LFE Connection USing Speaker Wire

[PGNewHampshire]

I have an LFE connection on my Receiver and an LFE conncetion on my subwoofer. The hosue is wired with speaker wire rather than coax for the LFE connections. Can I go from the LFE connection on the receiver with a 1xRCA male to 2x RCA male to the speaker wire in the wall then at the other end go from 2xRCA male to 1x RCA male to the LFE connection on the subwoofer OR do I actually need to replace the speaker wire in the wall with shielded coax?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[highfigh]

I have an LFE connection on my Receiver and an LFE conncetion on my subwoofer. The hosue is wired with speaker wire rather than coax for the LFE connections. Can I go from the LFE connection on the receiver with a 1xRCA male to 2x RCA male to the speaker wire in the wall then at the other end go from 2xRCA male to 1x RCA male to the LFE connection on the subwoofer OR do I actually need to replace the speaker wire in the wall with shielded coax?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

You should use some kind of shielded cable. RG-6 works great, as does RG-59.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Replace the speaker wire with shielded cable. Use a speaker wire for a line-level signal and you're sure to get a lot of buzz and noise.

Not to mention, you can't solder speaker wire to an RCA, especially of it's 16 ga. or larger. It's physically too thick for the barrel to fit over the cable. Plus, the wire itself is too thick. The amount of heat it takes to solder wire that size will ruin the nylon bushing inside the connector (that the center pin sits in).

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

As mentioned, shielded wire is a better bet in preventing interference and hum. However, some people have just used the preexisting speaker wires in the wall as you mentioned and had it work fine. I'd say give it a try...if you don't have any hum or interference, then you're good to go. You can also purchase wireless systems like the Subcast if that's a better option to you.

Regarding going from speaker wire to an RCA connector...yes, you can do it. I own some homemade ones myself that have worked for years. You can also purchase them, such as the ones linked here at Radio Shack.