Check your sub and your outputs first
- AV receiver: run one RCA subwoofer cable from its sub out to the sub's LFE or line input, then turn the subwoofer on in the receiver's speaker setup.
- Stereo amp with no sub out: use its preamp outputs, or the sub's speaker-level inputs if it has them.
- TV: connect the sub to a soundbar or receiver that has a subwoofer output, and let that handle the TV's sound.
- Switch everything off before you connect cables, and never put speaker wire into an RCA input.
We'd check two things before buying any cable or adapter: whether your sub has its own amplifier, and which outputs your receiver, amp or soundbar actually has. A sub without an amplifier can't make a sound on its own, and the outputs you have decide which hookup works.
A powered (active) sub has an amplifier built in, and Klipsch calls that type (opens in a new tab) the most popular for home theater and home audio. Everything below is about powered subs. A passive sub needs a separate amplifier to play, so check its manual for the amp it needs.
Connecting to an AV receiver
Look for the receiver's subwoofer output. It may be labeled Subwoofer Pre Out, Sub Out, SW Out or SUB. Run a single shielded RCA subwoofer cable from it to the sub, and use the sub's LFE input if it has one. If the sub has left and right line inputs instead, you don't need a Y-splitter. SVS (opens in a new tab) and Klipsch subs, and Polk's PSW10, all take the one cable in either input.
Then set up the receiver. In its speaker settings, set Subwoofer to Yes (or On) and set your front speakers to Small. With the fronts on Large or Full Range, the receiver sends the deep bass to those speakers (opens in a new tab) instead of the sub.
The crossover is the point where the receiver hands bass over to the sub, and we'd start it at 80 Hz. That's Denon's default (opens in a new tab), which Denon says works best with the widest variety of speakers, and Klipsch starts there too. Small satellite speakers may need a higher setting, and Polk suggests 100 to 120 Hz for those.
If the sub has its own low-pass or crossover knob, turn it all the way up, where it may be marked LFE, so the receiver does the filtering. Set the sub's volume knob to about halfway, then run the receiver's automatic setup (opens in a new tab) so it can set the sub's level.
Got a 0/180 phase switch on the sub? Play something bass-heavy while someone flips it back and forth, and keep whichever setting sounds better from your seat. If you can't hear a difference, leave it at 0.
Connecting to a stereo amp with no sub out
No subwoofer output doesn't rule out a sub. If the amp has preamp outputs (PRE OUT), run RCA cables from them to the sub's left and right line inputs. With a separate preamp that has two sets of outputs, one set feeds your power amp and the other feeds the sub.
If the sub has speaker-level inputs, sometimes called high-level inputs, it can take speaker wire from the amp instead. On a Polk PSW10 (opens in a new tab), speaker wire runs from the front left and right speaker terminals to the sub's speaker-level inputs, and the front speakers then connect to the sub's speaker-level outputs. Match red (+) to red and black (-) to black, since Polk points to a reversed wire when the sub doesn't produce much bass. If you're doing this from a receiver, Polk has you set the front speakers to Large and Subwoofer to No.
If the sub has only RCA inputs and the amp has no preamp outputs, a speaker-level adapter bridges the gap. SVS's SoundPath adapter (opens in a new tab), for example, steps the amp's speaker-level signal down to RCA line level so a powered sub can take it safely. Switch everything off before wiring it, follow the channel and polarity markings, and if your amp is a differential design, use SVS's separate wiring diagram (opens in a new tab) for it.
Adding a sub to your TV sound or soundbar
A wired sub needs a subwoofer output on the soundbar. Run a mono audio cable from the soundbar's Subwoofer Out jack to the sub's input. The soundbar keeps handling the TV's sound, and the sub takes over the deep bass (opens in a new tab).
Wireless subs sold with a soundbar pair using that soundbar's own steps. A Samsung soundbar and its sub should connect on their own once both are plugged in and the soundbar is turned on, and the sub's blue LINK light stops blinking and stays lit when they're connected. If it keeps blinking, the connection failed, and Samsung's pairing steps (opens in a new tab) show how to connect them manually.
No soundbar? A receiver with a sub out does the same job for TV sound. Get the TV's audio into the receiver, then connect the sub to the receiver's sub out as above. Our guide to connecting speakers to a TV covers the TV side.
Some Sony BRAVIA TVs can send bass to a powered sub themselves. On models with the option, connect the sub to the TV's headphone or audio out jack with an audio cable, then choose Settings > Display & Sound > Audio output > Headphone/Audio out > Subwoofer (opens in a new tab). On another TV, check the audio output settings in its manual for a subwoofer option.
Going wireless with a kit
A wireless kit replaces the long cable from the receiver's sub out, but it has to match your sub. Klipsch's WA-2 kit (opens in a new tab), for example, works only with powered subs that have a WA Port built in.
With the WA-2, the transmitter connects to the receiver's sub out and plugs into the wall, and the kit's receiver plugs into the sub's WA Port. Line the cable's four pins up with the four holes in the port and push gently, because misaligned pins can damage the connector. Start with the kit's Gain switch in the middle (0), turn on your AV receiver, and set the sub's power switch to On or Auto On. The two units pair on their own, and their lights turn solid green. If they don't, hold the pairing buttons on both until the lights go solid.
Connecting a Yamaha NS-SW100
The NS-SW100 is a powered sub with one RCA input, labeled INPUT (FROM AMPLIFIER). It has POWER and VOLUME controls but no phase or crossover control and no speaker-level inputs, so it needs a line-level output, and any crossover setting happens in your receiver.
Use the receiver's subwoofer output. If your amp doesn't have one, Yamaha allows a line output such as PRE OUT (opens in a new tab) instead, but check the amp's manual first, especially if it has separate left and right PRE OUT jacks, because the NS-SW100 has only one input.
Put it in a dry spot with at least 8 inches (20 cm) of space above, behind and on both sides, keep the back panel uncovered and the plug within reach, and don't lift it by the port on its side. If you move it later, unplug the power cord and the cables to your other gear first, pulling on the plugs, never the wires. Our subwoofer placement guide covers where it sounds best. Then hook it up and set the level:
- Unplug the sub and your other audio and video gear from the wall.
- Connect an RCA cable from the receiver's subwoofer output, or a suitable PRE OUT, to INPUT (FROM AMPLIFIER), and push both ends in firmly.
- Plug everything back in once all the connections are done.
- Turn the sub's VOLUME to 0, turn on your other components, then switch the sub's POWER to ON. The power light turns green.
- Play something with deep bass at your usual listening level, and turn VOLUME up slowly until the bass blends with your front speakers and the sub is barely noticeable on its own.
In a multichannel home theater, Yamaha recommends a VOLUME setting around the middle, reached by turning it up from 0 after you power up. Turn it down if you hear distortion like rapping or hammering, and don't play loud bass test tones nonstop, which can damage the sub.
If there's no sound or too little bass
Work from power to cables to settings (opens in a new tab). Check that the sub is plugged in and its power switch is on, that the cable runs from the receiver's sub out and is seated at both ends, and that the receiver has the subwoofer turned on with the front speakers not set to Large. Switch everything off before you reseat a cable.
If the sub plays but there's a gap in the bass between it and your speakers, the crossover is likely set too low (opens in a new tab). Go back to the 80 Hz starting point.
If the bass is there but weak or boomy, try the sub in another spot, since where it sits can greatly change how it performs (opens in a new tab). Before you move it, unplug it and disconnect its cables the way its manual describes. On the NS-SW100, that means pulling the power plug and the cables to your other gear first, pulling on the plugs, never the wires. In the new spot, keep the clearance its manual asks for, which on the NS-SW100 is at least 8 inches (20 cm) above, behind and on both sides. Our subwoofer placement guide covers where to put it.
No green light on the NS-SW100 with POWER on? Start with the wall plug and push it in firmly. The green light only tells you the sub is on, not that the receiver is sending it anything. If it's lit but silent, check that VOLUME isn't still at 0 and the receiver's subwoofer output is on, and unplug everything before you reseat the cable. Sound that cuts in and out is too loud, so turn it down. Weak bass can be music without much bass in it or the room's standing waves, so try a bass-heavy track first, then unplug the sub, disconnect its cables and try another spot.
If none of that helps, turn the NS-SW100 off, unplug the power cord and contact an authorized Yamaha dealer or service center. Don't open the cabinet, because there's high voltage inside. With another brand, contact the sub's maker, or the receiver's maker if the sub works but gets no signal from the receiver.
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