Can I connect a subwoofer?

[SteveA]

I'll apologize in advance for this basic question-

A few years ago we purchased a pair of Klipsch RF-3 II speakers and the corresponding RC-3 for the center channel of our Sony receiver (STR-D1015). Last month we upgraded our television and now want to move towards better home theater sound.

The Klipsch speakers have been great and I wanted to add the recommended subwoofer (KSW-10) and rear surrounds, but in moving the receiver noticed that:

1. There is not a "subwoofer out" terminal on the back of our receiver

2. The receiver is over 10 years old.

I thought I recall that subwoofers were plugged into the receiver and then a pair of speakers run from there, but maybe that's an old, incorrect thought.

If we want to add the KSW-10 subwoofer do we need to buy a receiver with subwoofer out terminals on the receiver, or do we hookup the subwoofer & then speakers from there? Where does one hookup a subwoofer?

Thanks very much.

[Rick]

I would highly recommend you get a new receiver if you can swing it. But you can use a sub with your current setup. You would hook it up via high level inputs on the sub. Simply hook your speaker wires from your receiver to the high level inputs on the sub, then run wires from the high level outputs on the sub to your RF3II's. By the way you will probably get many recommendations for another sub other than Klipsch, mostly SVS or HSU subs. They provide the best bang for the buck in subs today.

[Joe Shmoe]

I do believe (although I am not 100% sure) that you will need to upgrade to a newer reciever with a subwoofer out.

Being that it is that old, it probably doesn't have jack squat for rear surround wattage? I know my old kenwood had 120W for the fronts & center, but only something like 15 or 20 for the rears!

There are plenty of reasonably priced recievers out there... if you are looking for cheap anyways.

[SteveA]

Thanks Joe and Rick (above).

I pulled the specs and Joe you're correct we only have 25 w/ch for rear, 100w/ch for front & center.

Many years ago I worked in a stereo store (selling Marantz receivers & Craig 8-track players) but in trying to research rear/suround and subwoofers today I realize I dodn't know much at all about today's home theatre gear.

My strategy was to just try to find the Klipch sub and rear speakers that "went" with the RF-3s and use our existing receiver-but as I mentioned I was surprised to discover that the receiver (I still consider it our "new" unit) was purchased in July of 1995 and as such suspected that our gear might be woefully out-of-date.

If (and this is a big if now as we hadn't even considered subs other than the Klipsch) went with the KSW-10 and corresponding surround/rear speakers how many watts /channel (assume 8 ohm) would be sufficient?

Any recommendation for a home theater receiver?

Thanks very much again!

[wuzzzer]

I have pretty much the same receiver as you, Sony STR-D1011S. I think mine might be either one year newer or one year older than yours.

I had a Definitive Technology subwoofer hooked up for years using the speaker level outputs. Never had a problem and it sounded awesome. When I upgraded to RF-7s I sold my sub since the RFs had plenty of bass on their own and my old sub just wasn't keeping up with the high efficiency of them.

Your speakers are efficient enough that I wouldn't worry about the exact watts per channel on a receiver you get. Just make sure the receiver you get (if you do) is of a quality name. Harman/Kardon, Marantz, Denon seem to be good choices. Many of them are rated at 'only' 70-80 watts per channel, but they're honest to goodness watts.

RS-3 or RB-3 would work well for your surround speakers.

[oldbuckster]

Your receiver is probably a Pro-logic, which at the time was the best available, and is useable right now. First response would be to consider something new that has 5.1, DTS, many choices to be had there. If that's not an option, Yes you can hook-up a sub using the speaker level outputs, and it will sound good.

[Cal Blacksmith]

Yes, you could run the speaker wires to the high level inputs of the sub and then to your speakers.

BUT

You really should seriously consider a new receiver. A mid price unit at about $500 is light years ahead of what you have. It will offer many more decoding options and will have auto setup to get you in the ball park with your settings. The best setup is still with a meter and test tones but you will get close with auto setup. While I prefer Yamaha, most any unit at this price point will make you happy.

[SteveA]

Thanks Cal & all for replying. Before this week it had apparently been a decade since I looked at a receiver and began to realize last night that I might need (?) a new unit-several of the on-line guides pointed me to Yamaha. To be direct I didn't even realize there was such a feature as auto set-up.

The RX-V2500 seems to be a good unit in the $500 range, I noticed the RX-V2600 seems similar but with many other features (I'm beginning to realize now why I left stereo sales, I don't honestly know what the implications of many of the specs/features would be) but is more expensive.

Clearly I'm way behind the knowledge curve-would one of the above receivers provide most of what one needs for "good" (I think my vantage point as not being too selective has come out)?

If one buys a 7:1 unit, would there be a noticeable loss of audio if I run only mains (RF-3), center (RC-3), subwoofer (now I'm not sure what to look at) and rears (ditto)?

Again, thanks very much guys for your advice, I really appreciate any perspective.

[oldbuckster]

You don't have to use the 7.1 setting, you can use any speaker set-up you want without hurting the sound quality. I would rather use a good 5.1 as opposed to a so so 7.1. I can run 6.1 but I like 5.1 better................With music DVD's I shut off the center channel, that sounds best to me............Many choices...................

[colterphoto1]

Cal and others are absolutely correct. I had a Yammie 850 (still have it in second system), that was Pro-Logic only, 1/2 power to rears, and only 5 channel.

Switching to the newer Dolby Digital RXV2400 a couple years back was a QUANTUM LEAP in technology and channel separation. Now I have 7.1 (I use only 5.1- the other amp channels can be used for a second zone listening to any other source!) Yammies YPAO auto eq and setup with calibrated mic, equal power to all channels, and the massive channel separation of digital and DTS processors.

Do it, you won't be sorry.

If you don't need all the power and features of the 2500, the 695? I think, is earning rave reviews in it's price point.

Michael

[Cal Blacksmith]

TheRXV 2600B is a very good unit that you would like very
much. The Yamaha website says that the Virtual Cinema DSP

Provides a realistic multi-channel surround experience using
only two or three (with the inclusion of a centre channel) speakers.

This DSP will get you by until you decide to add more
speakers, which you will most likely want to do. The full 7.1 (or 6.1) sound is
in my opinion, much better. My unit is the RXV750 and is about 3 years old. It
still serves me well though the video output is Component and the 2600B is HDMI.
This might or might not make a difference for you, depending on what your TV
uses. If your current receiver is 11 years old, your TV is likely not state of
the art and probably has at best S video.

EDIT:

I just reread your first post, you said that you just upgraded your video monitor so I would take a good guess that it has HDMI input. This is even more an arguement for the 2600B!

END EDIT

I did not see the specs for the 2500 on the website for
current units. It is located in the older unit section. At first glance, it
appears that the major difference is that the video output is Component, not
HDMI. Again, this may not be a factor for your current setup but it does limit
you in the future as all new video equipment will be HDMI for copy protection
reasons. Otherwise the two units seem to be very close.

[SteveA]

Thanks Cal. Some of the reviews I've read today imply that one cannot process a HD signal via cable box through the 2600-perhaps for the same copyright protection reasons?

I did upgrade the video to a 50-inch Panasonic plasma- wow, what a difference 10+ years made there! If audio has progressed proportionally I can't wait to upgrade there as well!

Thanks again!

Steve

[ironwoods]

Hi, if yer Sony has *line-level pre-outs*, you could pass those to the sub's RCA ins, and then come back from the sub to the recievers pre-ins. You may be amazed at what removing the LF's does for the Sony's amp section.

Pick up a used 2-channel amp to match the power of the fronts. I did this with my Yamaha RXV-2090(105w front, 35w rear), by adding an old B&K ST-140(105w) on the rear channels.

[ironwoods]

Two for one, today only.[:$]