W0QQitemZ330035925491QQihZ014QQcategoryZ 3275QQcmdZViewItem

It's passive.

Silver Member

Username: Arande2

400dB could probably d..., 4000 isnt ev...
100,000dB FU...

Post Number: 603
Registered: Dec-06

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:53 pm:

Well HA I beat you because I'm 14.

I don't see why you can't just run the main left speaker outs and live with left-sided bass.

To me it's weird because my Paradigm Seismic 10 only has line-level inputs (XLR and RCA) and a trigger hookup while your sub only has speaker-level inputs. Hmm does your sub only have one pair of speaker-level (two terminals)?

Silver Member

Username: Arande2

400dB could probably d..., 4000 isnt ev...
100,000dB FU...

Post Number: 604
Registered: Dec-06

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:56 pm:

Oh, Nuck that covers it. He needs an amplifier! Then he can use the inputs on that to hook the RCA up and run the outputs to it!

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 9
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:56 pm:

yes it says input from recieevers and theres two sets of red and black...and it says output to speakers and has 2 sets of red and blacks

Silver Member

Username: Arande2

400dB could probably d..., 4000 isnt ev...
100,000dB FU...

Post Number: 605
Registered: Dec-06

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 06:59 pm:

bob if it's passive you need an amp. If it has a volume control and is powered and Nuck is wrong run the left and right speaker outs of your amp to it and run the speaker outs to your speakers. BUT, if it's passive and you do that you could ruin your amp if it isn't designed for lowered impedance like I said on my first post in this thread.

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9603
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 08:24 pm:

.

OK, Bob, go dig out the owner's manual for the sub. What does it say about hook up? More than likely the sub is meant to be driven by your receiver and has a low pass/high pass filter in the sub. This would mean you want to run the speaker outputs of your receiver into the speaker level inputs of your subwoofer. Left channel speaker out to left channel speaker level in. Same for the right channel. Then you will run from the speaker level outputs of the sub to the front speakers. Left to left and right to right.

Always make these connections with the receiver powered off.

You will have to set the receiver's menu to indicate you have no subwoofer and the front speakers will be set to "large".

Did this subwoofer come with another system? Are there any adjustments on your subwoofer for level or crossover frequency? If not, all this might be worthless.

.

Gold Member

Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 9604
Registered: May-04

Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 08:46 pm:

.

Does the back of your subwoofer look like the one in this manual?

http://www.radioshack.com/graphics/uc/rsk/Support/ProductManuals/4005030_PM_EN.p df

Or, like this?

http://support.radioshack.com/support_audio/doc63/63328.pdf

Follow the appropriate manual and you should get the subwoofer working.

What speakers are you combining with this subwoofer? The second sub (the one I suspect you own) has no level control and has a very low efficiency which means it is meant to pair with specific Radio Shack models and isn't likely to sound very good if your main speakers have a higher sensitivity than 84dB. Did you buy the speakers and the sub together?

.

New member

Username: Lilomez238

Post Number: 10
Registered: Jan-07

Posted on Sunday, January 07, 2007 - 12:22 am:

thanks everyone for youe help i think i can take it from here witht that manual. thanks everyone that helped me on this thread ill bbaq later if i have any more questions!!! THANKS