New House .. Do I need to rewire?

[MrModest501]

I recently bought a new home that was previously wired for a 5.1 surround. They used heavy gauge speaker wire to the sub location using a banana plug outlet. I am using a Yamaha with a RCA sub output and a SVS sub. I have always used the the RCA lower level input. Can I use the existing wire and convert it to a RCA connection on both ends, or should I re-run a different connection.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

You should run a coaxial cable for the sub. Using unshielded speaker wire for low-level signals is asking for noise issues.

Alternately you could use a passive sub, powered by an amplifier in your equipment rack (or wherever the other end of the sub speaker wire is).

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[MrModest501]

Thought so .. just didn't want to rerun the wire without confirming ... thanks.

Also the sub has a red and white RCA jack for the input. is it necessary to split the connection to connect to both inputs?

 

[markw]

No guarantee, but sometimes you can get away with using speaker cable for this function.

Given the cost of both options, I'd try to jury-rig some RCA's onto the ends of the sub lead and see if iti works. If it does work, you've saved a bundle. If not, you're out the cost of two RCA plugs.

I doubt it's necessary to split the signal to both inputs but if you choose to do so for peace of mind, a Female/Male/Male "Y" splitter is dirt cheap.