This only works if your receiver has A + B output, AS WELL AS the speaker outputs themselves are wired in parallel internally, and not in series. Your average person may not know what they have and this was very common for receivers from the early-mid 70's to run both speaker outputs in series and some specific brands kept doing it. (my Kenwood is like this). This is designed to protect your amplifier from someone running two sets of 4ohm speakers and cooking the amp. But it has significant tradeoffs for performance and sound quality (unfortunate). it's not easy or always possible to change this. Anyways in this scenario the amp will not run the sub and mains simultaneously as the resistance of your speakers (~8ohm) will sum with the resistance of the subwoofer inputs (10's of thousands of ohms) and the resulting highly resistant load won't draw any current from the amplifier. The recommended (by HSU and PS Audio) solution for this is also the simplest: simply connect the subwoofer high-level inputs directly from the speakers, which should be directly wired to your amp. Or run wires going to the sub and mains directly sharing the same amp terminals. The high impedance of the amplifier results in no additional load "seen" by the amplifier and is completely safe. Just like int he video I let my mains run full range, and the use the controls on the subwoofer to blend nicely with them and provide the low frequency re-enforcement and extention rather take over the whole
Very useful information. Thank you. I have a 40 year old Sansui 9000 which I absolutely love and still works well. I was thinking of adding a sub even though it has good bass with existing wharfedale E-90 speakers, also 40 years old and got it re-coned recently and sounds great. Your instruction video is timely, and appreciate very much.
Very good instructional video... Liked your using the High inputs on your woofer. Never saw summing L and R channels into a mono-sub. As my 2.0 stereo has only speakers A, no speakers B, I bought a simple amp with subwoofer speaker output. Works for now.
To hook up the second set of speakers after plugging in the amp, do you just run the second speaker wires from the amp to the speakers, both sets of wires plugged into the amp's second wire holes?
Great video! I was tempted to just hook up my sub to the A channel , and use the out terminals of the sub for my mains...BUT I like your way better because then I have the option of shutting off my B channel (and sub) when I don't want to make as much noise (i.e.wife sleeping!) Nice to be able to choose that! ;)
U have on the subwoofer (High Inputs) the left and right connections is switch while on the marants speaker (remote) is wired correctly. Thought you should know. 😎👍
I have a 4 ohm Subwoofer that needs to be an 8 ohm subwoofer. Is there a way to wire it into my 1996 Sony 5.1 surround sound pre-amplifier? Can I use two 4 ohm subwoofers, wired together to make it an 8 ohm subwoofer? And if so, how do I wire it into the Sony?
The pre out nex to main in should work, i hooked one up to the rec out on a sanyo d4505, works only you have to use the subs volume. Also used the line out on the akai am a202, have high level inputs but i use the a and b speaker channels. I will have to have go at this to hear the difference. Good video.
I have an XLS subwoofer, not the same model, and the instructions say to main speaker out terminals along with the main speakers and it works well with a full rich sound.
Correct, but by using the B speaker out for the sub you can use the speaker selector switch to add and delete the sub when needed. Thanks for watching. Cheers.
For me, the line level output with quality shielded cables for short to moderate lengths would be just as good. There are pros and cons to both but Sub out RCA when available would at least be a cleaner and easier install.
You can connect one set of speakers to the high level output on the sub - I have this setup for my outdoor audio using a nakamichi stereo receiver and Polk subwoofer - both of which I acquired for free - so they are my outdoor presence - however they are in the shed
Why not just run the “A” speaker output to the input on the sub then run your speakers off the high output on the sub ? That way you can still run a second set of speakers off your “B” channel .
@@breakerbroke23 No, it will work MUCH better, bc you will be using MORE of your receiver, and get MORE sound out of it! Also, you did NOT finish the wiring job in the video, so I have to go to another channel that does a COMPLETE job, not half-assed.
Excellent advice here. I've been browsing sub install vids and most are doing it wrong by connecting the mains to the sub's high level output, thereby failing the audio version of an IQ test. Using thin wire and the shrink wrap is also brilliant. The sub's high level output is useless except for daisy chaining multiple, identical subs together. If you can't use or don't have A+B speakers, simply twist your "sub wires" to the main speaker wires and connect both at the speaker outputs, which is another good reason to run thin wires to the sub so both wires fit the output jack.
Weird that’s how Bose connects speakers to their subs - especially the passive ones - the high output speaker jacks on the sub are specifically for this - the sub will be the active crossover for the passive speakers.
@@nosnelg7481 "A" speaker bank to main speakers left and right and "B" speaker bank to the subs. L&R to one sub and L&R to the other. Then play both A&B banks together.
i use vintage (1975) Jbl L36 Decade three way floor standers driven by a Pioneer SX-950 stereo receiver ....no lack of bass at my house , JBL are known to be bass rich !
You can also use a car stereo line out converter and use a pro audio power amplifier such as a crown xls power amplifier or you can use a subwoofer alone with a passive crossover inside the the subwoofer enclosure itself
So we connect the sub like you did. But then how are the passive mains connected, how do they become amplified, and how does cross-over between the sub and the mains happen?
Great video, thanks. In a hybrid, stereo/theater setup (on a newer home theater receiver), would you hook up the high input (for music) and in my case, the LFE (for theater) and would the subwoofer pick up whichever was issuing the signal?
Man I'm glad I found this video🤣now I know why my dayton audio sub never shuts off 25' run that wire passes two plugs its coming out anyway the cerwin vega is more than enough 👍
Back in the 90s I had a 40+ foot run of rca cable going to a M&K sub, it would not go to sleep because it was picking up AC noise. So I restrung with speaker wire and used a sound gate line tap (at the sub). Problem solved. Cheers.
I've always been interested in doing this on one of my vintage Marantz receivers, but what do you do if you have 4 speakers? I have a pair on each, speakers A and B. I often wondered as to whether you could use the headphones output. I have a nice Polk powered subwoofer in the basement that I'd love to hook up. Maybe I could find an adapter from the big headphones jack to RCA inputs on the sub? I also have to wonder how that works using speaker level inputs, regarding the ohms load on the receiver's amplifier. I'm pretty sure 2245 or 2252b is 4 ohm stable, but not to sure how stable it would be running 2 sets of 8 ohm speakers, (which already poses a 4 ohm load) and adding a powered sub. Interested in your thoughts regarding this.
Does adding a powered subwoofer to high level inputs from speaker wires increase the load on the amplifier? If able to use the headphone jack to connect a powered subwoofer, would that pose issues of ohms loads? Another though I had was taking the shunts out of the receivers mains, and putting a two into one RCA adapter, using one to go back into the receiver where the shunt is removed, and the other end to the powered subwoofer. Too bad these vintage Marantz receivers didnt have a pair of dedicated subwoofer output RCAs for this purpose.
The RCA out puts were usually a fixed output so you will have no control of volume to the sub. Also, when using the sub in parallel with your speakers the receiver will still see mostly the independence of the speakers and not the electronics of the sub. If in doubt use your ohm meter. Measure the speakers and then spks with the sub in parallel. You MAY see a slight drop say from 4 ohms to say 3.6, no worries. And yes I own near 100 CB Radios, multiple stereo components and from time to time I still lug something home:) The wife still puts up whit me, she on the other hand is "Christmas crazy" she has tons of Christmas decorations, so I have learned to not say a word to her about her sickness and she says (for the most part) nothing to me. So Far. Cheers....BB23
@@breakerbroke23 Me, too. And my wife is the same way. I think you once told me we must be brothers. The more I talk to you, I'm convinced our wives must also be sisters. LOL. Yeah, I've got more than my fair share of Cobras 29s, Midlands, Uniden PC78s, Galaxies, Connix, I was just playing around with my peaked and tuned General Washington, talking to a guy over 40 miles away on my Antron antenna 30 ft up in the air. My Uniden Bearcat with a Moonraker antenna gets out even further. CBs are fun, but have become a dying thing. Even with truckers. Very few are on the radio anymore, except all the jokers. I love when the skip is rolling. Last October I was talking to a girl in Texas, several hundred miles away. Didnt realize it until she announced the menu at a truck stop on interstate 40, and said to myself, "Wait a minute..... That's nowhere local." After a while she revealed her location. Amazing! I have had this happen several times, talking for a brief while to people in Baltimore, Chicago, Memphis, etc. Have fun with your CBs. It's wholesome fun. And let your wife have her fun with holiday decorations. Let her just think it's a mid-life crisis like my wife thinks. It's all good. Everyone gets what they want, and stays happy. 😀
Some active subs have speaker in and out , speaker out is for satellite spks, and spk in would be from your stereos spk output. USUALLY, if you only have 4 spk hookups ( red black, red black ) on your sub they are for input only because if your sub only has an RCA for input the sub would have no way to send power to external spks... When all else fails look up your sub on the Google for instructions.
I have 4 speakers, where do I add the additional two speakers if I fill the B channel with the Subwoofer? Can I double them up? 1 subwoofer wire with a Speaker wire in the same slot?
You can share the B outs with the Sub and spks. The sub will not/should not change the impedance. Also check to see if you have a pre out set of RCAs that vari volume with the volume control on the stereo. If so then just use the RCAs.
Slightly off topic, considering my reciever is only 15 years old and a 5.1- I have an onkyo HT R330, came with a passive sub, no separate LFE output on rcvr. Hooking up a BIC V1220 powered sub through method A( rcvr to sub then sub to front spkrs). On the rcvr I turned the option for sub off, that sets the size of fronts to large. My onkyo book tells me to base the crossover on the first spkr that is set to small which is the center, 2-8cm woofers. According to the book under 9cm is 150Hz. I then proceed to set up subwoofer. I have the volume set about mid way, phase at 0 and crossover above 120Hz on sub. I have decent bass from the sub, but it sounds like the left and right fronts are getting overdriven, instead of a tight thump it is muddled almost vibrating noise. If i turn the bass for the fronts down to neg 1 the muddle goes away but there is hardly and bass at the sub. If I turn the bass back up and adjust the crossover frequency on the rcvr to 100Hz the bass on the spkrs and sub sounds good. Im just confused and dont want to damage anything. There is the + and - for the passive sub on the rcvr- should I use that for the from rcvr and leave my front speakers hooked directly to the rcvr
Sorry I may not be much help on this one as I do not know more about your receiver. I would run the sub from your rear speakers and adjust your front speakers for less bass. Play front and rear (as a sub) at the same time if you can. The idea would be use the crossover to cut lows from your smaller fronts and give full range to the sub, let the crossover on the sub do its thing. (dont cut lows to the sub.) I just don't play with AVR receivers much.
Great video. But just one thing, there's virtually no power going into the high impedance sub inputs. The voltage could be high but it will not draw any current.
It is heavy and robust box on the subwoofer so its a good things because you can have the turntable on the top of the subwoofer and that way save table space.:)
The Sub comes in at 68 LBS. My old Pioneer TT would not be able to play on top of the Sub. In fact I have to turn off the Sub if I want to really crank up the Stereo while playing Vinyl
Do you have a video on how to hook up a pre-amp or amplifier to these old receivers ? I just bought a MCS 3235 which puts out 35 watts per channel. To be honest I don't really know if I need anymore amplification but a explanation video would be great. The back of my receiver is similar to what you have here in the video being there are no connections to add an amp.Thanks for the vids...
@@breakerbroke23 Im a complete newbie.Was thinking 35 watts per channel was not enuff to run 100 watt speakers,let alone the 3235 has enuff connectors to hook up 6 speakers. I guess I am just not up on how the wattage ratings work.Thanks for replying.
I need help guys. I have a Pioneer SA-508 25 watts per channel into 8ohms amp, with A+B speakers. I'm finding it difficult getting 3 way speakers with good bass so i thought adding a sub might work. Any recommendations on the type of sub to look for. I'm new at this. Please help
It depends on your room. Because if you have concrete walls, or a small room, you dont want too big subwoofer. Subs can really create an uneven "peak" in the curve that wont sound correct. I live in a small flat with concrete walls. I intend to buy a "Dayton Audio SPA250DSP 250W Subwoofer Plate Amplifier with DSP" and make my own subs using two 6,5" Dayton audio DCS165-4 in two separate ported enclosures. For subs a plate amplifier with DSP (Digital sound processor) allows you to tune your subwoofer output so for example if your room creates a peak at 60hz and it drops off at 35hz, you can decrease the power at 60hz and increase it at 35hz so you get a more flat curve. You can also adjust the phase of your subs so they match your speakers (so their respective soundwaves hit your ears at the same time).
Correct on the a&b speaker settings. Treat the tone settings as you normally would to add or take away from your main spks, the X-over and gain controls in your sub will be independent of your stereo. Cheers
its a safe for amplifier ? and thanks for making this informative video to resolved this problem . b4 my sub definitive pro cinema 700w i dont know about this ports .
Finally! I’ve been scouring you tube and the audio karma website to find out how to do this. I have a Pioneer SX 980 with Radio Skack Optimus 7 speakers. I wanted to add a sub but wasn’t finding what you explained so simply. Thank you! I’m ordering my sub today!
Wow, nice system you have there, I love those Pioneer receivers. I have not seen the realistic speakers for long time, I remember when I was a kid in the mid 70s going down to RS and checking out the CB radios and listening to those awesome Stereo systems. Those were the Days! Thanks for your kind words and have a great Day.....BB23
The issue you will always run into when trying this is either ruining the unique sound of your vintage amp by running your speakers through the subwoofer... or still pushing full range to your mains because there is no crossover for them.
No, No, and No. Dude you are so wrong. My "mains" have built in Xovers, They play with a full range input, the Xover tells each driver what frequency to reproduce. The sub is hooked to the B speaker out, (full range) the sub amp has an internal xover that will only pass low frequency to the amp section. I am not "ruining the unique sound of my vintage amp" Did you actually watch the video? Good lord. Go back to your Stereopedophile magazine.
@@breakerbroke23 I dunno about ruining the sound as that's subjective, but what he said about sending a full range signal to main speakers is true. In your case that's fine, you have big thirsty full range speakers. However one of the advantages to having a sub that's crossed over from the source is to take some low frequency load off the main channels. That way the sub alone can take care of say 60hz and down, instead of the main speakers trying to reproduce as well, also making the amp work harder. Bookshelf speakers benefit huge from this, I would argue many floorstanders do too. Without a separate crossed over subwoofer output, which likely no vintage receiver has, this isn't possible. What some subwoofers do to compensate is send the crossed over "bass removed" signal out of the high level outputs. Others as you said in the video are just a bridge. You'd have to check your manual or test for yourself to know for sure. Either way nothing wrong with how you did it and good video, just thought I'd expand on the first guys comment
Super excellent video thank you and God Bless you for your instructions, I have a Pioneer Sx 1050 rated @ 120 RMS per channel with 3 speaker channels A, B, and C. This means I can run 3 sets of speakers. all 2 pair are klipsh but I found an excellent sub woofer by Klipsh I purchase for 100.00 at a garage sale it has a 10 inch woofer and I want to know if I can run that on the 3rd C channel for extra depth, I am addicted to base, Your expertise would be greatly appreciated!
Yes that will work great, Just make sure you can get audio from spks A&B or C when using A . Some stereo receivers can only use A or B but not both at the same time. If you have a receiver that does this then just hook up the sub to spk A along whit your spks. I like using A for spks and B for the sub. Yes there are times I don't want a sub so then I can just switch off spk B. Good luck and Cheers.
Thanks lot for the video. It's quite useful. Considering the connection you describe, do we run the subwoofer in active mode (plug to AC) or, in passive mode ? The reason I ask the question is that the signal we get from receiver amp is already powered (comes from power amp) . Would that harm the subwoofer that is run in powered mode ?
I'm using a Technic amplifier from 1993. The amplifier is still going strong and I want to connect a subwoofer on it. The problem is that my amplifier only got 2 speaker outputs(left and right) and one with RCA's(left and right) called "surround". Can I use the surround port to connect a subwoofer on it??? And if yes how can I do it???? Thanks for your time
You may be able to use the surround RCAs (not sure) just use a Male to Female RCA Y adapter, the RCA outs MAY adjust volume with the volume knob on the front of your receiver. If not, hook up your sub the way I show in this video, it will not change your impedance and will work just fine. Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 Thanks a lot for the help. The problem is that my amplifier doesn't have 4 speaker outputs like yours (2 speakers on A and 2 speakers on B). It has only ports for 2 speakers (left and right) and the RCA output called "surround". So when I buy a sub I will try to connect it the way you told me with the RCA's. If you want to see the back from the amplifier the model is "Technics stereo amplifier SE-CH505A"
@@user-kr4li7wo3i look in some of the comments in this video when people only have 2 spr outputs. You can wire up your sub to the 2 spk out. You can share the spk out AND the sub. It will not drop your impedance....... Cheers.
I'm wanting to use a subwoofer that just has your standard speaker wires coming from it. So I would only be able to hook into either the left or right channel. Should I just hook it into a single channel or should I bridge it from on channel to the other using a small length of speaker wire?
You want to get both left and right channels into the sub so will not miss out on any bass that may be mixed on a L or R ch only. We call this a sumed mono.
I tried this with my old Marantz PM7200 to a powered 150 watt subwoofer Infinity BU-120 pretty much exactly like yours. The Marantz has class A 25 watts and class a/b 90 watts and was just serviced as I bought it second hand from a friend, but the sub woofer does not work. Btw I ive in Europe- retired. I an splitting 2 receivers with 1 set of front Infinity Reference 60 that I just bought second hand. The Yamaha 5.1 surround receiver with a direct low level into the sub woofer works perfect. I want to add the sub to the Marantz system for music listening exclusively. I did use the speaker b system as you recommended, but not real expensive speaker wire. Pretty much just normal wire. Ideas? Thanks. Ps i believe the Marantz is just underpowered for this setup, but drives my Infinty Reference 60s just fine at 25 watts. Actually, to troubleshoot this issue correctly I should wire my main speakers to the B outputs to see if there is a problem with the Marantz power supply on the B channel. Also this Marantz model does not have a preamp output jack. :( Any thoughts?
breakerbroke23 sorry for not being clear. I meant, I don’t have speakers A and B or Front and Rear. I just have speakers A or Front. How do I connect the sub woofer in this case? Just add it to the speaker connections? Or something else? Thanks for your video.
Yes you could just add to the speaker terminals on your amp, depending on your subwoofer location you can also wire the sub to your amp then wire the speakers to the sub. Both ways will work just fine, the subwoofer will not add any impedance so your amp will still see 4 or 8 ohms.
Using the input to the subwoofer "amplifier" causes no strain on the amplifier as it sees no inductance or capacitance as it would driving a real speaker. My Amp section runs quite cool. If your amp runs hot it more than likely has a biasing or DC offset issue, IMO. Cheers.
@@breakerbroke23 if you are using the subs speaker level input instead of the line level, are you certain that you aren't feeding the subwoofer speaker directly? Basically, you seem to be adding a second speaker system running simultaneously. Many good vintage stereos will handle this easily but some will not
Hello, thanks for the video ! I have a 2225L Marantz and a couple of Elipson facet 8B and the Facet sub 8.... But I don't know how to plug the sub there is just one RCA Red and RCA L/LFE white. It exist an adaptor to convert RCA to High Level and plug on the "remote" plugs? (sorry for my poor English ^^") (Maybe the good way is to plug directly RCA red and white on the tape 1 plugs... )
Finally able to get out my old stereo that I purchased in the service, circa late 80's. In the video you talked about the power the amp puts out and into the sub, my sub is a jbl venue 12 powered at 250 rms. If hooked up to speaker b from yamaha amp could that cause plate amp in sub to blow fuse? Thank You for any advice and the great video.
@@breakerbroke23 Thanks for the info, could I also ask is it possible to have a set of speakers hooked to the b terminals and then use bannana clips also in the b terminals for the sub? Thanks for the help.
I have a Marantz 2245...I want to hook up a sub per side using the main in/pre out connections...guessing use 2 rca cables in the L/R connections of pre out...run them to the subs...then more rca cables back to the main ins...is this correct?...I have heard using the pre out/main in connections is better than the line in to speakers method
Not sure if I understand. I would use an RCA Y adapter and then send a RCA out to your sub, you dont want to have all that cable running around as you may pick up noise (AC) and if that happens your sub will not "go to sleep" and you may hear a slight 60cycle hum as well.
I’m a bit worried about running direct from a 100 watt amp into a powered sub. The tape out provides plenty of signal for the amp in sub. Seems like you are showing how to run a passive sub.
If there are speaker level inputs on your sub amp then you should be alright with 75-100w in. I tried getting this information direct from Klipsch back some years ago when I bought one of their subs. The "tech support" guy said the amp could take in a "few hundred watts" .. ( Their tech support was terrible.......... ) You will never throw all the power your amp/receiver is capable of to the sub anyway. TAPE OUT is usually a fixed pre out so that will not work. My receiver used in this video does have a pre out that is variable with the volume control, it works well, I just did not include this in the video as most receivers do not have this capability.
@@breakerbroke23 tape out is how you would go into a pre amp that then went to a amp if not integrated. Usually around 3 watts, I believe. If you have no separate volume controls on your receiver and you crank t your (A) speakers let’s say 40% in 4ohm Your sending a lot of juice to the powered sub. I had a pair of foster 100 wat powered monitors that I ran a a Dento Bluetooth into and it worked remarkably well, but I had volume control on back of monitors. I would think an Aux out would work too. I’m not a tech guy, but it just seems like you’re asking for trouble sending more wattage than required to a powered speaker.
@@breakerbroke23 I do have pre outs on my Yamaha Cr-1020 I guess I should do more research before I buy my sub, I’ll contact the techs at RSL, I’m hoping they can shed some light. Thanks for your input. I just don’t want to blow anything up. Specially my recapped Yamaha
If you are going to use your amp as you were using 4 speakers, you need to be aware that most of the vintage amps require 4 speakers of 8 ohms or more to do it, but all with the same impedance. If you connect a subwoofer of 4 Ohms and your speakers are 8 ohms, you can blow your amplifier. If your sub and your speakers do not match in the impedance and they are not 8 ohms or superior, you better use one channel connected to the subwoofer, and connect your speakers from the subwoofer using the hi level OUT, to avoid damage your amp.
Is there any real benefit of using the B speaker channel to run the sub instead of using the main output and then using the output side of the sub to drive speakers? Or is that just your preferred method?
The main reason I use B spks is so I can turn the sub off at the receiver. With my speakers I dont always need the sub. Oh, and when using my Turntable I dont use the sub either.
@@breakerbroke23 So, too much LFE makes yer records skip? I'm adding a TT soon also, so that's good to know. I'm old and DIGITAL sound seems very SCRATCHY/EDGY at times. BTW, which speakers do you have?
I have a Rogue Audio Sphinx v. 3 and wanted to add an older Paradigm PDR-10 powered sub. The Rogue only has one set of speaker terminals (no A-B). I’ve been told by other Rogue Audio enthusiasts on a discussion board that the proper way to do this is to run both the mains and the sub from the same speaker outputs. Do you think this would be safe?
Yes the PDR 10 will NOT add an impedance load to your Rouge. It will work just fine.... BTW... I used to sell Par-a-dimg and had a PDR 10 in my bedroom for many years. Nice little sub. However Par-a-digm driver surrounds deteriorate and eventually need re-foaming.
@ Ricky, thanx for mentioning that! I am trying to NOT blow my EXPENSIVE M&K S-1Cs' midwoofers, so I need a solution to manage my LFE (bass) AWAY from them! I'm using a vintage Hitachi SR903 class G stereo receiver. NO PRE-OUT. I want to wire it to a Mission VS6as subwoofer.
You said "ANY Vintage Stereo" but you didn't show the hookup in the case where there is just speaker A outputs. Do you just use a parallel jumper to the sub? And does that cause any degradation in audio to do it that way?
Just add the sub inputs to you main speaker out, it will not degrade the sound or give your amplifier a low impedance. UNLESS you are using a modern low end receiver. This new stuff is just a mess IMHO
Bass is added to fill in the lower frequencys that full range speakers can no reproduce. Like small bookshelf or satellite speakers with small drivers. Also, bass is omnidirectional and most powered subwoofers are a summed mono, meaning they take signal from both left and right channels and sum them together. Subwoofers can be a great addition to almost any system. And yes there are those bass heads that just need to have overextended bass, but if setup correctly a sub can be a nice addition to a stereo system. Cheers.
IMHO... Heresy's kind of suck! I have owned 2 pair and still own my original birch ply Heresy's, in order to stand to listen to them I use a sub. I use a powered 15 and roll it off a bit high. I would sell them but they are kind of sentimental to me:) I used an old Kenwood Model 11 II. No AV amp for the Klipsch....Cheers
Yes, no low end. Any speaker of this physical size and sporting a 12 inch driver should have some low end. Yes your Sansui will make them sound good compared to any modern AV receiver. But still a complete letdown. IMHO They need to be accompanied by a subwoofer. We need to remember they were designed to accent the K Horn .... Was the K Horn the low end producing speaker of the day? Hmmm neat stuff Eh?
What would happen or will the sub work if connected to an amp with only one set of speaker outputs? Can you not share those terminals on the amp so it reaches both the stereo speakers and a sub? Will it cause damage to the equipment? I have an old Nad 302 that i would like to add a sub to...Thanks
I am new to this Vintage Audio game and so far have a Pioneer SX-1010. But I like the Look of tube amps, would you recommend a Dynaco ST-70? I am very open to other opinions. Cant afford $12K for Macintosh 275 LOL
The new Dynaco amp looks very nice and not made overseas. IDk if it would sound better than that SX-1010, visa versa however IF I was going the tube route this would be a good choice. I'm a old Hafler fan, his designs sound so good. Not sure of a head to head comp as the Pioneer will have so much headroom compaired to the 70. If you pull the trigger and get the 70, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. I personally have been looking for a monster Pioneer but the prices are through the roof, that 1010 would maybe fund 1/2 the 70? Cheers
Hey I like your choice of speakers! I just got a pair of La Scala's and I chose those because they are really good with a low power tube amp. I am wondering if you could direct me on how to wire up a self powered JL Audio Sub to a vintage McIntosh C 22 pre Amp?
If I remember the JL home subs had stereo RCA inputs, you could hook those inputs to the MAC outputs either 1 or 2, not sure if the other output (recording?) works with the volume control on the front of the pre.. Not sure if this helps but give it a try.... Cheers
You may need to convert unbalanced (RCA)from your receiver to balanced (XLR) to your crown. I would possibly suggest the ART Clean Box2 to do that. You will also need a electronic cross over or some way of taking a full range signal from the receiver and sending only low pass signal to your amp. Or, you could use a coil type of crossover between the amp and woofer to only pass low frequency. (You can't/should not play full range through the woofer.) There are a few products to accomplish this but it will get complicated and may be a bit spendy. IMO
Wouldn't the subwoofers amplifier only sample the speaker input so that regardless of the amount of watts moving into the speaker inputs, these watts don't enter the input of the subwoofer amp, more of a voltage gain than anything else. I'm not 100% sure, but that's my take on it. I just received a Mitsubishi M-SUB10 a 60 watt approximately, 10 inch subwoofer it hits pretty hard, powered off my Harman Kardon 430 twin powered reciever. That will wake the rodents outside lol.
I must be honest, I have never torn down a Sub Amp, never seen a schematic of one either, so the input design is a mystery to me. I would imagine that there would be a point as to where internal parts could take only so much voltage. These Sub Amplifiers are cheap mass produced chinese units...Ive wondered just how much can one take before ..Smoke! You wake up the Rodents... Ill Shake the Pine Cones off the Trees.:)
My old Pioneer receiver is set up exactly like this 2250 Marantz but when hooking the subwoofer up you're losing two speakers. Right now I have 4 speakers connected to my receiver which means two have to go in favor of the subwoofer. BTW, I'm left wondering how it would sound if you were to play a record thru the Marantz without the other two speakers reconnected? Would you get anything out other than bass?
you can add the sub with the speakers, the stereo will NOT see a drop in impedance like you would see by adding another pair of spks.. Like two 8 ohm speakers will drop your impedance to 4-6 ohms. Adding a sub to an 8 ohm load will still be 8 ohms. If you have in and out RCAs with a jumper you can insert the sub into that as well, you will need a RCA Y adapter cable for each L&R. Some vintage receivers had Pre in and out so you could add a EQ. Just make sure the RCA pre-out goes up/down with the volume control ...
@@breakerbroke23 Do you mean I can add a sub woofer WITH all 4 speakers still connected by adding the wire leads from the sub to the wire leads already in two of the speaker inputs? My pioneer (SX 780) is set up like your Marantz with almost the same amount of power to each channel, (45 watts) with a Phono input, an Aux input and Tape 1 & Tape 2 inputs. Thanks
I’m wondering could you hook up the back speakers (B) through the output of the sub-base speaker . Also I would like to know if you ever need a preamp on a vintage receiver. Thanks
On my subwoofer you can hook a set of rears on the bottom 4 lugs. You don't need a pre amp for a vintage receiver...BUT! By adding a pre amp to your receivers AUX in you could hook up more devices to the pre amp and then you would have more devices to play through the receiver. Great question.
i have no preamps rca ports on my vintage onkyo but want o connect a preamp. is it possible to connect into a tape1,2 or phono ports instead as that is my only auxilaries in? currently, i have my android phone coming in thru tape 1. it sounds pretty good. but i want to power it up and want to see what my options are? im also looking at a powered sub...
Best info i ever needed.
Looking for how to connect sub for a year and this is the first time i have not been confused.
Thank you from Norway.
Glad it helped
I allways end up at around 60hz no matter the format ( source ) or song.. FANTASTIC VIDEO MAN !!
Your video is very good, clear, straight to the point. Thank you for teaching/helping.
This only works if your receiver has A + B output, AS WELL AS the speaker outputs themselves are wired in parallel internally, and not in series. Your average person may not know what they have and this was very common for receivers from the early-mid 70's to run both speaker outputs in series and some specific brands kept doing it. (my Kenwood is like this). This is designed to protect your amplifier from someone running two sets of 4ohm speakers and cooking the amp. But it has significant tradeoffs for performance and sound quality (unfortunate). it's not easy or always possible to change this.
Anyways in this scenario the amp will not run the sub and mains simultaneously as the resistance of your speakers (~8ohm) will sum with the resistance of the subwoofer inputs (10's of thousands of ohms) and the resulting highly resistant load won't draw any current from the amplifier.
The recommended (by HSU and PS Audio) solution for this is also the simplest: simply connect the subwoofer high-level inputs directly from the speakers, which should be directly wired to your amp. Or run wires going to the sub and mains directly sharing the same amp terminals. The high impedance of the amplifier results in no additional load "seen" by the amplifier and is completely safe.
Just like int he video I let my mains run full range, and the use the controls on the subwoofer to blend nicely with them and provide the low frequency re-enforcement and extention rather take over the whole
Thanks...very informative!
Very useful information. Thank you. I have a 40 year old Sansui 9000 which I absolutely love and still works well. I was thinking of adding a sub even though it has good bass with existing wharfedale E-90 speakers, also 40 years old and got it re-coned recently and sounds great. Your instruction video is timely, and appreciate very much.
Glad it was helpful!
RCA jacks/Line Out on the unit to High Level In on the active subwoofer also works perfectly well.
Very good instructional video... Liked your using the High inputs on your woofer. Never saw summing L and R channels into a mono-sub. As my 2.0 stereo has only speakers A, no speakers B, I bought a simple amp with subwoofer speaker output. Works for now.
Thanks for keeping things simple to understand!!!
Thank you, thank you,thank you. Finally somebody explained what I needed to know! Your the man bro!
Thank you
To hook up the second set of speakers after plugging in the amp, do you just run the second speaker wires from the amp to the speakers, both sets of wires plugged into the amp's second wire holes?
Yes
WHEN I CONNECT FRONT SPEAKERS TO THE A OUTPUT, DO I HAVE TO USE THE 2 OUTPUT ACTIVELY?
Great video! I was tempted to just hook up my sub to the A channel , and use the out terminals of the sub for my mains...BUT I like your way better because then I have the option of shutting off my B channel (and sub) when I don't want to make as much noise (i.e.wife sleeping!) Nice to be able to choose that! ;)
Thanks a lot i have always been bugged by this set up so now i know .Great clear explanation makes it so easy to understand. You have made my day sir.
You are welcome and stay tuned for a updated video on this subject. Cheers
I have a Marantz 2245....how about I use my pre amp out to the sub...
U have on the subwoofer (High Inputs) the left and right connections is switch while on the marants speaker (remote) is wired correctly. Thought you should know. 😎👍
Yes I didn't notice that until a year later:)
Still works fine as the inputs (L&R) are turned into a summed mono. Thanks and Cheers.
Klipsch Forte is a badass speaker, most have no clue. The new ones that just came out are insane, coarse your gonna pay for em, but so worth it
I Will Try to' do that. I have a small collection of old marantz recivers and amplifiers . And I like to play with them 🤓 . Thanks for the tip
I have a 4 ohm Subwoofer that needs to be an 8 ohm subwoofer. Is there a way to wire it into my 1996 Sony 5.1 surround sound pre-amplifier? Can I use two 4 ohm subwoofers, wired together to make it an 8 ohm subwoofer? And if so, how do I wire it into the Sony?
The pre out nex to main in should work, i hooked one up to the rec out on a sanyo d4505, works only you have to use the subs volume. Also used the line out on the akai am a202, have high level inputs but i use the a and b speaker channels.
I will have to have go at this to hear the difference.
Good video.
Well done. Answered all of my lingering/novice questions.
Awesome! Enjoy the music:)
Can you play a music so we can hearing how its sound and trye how loud you can playing.:)
A great video lesson. Many thanks for taking the time to create this clear and concise explanation.
I have an XLS subwoofer, not the same model, and the instructions say to main speaker out terminals along with the main speakers and it works well with a full rich sound.
Correct, but by using the B speaker out for the sub you can use the speaker selector switch to add and delete the sub when needed. Thanks for watching. Cheers.
I realize how old this video is, but what about the pre-outs? Not a lot of vintage receiver/amps have pre-outs but yours in the video does.
You can do that with Y adapters but you also need long rca cables.
Great you take time to help others, very well done.
This was great, thanks. Now to hook up the Sherwood sub I found in hard rubbish to my vintage Luxman!
For me, the line level output with quality shielded cables for short to moderate lengths would be just as good. There are pros and cons to both but Sub out RCA when available would at least be a cleaner and easier install.
Brilliant explanation! Thank you so much! Cheers from Outback Australia...
Hi
What if you have 4 speakers how do you connect the sub then?
Thank you
You can connect one set of speakers to the high level output on the sub - I have this setup for my outdoor audio using a nakamichi stereo receiver and Polk subwoofer - both of which I acquired for free - so they are my outdoor presence - however they are in the shed
Why not just run the “A” speaker output to the input on the sub then run your speakers off the high output on the sub ? That way you can still run a second set of speakers off your “B” channel .
yes that will work as well.
@@breakerbroke23 No, it will work MUCH better, bc you will be using MORE of your receiver, and get MORE sound out of it! Also, you did NOT finish the wiring job in the video, so I have to go to another channel that does a COMPLETE job, not half-assed.
@@mr.blackhawk142 Lighten up Francis! Jesus...
@@mr.blackhawk142 If you can't figure out the wiring from the information provided, you should probably ask a toddler for help.
Excellent advice here. I've been browsing sub install vids and most are doing it wrong by connecting the mains to the sub's high level output, thereby failing the audio version of an IQ test. Using thin wire and the shrink wrap is also brilliant. The sub's high level output is useless except for daisy chaining multiple, identical subs together. If you can't use or don't have A+B speakers, simply twist your "sub wires" to the main speaker wires and connect both at the speaker outputs, which is another good reason to run thin wires to the sub so both wires fit the output jack.
Weird that’s how Bose connects speakers to their subs - especially the passive ones - the high output speaker jacks on the sub are specifically for this - the sub will be the active crossover for the passive speakers.
What about running another pair of speakers off of the sub?
Yes you could do that :)
Very good. Short, precise. I have a Marantz 2240. You can hookup two subs this way to an old marantz also.
How can you hookup two subs to 2240? One sub in main speaker terminal and one sub i remote speaker terminal?
@@nosnelg7481 "A" speaker bank to main speakers left and right and "B" speaker bank to the subs. L&R to one sub and L&R to the other. Then play both A&B banks together.
thanks i needed some info, now on the hunt for a cheap active woofer !
i use vintage (1975) Jbl L36 Decade three way floor standers driven by a Pioneer SX-950 stereo receiver ....no lack of bass at my house , JBL are known to be bass rich !
What happen whith the vintage speaker where l conete the vintage speaker .l can conecte all that what i need.
Either Belden or Blue Jeans cable is the way to go. Great video.
You can also use a car stereo line out converter and use a pro audio power amplifier such as a crown xls power amplifier or you can use a subwoofer alone with a passive crossover inside the the subwoofer enclosure itself
Yep, doing one of those setups now. Its a little side project Im doing at work. I will post a video on this later this summer.
So we connect the sub like you did. But then how are the passive mains connected, how do they become amplified, and how does cross-over between the sub and the mains happen?
How about using the main in pre out connections?
Yes... I made the video with the intention of helping users that had no type of pre out. Maybe I should have used another receiver:) Cheers
Great video, thanks. In a hybrid, stereo/theater setup (on a newer home theater receiver), would you hook up the high input (for music) and in my case, the LFE (for theater) and would the subwoofer pick up whichever was issuing the signal?
Man I'm glad I found this video🤣now I know why my dayton audio sub never shuts off 25' run that wire passes two plugs its coming out anyway the cerwin vega is more than enough 👍
Back in the 90s I had a 40+ foot run of rca cable going to a M&K sub, it would not go to sleep because it was picking up AC noise. So I restrung with speaker wire and used a sound gate line tap (at the sub). Problem solved. Cheers.
I've always been interested in doing this on one of my vintage Marantz receivers, but what do you do if you have 4 speakers? I have a pair on each, speakers A and B. I often wondered as to whether you could use the headphones output. I have a nice Polk powered subwoofer in the basement that I'd love to hook up. Maybe I could find an adapter from the big headphones jack to RCA inputs on the sub?
I also have to wonder how that works using speaker level inputs, regarding the ohms load on the receiver's amplifier. I'm pretty sure 2245 or 2252b is 4 ohm stable, but not to sure how stable it would be running 2 sets of 8 ohm speakers, (which already poses a 4 ohm load) and adding a powered sub. Interested in your thoughts regarding this.
Does adding a powered subwoofer to high level inputs from speaker wires increase the load on the amplifier? If able to use the headphone jack to connect a powered subwoofer, would that pose issues of ohms loads?
Another though I had was taking the shunts out of the receivers mains, and putting a two into one RCA adapter, using one to go back into the receiver where the shunt is removed, and the other end to the powered subwoofer.
Too bad these vintage Marantz receivers didnt have a pair of dedicated subwoofer output RCAs for this purpose.
The RCA out puts were usually a fixed output so you will have no control of volume to the sub. Also, when using the sub in parallel with your speakers the receiver will still see mostly the independence of the speakers and not the electronics of the sub. If in doubt use your ohm meter. Measure the speakers and then spks with the sub in parallel. You MAY see a slight drop say from 4 ohms to say 3.6, no worries.
And yes I own near 100 CB Radios, multiple stereo components and from time to time I still lug something home:) The wife still puts up whit me, she on the other hand is "Christmas crazy" she has tons of Christmas decorations, so I have learned to not say a word to her about her sickness and she says (for the most part) nothing to me.
So Far. Cheers....BB23
@@breakerbroke23 Me, too. And my wife is the same way. I think you once told me we must be brothers. The more I talk to you, I'm convinced our wives must also be sisters. LOL. Yeah, I've got more than my fair share of Cobras 29s, Midlands, Uniden PC78s, Galaxies, Connix, I was just playing around with my peaked and tuned General Washington, talking to a guy over 40 miles away on my Antron antenna 30 ft up in the air. My Uniden Bearcat with a Moonraker antenna gets out even further. CBs are fun, but have become a dying thing. Even with truckers. Very few are on the radio anymore, except all the jokers. I love when the skip is rolling. Last October I was talking to a girl in Texas, several hundred miles away. Didnt realize it until she announced the menu at a truck stop on interstate 40, and said to myself, "Wait a minute..... That's nowhere local." After a while she revealed her location. Amazing! I have had this happen several times, talking for a brief while to people in Baltimore, Chicago, Memphis, etc. Have fun with your CBs. It's wholesome fun. And let your wife have her fun with holiday decorations. Let her just think it's a mid-life crisis like my wife thinks. It's all good. Everyone gets what they want, and stays happy. 😀
I have the same speaker type connectors on the back of my active subwoofer but they don't say "high level". What would be the difference?
Some active subs have speaker in and out , speaker out is for satellite spks, and spk in would be from your stereos spk output.
USUALLY, if you only have 4 spk hookups ( red black, red black ) on your sub they are for input only because if your sub only has an RCA for input the sub would have no way to send power to external spks...
When all else fails look up your sub on the Google for instructions.
@@breakerbroke23 Thanks!
Very useful… hunting for a sub now…
I have 4 speakers, where do I add the additional two speakers if I fill the B channel with the Subwoofer?
Can I double them up? 1 subwoofer wire with a Speaker wire in the same slot?
You can share the B outs with the Sub and spks. The sub will not/should not change the impedance. Also check to see if you have a pre out set of RCAs that vari volume with the volume control on the stereo. If so then just use the RCAs.
Slightly off topic, considering my reciever is only 15 years old and a 5.1- I have an onkyo HT R330, came with a passive sub, no separate LFE output on rcvr. Hooking up a BIC V1220 powered sub through method A( rcvr to sub then sub to front spkrs). On the rcvr I turned the option for sub off, that sets the size of fronts to large. My onkyo book tells me to base the crossover on the first spkr that is set to small which is the center, 2-8cm woofers. According to the book under 9cm is 150Hz. I then proceed to set up subwoofer. I have the volume set about mid way, phase at 0 and crossover above 120Hz on sub. I have decent bass from the sub, but it sounds like the left and right fronts are getting overdriven, instead of a tight thump it is muddled almost vibrating noise. If i turn the bass for the fronts down to neg 1 the muddle goes away but there is hardly and bass at the sub. If I turn the bass back up and adjust the crossover frequency on the rcvr to 100Hz the bass on the spkrs and sub sounds good. Im just confused and dont want to damage anything. There is the + and - for the passive sub on the rcvr- should I use that for the from rcvr and leave my front speakers hooked directly to the rcvr
Sorry I may not be much help on this one as I do not know more about your receiver. I would run the sub from your rear speakers and adjust your front speakers for less bass. Play front and rear (as a sub) at the same time if you can. The idea would be use the crossover to cut lows from your smaller fronts and give full range to the sub, let the crossover on the sub do its thing. (dont cut lows to the sub.)
I just don't play with AVR receivers much.
Great video. But just one thing, there's virtually no power going into the high impedance sub inputs. The voltage could be high but it will not draw any current.
It is heavy and robust box on the subwoofer so its a good things because you can have the turntable on the top of the subwoofer and that way save table space.:)
The Sub comes in at 68 LBS. My old Pioneer TT would not be able to play on top of the Sub.
In fact I have to turn off the Sub if I want to really crank up the Stereo while playing Vinyl
I know how to hook it up a sub to my vintage receiver now thankfully
Do you have a video on how to hook up a pre-amp or amplifier to these old receivers ? I just bought a MCS 3235 which puts out 35 watts per channel. To be honest I don't really know if I need anymore amplification but a explanation video would be great. The back of my receiver is similar to what you have here in the video being there are no connections to add an amp.Thanks for the vids...
The MCS has everything you need. I am not sure why you need to add a preamp. Am I not understanding what you want to accomplish?
@@breakerbroke23 Im a complete newbie.Was thinking 35 watts per channel was not enuff to run 100 watt speakers,let alone the 3235 has enuff connectors to hook up 6 speakers. I guess I am just not up on how the wattage ratings work.Thanks for replying.
35w is plenty of power especially on the vintage receivers.
Thanks
Great video!! Great information!
What about a subwoofer that just has two inputs for speaker wire? Would I just use two wires and combine them in the subwoofer inputs?
I need help guys. I have a Pioneer SA-508 25 watts per channel into 8ohms amp, with A+B speakers. I'm finding it difficult getting 3 way speakers with good bass so i thought adding a sub might work. Any recommendations on the type of sub to look for. I'm new at this. Please help
It depends on your room. Because if you have concrete walls, or a small room, you dont want too big subwoofer. Subs can really create an uneven "peak" in the curve that wont sound correct. I live in a small flat with concrete walls. I intend to buy a
"Dayton Audio SPA250DSP 250W Subwoofer Plate Amplifier with DSP" and make my own subs using two 6,5" Dayton audio DCS165-4 in two separate ported enclosures. For subs a plate amplifier with DSP (Digital sound processor) allows you to tune your subwoofer output so for example if your room creates a peak at 60hz and it drops off at 35hz, you can decrease the power at 60hz and increase it at 35hz so you get a more flat curve. You can also adjust the phase of your subs so they match your speakers (so their respective soundwaves hit your ears at the same time).
Awesome video and Equipment!!!
You neglected to illustrate how the front panel settings should be set. I'm assuming you set it to A&B , correct?
Correct on the a&b speaker settings. Treat the tone settings as you normally would to add or take away from your main spks, the X-over and gain controls in your sub will be independent of your stereo. Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 Thanks. It's what I figured.
Just a point, if you cool that many wires together like that you end up making a inductor which may ruin your sound.
Coil
Thank You for taking the time to show us this! What Morons would thumb down this informative video??
Thanks for watching!
its a safe for amplifier ? and thanks for making this informative video to resolved this problem . b4 my sub definitive pro cinema 700w i dont know about this ports .
Finally! I’ve been scouring you tube and the audio karma website to find out how to do this. I have a Pioneer SX 980 with Radio Skack Optimus 7 speakers. I wanted to add a sub but wasn’t finding what you explained so simply. Thank you! I’m ordering my sub today!
Wow, nice system you have there, I love those Pioneer receivers. I have not seen the realistic speakers for long time, I remember when I was a kid in the mid 70s going down to RS and checking out the CB radios and listening to those awesome Stereo systems. Those were the Days! Thanks for your kind words and have a great Day.....BB23
I forgot to ask . When you use the loudness button did it distort the sound or did you just have to adjust
No distortion, sometimes you may need to back down the bass control (knob on the stereo).
The issue you will always run into when trying this is either ruining the unique sound of your vintage amp by running your speakers through the subwoofer... or still pushing full range to your mains because there is no crossover for them.
No, No, and No. Dude you are so wrong. My "mains" have built in Xovers, They play with a full range input, the Xover tells each driver what frequency to reproduce. The sub is hooked to the B speaker out, (full range) the sub amp has an internal xover that will only pass low frequency to the amp section. I am not "ruining the unique sound of my vintage amp" Did you actually watch the video?
Good lord.
Go back to your Stereopedophile magazine.
@@breakerbroke23 I dunno about ruining the sound as that's subjective, but what he said about sending a full range signal to main speakers is true.
In your case that's fine, you have big thirsty full range speakers. However one of the advantages to having a sub that's crossed over from the source is to take some low frequency load off the main channels. That way the sub alone can take care of say 60hz and down, instead of the main speakers trying to reproduce as well, also making the amp work harder. Bookshelf speakers benefit huge from this, I would argue many floorstanders do too. Without a separate crossed over subwoofer output, which likely no vintage receiver has, this isn't possible.
What some subwoofers do to compensate is send the crossed over "bass removed" signal out of the high level outputs. Others as you said in the video are just a bridge. You'd have to check your manual or test for yourself to know for sure.
Either way nothing wrong with how you did it and good video, just thought I'd expand on the first guys comment
Super excellent video thank you and God Bless you for your instructions, I have a Pioneer Sx 1050 rated @ 120 RMS per channel with 3 speaker channels A, B, and C. This means I can run 3 sets of speakers. all 2 pair are klipsh but I found an excellent sub woofer by Klipsh I purchase for 100.00 at a garage sale it has a 10 inch woofer and I want to know if I can run that on the 3rd C channel for extra depth, I am addicted to base, Your expertise would be greatly appreciated!
Yes that will work great, Just make sure you can get audio from spks A&B or C when using A . Some stereo receivers can only use A or B but not both at the same time.
If you have a receiver that does this then just hook up the sub to spk A along whit your spks.
I like using A for spks and B for the sub. Yes there are times I don't want a sub so then I can just switch off spk B.
Good luck and Cheers.
@@breakerbroke23 Excellent, thank you so much! Much appreciated!
Thanks lot for the video. It's quite useful. Considering the connection you describe, do we run the subwoofer in active mode (plug to AC) or, in passive mode ? The reason I ask the question is that the signal we get from receiver amp is already powered (comes from power amp) . Would that harm the subwoofer that is run in powered mode ?
What Make & Model sub do you have?
I'm using a Technic amplifier from 1993. The amplifier is still going strong and I want to connect a subwoofer on it. The problem is that my amplifier only got 2 speaker outputs(left and right) and one with RCA's(left and right) called "surround". Can I use the surround port to connect a subwoofer on it??? And if yes how can I do it???? Thanks for your time
You may be able to use the surround RCAs (not sure) just use a Male to Female RCA Y adapter, the RCA outs MAY adjust volume with the volume knob on the front of your receiver. If not, hook up your sub the way I show in this video, it will not change your impedance and will work just fine.
Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 Thanks a lot for the help. The problem is that my amplifier doesn't have 4 speaker outputs like yours (2 speakers on A and 2 speakers on B). It has only ports for 2 speakers (left and right) and the RCA output called "surround". So when I buy a sub I will try to connect it the way you told me with the RCA's. If you want to see the back from the amplifier the model is "Technics stereo amplifier SE-CH505A"
@@user-kr4li7wo3i look in some of the comments in this video when people only have 2 spr outputs.
You can wire up your sub to the 2 spk out. You can share the spk out AND the sub. It will not drop your impedance.......
Cheers.
@@breakerbroke23 Ok thanks for the help 😊
I'm wanting to use a subwoofer that just has your standard speaker wires coming from it. So I would only be able to hook into either the left or right channel. Should I just hook it into a single channel or should I bridge it from on channel to the other using a small length of speaker wire?
You want to get both left and right channels into the sub so will not miss out on any bass that may be mixed on a L or R ch only. We call this a sumed mono.
I tried this with my old Marantz PM7200 to a powered 150 watt subwoofer Infinity BU-120 pretty much exactly like yours. The Marantz has class A 25 watts and class a/b 90 watts and was just serviced as I bought it second hand from a friend, but the sub woofer does not work. Btw I ive in Europe- retired. I an splitting 2 receivers with 1 set of front Infinity Reference 60 that I just bought second hand. The Yamaha 5.1 surround receiver with a direct low level into the sub woofer works perfect. I want to add the sub to the Marantz system for music listening exclusively. I did use the speaker b system as you recommended, but not real expensive speaker wire. Pretty much just normal wire. Ideas? Thanks. Ps i believe the Marantz is just underpowered for this setup, but drives my Infinty Reference 60s just fine at 25 watts. Actually, to troubleshoot this issue correctly I should wire my main speakers to the B outputs to see if there is a problem with the Marantz power supply on the B channel. Also this Marantz model does not have a preamp output jack. :( Any thoughts?
Use your spk out to get audio to your sub
So I just have one pair of speaker outputs from my integrated tube amp. Any ideas how I would connect a subwoofer to it?
Yes, I explain how to do that in this video. Watch again (all the way through)
breakerbroke23 sorry for not being clear. I meant, I don’t have speakers A and B or Front and Rear. I just have speakers A or Front. How do I connect the sub woofer in this case? Just add it to the speaker connections? Or something else? Thanks for your video.
Yes you could just add to the speaker terminals on your amp, depending on your subwoofer location you can also wire the sub to your amp then wire the speakers to the sub. Both ways will work just fine, the subwoofer will not add any impedance so your amp will still see 4 or 8 ohms.
@@breakerbroke23 gotcha, thanks!
Awesome information, thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Interesting. One question, is it ok 8 om my Subwoofer? Thanks 👍
Thx alot of help👌🏿
electrolytic capacitors will love this, I would like to know how Hot this Marantz gets with this configuration.
Using the input to the subwoofer "amplifier" causes no strain on the amplifier as it sees no inductance or capacitance as it would driving a real speaker.
My Amp section runs quite cool. If your amp runs hot it more than likely has a biasing or DC offset issue, IMO.
Cheers.
@@breakerbroke23 if you are using the subs speaker level input instead of the line level, are you certain that you aren't feeding the subwoofer speaker directly? Basically, you seem to be adding a second speaker system running simultaneously. Many good vintage stereos will handle this easily but some will not
Hello, thanks for the video ! I have a 2225L Marantz and a couple of Elipson facet 8B and the Facet sub 8.... But I don't know how to plug the sub there is just one RCA Red and RCA L/LFE white. It exist an adaptor to convert RCA to High Level and plug on the "remote" plugs? (sorry for my poor English ^^") (Maybe the good way is to plug directly RCA red and white on the tape 1 plugs... )
Finally able to get out my old stereo that I purchased in the service, circa late 80's. In the video you talked about the power the amp puts out and into the sub, my sub is a jbl venue 12 powered at 250 rms. If hooked up to speaker b from yamaha amp could that cause plate amp in sub to blow fuse?
Thank You for any advice and the great video.
If that sub has speaker inputs, it will accept the speaker output from your Yamaha. Should not blow fuses.
@@breakerbroke23 Thanks for the info, could I also ask is it possible to have a set of speakers hooked to the b terminals and then use bannana clips also in the b terminals for the sub?
Thanks for the help.
I have a Marantz 2245...I want to hook up a sub per side using the main in/pre out connections...guessing use 2 rca cables in the L/R connections of pre out...run them to the subs...then more rca cables back to the main ins...is this correct?...I have heard using the pre out/main in connections is better than the line in to speakers method
Not sure if I understand. I would use an RCA Y adapter and then send a RCA out to your sub, you dont want to have all that cable running around as you may pick up noise (AC) and if that happens your sub will not "go to sleep" and you may hear a slight 60cycle hum as well.
I’m a bit worried about running direct from a 100 watt amp into a powered sub.
The tape out provides plenty of signal for the amp in sub.
Seems like you are showing how to run a passive sub.
If there are speaker level inputs on your sub amp then you should be alright with 75-100w in. I tried getting this information direct from Klipsch back some years ago when I bought one of their subs. The "tech support" guy said the amp could take in a "few hundred watts" .. ( Their tech support was terrible.......... )
You will never throw all the power your amp/receiver is capable of to the sub anyway.
TAPE OUT is usually a fixed pre out so that will not work.
My receiver used in this video does have a pre out that is variable with the volume control, it works well, I just did not include this in the video as most receivers do not have this capability.
@@breakerbroke23 tape out is how you would go into a pre amp that then went to a amp if not integrated.
Usually around 3 watts, I believe.
If you have no separate volume controls on your receiver and you crank t your (A) speakers let’s say 40% in 4ohm
Your sending a lot of juice to the powered sub.
I had a pair of foster 100 wat powered monitors that I ran a a Dento Bluetooth into and it worked remarkably well, but I had volume control on back of monitors.
I would think an Aux out would work too.
I’m not a tech guy, but it just seems like you’re asking for trouble sending more wattage than required to a powered speaker.
@@breakerbroke23 I do have pre outs on my Yamaha Cr-1020
I guess I should do more research before I buy my sub, I’ll contact the techs at RSL, I’m hoping they can shed some light.
Thanks for your input.
I just don’t want to blow anything up.
Specially my recapped Yamaha
Can i do this with A home theater subwoofer? Pls respond
I believe your sub has speaker level inputs. So if it does the YES!
If there's no channel B, why can't I use High Level Out?
If you are going to use your amp as you were using 4 speakers, you need to be aware that most of the vintage amps require 4 speakers of 8 ohms or more to do it, but all with the same impedance. If you connect a subwoofer of 4 Ohms and your speakers are 8 ohms, you can blow your amplifier. If your sub and your speakers do not match in the impedance and they are not 8 ohms or superior, you better use one channel connected to the subwoofer, and connect your speakers from the subwoofer using the hi level OUT, to avoid damage your amp.
Powered subwoofers as the one he is demonstrating will adjust 4 8 16 automatically. Relax
Is there any real benefit of using the B speaker channel to run the sub instead of using the main output and then using the output side of the sub to drive speakers? Or is that just your preferred method?
The main reason I use B spks is so I can turn the sub off at the receiver. With my speakers I dont always need the sub. Oh, and when using my Turntable I dont use the sub either.
@@breakerbroke23 So, too much LFE makes yer records skip? I'm adding a TT soon also, so that's good to know. I'm old and DIGITAL sound seems very SCRATCHY/EDGY at times. BTW, which speakers do you have?
I have a Rogue Audio Sphinx v. 3 and wanted to add an older Paradigm PDR-10 powered sub. The Rogue only has one set of speaker terminals (no A-B). I’ve been told by other Rogue Audio enthusiasts on a discussion board that the proper way to do this is to run both the mains and the sub from the same speaker outputs. Do you think this would be safe?
Yes the PDR 10 will NOT add an impedance load to your Rouge. It will work just fine.... BTW... I used to sell Par-a-dimg and had a PDR 10 in my bedroom for many years. Nice little sub. However Par-a-digm driver surrounds deteriorate and eventually need re-foaming.
Thank You
You need to change this title. Using your method -- this will not work for every vintage receiver.
He lit spells that out in first sentence
It looks like you flipped the phasing of the wiring.
Check out @9:45 and @10:04 I did mix up L&R However:)
can i also do this to may pioneer xvdv303?
Great video I have the same receiver.
Can I use a line output converter for cars,as my sub only has RCA inputs ?
Yes you can.
@ Ricky, thanx for mentioning that! I am trying to NOT blow my EXPENSIVE M&K S-1Cs' midwoofers, so I need a solution to manage my LFE (bass) AWAY from them! I'm using a vintage Hitachi SR903 class G stereo receiver. NO PRE-OUT. I want to wire it to a Mission VS6as subwoofer.
@@mr.blackhawk142 It works perfectly ,have done the same!
Couldn't you have just used the PRE OUT on that 2250B?
That's what I would do!
@@aaronmccutcheon READ the title, or my comment.
@@mr.blackhawk142 No
You said "ANY Vintage Stereo" but you didn't show the hookup in the case where there is just speaker A outputs. Do you just use a parallel jumper to the sub? And does that cause any degradation in audio to do it that way?
Just add the sub inputs to you main speaker out, it will not degrade the sound or give your amplifier a low impedance. UNLESS you are using a modern low end receiver. This new stuff is just a mess IMHO
The converter works just fine. I haven't heard any noise.
Vey good. Thanks for update. Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 Oy vey! lol
hmmm stereo bass... always scratched my head about that.
Bass is added to fill in the lower frequencys that full range speakers can no reproduce. Like small bookshelf or satellite speakers with small drivers. Also, bass is omnidirectional and most powered subwoofers are a summed mono, meaning they take signal from both left and right channels and sum them together. Subwoofers can be a great addition to almost any system. And yes there are those bass heads that just need to have overextended bass, but if setup correctly a sub can be a nice addition to a stereo system. Cheers.
My klipsch heresy's
sound great but need more low end thanks !
IMHO... Heresy's kind of suck! I have owned 2 pair and still own my original birch ply Heresy's, in order to stand to listen to them I use a sub. I use a powered 15 and roll it off a bit high. I would sell them but they are kind of sentimental to me:) I used an old Kenwood Model 11 II. No AV amp for the Klipsch....Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 mine thru my sansui dont suck , but there is no bass .
Yes, no low end. Any speaker of this physical size and sporting a 12 inch driver should have some low end. Yes your Sansui will make them sound good compared to any modern AV receiver. But still a complete letdown. IMHO They need to be accompanied by a subwoofer. We need to remember they were designed to accent the K Horn .... Was the K Horn the low end producing speaker of the day?
Hmmm neat stuff Eh?
What would happen or will the sub work if connected to an amp with only one set of speaker outputs?
Can you not share those terminals on the amp so it reaches both the stereo speakers and a sub? Will it cause damage to the equipment? I have an old Nad 302 that i would like to add a sub to...Thanks
Works fine to put the active sub in parallel on one set of speaker outputs. An active sub won't draw any watts from the amp and just uses the signal.
Why you didn't play some music if it gonna works?
I am new to this Vintage Audio game and so far have a Pioneer SX-1010. But I like the Look of tube amps, would you recommend a Dynaco ST-70? I am very open to other opinions. Cant afford $12K for Macintosh 275 LOL
The new Dynaco amp looks very nice and not made overseas. IDk if it would sound better than that SX-1010, visa versa however IF I was going the tube route this would be a good choice. I'm a old Hafler fan, his designs sound so good.
Not sure of a head to head comp as the Pioneer will have so much headroom compaired to the 70. If you pull the trigger and get the 70, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
I personally have been looking for a monster Pioneer but the prices are through the roof, that 1010 would maybe fund 1/2 the 70?
Cheers
Hey I like your choice of speakers! I just got a pair of La Scala's and I chose those because they are really good with a low power tube amp. I am wondering if you could direct me on how to wire up a self powered JL Audio Sub to a vintage McIntosh C 22 pre Amp?
If I remember the JL home subs had stereo RCA inputs, you could hook those inputs to the MAC outputs either 1 or 2, not sure if the other output (recording?) works with the volume control on the front of the pre..
Not sure if this helps but give it a try.... Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 That, or a splitter.
@@scottlowell493 yes
How about running a passive sub into a Crown K2 power amp into my vintage integrated? How can this be achieved?
You may need to convert unbalanced (RCA)from your receiver to balanced (XLR) to your crown. I would possibly suggest the ART Clean Box2 to do that. You will also need a electronic cross over or some way of taking a full range signal from the receiver and sending only low pass signal to your amp. Or, you could use a coil type of crossover between the amp and woofer to only pass low frequency.
(You can't/should not play full range through the woofer.) There are a few products to accomplish this but it will get complicated and may be a bit spendy. IMO
Wouldn't the subwoofers amplifier only sample the speaker input so that regardless of the amount of watts moving into the speaker inputs, these watts don't enter the input of the subwoofer amp, more of a voltage gain than anything else. I'm not 100% sure, but that's my take on it.
I just received a Mitsubishi M-SUB10 a 60 watt approximately, 10 inch subwoofer it hits pretty hard, powered off my Harman Kardon 430 twin powered reciever.
That will wake the rodents outside lol.
I must be honest, I have never torn down a Sub Amp, never seen a schematic of one either, so the input design is a mystery to me. I would imagine that there would be a point as to where internal parts could take only so much voltage.
These Sub Amplifiers are cheap mass produced chinese units...Ive wondered just how much can one take before ..Smoke!
You wake up the Rodents... Ill Shake the Pine Cones off the Trees.:)
Banana plugs are simply cleaner
Simple and cleaner.... Who doesn't like them... Except this cat. Weird
My old Pioneer receiver is set up exactly like this 2250 Marantz but when hooking the subwoofer up you're losing two speakers. Right now I have 4 speakers connected to my receiver which means two have to go in favor of the subwoofer. BTW, I'm left wondering how it would sound if you were to play a record thru the Marantz without the other two speakers reconnected? Would you get anything out other than bass?
you can add the sub with the speakers, the stereo will NOT see a drop in impedance like you would see by adding another pair of spks.. Like two 8 ohm speakers will drop your impedance to 4-6 ohms. Adding a sub to an 8 ohm load will still be 8 ohms.
If you have in and out RCAs with a jumper you can insert the sub into that as well, you will need a RCA Y adapter cable for each L&R. Some vintage receivers had Pre in and out so you could add a EQ. Just make sure the RCA pre-out goes up/down with the volume control ...
@@breakerbroke23 Do you mean I can add a sub woofer WITH all 4 speakers still connected by adding the wire leads from the sub to the wire leads already in two of the speaker inputs? My pioneer (SX 780) is set up like your Marantz with almost the same amount of power to each channel, (45 watts) with a Phono input, an Aux input and Tape 1 & Tape 2 inputs. Thanks
I’m wondering could you hook up the back speakers (B) through the output of the sub-base speaker .
Also I would like to know if you ever need a preamp on a vintage receiver. Thanks
On my subwoofer you can hook a set of rears on the bottom 4 lugs.
You don't need a pre amp for a vintage receiver...BUT! By adding a pre amp to your receivers AUX in you could hook up more devices to the pre amp and then you would have more devices to play through the receiver. Great question.
i have no preamps rca ports on my vintage onkyo but want o connect a preamp. is it possible to connect into a tape1,2 or phono ports instead as that is my only auxilaries in? currently, i have my android phone coming in thru tape 1. it sounds pretty good. but i want to power it up and want to see what my options are? im also looking at a powered sub...