subs not working with "Y" splitter? - Blu-ray Forum

avncars · 02-01-2010, 01:29 AM

hello all, i cant figure out what is going on with my subs and figure someone here will be able to diagnos my problem. okay, first of all i know how to set my subs up, how and where to connect them and how to calibrate them... this morning while doing my daily 3 hour browsing of the forum i decided to read just about every subwoofer thread. there had to be 15 alone on hooking them up using a "Y" splitter at the end of the cable and using both the left and right input on the back of the sub...

So i got to thinking, "what can it hurt to give it a try". i only ever used the one rca input that says "mono right", and it has ALWAYS sounded phenominal, but thought maybe it would sound even better! so instead of ordering a decent cable, i decided to go to home depot and pick up two "Y" splitters for under five bucks. Obviously if it improved the sound, i would have then ordered a higher quality cable...

So i got home and ran downstairs forthe test, after all it took under a minute to change the setup and that includes the opening of two packages. once it was ready to go, i hit the "watch a dvd" button on the remote and went right to the scene in The Incredible Hulk where Edward Norton is trapped in the glass over pass in the university(i absolutely LOVE that entire scene!) And nothing! My seven surround speakers were on, but not my subs at all. i took the front grilles off and they were completely off, so i paused the movie took the splitter off and set it up the way it was before, and it was fine! I have my subs set to "Auto", but even when i turned them to the "On" position with the splitter on, they didnt turn on...

Is this normal, is there a different setting somewhere(a/v receiver, sub...) that has to be changed??? if anybody has any auggestions, i would love to hear them???

One other thing, and i'll make it quick...i have been throwing the idea around of adding a third sub down the road, and a fourth even further. i only have one output on my receiver, does any place sell an rca splitter with one input and 4 out put??? or do i find two subs that only one has to be setup to the receiver and that has an output to send signal to another one??? thanks in advance, im sure someone has the answers i need....

Big Daddy · 02-01-2010, 02:00 AM

It is hard to say what is wrong. Make sure the Y adapter is not defective.

Turn the crossover dial on the back of the sub all the way up to its maximum point.
Turn the level on the back of the sub to around 50%. You can adjust it later.
Connect one end of the sub cable to the sub out (sub pre-out) on the back of the receiver.
Connect the other end of the sub cable to a Y adapter (2 male, 1 female). Connect the Y adapter to both the left and right inputs on the back of the sub. This should work and give you 3dB to 6dB of additional gain.
Make sure there are no other setting or buttons on the back of the subwoofer that you have to set. In most cases, when you connect the sub cable to the single LFE input on the back of the subwoofer, the internal crossover of the subwoofer is disengaged and the control of the crossover is given to the receiver. If you connect the sub cable to the line level inputs on the back of the subwoofer, the internal crossover of the subwoofer is not bypassed. That is why you need to manually increase the crossover to its maximum point. This in effect allows the subwoofer to receive all the frequencies that the receiver is sending to it.

If you want to connect 4 subwoofers to one sub output on the back of the receiver, your best bet is to buy three high quality Y adapters (1 male, 2 female). Attach one Y adapter to the sub output on the back of the receiver and attach the other two Y adapters to the female side of the first Y adapter. For basic and high quality Y adapters, go to post # 2 of A Guide to Bass Management.

HAMP · 02-01-2010, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avncars

it took under a minute to change the setup and that includes the opening of two packages.

What two packages? The Y-splitter was in one package and what was the other.

hate to ask this question, but once you plugged the y-splitter in, did you plug the correct line into the splitter?

beefytwinkie · 02-01-2010, 03:22 AM

By "two packages" I think he's saying "two packages of y-splitters". He has more than one subwoofer. (He says subs not sub.)

02-01-2010, 01:29 AM	#1
avncars Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jan 2010 Location:new york Home Theater Gallery:41 Blu-ray collection:588 DVD collection:1 Digital collection:40 Trading Score:1	subs not working with "Y" splitter? hello all, i cant figure out what is going on with my subs and figure someone here will be able to diagnos my problem. okay, first of all i know how to set my subs up, how and where to connect them and how to calibrate them... this morning while doing my daily 3 hour browsing of the forum i decided to read just about every subwoofer thread. there had to be 15 alone on hooking them up using a "Y" splitter at the end of the cable and using both the left and right input on the back of the sub... So i got to thinking, "what can it hurt to give it a try". i only ever used the one rca input that says "mono right", and it has ALWAYS sounded phenominal, but thought maybe it would sound even better! so instead of ordering a decent cable, i decided to go to home depot and pick up two "Y" splitters for under five bucks. Obviously if it improved the sound, i would have then ordered a higher quality cable... So i got home and ran downstairs forthe test, after all it took under a minute to change the setup and that includes the opening of two packages. once it was ready to go, i hit the "watch a dvd" button on the remote and went right to the scene in The Incredible Hulk where Edward Norton is trapped in the glass over pass in the university(i absolutely LOVE that entire scene!) And nothing! My seven surround speakers were on, but not my subs at all. i took the front grilles off and they were completely off, so i paused the movie took the splitter off and set it up the way it was before, and it was fine! I have my subs set to "Auto", but even when i turned them to the "On" position with the splitter on, they didnt turn on... Is this normal, is there a different setting somewhere(a/v receiver, sub...) that has to be changed??? if anybody has any auggestions, i would love to hear them??? One other thing, and i'll make it quick...i have been throwing the idea around of adding a third sub down the road, and a fourth even further. i only have one output on my receiver, does any place sell an rca splitter with one input and 4 out put??? or do i find two subs that only one has to be setup to the receiver and that has an output to send signal to another one??? thanks in advance, im sure someone has the answers i need....

02-01-2010, 02:00 AM	#2
Big Daddy Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Southern California Home Theater Gallery:79 Blu-ray collection:122 Trading Score:1	It is hard to say what is wrong. Make sure the Y adapter is not defective. Turn the crossover dial on the back of the sub all the way up to its maximum point. Turn the level on the back of the sub to around 50%. You can adjust it later. Connect one end of the sub cable to the sub out (sub pre-out) on the back of the receiver. Connect the other end of the sub cable to a Y adapter (2 male, 1 female). Connect the Y adapter to both the left and right inputs on the back of the sub. This should work and give you 3dB to 6dB of additional gain. Make sure there are no other setting or buttons on the back of the subwoofer that you have to set. In most cases, when you connect the sub cable to the single LFE input on the back of the subwoofer, the internal crossover of the subwoofer is disengaged and the control of the crossover is given to the receiver. If you connect the sub cable to the line level inputs on the back of the subwoofer, the internal crossover of the subwoofer is not bypassed. That is why you need to manually increase the crossover to its maximum point. This in effect allows the subwoofer to receive all the frequencies that the receiver is sending to it. If you want to connect 4 subwoofers to one sub output on the back of the receiver, your best bet is to buy three high quality Y adapters (1 male, 2 female). Attach one Y adapter to the sub output on the back of the receiver and attach the other two Y adapters to the female side of the first Y adapter. For basic and high quality Y adapters, go to post # 2 of A Guide to Bass Management.

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02-01-2010, 03:22 AM	#4
beefytwinkie Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2008 4K collection:13 Blu-ray collection:459 Trading Score:6	By "two packages" I think he's saying "two packages of y-splitters". He has more than one subwoofer. (He says subs not sub.)

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