Thread: Questions about subwoofer connections and use.

I am considering a new (discontinued) Marantz receiver and a Klipsch sub.


Marantz NR1200 AV Receiver (2019 Model)

Klipsch Synergy Black Label Sub-100 10” Front-Firing Subwoofer with 150 Watts of continuous power, 300 watts of Dynamic Power, and All-Digital Amplifier for Powerful Home Theater Bass


The receiver above has two PRE OUT jacks for 1 to 2 subs. The sub above has left and right RCA input jacks. The L jack is labeled LFE.


Isn't it true that the sub cable would go from one of the PRE OUT jacks on the receiver to the LFE (L) jack on the sub?
How should the PHASE switch be set? 0 or 180?


I just got a huge injury claim settlement and now want to upgrade my home audio a bit. At amazon, there is a clearance sale on the Marantz receiver at $399. The Klipsch sub is about $200 and change. I can still send that Sony receiver back.

The LFE business is Low Frequency Effect. If using the subwoofer primarily for multi channel video replay, LFA makes more sense. I’m not actually sure if LFA uses a different crossover point (lower) and usually you can adjust the crossover point in the receiver and/or sub itself.

Many subwoofers have “summing” low frequency respit, using both left and right pre-amp output. Summing, or non LFE output might work better for 2 channel audio.

Either way, much depends on how the sub and other speakers mesh while covering the frequency spectrum. Experimentation with sub placement, and crossover setting, is usually beneficial.

When using LFE along with the auto set up it measures the room and sets the crossover point. The .1 information used to be encoded into the soundtrack and decoded by the receiver, I assume this is still true.

If not using the LFE output it's important to set inside the receiver "no sub" This waythe receiver will send full range to the speakers/sub. This also requires manual setting of the crossover on the sub. When setting to "no sub" the receiver will blend the .1 into the main outputs.

Originally Posted by Bones13

The LFE business is Low Frequency Effect. If using the subwoofer primarily for multi channel video replay, LFA makes more sense. I’m not actually sure if LFA uses a different crossover point (lower) and usually you can adjust the crossover point in the receiver and/or sub itself.

Many subwoofers have “summing” low frequency respit, using both left and right pre-amp output. Summing, or non LFE output might work better for 2 channel audio.

Either way, much depends on how the sub and other speakers mesh while covering the frequency spectrum. Experimentation with sub placement, and crossover setting, is usually beneficial.