Passive Subwoofer AMP

R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
First post here, tried the search function but didn’t quite find the answer.

Got a house with in ceiling speakers, there’s also a sub line coming out of the wall with the speakers which leads me to believe their may be a passive subwoofer in one of the bays.
I bought and hooked up an Advantage 670 but that just has a sub preout. Without going crazy, are those $20-40 sub amps on eBay workable with an in wall passive subwoofer.

I’m a bit stuck as they are $40-100 and for that price I’d spend a bit more and get an R10 Slim or something that would do the job better. On the other hand my overheads provide a nice amount of mid bass and I am overall happy with the quality, it’s just missing a little low. This is mostly for movies/tv, music doesn’t sound very good from my overheads. As I think it just plays stereo.

So who’s team passive vs team sub?

edit: if that midi coming out of the wall isn’t a sub line what else can it be? There’s no vents so whatever it is is buried behind gypsum.
 
WaynePflughaupt

WaynePflughaupt

Audioholic Samurai
What kind of cable and connector is the “sub line?”

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
I think it’s a 1/4 tps. It’s a solo cable everything else is just paired speaker wire. It fits into the sub out.
 
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
I appologize, I just looked at it. It’s just an RCA, can’t tell what gauge. Maybe 14?
I’m thinking passive in wall sub. Any other theories what it could be?
 
WaynePflughaupt

WaynePflughaupt

Audioholic Samurai
A 14-ga. cable on an RCA is practically impossible to accomplish. The plastic insert will melt long before the wire heats up enough to solder. I suggest unscrewing the barrel and see if the wire is shielded or not.

A picture would be helpful.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
Welcome to AH.

Yes, a picture would be good.
Can you test that cable with a meter for resistance?
How many speakers in ceiling?
Can you pry off the grills and see, maybe pictures of those as well?
Hard to say if you have a passive sub or not but if you have one, most likely is passive as if active, where is the power to it and the amp.
 
Darenwh

Darenwh

Audioholic
Sounds like a Subwoofer cable. Question is, is there an in wall sub and does it work? May also just go to another spot in the room where a Stand alone sub (SVS/HSU) was located. Look for another Subwoofer jack or for an in wall sub enclosure. If it is an in wall either you will find a place to setup a Subwoofer amp (if passive) or you will find that you need to plug in the amp on a powered Subwoofer and maybe plug in a cable at the receiver that looks like a headphone plug to a connector on the receiver called ‘remote trigger’.
 
Last edited:
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
Thanks for help everyone.

little more background. These houses are built with 6 prewired speaker/j boxes in the ceiling as an option. Or at least my one neighbor has the same jbox/speaker setup but without any actual speakers. The houses built in 2012.

The in wall sub was the only theory for the Sub out wire I came up with, it’s even labeled “Sub”. All the other wires coming out of the walls work as they are labeled. I have not thought that perhaps that wire just runs to another j box. I’m going to open all the boxes in the room I can see to tell if it comes out elsewhere, but if it does its in the j box and doesn’t have its own box and plate. There is no grill for the in wall sub. It’s buried behind drywall, I can feel something in one of the bays. Part of the wall is exterior so it’s insulated, and I do renovations so I have a decent feel for when mechs are behind drywall, but it’s an art and not consistent. I never hooked a multimeter to it as I know I’m sure it’s not hot, I tested for a current with a hot/cold tool.

The attics here are blown in insulation, and it does not look like anyone has made it through the hvac straps and insulation to install these so I’m sure it was done from the room itself. I don’t see any obvious texture/paint patches so I think the wires went in during the build.

Asked the old home owner and no reply.

I’m thinking of just getting one of those $25 basic 100w amps from eBay and seeing what happens as a low setting.

Have a new baby and I need to disconnect all my A/V speaker wire to get a photo and open up the plug so it may take me a few days. I’m going to put extensions on the wires so I don’t have to do that every time I pull my box out.

Thanks again
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
if it is an RCA cable you don't need an amp. RCA does not carry amplified signal, it carries PRE-amplified signal, generally to an amp of some sort. Find out what the cable is connected to on the other end first.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
if it is an RCA cable you don't need an amp. RCA does not carry amplified signal, it carries PRE-amplified signal, generally to an amp of some sort. Find out what the cable is connected to on the other end first.
Agreed. It might just be there to pass a signal, no amp necessary. You have to find out where the other end of that cable is to know anything for certain.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
My guess is there is a spot for a sub somewhere, but no sub on the other end. So you would just need to supply the sub and signal.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
That's my thinking too. A receiver on one end and a powered sub at the other makes sense to me. Gotta find out what's on the other end to be sure tho.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
My guess is that the wall plate is just a standard 7.1 style audio plate that you buy online. Only, there is no subwoofer wire which was run and there was no center channel which was run, or they did wire the system as a 6.0 system. Either way, when that wall plate is removed from the wall, there will be NO wire connected to the subwoofer connection because the wall plate was 'standard', and came with it. It's likely NOT connected to anything.

If it is connected to something, then it would be to another RCA wall plate located elsewhere in the room. Easy enough to look for another RCA jack on a wall in the room. Equally easy to pull that plate off the wall and see if a wire is actually connected to the back of it.

Oh yeah: POST PICTURES!!!
 
Kingnoob

Kingnoob

Audioholic Samurai
Yeah I didn’t know houses were built with in wall speakers , is it a luxury home ?
 
Kingnoob

Kingnoob

Audioholic Samurai
Are these custom built homes or something anyway you could get more info on these in ceiling speakers ? You are aware they do make in wall subs . Though I’ve never heard any before to tell you I’d there worth it . Might be cheaper to buy a Quality subwoofer like svs or other brands people like .
Get us some pictures try and figure out brands or model numbers . Too see how or what quality tier , you own and how low they can go.
 
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
Sorry for delay in responses! Thanks to everyone that replied. New baby so haven’t had much time to respond.

have not got to pictures yet because new baby and I need to disconnect my receiver in the console which hurts back so bad! So I was waiting till I get enough time to extend the wires as well.

so there is no special wall plate. It’s just a hole plate opening into the bay. The speakers wires just come out bare. That’s what makes me think it goes somewhere.

the way the room is designed, it’s all open concept. There is no good place to hide a center or sub. I still need to try picking up a passive amp and seeing what happens.

it’s not a custom home: it’s just most of the new homes here in Scottsdale are built with the speakers mounts pre wired. My neighbors house doesn’t have the base. Just about six J boxes in the ceiling in the exact location of my speakers. It was either an upgrade offered by Pulte, or they put the J box up there with line wire and someone just used the line to fish the speaker wire. I went in attic tho and cannot find where they went through the top plate, nor do I see an easy way into the grand rooms attic. It’s 20 feet vaulted ceiling at that location.
 
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
A 14-ga. cable on an RCA is practically impossible to accomplish. The plastic insert will melt long before the wire heats up enough to solder. I suggest unscrewing the barrel and see if the wire is shielded or not.

A picture would be helpful.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
I’m not 100% on the connectors. It’s likely a 12 or 14 gauge. It’s brass not plastic and it’s burred for grip. It’s similar in design to a RCA jack.

12 and 14 can take 150 easy. You mean the plug itself can’t?
 
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
if it is an RCA cable you don't need an amp. RCA does not carry amplified signal, it carries PRE-amplified signal, generally to an amp of some sort. Find out what the cable is connected to on the other end first.
I should of said it’s similar to an RCA but brass. I’m not sure a wire like this should carry a current however. Seems more like it should just carry a signal as the brass jacket alone would be conductive
 
R

RandomBri

Enthusiast
That's my thinking too. A receiver on one end and a powered sub at the other makes sense to me. Gotta find out what's on the other end to be sure tho.
So I have the receiver end. Where it goes is why I’m so confused. It has tension, I cannot pull it out.

it also only seems to connect to the sub pre out.
 
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