sony does not have sub output (older)

[slreno]

i have a older sony with no sub woofer output .. it only has rear, center, and mains a/b. i have a 5.1 speaker setup but i do not know how to hook up the sub woofer. the actual subwoofer is powered with a single rca jack type input. is there a way to hook this up to the sony reciever that does not have the sub output?
thanks

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

If you'll let us know the model numbers of the receiver and the sub, I'd be happy to look into the details for you.

 

[slreno]

the reciever is a sony str-d350z and the sub is a sony sa-wms230
thanks

 

[JerryLove]

Firstly: your AVR is an old pro-logic unit (2.2) and so does not support LFE (a seperate sub).

You could use an external crossover (typically one built in to the sub), but your sub does not have one built in: and buying a dedicated crossover would not be very cost effective relative to getting an old 5.1 receiver.

So to give a practical answer to your question: no.

 

[Adam]

Okay. You can hook up the sub, but it won't work the way that a traditional 5.1 set-up would. That receiver has no bass management (i.e. doesn't direct bass from speakers to a sub) and is not set-up to utilize a subwoofer. Also, because it doesn't include any decoding or inputs for discrete 5.1 audio tracks (such as Dolby Digital), there isn't any discrete .1 subwoofer audio to go to a sub.

However, if you want to add a little rumble to your system, you can give this a try. You could connect the subwoofer to one of the RCA audio outputs on the back of the receiver (either from the "TAPE/MD" audio outs or the "VIDEO" audio outs). If you have an RCA y-adapter, that would be great, because you could connect both left/right RCA outputs on the receiver into the single RCA input on the sub. If you don't have one, you can always just connect one of the outputs (either left or right) to the sub for now.

I recommend starting with the volume of the subwoofer turned all the way down, then turn it up gradually until you reach a level that you like. Also, try the "MUSIC/MOVIE" switch to see if you prefer either setting.

Because the reciever doesn't do any bass management, and because the subwoofer doesn't have a crossover dial (that I can see), you can't control which frequencies get played through the sub. So, you might even hear dialogue through the sub, which might be annoying. However, you can always hook it up and check it out.

EDIT: I see that Jerry covered some of this while I was typing.

 

[Shrivel]

Yep, believe it or not, the most cost effective way to hook up your sub correctly is probably gonna be getting a new receiver. You can find basic 5.1 receivers with sub outs for way less than 200 bucks. A little more than that and you can get a basic model that does full HD surround decoding, which would mean you're all set for Blu-Ray.

 

[Seth=L]

I'll recommend the Pioneer VSX-519 once again. If you can't spend that much let us know what the budget is, perhaps we can find you a more modern receiver that doesn't break the bank. Believe it or not it's likely I could find a 5.1 receiver that has a subwoofer output for under $70 shipped.

The sony sa-wms230 has a cross over control as well as level control, it's on the top front of the unit. Keep in mind that this is a 6.5" subwoofer, which is what I would more appropriately call a powered woofer since it's low frequency response is not close to 20Hz. Basically it's not going to rock the house, but if all you have is little cube speakers it will certainly help fill out the sound of your system.

 

[slreno]

Okay. You can hook up the sub, but it won't work the way that a traditional 5.1 set-up would. That receiver has no bass management (i.e. doesn't direct bass from speakers to a sub) and is not set-up to utilize a subwoofer. Also, because it doesn't include any decoding or inputs for discrete 5.1 audio tracks (such as Dolby Digital), there isn't any discrete .1 subwoofer audio to go to a sub.

However, if you want to add a little rumble to your system, you can give this a try. You could connect the subwoofer to one of the RCA audio outputs on the back of the receiver (either from the "TAPE/MD" audio outs or the "VIDEO" audio outs). If you have an RCA y-adapter, that would be great, because you could connect both left/right RCA outputs on the receiver into the single RCA input on the sub. If you don't have one, you can always just connect one of the outputs (either left or right) to the sub for now.

I recommend starting with the volume of the subwoofer turned all the way down, then turn it up gradually until you reach a level that you like. Also, try the "MUSIC/MOVIE" switch to see if you prefer either setting.

Because the reciever doesn't do any bass management, and because the subwoofer doesn't have a crossover dial (that I can see), you can't control which frequencies get played through the sub. So, you might even hear dialogue through the sub, which might be annoying. However, you can always hook it up and check it out.

EDIT: I see that Jerry covered some of this while I was typing.

thanks for the reply. that actually works.. i know it is not the best but it works for now until i can afford the new setup.. i can sure say it sounds 100% better than the internals of the 42 lcd

 

[njedpx3]

Okay. You can hook up the sub, but it won't work the way that a traditional 5.1 set-up would. That receiver has no bass management (i.e. doesn't direct bass from speakers to a sub) and is not set-up to utilize a subwoofer. Also, because it doesn't include any decoding or inputs for discrete 5.1 audio tracks (such as Dolby Digital), there isn't any discrete .1 subwoofer audio to go to a sub.

However, if you want to add a little rumble to your system, you can give this a try. You could connect the subwoofer to one of the RCA audio outputs on the back of the receiver (either from the "TAPE/MD" audio outs or the "VIDEO" audio outs). If you have an RCA y-adapter, that would be great, because you could connect both left/right RCA outputs on the receiver into the single RCA input on the sub. If you don't have one, you can always just connect one of the outputs (either left or right) to the sub for now.

I recommend starting with the volume of the subwoofer turned all the way down, then turn it up gradually until you reach a level that you like. Also, try the "MUSIC/MOVIE" switch to see if you prefer either setting.

Because the reciever doesn't do any bass management, and because the subwoofer doesn't have a crossover dial (that I can see), you can't control which frequencies get played through the sub. So, you might even hear dialogue through the sub, which might be annoying. However, you can always hook it up and check it out.

EDIT: I see that Jerry covered some of this while I was typing.

Nice research and post Adam

Peace and Good Sound to All,

Forest Man

 

[Adam]

thanks for the reply. that actually works.. i know it is not the best but it works for now until i can afford the new setup.. i can sure say it sounds 100% better than the internals of the 42 lcd

Awesome! I'm glad that it's an improvement.

As the others have mentioned, a newer receiver that can handle the digital audio formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS) would make a noticeable improvement. DD and DTS are old enough now that you can find fairly inexpensive receivers that will do those, just like Shrivel and Seth said. I'm not suggesting spending the money now, but just adding my two cents about the new equipment.

Happy holidays!

 

[highfigh]

i have a older sony with no sub woofer output .. it only has rear, center, and mains a/b. i have a 5.1 speaker setup but i do not know how to hook up the sub woofer. the actual subwoofer is powered with a single rca jack type input. is there a way to hook this up to the sony reciever that does not have the sub output?
thanks

There is a way- if you're able to solder and have access to resistors, caps and other parts, you could make a module that takes the speaker output, provides a high pass to the speakers and a resistive network for a preamp level signal to feed the subwoofer. The sub has a level control, right?