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More sub wiring confusion

dogn4u

dogn4u

Active Member
Sorry if this subject has been beaten to death. I picked up a Klipsch 10" sub in great shape for $50. The problem is that I have an Onkyo integrated amp (A-9010) with limited outputs. There is no dedicated sub output and only one set of stereo speaker terminals. For now, to test the sub, I have it connected to the RCA "line out" jacks on the amp. The sub works fine, but of course the volume control does not affect the "line out". The only way to use it is to adjust the subs volume every time I change the amps volume. Not a very practical solution. I thought about using the headphone jack with a Y-cable to go from 1/4" TRS (stereo) to two RCA male jacks. Trouble is, plugging in to the headphone jack cuts the signal to the speakers. Grr. At least I know the sub works and sounds great.
I guess one option would be a speaker output splitter box - the kind that maintains an 8 ohm signal to each set of speakers. But I was wondering - can I just run two speaker wires off each speaker terminal - one to the sub and one to the stereo speakers? I understand that this would amount to parallel wiring and would put a four ohm load on the amp, right? The Onkyo amp manual says a 4 ohm load is fine...but I can't find the resistance of the sub if I connect to it via the speaker inputs.
So if I wire it up in this manner, am I putting the amp in danger? How can I find the resistance of the sub when wiring speaker cables into it? Thanks a lot for any help or advice...
Btw - completely unrelated - just got back from a great week of riding the mountain roads of Eastern Washington and Oregon. Wonderful, relaxing time. P5180183.jpg
Rudi
 
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No, it wouldn't present a 4 ohm load to the amp. You'll be fine - the speaker-level input to the sub probably leads to a resistor network to cut the power down to an acceptable input level for the built-in amplifier. Don't worry about it.

This does, of course, mean that you won't have a high-pass crossover to run the main speakers through, so you'll have to determine the subwoofer's low-pass setting based on the main speakers' natural low frequency rolloff.
 
What he said. ^ The amplifiers on powered subs have very high input impedances. Your integrated amp will barely even "see" the sub, in terms of current delivery. I use that approach all the time, and it works quite well.
 
3rd. No need to make it more complex than necessary. Just use the sub's speaker level inputs in parallel with your main speakers. As others have mentioned, the load on the amp is not materially affected. Your now 8 ohms might end up at something like 7.95 ohms.
 
Looking at this amps back panel I see line out for L/R. Since bass is usually mono couldn't you just use the output from one of these? The sub already has its own crossover. Isn't this easier than speaker level?
 
I think the line outputs aren't controlled by the volume control, as the OP mentioned. So you couldn't change the speaker volume and the sub volume together.
 
Just connect your speaker wires from the Onkyo to the sub if the sub has speaker jacks for in and out (most do). Then connect your main speakers from the out jacks on the sub. A photo of the back of the sub would help.
 
I don't like running my main speakers through a sub; I'm sure some are better, but the one I examined had some tiny, crappy caps as high-pass filters. I would just run the main speakers full-range.
 
Quite a few "speaker out" connections on subs are simply passthough with no HPF. Have to check the sub's manual/specs.
 
If it's just a pass-though, though, why run the main speaker cables through it? I guess it might help with some individual routing problems, but otherwise I would not see a good reason for it.
 
As you say, it may be convenience or maybe just to keep a single narrative to customers. Not everyone understands parallel connections and sometimes providing many options for connections causes more confusion than resolution.
 
Dog, to save on wiring hassle, just daisy chain off your current speakers to the sub line inputs.
 
Hajidub said:
Dog, to save on wiring hassle, just daisy chain off your current speakers to the sub line inputs.
Click to expand...

This is what I did as I wanted a sub to supplement my Klipsch mains but didn't want the receiver cutting out all frequencies below 90Hz to the mains and sending it to the sub as would happen if I ran it off the dedicated output. As long as you have frequency control on your sub, which you should, then just bounce a line off of each speaker to the sub and adjust as needed and presto, problem solved.
 
Mainly depends on layout/setup. Any parallel connection will work. Use whichever is most convenient.

Stereo>sub>speakers

Stereo>speakers>sub

Stereo>speakers
...........>sub
 
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