Speaker Level Input

[swraman]

Hi,

I just purchased a 2-channel receiver and a set of Polk bookshelf speakers to use with my TV. Im surprised how bad the default Samsung speakers are, its so bad its hard to understand what people are saying =\

I have had a Dayton Audio Sub-120 for a while just sitting there, and I figure I might as well use it with these new TV speakers. But, the receiver I bought doesn't have a sub-out on the back.

After reading around I have come to the understanding that this is precisley what the Speaker Level inputs are for - when you have no Sub out on the receiver. I dont know what the best way to hook this up is though.

Is it better to hook the sub up in parallel with the speakers or in series?

I know if you hook it up in series (Receiver->Sub->Speakers) it could add some noise to the signal, but does the subwoofer filter the speaker signal at all between its input and output? ie. does it end up passing the input through a low pass filter (depending on its cutoff frequency) then outputting that to the speakers?

ALSO, if I use the speaker level inputs, if I change the volume on the receiver will it change the volume on the sub? Im assuming yes...

THanks,

Raman

 

[markw]

I believe Polk recommends the mains be connected through the subwoofer. As such, I'd go that way.

don't worry about the sub adding noise to the signal. You won't notice anything. The speaker-level signal that's input to the sub is "shunted" around the sub's internals and right out to the mains. It doesn't pass through any amp stages.

I believe that sub does filter the output to the mains but again, you won't notice anything amiss. This relieves the mains of having to deal with deep bass, along with relieving the strain on your amp, may improve their overall sound.

Yes, the sub's volume does follow the volume control on your receiver. Once you adjust it to match the output of the mains you won't have to touch the sub's level control again.

Of course, if your mains are comfortable with the low lows and your amp can provide the power to let your speakers handle it, you can always simply connect the sub in parallel with them and adjust the crossover as you see fit. Generally, one would shoot for the sub cutting in where the mains start falling off.

 

[swraman]

Thanks, that helped clear a lot of stuff up

 

[highfigh]

Hi,

I just purchased a 2-channel receiver and a set of Polk bookshelf speakers to use with my TV. Im surprised how bad the default Samsung speakers are, its so bad its hard to understand what people are saying =\

I have had a Dayton Audio Sub-120 for a while just sitting there, and I figure I might as well use it with these new TV speakers. But, the receiver I bought doesn't have a sub-out on the back.

After reading around I have come to the understanding that this is precisley what the Speaker Level inputs are for - when you have no Sub out on the receiver. I dont know what the best way to hook this up is though.

Is it better to hook the sub up in parallel with the speakers or in series?

I know if you hook it up in series (Receiver->Sub->Speakers) it could add some noise to the signal, but does the subwoofer filter the speaker signal at all between its input and output? ie. does it end up passing the input through a low pass filter (depending on its cutoff frequency) then outputting that to the speakers?

ALSO, if I use the speaker level inputs, if I change the volume on the receiver will it change the volume on the sub? Im assuming yes...

THanks,

Raman

You're not connecting the speakers and sub in series, you're connecting them in parallel when you use the speaker level inputs. If you were to connect full range speakers in series with a sub that has a low pass filter in front of it, the full range speakers would be affected by the low pass filter, too. Parallel means the low pass filter affects only the speaker it's connected to and the signal goes on, unmolested, to the mains unless the input section has a high pass filter for them.

If you use the speaker level inputs, yes, the receiver's volume control will adjust the sub's level, too.

Any noise that results from connecting to your sub's speaker level inputs is usually the result of a grounding issue (hum) or bad electronics (hissing). The filters in the speaker level inputs are usually passive, which means they can neither add gain (make it louder) nor noise. Resistors, caps and coils don't add noticeable noise unless they have a strong gain stage after them.