How To Connect Subwoofer To Receiver Without Subwoofer Output

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Are you one among those planning to throw away your subwoofer that doesn’t have a sub out and purchase a new one?

You don’t have to do that. You just need to know how to connect subwoofer to receiver without subwoofer output. There are many methods that will allow connection between subwoofers and receivers even without subwoofer output.

However, here I will be discussing the 3 best methods to achieve this connection without costing much of your penny. Before getting started, please take some time to analyze what kind of subwoofer you possess.

Because there are two kinds of subwoofers available in the market, namely active and passive subwoofers, and the connection type varies to each.

WHAT’S THE BASIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SUBWOOFERS?

Active Subwoofers are powered, meaning they have an in-built power supply and comes with an in-built speaker to amplify the sound levels. Whereas passive subwoofers are non-powered meaning, they don’t have an in-built power supply, and you also need to connect it to an external speaker to amplify the sound levels.

HOW TO CONNECT A POWERED SUBWOOFER (ACTIVE) TO A RECEIVER WITHOUT SUBWOOFER OUT

Powered subwoofers are the most common types, and they provide various features such as RCA input jack, bass controls etc., apart from an in-built power supply and speaker.

Type 1 - BY USING A PREAMP OUT

Preamp out of your receiver will assure easy connection between your powered subwoofer and receiver very easily. I’ll tell you how.

NOTE: Preamp output is generally marked as pre-out in the receiver

PREAMP OUTPUT - how to connect subwoofer to receiver without subwoofer output

Turn the back of the receiver and see whether there is a slot named Preamp out.
If you find one, hook up your receiver and subwoofer using a pair of interconnects. If you don't have one try connecting them using speaker level inputs.
The newer subwoofer models do come with RCA inputs which is great. But what if your subwoofer has only one RCA input? Can you proceed with the same?
Definitely, you can use a “Y adaptor” with one male on the front end and two females on the rear end. Now, your single RCA input channel is converted into two.
With that being done, plug the male end into subwoofer input and connect the two female ends with the male RCAs of the receiver.
You can also convert the output using Line of converters(LOC). These LOC’s are nothing but small devices that accept speaker level signals, scale them down to low-level signals (RCA jack) type output that the subwoofer can accept.

TYPE 2 - USING SPEAKER LEVEL INPUTS

speaker level input - how to connect subwoofer to receiver without subwoofer output

For those of you who do not have a pre-out facility in your receiver can try going with the speaker’s input connections. This is an effective method and will work for all.

Just consider your subwoofer as a speaker and proceed.

Connect the front left and right speaker outputs of the receiver to the high-level input terminals of your subwoofer using speaker wires.

HOW TO CONNECT A NON-POWERED SUBWOOFER(passive)

TO A RECEIVER WITHOUT SUBWOOFER OUT

Passive subwoofers(non-powered) are less common these days as people like to have everything in-built. But, If you own a passive subwoofer and want to ensure connectivity between subwoofer and receiver, you can for which you need a crossover facility.

What is a crossover, and why do you need one?

Crossovers are electronics that convert an input signal into separate bands of low, high, and mid-range frequencies. As a passive crossover is used here, you’ll see inductors and capacitors in the circuit instead of electronic components.

Unfortunately, most passive subwoofers don’t come with passive crossovers. So, you need to use a low-pass crossover that acts as a low-pass filter to block high frequencies from entering into the subwoofer.

After you’ve purchased a low-pass crossover speaker, you need to connect it between your subwoofer and receiver. That’s it now your connection is secured.

NOTE: While purchasing a low-pass crossover speaker, make sure it’s frequency range is around 100Hz. Adding to it, the number of crossovers (single/dual) depends upon your subwoofer type.

CONCLUSION

Subwoofers are a must-have in your home theatre system if you want to enjoy the rich and vibrant sound. You might have come here just to know if there is a possibility of ensuring the connection between your subwoofer and receiver without a subwoofer output. But, I hope this article gave in-depth knowledge of the subwoofer types and their connection procedures as well. If you have any queries regarding this, do drop your questions in the comment section below. Have a great day!

Gibson

Gibson is a blogger and reviewer, whose passion is helping people with all the aspects of music through the blog he provides. Also, he is an artist and loves to create his own tunes by purchasing good quality musical tools. With his own experience, he has provided a great list of tools for you in this blog. Seeking the best quality musical tools? Read this blog and end your music thirst!