How Do I Hook Up...
my powered subwoofer?
Powered Subwoofers and Receiver Pre-Outs
Before trying to hook up your sub, you need to identify the connections it has. Take a look at the back of your subwoofer.
You're looking for an AC power cord (to ensure its a powered subwoofer) and two RCA jacks labeled "Line-In". There may be more,
but this is all you'll need to properly connect your subwoofer.
The last piece of prep work is for you to check your receiver. You'll need to find a section of RCA jack outputs labeled "Pre-Out", and
one of them should be for "Subwoofer". If you don't have this output, you won't be able to connect your sub this way. Refer to
Connecting a Non-Powered Subwoofer to get your subwoofer
connected.
Necessary Cables for Subwoofer and Pre-Out Connections
You'll need to obtain the following cables to complete your setup:
- subwoofer cable (an ordinary RCA cable will do, but for distances over 10ft, purchase a subwoofer cable)
- optional Y-adapter
And that's it! You'll want a Y-adapter to combine the two RCA jacks on the subwoofer into one. They are labeled Left and Right
line-in inputs, but for a typical home theater, you only have one cable coming from the receiver to the subwoofer. If you don't have one
or don't want to get one, you don't need the Y-adapter; just use the left or right input by itself.
Plugging in Your Subwoofer
If you have a subwoofer cable and a Y-adapter, this is the optimal setup for your sub. Just plug the subwoofer cable into your receiver's
subwoofer pre-out and the other end into the Y-adapter on your sub (which is connected to the left and right RCA line-in inputs). Then
make sure the power plug is connected to an outlet (hopefully in a surge protector) and you're finished.
Here's a picture of a receiver's preouts. Notice the one labeled Sub Woofer. It is typically purple in color, but that's not always the case.
If you're not using a subwoofer cable, a composite audio cable will work up to about 10ft. If you have a pair of red and white (or even red,
white, and yellow) composite cables, just pick a color and let the other wires dangle.
Enjoy your Subwoofer and all the Bass it has to Offer
That's all there is to it for connecting your powered subwoofer. Consider checking out our other
How-To Guides to learn how to hook up the rest of your home theater.
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Check our our Home Theater Glossary to lookup some of the words you haven't seen before or don't fully understand. Its a great way to familiarize yourself with home theater connections and will help you make better buying and configuring decisions.
>>Glossary
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