I have a subwoofer with standard speaker wire connection, how to I attach to a receiver with a subwoofer cable?

Depending on the model, there are two ways to connect a subwoofer to an amplifier, receiver or processor. The best way is to connect the subwoofer to the SUB OUT or LFE output of a receiver, but some subwoofers can be connected to the speaker level outputs of the receiver or amplifier.


1. How to Connect a Subwoofer to the Subwoofer Output


The preferred method of connecting a subwoofer is through the LFE or Subwoofer output (SUB OUT) of a receiver. Almost all home theater receivers (or processors) and some stereo receivers have a subwoofer output. The LFE (Low Frequency Effects) is a special output for subwoofers and is often labeled 'SUBWOOFER' not LFE. 5.1 channel programs on DVD discs have a dedicated .1 channel output with bass-only content that is best reproduced by a subwoofer. Connect the output of the LFE or Subwoofer jack to the Line In jacks of the subwoofer using a single RCA cable (the two jacks on the left in the photo). A 'Y-Cable' may be necessary to connect the LFE output to both the left and right channels of the subwoofer.

2. How to Connect a Subwoofer to Speaker Level Outputs
Some receivers and amplifiers do not have an LFE or Subwoofer output. In this case you can use the speaker outputs of the receiver to connect the subwoofer. Using speaker wire, connect the left and right channel speaker outputs of the receiver to the left and right channel speaker level inputs on the subwoofer (the speaker inputs on the right side of the photo). Using speaker wire, connect the left and right channel speaker outputs on the back of the subwoofer to the left and right channel front speakers.

Hope it helped..

With everything connected correctly there could be a couple of possible problems:

1. If your receiver has on screen display capabilities, you may need to turn the subwoofer output "on"
2. If your subwoofer has speaker wire inputs/outputs, you could run speaker wire to it, then to your speakers & test if the subwoofer is working... hence verifying that the receiver has a function to turn the subwoofer output on/off
3. The cable between the subwoofer & receiver could be bad. Try another cable.

Good luck!

You have not mentioned -- connect it to what ???. Assuming that its an AV receiver. Start by connecting the front three speakers to the the amplifiers speaker sockets labeled Left front / Center / Right Front. These are connected using three short wires. Then connect the two surround speakers using the pair of long speaker cables. You will need a RCA to RCA cable to connect the subwoofer to the Receivers subwoofer preamp out.The subwoofer also requires an A/C wall socket to power it.

Hi, ok the Bose Acoustimass III system consists of two small cube speakers and one subwoofer unit called the Acoustimass bass module. If the subwoofer stops working, three points can be the cause of the failure. The Bose Acoustimass III is a passive system, meaning the speakers do not power themselves, but instead are connected to a receiver or amplifier. Thus, the amplifier, the speaker between the amplifier and the subwoofer, or the subwoofer itself could be the issue.

Things You'll Need:

* Amplifier
* Speaker cable
* Extra subwoofer


Instructions


Disconnect the speaker cable from the back of the Bose Accoustimass bass module and connect it to a subwoofer that is known to be working. If the subwoofer works, the bass module needs to be replaced.


Disconnect the speaker cable from the back of the receiver or amplifier you are using and from the back of the subwoofer in Step 1.


Connect a speaker cable that is known to be working between the back of the receiver or amplifier and the back of the Accoustimass module. If the module starts working, then the cable was the issue.


Disconnect the speaker cable from Step 3 from the back of the amplifier or receiver, then connect the cable to the subwoofer port on the back of an amplifier or receiver that is known to be working. If the subwoofer works, the receiver was the issue. If the subwoofer still does not work, verify that the speaker cable is in the subwoofer port of the receiver/amplifier and that the cable is connected securely to the subwoofer.



If you think you did the connection properly,Fine... If not you can use the manual from the below link and know how to connect it properly..

products.bose.com/pdf/customer_service/owners/og_am5iii.pdf


Have a nice day..

As I implied earlier, take a clue from the physical style of connectors for both parts of the subwoofer function in the old and new receivers:

RCA connections are for Line Level signal between components only.

The input (bare wire) at the speaker is for AMPLIFIED signal.

You can't just modify one to fit the other and expect magic to happen. Be glad you didn't do it the other way around and modify an amplified (speaker level) outout into a Line Level input. You likely would have smoked that component.

Your subwoofer is a passive speaker, that is, like any other speaker it needs an amplifier. Many subs are self-powered (amp built-in) and they would mate well with the RCA sub output of the receiver.

Get yourself an Active (self-amplified) Subwoofer and run UN-MODIFIED RCA cables to it, according to its instructions, from the Sub Out of the receiver. Or get an amplifier between your receiver and the sub you have.

Without knowing more about the subwoofer (powered, passive, what kind(s) of input it takes, I have to take a wild guess. Most powered subwoofers use the old standard RCA cable. I there are two jacks on the sub for Left and Right input you just get an adapter to make the cable plug into two jacks.

Your receiver should have an RCA connector on the back panel that will be marked "sub woofer" or "LFE out". That connects to your sub woofer with a standard RCA type cable. Also, some powered subs have left and right speaker level inputs and outputs in which you would indeed run the sub woofer through the speaker outputs. The down side of that type of connection is that the line level converter inside the sub woofer will take a slight amount of your receiver's output power, although that is rarely detectable. Also, if you have a Dolby Digital receiver, using this connection method will take away systems ability to accurately control the low frequency effects of a soundtrack.

Good Luck,
BB

You have it upon one of several truly odd "standards" in the AV industry but the answer is simple if not quite logical. You will use an RCA type cable from the Sub out or LFE on the receiver to just one of the two inputs on the subwoofer. I usually use the one on the right but it really doesn't matter. The other connectors would be for a system with out a sub out where the speaker wire would be run first to the subwoofer and then out to the speakers. This will not be used at all in your case.

Enjy!

Usually, a subwoofer will have its own built-in power amplifier. Thus, it will be designed to plug into a standard RCA jack (the type used for DVD players, etc). rather than having wires to connect to a speaker terminal block. Look for a jack on the back of the receiver called "Subwoofer", or simply "SW". If your subwoofer has 2 single wires, it WON'T work with your reveiver's subwoofer output, as this output only carries a line-level signal and is not amplified. You would need a separate power amplifier for this type of SW. If your SW speaker has a DVD-type plug, it should work fine with the receiver's SW output jack.

In general, there are two ways to hook up your sub-woofer. First using the high level outputs from your receiver ( speaker output from the front R & L speaker terminals ) run a set of wires from the outputs to the speaker inputs on the sub-woofer, you do this in concert with the speaker wires going to the front R & L speakers which you then attach to the R & L speaker outputs on the sub woofer amp. Note that the sub woofer doesn't power your front speakers, the connections from the sub amp are just a pass through connection where the signal needed by the sub is parasitically taken from the inputs.
Second is via a low level output from your receiver / amp to the low level input on your sub amp. This is normally done via a RCA type of patch cable and connected to the sub woofer RCA jack on the rear of the source receiver or amp, Next run the patch cord to the sub amp an into the RCA jack input. IF you have a right and left input, use the Right input.

john