Sub connections

[mod]

I have a Yamaha RxV663 and I'm connecting a Klipsch sub woofer. I prewired for all my speakers, but it looks like I messed up for the sub. I ran a 2 wire cable thinking that the sub was just another speaker. Now it looks like I should have run two 2 wire cables or a single 4 wire. Too late now, the walls are in. The Klipsch owners manual for the sub really doesn't say much and this is all new to me. So here are my questions. The sub came with a Y-cable and a sheet that says to use it for the best base response. So how do you connect wires from the receiver to the single connection on the y-cable? The receiver also has a single connection point for the sub. Do I need a special plug that the speaker wires both connect to, but remain separated so they don't touch. And then does that indicate that only one 2 wire cable is sufficient for the subwoofer? What's throwing me is that the manual says to connect the +/- from the left channel of the receiver to the +/- of the left channel on the sub, then repeat for the right channel. That requires 4 separate wires. I need some advice please.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You really need to re-run the proper (RCA) cable.

 

[Adam]

There are at least two ways to hook up your sub based on your description:

Option 1: Connect the subwoofer pre-out on the receiver to the line-level inputs on the sub.

Option 2: Connect the left and right speaker-level connections from the receiver to the sub, then connect the sub to the left and right speakers (in other words, the sub is connected in between the receiver and your front two speakers).​

Option 2 would use the type of wire that you ran through your walls, but as you said, you don't have your wiring set up correctly to pull that off.

Option 1 can use the same type of wire...you can try and see how well it works. The only issue that might arise is that the wire that is normally used for line-level connections is shielded because there is relatively little power going through those connections, whereas the wires that you ran are most likely not shielded. If you hook it up using those wires and don't have any hum, then your all set. If you choose to try that, let us know. You'll probably need some help connecting speaker wires to RCA connectors.

You could also do Option 1 by running a wire from the receiver to the sub that doesn't go through your wall. How far from the receiver is the sub?

You could also do what P-Dawg suggested and run 75ohm shielded cable through your wall for the sub.

 

[mod]

The in wall wiring I did for the sub would have let me move the sub farther away from the receiver. I'll just abandon that and put it closer so I can wire directly. So do I need special sub woofer cables with RCA connectors? Guess I should find out what an RCA connector is.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Just use a simple RCA cable from MonoPrice or BlueJeans.

 

[Exit]

Here is what a male RCA connector looks like. You need male RCA connectors on both ends of the cable. You only need a single cable versus a paired cable but a paired cable would work too. I bought two 15' mono cables and a RCA coupler (female on both ends).

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062472

 

[mod]

So an RCA cable contains something other than the two wires (+/-) that other speakers use? I can't just put RCA connectors on the wire I have?

 

[j_garcia]

You can, but it won't be sheilded. A friend of mine had a bonehead contractor do the same thing for him and it hummed like crazy. You need a coax wire with RCA connector or RCA cable in there.

 

[Cpt.America]

This is what you need right here.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2682&seq=1&format=2

That link is to the 12' cable. You may need something longer or shorter, but this is basically it. Cannot recommend monoprice.com enough.