Sherwood RD-6513 AVR, help connecting 1) subwoofer 2) active speaker

[dafonin]

Hi everybody! As a disclaimer, I must admit that my knowledge of AVRs and pertinent inputs/outputs/connections is extremely limited, so, as Michael Scott put it - "why don't you explain this to me like I'm 5." That said, my goal is to learn, and I would appreciate any links to posts/videos that do a good job of catching you up to speed on the basics. Now, let's dive in:

I recently moved into my own apartment and brought with me the entire home theater setup that my roommates and I once shared. I took pictures of how everything was connected beforehand ( I was not involved in initial setup), and just replicated everything in my new place. It works. I currently have 5 passive speakers (2 front, 1 mid, 2 back) as well as a sub connected to a Sherwood RD-6513 AVR. However, I noticed a few things and would really appreciate some clarification. There are two separate issues:

1) Subwoofer connection

Subwoofer panel (left), AVR panel (right)

The way my sub is currently connected is below, this configuration works (even though I realize this probably isn't the right way to connect it):

I noticed that the AVR has a sub pre-out and I tried connecting it via that, however, got no sound:

My question is - how come connecting it via what I perceive to be the correct way doesn't work?

2) Substituting 2 back passive speakers with 1 active speaker + 1 passive speaker

I own a pair of M-Audio AV 40 monitor speakers (1 active, 1 passive) and wanted to use them instead of my current 2 back passive speakers. From what I've read, you need pre-out to connect an active speaker to an AVR, and my Sherwood just has the one sub pre-out. Is my idea feasible or no?

Thank you in advance and please keep things simple!

Sincerely,
Daniel

 

[-Jim-]

Hi Daniel,

Congrats on your first system.

#1 => The RCA cable connected to the Sub out on the rear of the Sherwood goes to the Left RCA Sub in on the Energy Sub. Just to make the set up easier, once you make that connection, plug in the Sub to power, turn the power mode on the Sub to "on", the Low pass filter knob clockwise to about 120, and turn the volume level on the Sub to about 2 o'clock. (Once this is all working the power mode can be switched to auto.) The status indicator light on the lower front of the Sub should turn blue indicating it's functioning.

Here's the Sherwood RD-6513 Manual and the Energy ESW-C8 Manual (click on the links) Read through them and follow the adjusting of each speaker (including the Sub) on page 20.

#2 => Sorry, but connecting M-Audio AV 40 monitor speakers to your system isn't feasible as there are no "pre-outs" for the surround speakers on the Sherwood RD-6513.

Start with this and we'll see how it goes. Folks will chime in to assist. Tell us if the Sub indicator lights up.

(By the way, trim the length of the exposed speaker wire that goes into the connectors on the back of the Sherwood. They shouldn't have a lot of excess protruding . They should look more like the cable plugged into the Front Left positive connector.)

Please advise the make/ model of the 5 passive speakers.

I hope this was helpful.

 

[lovinthehd]

General articles on sub setup might be interesting too https://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-setup

 

[dafonin]

Hi Daniel,

Congrats on your first system.

#1 => The RCA cable connected to the Sub out on the rear of the Sherwood goes to the Left RCA Sub in on the Energy Sub. Just to make the set up easier, once you make that connection, plug in the Sub to power, turn the power mode on the Sub to "on", the Low pass filter knob clockwise to about 120, and turn the volume level on the Sub to about 2 o'clock. (Once this is all working the power mode can be switched to auto.) The status indicator light on the lower front of the Sub should turn blue indicating it's functioning.

Here's the Sherwood RD-6513 Manual and the Energy ESW-C8 Manual (click on the links) Read through them and follow the adjusting of each speaker (including the Sub) on page 20.

#2 => Sorry, but connecting M-Audio AV 40 monitor speakers to your system isn't feasible as there are no "pre-outs" for the surround speakers on the Sherwood RD-6513.

Start with this and we'll see how it goes. Folks will chime in to assist. Tell us if the Sub indicator lights up.

(By the way, trim the length of the exposed speaker wire that goes into the connectors on the back of the Sherwood. They shouldn't have a lot of excess protruding . They should look more like the cable plugged into the Front Left positive connector.)

Please advise the make/ model of the 5 passive speakers.

I hope this was helpful.

That was incredibly helpful, thanks a ton Jim.

1) So just to clarify, for the sub, I just connect a single male-to-male RCA cable from the AVR pre-out jack to the Left line-in jack on the sub? I originally thought I needed an RCA male to 2-male wire to accommodate both the Left and Right line-in jacks. What is the Right line-in jack on the sub used for then?

2) Ah, got it, a shame. Perhaps in the future, I'll invest in a newer AVR but certainly not in the near future.

I'm currently at work, however, I will get back to you with the make/models of the speakers I use. Also, will be trimming those extra wires. Thanks a bunch!

Sincerely,
Daniel

 

[-Jim-]

As per page 3 of the Energy Sub Manual:

"LINE IN/SUB IN – These inputs are an RCA type LFE/stereo/mono input. If you are connecting your subwoofer to a pre-amp/processor with a LFE or Subwoofer pre-amp output, connect a single RCA cable to the LFE/Left input. If you are connecting your subwoofer to a stereo pre-amp or processor, such as in a stereo music system, use stereo RCA cables and connect to both the LFE/Left and Right inputs."

Subwoofer signals are going to be controlled by your receiver, and it does so via the single Sub output. So connect a single male-to-male RCA cable from the AVR Sub pre-out jack to the Left line-in jack on the Energy Sub.

 

[Eppie]

@dafonin When you use the Video 1 Out, it only feeds the sub your video source material, and it is a line level signal (constant volume) so it will not be adjusted by the Sherwood's volume control. If you connect a CD or other device the sub will not get any signal.

The Sub Out connection works for all sources. It carries the low frequency effects so only one connector is needed and it's usually standard to use the left input on the subwoofer if using only 1 connection. The subwoofer has stereo inputs for use with systems that do not have a separate sub out and require both left and right input. The sub out from the Sherwood combines the left and right channels for you.

The sub out needs to be turned on using the Sherwood's setup menu. If you have trouble we can walk you through it.

Yes, those speaker wires are scary. If the bare wires touch each other you can blow an amplifier channel. Trim them back so that the insulation is flush with the terminal after the bare wire is inserted.

 

[Trebdp83]

After correct connection of the subwoofer and a trimming of the speaker wires, make sure to set ALL speakers to Small and subwoofer mode to Normal. Set the crossover to 80hz or higher if necessary.

 

[dafonin]

As per page 3 of the Energy Sub Manual:

"LINE IN/SUB IN – These inputs are an RCA type LFE/stereo/mono input. If you are connecting your subwoofer to a pre-amp/processor with a LFE or Subwoofer pre-amp output, connect a single RCA cable to the LFE/Left input. If you are connecting your subwoofer to a stereo pre-amp or processor, such as in a stereo music system, use stereo RCA cables and connect to both the LFE/Left and Right inputs."

Subwoofer signals are going to be controlled by your receiver, and it does so via the single Sub output. So connect a single male-to-male RCA cable from the AVR Sub pre-out jack to the Left line-in jack on the Energy Sub.

Tried this out when I got home today, not only did it not work, something must have gone wrong. I followed the instructions but the blue light never went on. When I touched the back of the sub I noticed that the back panel was scorching hot. I then unplugged it and tried connecting it back to the way I had. Still no blue light and back panel got super hot again. Seems that now whenever I plug the sub into the outlet the back panel gets hot. Very bummed about the whole thing.

 

[-Jim-]

Nothing should get "super hot". Unplug the Sub and disconnect the RCA Cable. Then plug the Sub in and turn it on. The Blue LED should come on. Please advise if it gets hot or the light comes on. Sorry but it sounds like the Plate Amplifier is toast.

 

[dafonin]

Nothing should get "super hot". Unplug the Sub and disconnect the RCA Cable. Then plug the Sub in and turn it on. The Blue LED should come on. Please advise if it gets hot or the light comes on. Sorry but it sounds like the Plate Amplifier is toast.

I unplugged the RCA cable. With the RCA cable unplugged every time I plug the sub into the outlet the back panel (especially the area around the RCA jacks) gets very hot and the light won't turn on. When I unplug the sub from the outlet it makes a popping sound but that's about it. I don't understand what happened. Does this mean I need a new sub?

 

[-Jim-]

I'm afraid so.

 

[Eppie]

I unplugged the RCA cable. With the RCA cable unplugged every time I plug the sub into the outlet the back panel (especially the area around the RCA jacks) gets very hot and the light won't turn on. When I unplug the sub from the outlet it makes a popping sound but that's about it. I don't understand what happened. Does this mean I need a new sub?

Yes, sounds like the sub's plate amp went. Not that uncommon for an older inexpensive sub. I think that sub was sold with the Energy Take Classic 5.1 speaker system. Do you have 5 small cube speakers with that sub? Subwoofers can be difficult to repair because the amps are covered in glue to prevent vibration. There are some low cost options if you're interested in replacing it.