problem with Sub & Receiver

[davesynth]

So i just bought a 5.1 panasonic S.S. (just the speakers and sub) and i pulled out my 10 year old receiver,connected all the speakers to it without a hitch. Then i noticed that the subwoofer IN on the receiver is a RCA input(so i thought since it looked like it) and the sub i have has the ordinary speaker cable connection(+/-). So i bought this
"18-Gauge Speaker Cable with RCA Plug" from radioshack.
But it still does not work. So im guessing the subwoofer input on my receiver is NOT RCA. What else could it be? or what can i buy ?

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

First and foremost, there is a big difference in the power that is transferred over a line-level (i.e. RCA) connection versus over a speaker wire connection. You can't just get a wire adapter to make that work.

A couple of things stood out to me, and I have some questions:
1. Does your receiver have a subwoofer OUT? You mentioned that it has a subwoofer IN, but that isn't what you want to send a signal to a powered subwoofer
2. Is your subwoofer powered (easiest way to tell is if you have to plug it into an electrical output)

It might be easiest to let us know the make and model of your receiver, as well as the model of the Panasonic speakers.

Adam

 

[markw]

I think you mean your sub out on the receiver is an RCA plug, no?

That means that whatever sub you use with it has to have a built in amplifier.

The odds are that if all your sub has is one pair of speaker inputs, it doesn't have one. You're most likely gonna have to invest in an amp to use it and, if that's the case, you might just as well start pricing powered subs that will work with any receiver.

 

[davesynth]

Im sorry you are right its an subwoofer output on the receiver , and input (+/-) on the sub..The model of the receiver is the JVC rx-6018vbk
And the subwoofer does not have its own power supply,the only thing it has is the speaker cable input. I would have to get a amplifier?

also,the model on the sub is ps-wc6730w

 

[markw]

Yes, you need an amp.

As an alternative, there are various POLK (and other) subs available for less than $100. While not the ultimate in performance, they will still be light years ahead of your current sub.