Converting Speaker Wire to RCA?

[MrHT]

5 years ago, I bought a nice, simple 5.1 Sony Home Theater in a Box. Very soon, I plan on upgrading my system. I just want to replace the receiver only because I hate having to throw away 5 perfectly good speakers and the subwoofer.

Here's my problem....

The subwoofer that came with the Home Theater System uses speaker wires to hook up to the receiver rather than the usual RCA cable. When looking at all the receivers currently on sale, no receiver seems to accept speaker wire for the subwoofer. They all accept RCA only.

So, is there any way I can convert the speaker wire into RCA so I don't have to buy a new subwoofer? They're all very pricey, so I hate to have to buy a new one. I'm pretty content with this subwoofer I currently have.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by MrHT

5 years ago, I bought a nice, simple 5.1 Sony Home Theater in a Box. Very soon, I plan on upgrading my system. I just want to replace the receiver only because I hate having to throw away 5 perfectly good speakers and the subwoofer.

Here's my problem....

The subwoofer that came with the Home Theater System uses speaker wires to hook up to the receiver rather than the usual RCA cable. When looking at all the receivers currently on sale, no receiver seems to accept speaker wire for the subwoofer. They all accept RCA only.

So, is there any way I can convert the speaker wire into RCA so I don't have to buy a new subwoofer? They're all very pricey, so I hate to have to buy a new one. I'm pretty content with this subwoofer I currently have.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I don't think you can put the 2 together because they are 2 different things .

Another thing you might want to look into is the Ohm level of the speakers you have from the HTIB . Lots of times they are around 4 Ohm speakers & Most receivers now days are made to drive 8 Ohm speakers . That could be hard on A new receiver to drive 4 Ohm speakers .

[MrHT]

Thanks.

I'll probably just end up getting another simple HTIB since it's not worth going through the hassle of buying everything separately. And I didn't know about this ohm thing. HTIB is MUCH cheaper, everything will be compatible with each other, and it gets the job done. I have a small apt, so I don't need those high-end, booming home theaters.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Thanks.

I'll probably just end up getting another simple HTIB since it's not worth going through the hassle of buying everything separately. And I didn't know about this ohm thing. HTIB is MUCH cheaper, everything will be compatible with each other, and it gets the job done. I have a small apt, so I don't need those high-end, booming home theaters.

If that is the route you choose to take , Then look for one that does all the Codecs so you can get the most out of your Blu-rays as far as sound goes .

I know they make them & you can find good ones for good prices online .

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Thanks.

I'll probably just end up getting another simple HTIB since it's not worth going through the hassle of buying everything separately. And I didn't know about this ohm thing. HTIB is MUCH cheaper, everything will be compatible with each other, and it gets the job done. I have a small apt, so I don't need those high-end, booming home theaters.

There are cheap and expensive HTIB systems. Many quality HTIB systems will allow you to upgrade speakers if you choose later on. Size of room doesn't much matter when it comes to quality. You don't need big speakers to have quality sound and you don't need loud sound to have quality.

[dvs1270]

what are your budget limits? i have come to learn there very different meanings here. my 1st sub upgrade was a dayton sub80. i came from an older sony that used a 6in driver. it works well for the $85 it cost. not an audiophile item, but very good for the price. i wanted a tad more punch, so i moved up to a 10in. also, i have sony components & they are all 8 ohm to include my avr.

[dvs1270]

read up on your htib. the sub seems to be passive, doesn't have it's own power source. most component avrs have a passive sub output. you have speaker leads because your avr is powering everything. you would need a power source ohm matched to your sub or a powered sub.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by dvs1270

what are your budget limits? i have come to learn there very different meanings here. my 1st sub upgrade was a dayton sub80. i came from an older sony that used a 6in driver. it works well for the $85 it cost. not an audiophile item, but very good for the price. i wanted a tad more punch, so i moved up to a 10in. also, i have sony components & they are all 8 ohm to include my avr.

See my signature. That’s the HTIB that I own. It’s a Sony 5.1 HT system I bought like 4 years ago for only $200 and I really love it. It still works great, but since it’s getting old, I don’t expect it to last long. The headphone jack seems to be going already as the sound is starting to drift to left side when I first turn it on and use headphones. I have to fiddle with the volume to get the sound to even out. But this is only when using headphones. Without headphones, the 5.1 sound is still working great. But still. If the headphone jack is starting to go, then it’s only a matter of time for the whole system to go.

This kind of problem always happens with receivers I’ve owned. It’s so unusual that these things happen so suddenly. Just shows that receivers don’t last very long, which is why I’m not looking to empty my bank account for a new one. I really love my current HTIB and couldn’t imagine a better sound. So, I’ll probably just go out and buy another one just like this if/when my current ones dies.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by MrHT

See my signature. That’s the HTIB that I own. It’s a Sony 5.1 HT system I bought like 4 years ago for only $200 and I really love it. It still works great, but since it’s getting old, I don’t expect it to last long. The headphone jack seems to be going already as the sound is starting to drift to left side when I first turn it on and use headphones. I have to fiddle with the volume to get the sound to even out. But this is only when using headphones. Without headphones, the 5.1 sound is still working great. But still. If the headphone jack is starting to go, then it’s only a matter of time for the whole system to go.

This kind of problem always happens with receivers I’ve owned. It’s so unusual that these things happen so suddenly. Just shows that receivers don’t last very long, which is why I’m not looking to empty my bank account for a new one. I really love my current HTIB and couldn’t imagine a better sound. So, I’ll probably just go out and buy another one just like this if/when my current ones dies.

No, it shows that cheap receivers don't last long. Many forum-goers have equipment that is much older than a couple of years and are still going strong. Many amps (and even some receivers) are still very sought after on the secondary market that are 10 years old.

Me, I look at it this way. You can pay $500 now and get a quality receiver, or you can pay $200 now and $200 again in 2 years and $200 again in a couple more years.... All the while I'll still have my same receiver, assuming there are no huge codec upgrades that I would want to upgrade for (there won't be).

Many people are very happy with HTiB setups, and that's fine. Just purchase one that is a bit more quality. Onkyo makes some pretty solid HTiBs and there are some good ones available from 6ave.com for Yamaha and Marantz as well as others.

*edit* Oh, and another thing on separates vs. HTiB: I can use my same speaker set with any receiver (assuming it's powerful enough to push the speakers). Ohm rating of separates is much more universal, whereas with HTiB setups it's many times a one-off proprietary setup. Sony is notorious for doing this with their HTiBs.

[MrHT]

Are Onkyo HTIBs better than Sony?

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Are Onkyo HTIBs better than Sony?

I think so- the speakers are better quality. I don't have extensive experience with them however, so perhaps someone with more experience can chime in. May also want to bring up the topic in the HTiB subforum.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by aramis109

May also want to bring up the topic in the HTiB subforum.

Thanks...will do. I originally only wanted to convert speaker wire to RCA, but since people said it can't be done, plans have changed which explains why this thread turned to this direction.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Thanks...will do. I originally only wanted to convert speaker wire to RCA, but since people said it can't be done, plans have changed which explains why this thread turned to this direction.

There is a lot that HTIB systems can offer you, especially when they are upgradable. I loved my Onkyo HTIB system. In fact, I am still using my first Onkyo HTIB receiver and center channel in the living room and one of the Onkyo subwoofer amps to power my 15" sealed subwoofer. Onkyo's are definitely proven in the HTIB league. They offer great bang-for-your-buck, especially since they are completely upgradeable.

[curse]

yeah if i had to do htib it woud be onkyo. but if you consider changing your mind you can oftenly buy a nice reciever and nice speakers for the same amount of money. just look around and do some research.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882780017 $299.99

+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882120164 $239.99

$539.99 total for a hd codec receiver and some speakers. Not too shabby consider htib prices go between 300-900.

or get some jamo speakers http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...06-hcs-1-black $249.99 free shipping. just need to get a sub.

cheap 10" bic venturi http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882007002 $160

so you see you got options