Thread: Questions about subwoofer connections and use.

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 Marantz is a nice receiver. I'm using an old Marantz A/V processor that has had no issues. In another room I also have a Marantz A/V receiver that has been flawless for years. I replaced an Onkyo with that Marantz and was happy with the sound quality. I preferred the sound of the Marantz.

You want to hook the LFE output of the receiver to the LFE input on the subwoofer. If the subwoofer has a bypass for the crossover you want to bypass the built-in crossover of the sub. If no bypass turn the crossover up to the highest setting. LFE= Low Frequency Effects. In 5.1 the .1 is the sub LFE.

The receiver has it's own crossover and decoding when watching video soundtracks. The receiver will also have an auto set up feature where it will EQ and balance the sub to your room and speakers. Don't panic the Marantz is pretty good about walking you through everything, just follow the on-screen prompts, and manual. You will have to set the subwoofer setting in the receiver to "both" which will run the sub for both music and movie sources.

The phase control is something you will have to set by ear. Put it in the position that sounds like the most bass. You want to woofers in your speakers moving the same direction as your sub, in/out. If one is moving in and the other moving out you get bass cancellation. I can't remember if the receiver has a prompt if the sub is out of phase, it typically does if a speakers is wired out of phase. Important red is to red or + to + on speaker wiring.

Movie soundtracks and programs have encoding for surround sound, (Dolby, DTS). The receiver decodes this signal and directs the sound to the appropriate speaker. Left/right panning, back to front, LFE when appropriate. Your sound should match the action on the screen.

If you haven't yet you should buy the matching center channel for your speakers. A center channel is not necessary but optimum for dialog and center fill. Meaning the receiver will compensate by mixing the channels but there is a dedicated center channel. Hence, a dedicated center channel speaker.

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

The Marantz is a nice receiver. I'm using an old Marantz A/V processor that has had no issues. In another room I also have a Marantz A/V receiver that has been flawless for years. I replaced an Onkyo with that Marantz and was happy with the sound quality. I preferred the sound of the Marantz.

You want to hook the LFE output of the receiver to the LFE input on the subwoofer. If the subwoofer has a bypass for the crossover you want to bypass the built-in crossover of the sub. If no bypass turn the crossover up to the highest setting. LFE= Low Frequency Effects. In 5.1 the .1 is the sub LFE.

The receiver has it's own crossover and decoding when watching video soundtracks. The receiver will also have an auto set up feature where it will EQ and balance the sub to your room and speakers. Don't panic the Marantz is pretty good about walking you through everything, just follow the on-screen prompts, and manual. You will have to set the subwoofer setting in the receiver to "both" which will run the sub for both music and movie sources.

The phase control is something you will have to set by ear. Put it in the position that sounds like the most bass. You want to woofers in your speakers moving the same direction as your sub, in/out. If one is moving in and the other moving out you get bass cancellation. I can't remember if the receiver has a prompt if the sub is out of phase, it typically does if a speakers is wired out of phase. Important red is to red or + to + on speaker wiring.

Movie soundtracks and programs have encoding for surround sound, (Dolby, DTS). The receiver decodes this signal and directs the sound to the appropriate speaker. Left/right panning, back to front, LFE when appropriate. Your sound should match the action on the screen.

If you haven't yet you should buy the matching center channel for your speakers. A center channel is not necessary but optimum for dialog and center fill. Meaning the receiver will compensate by mixing the channels but there is a dedicated center channel. Hence, a dedicated center channel speaker.

You mean I have to connect the receiver to the television set so that the TV receives a video signal from the audio receiver?

Some years back we used to hook the audio & video into the receiver, our DVD player, cable box etc. Then run a A/V connection from receive to TV. Now with streaming from the TV being so popular you can just go TV digital connection for audio into the receiver. Much of it depends on what you have for gear.

I didn't mean to confuse you. You can still just go digital from TV to your receiver with just audio.

Originally Posted by JDBarrow

You mean I have to connect the receiver to the television set so that the TV receives a video signal from the audio receiver?

Thanks for clarifications, Mr. Peabody. The Sony receiver is now boxed up for return to amazon and ready to drop off at Staples.

The local FM reception was not good on that receiver with that crappy little, long wire antenna anyway. Why don't they make a chrome telescoping indoor FM antenna for home tuner/amps as most portable FM radios have? I get much better FM reception with my Sony boombox with such antenna type. The Marantz also tunes in AM radio and has Wi-Fi antennas.

Here is what I have for living room entertainment components now:

1. 2014 Samsung LED Smart Television, 40"
2. Dayton Audio 6-ohm tower speakers, pair
3. 2014 Panasonic Blu-Ray/DVD/single music CD player
4. home-built Windows 7 Home computer tower w/ Wi-Fi adapter, wireless Microsoft keyboard and mouse
5. old 2007-vintage Sauder TV cart
6. Sharp LED alarm clock on TV rack for getting the time while watching TV or movies
7. GE DTV indoor antenna mounted flat on wall with a powered Onn signal amplifier/booster from Walmart so I get free local television stations.

The computer and the Blu-ray connect to the TV via HDMI cables. The indoor antenna connects to the TV via the coaxial jack on back of the TV set.

The TV does have an optical digital audio out jack.

So now, I need:

-new Marantz AV receiver
-Klipsch powered 10" subwoofer
-RCA sub cable
-optical audio cable
-better entertainment cart
-a vibration dampener for the sub
-custom-fabricated homemade add-on parts for the entertainment rack

I want to mount the subwoofer to the outside of the TV cart on an external shelf. The subwoofer dampener will keep the sub vibrations from shaking the entertainment rack.
My computer should fit inside the cabinet with glass doors since the shelves and back panels height both adjust. I want to make custom wooden, black-paint-colored thin-plywood boxes to surround the smaller components on the shelves as the Blu-ray player and LED clock to fill in the empty spaces on the shelves. These empty boxes will be 17" wide to match receiver width. The clock is narrower than the Blu-ray and the Blu-ray is narrower than the audio receiver. In the old days, back in the era of VCR's, shelved AV components (some VCR's, receiver, turntable, tape deck, CD changer) were more or less the same width. Later on, VCR's became narrower and entertainment racks were made with special cubby holes for them. Sound/stereo/audio receivers are more or less 17" wide. Looks and aesthetics of gear is important to me. I hate messy cable management as well.