Sub connection options in a 3.1 system

Jimbo18

For now, I am using a cheap sub in my bedroom setup and it doesn't have a sub - in hookup. So I ran the front speaker wires from the HK AVR to the sub and then from the sub to the M5jr+ speakers.

The M5jr's have the old style spring clip connections so I am using bare 14ga. wire on them for now. However, I ordered some Furez wire from Doug who's adding Vampire pins to one end of the 10awg wire so they fit the spring clip connections better than the 10 ga wire.

I want to take the sub out of the middle of the connection so the Furez will go straight to the speakers. Since my setup is not using the surrounds, can I run from the surround out on the AVR to the sub? Or should I run from the front out on the AVR directly to the speakers and a separate wire to the sub in? I can use a banana hookup for one set and bare wire (until I order spades) coming off the same terminal.

I have the AVR set up for 5.1 output even though there are no surrounds hooked up because I believe the surround signals will go to the fronts. So if I use the first scenario, would I lose that signal to the fronts?

Mikey081057

Does the avr have a L/R pre out? you can use a coax sub cable and an rca Y connector to the lfe in on the sub.

msg

Jim, when you say "front out", do you mean the speaker outs, or yeah, like Mikey's asking, from a set of preouts?

I think using the surround jacks wouldn't pass the LFE signal you'd need for the sub unless there's a way for you to change them to run full range and to not take only the surround audio signal.

I think it would still be best to set for 3.1. If set for 5.1 with no surround speakers, I think the signal to those channels just goes off into oblivion; lost. I think the way it works for an AVR to send the extra channel info to the available speakers is to tell the AVR which speakers are actually present, in this case is 3.1. I run mine the same way. The AVR should route the extra surround signals to the front stage to, in some fashion, blend the surround audio?

Good question on feeding both the sub inputs and speakers with the same output on the AVR. I'm not sure what that does to the load on the channels. I think it halves the resistance and doubles the current draw?

If you did this, I think you'd have to set the AVR for 3.0, because setting to 3.1 tells it to output the LFE to the sub output, and anything below the crossover gets dropped from the other channels - the sub wouldn't see the frequency range it's supposed to produce. You'd have to set your mains large in order to get the low frequency to the sub from those front outs.

Jimbo18

Mikey, no lfe in on the sub. The AVR does have preouts though.

Scott, yeah, I mean the front speaker out terminals.

I read, on one of the threads here from at least two members, I think @tonyb was one of them, that if you set the AVR for not having surround speakers, but set the output to 5.1, then the surround audio output goes to the front speakers. I think this is the case.

I also seem to remember that you can run from the surround speaker connections on the AVR to the sub and then from there to the surround speakers. That always sounded wrong to me, for the reason you state, that the full signal might not be getting passed, so the low freq. signal wouldn't go to the sub.

msg

Interesting on the 5.1 setup. I'll be watching this.

rooftop59

Does the sub have any rca connections whatsoever?

Jimbo18

rooftop59 wrote: »

Does the sub have any rca connections whatsoever?

Not a regular left/right RCA connection, at any rate. There are two connections marked Line, one in and one out. Not two pairs, just two singles.

Jimbo18

Turned out to be a pretty easy fix. An RCA from the sub pre out to the Line in connection works fine.