How to get a 2.1 system

[smaidimaita]

Hello!
At present I own a Yamaha A520 stereo amplifier and 2 terrible floorstanders. (It hasn't got sub-out)
I had the idea to replace the speakers with 2 monitors for the mids and high frequencies and add a sub for the bass.
The first question is whether the signal that is meant for the speakers can be used for the sub? Since the amplifier has 4 independent outputs- 2xA and 2xB - could the A be used for the monitors and both of the B's for subwoofer? Or are the voltages of the currents too different anw would spoil the subwoofer?
Sorry for my unscientific english.

The other version hoe to get a 2.1 system is to get something like HK 3380.

Any comments/ideas?
Thanks.

 

[MDS]

If you buy a subwoofer that has high-level (speaker level) inputs and outputs then you just connect speaker wire from the amp's speaker terminals to the sub and the front speakers to the subwoofer. You use the xover control on the subwoofer itself to set which frequencies are played by the sub and which get sent to the other speakers.

 

[j_garcia]

Yes, you can use a sub that has speaker level inputs with your receiver via the B terminals. It will not harm the sub or the receiver. You should not put the mains inline with the sub because the sub's X-over DOES NOT control what frequencies are sent to the mains - the speaker level outputs on nearly all subs is a fixed high pass, and is often very high; 120Hz or higher. The HSU subs do use 80Hz however.

 

[smaidimaita]

Thanks. So when buying the subwoofer, I have to look for a model that has a speaker level input.
But how can I adjust the subwoofer volume in relation to the mains?

 

[MDS]

All active subwoofers have a volume control.

 

[smaidimaita]

Can the subwoofer also be connected to the amplifier pre-out?

 

[jcPanny]

Sub connections

Yes, you could use a pair of RCA Y adapters to tee off of the pre-amp output. One side would go to the amp, and the other to the stereo line-level inputs on the sub. If the sub only has a single LFI input this would probably not work well.