[gnirrednow]

Hey Head-Fi:
 
My mom has a Klipsch SW-V subwoofer that I'd like to be able to use with my Swan m200MKIII speakers.
 
The Swans only have an RCA input.
The Klipsch has inputs I'm not familiar with. There is a "Line Input" and 2 rows of inputs I've never seen before; they are small squares with red and black latches and a little hole in the middle. Here is a picture: http://i.imgur.com/HBlZhIj.png
And here is a link to the specs: http://www.klipsch.com/sw-v/details
 
I have been using my Swans with no DAC; they just plug directly into my macbook headphone jack with the RCA to 3.5mm male input.
 
Is it possible to use this subwoofer with my speakers?
If so, how would I go about doing that?
Is it worth it?
 
Note about the subwoofer: If I had to estimate, I would say they were used steadily for almost 2 decades, but for the past 2 years or so they haven't been used at all. Will this cause any problems? I read on another forum that the foam surround might have become brittle.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read my thread! If you need any additional info, I will do my best to provide it for you! And please bear with me, I am a total newbie to all things speaker related.

 

[cel4145]

The single line input is for a single channel subwoofer output from a receiver.

The other connections are speaker level inputs and outputs. If you were using an amp and passive speakers, you could run the speaker wire to the sub, and then from the sub to the speakers.

 

[gnirrednow]

The single line input is for a single channel subwoofer output from a receiver.

The other connections are speaker level inputs and outputs. If you were using an amp and passive speakers, you could run the speaker wire to the sub, and then from the sub to the speakers.

But I am using active speakers! And no receiver!
 
I realize that if I could connect this sub to the Swans it would be some kind of Frankenstein's monster of a setup... is it even possible in the first place?

 

[cel4145]

Not that I know of. You need a sub with dual RCA inputs. Then you could spit your source and run it to both the speakers and sub.

 

[gnirrednow]

Not that I know of. You need a sub with dual RCA inputs. Then you could spit your source and run it to both the speakers and sub.

gotcha. thank you so much!

 

[kraken2109]

You'd need a crossover

 

[PleasantSounds]

You can't really use a passive Y splitter because your sub has only a single line input, and you should feed it with combined signal from both L and R channels. This means that it either will reproduce sound from one channel only or your speakers will be playing mono.
 
Something like this may do the job, although this one is an overkill - you need only 2 outputs not 4.

 

[kraken2109]

  You can't really use a passive Y splitter because your sub has only a single line input, and you should feed it with combined signal from both L and R channels. This means that it either will reproduce sound from one channel only or your speakers will be playing mono.
 
Something like this may do the job, although this one is an overkill - you need only 2 outputs not 4.

Bass is usually mono (panned centre) anyway so it wouldn't be a massive issue. The real problem is lack of a crossover.

 

[PleasantSounds]

  Bass is usually mono (panned centre) anyway so it wouldn't be a massive issue.

 
Hmm if you listen to LPs then in most cases that's true. It was done like that to maximize the dynamic range available in vinyl. The digital realm has changed this as it is no longer necessary.
 

  The real problem is lack of a crossover.

 
All the subs I know have it built in. You can supply full L+R signal and in most cases select the crossover frequency as well.

 

[kraken2109]

   
Hmm if you listen to LPs then in most cases that's true. It was done like that to maximize the dynamic range available in vinyl. The digital realm has changed this as it is no longer necessary.
 
 
All the subs I know have it built in. You can supply full L+R signal and in most cases select the crossover frequency as well.

The sub might, but you'd still be sending full range to the other speakers if using a splitter which is a shame.

 

[PleasantSounds]

  The sub might, but you'd still be sending full range to the other speakers if using a splitter which is a shame.

 
I wouldn't see that as a big issue: in the end the speakers' natural low end roll off is the very reason for deploying a sub. Ideally you'd want a bit steeper high pass filter to match the sub's one, but let's face it: the OP's setup is far from perfect to begin with and it looks like it was intended to be an investment-free solution. I've seen this kind of setups work surprisingly well, even if the theory says they shouldn't.

 

[cel4145]

I wouldn't see that as a big issue: in the end the speakers' natural low end roll off is the very reason for deploying a sub. Ideally you'd want a bit steeper high pass filter to match the sub's one, but let's face it: the OP's setup is far from perfect to begin with and it looks like it was intended to be an investment-free solution. I've seen this kind of setups work surprisingly well, even if the theory says they shouldn't.

The OP is definitely trying to see how he could hook up that sub. Unfortunately, it won't connect correctly, regardless of the fact that that it doesn't have an adjustable low pass filter. And you were right previously when you said that practically any sub you buy now with dual RCA inputs is going to have that feature. That's all he needs given it would be expensive to get a sub with both low pass and high pass filter and/or buy some kind of crossover device to manage that. At least more than what someone looking for an "investment-free" solution is likely to want to spend.

And there are a lot of old school audiophile purists who think you should only set the subwoofer low pass filter to the low frequency roll off of the speakers instead of using a full crossover. I don't think it personally works as well, but it is often better than no sub at all

 

[kraken2109]

   
I wouldn't see that as a big issue: in the end the speakers' natural low end roll off is the very reason for deploying a sub. Ideally you'd want a bit steeper high pass filter to match the sub's one, but let's face it: the OP's setup is far from perfect to begin with and it looks like it was intended to be an investment-free solution. I've seen this kind of setups work surprisingly well, even if the theory says they shouldn't.

I guess in a home setup it doesn't matter that much, but a large reason for subs existing is that when you remove love frequencies that a speaker can't play very well anyway you gain a lot of headroom and remove distortion since the speaker is no longer attempting to do something it can't.