Passive speakers + powered sub?

[ohh3nry]

I recently got some hand me down speakers, the bookshelves are the passive paradigm mini monitor v5's. They are 80 Watts and 8 Ohms. The powered sub is a paradigm PDR-10 v4. I am wondering how I should be setting them up to my PC. I'm having a hard time find an AMP that has a powered sub output that can drive the bookshelves aswell(at least one that isn't several hundred dollars), so I was wondering if I can just get a 2.0 channel amp then somehow use a splitter somewhere to get audio to the sub? I'm super clueless about this kind of stuff and don't want to screw something up and end up blowing up the amp or speakers cause I get the wrong thing. Could I get an aux male spilleter to 2 aux female , and from there go 1) aux to rca to amp to bookshelves, with the second 2) aux to rca to sub? Is there a better way do this, or an AMP that could meet my requirements that won't break the bank?

[thermalgoop]

Just use a normal stereo receiver/amp. You can find a pretty good one for cheap these days if you don't need the fancy HDMI/networking features. I got my 500W 2012-ish model Yamaha Natural Sound receiver with 9 active channels, line level outs, and two crossover'd LFE channels for active subs for $35 at GoodWill. 

It's also nice, because you can use the SPDIF out on your PC and off-board the DAC functions to the tuner, away from your electrically noisy and also likely lower quality onboard PC audio.

I daily this kind of setup. I highly recommend it if you've already got some nice home theater style speakers. Way cheaper to get killer audio for your PC than a specifically designed desktop speaker setup of comparable quality. 

[AbydosOne]

4 minutes ago, ohh3nry said:

Could I get an aux male spilleter to 2 aux female , and from there go 1) aux to rca to amp to bookshelves, with the second 2) aux to rca to sub?

That's what I would suggest doing. If you want to be real tricky, you could center the splitter on the amplifier inputs and not the source, so you don't need to run two runs.

 

 

Whatever you do, don't run the amplified speaker output into the sub line in!

[Mling]

Your motherboard should have multiple output channels.

[ohh3nry]

4 minutes ago, thermalgoop said:

Just use a normal stereo receiver/amp. You can find a pretty good one for cheap these days if you don't need the fancy HDMI/networking features. I got my 500W 2012-ish model Yamaha Natural Sound receiver with 9 active channels, line level outs, and two crossover'd LFE channels for active subs for $35 at GoodWill. 

It's also nice, because you can use the SPDIF out on your PC and off-board the DAC functions to the tuner, away from your electrically noisy and also likely lower quality onboard PC audio.

I daily this kind of setup. I highly recommend it if you've already go some nice home theater style speakers. Way cheaper to get killer audio for your PC than a specifically designed desktop speaker setup of comparable quality. 

I'm not going lie, I don't know what 2/3 of what you said means. I don't know anything about audio. It should also be noted Id much prefer something on the smaller side, that I can keep on my desk.

 

I don't really know what qualifies as a "normal" stereo receiver/amp but I'll check the local second hand stores.

 

For reference I've been looking at amps like the Fosi Audio TB10A.

 

7 minutes ago, AbydosOne said:

Whatever you do, don't run the amplified speaker output into the sub line in!

 

What happens if I do this?

[AbydosOne]

Just now, ohh3nry said:

What happens if I do this?

Well, worst case is you blow out the amplifier in the sub.

[thermalgoop]

5 minutes ago, ohh3nry said:

I'm not going lie, I don't know what 2/3 of what you said means. I don't know anything about audio. It should also be noted Id much prefer something on the smaller side, that I can keep on my desk.

 

I don't really know what qualifies as a "normal" stereo receiver/amp but I'll check the local second hand stores.

 

For reference I've been looking at amps like the Fosi Audio TB10A.

 

What happens if I do this?

Sorry! My solution isn't the smallest, it's one of those stereo amplifiers you'd find in a well kitted-out living room. The more well heeled folks tend to upgrade them frequently and discard them freely as the video side of their fancy Audio/Video hardware gets outdated. Consumer audio hardware hasn't really advanced a whole lot in the last decade, other than internet features. 

 

If your mobo has the block of six connectors (Blue, Green, Pink, Orange, Black, Grey), simply run a plug from the green to your amp, to your speakers. Then, run one from the black to your subwoofer. It isn't the most elegant solution, as you'd have to have the levels on your sub and amp cranked, and adjust volume through your OS to adjust the volume uniformly across both sets, but it works. 

 

If you run the 8-ohm amp into your sub's amp, you'll overdrive the input of the subwoofer amp and the impedance will be far out of range for the amp connected to the sub. This will probably damage the amp in the sub and possibly the amp connected to the sub, as well. 

[ohh3nry]

1 minute ago, thermalgoop said:

If your mobo has the block of six connectors (Blue, Green, Pink, Orange, Black, Grey), simply run a plug from the green to your amp, to your speakers. Then, run one from the black to your subwoofer. 

I honestly can't remember if my IO has the 6 connectors or just 2. Don't have access to my PC this moment, but if it doesn't I'll assume my previous method of the splitter will work.

 

6 minutes ago, thermalgoop said:

It isn't the most elegant solution, as you'd have to have the levels on your sub and amp cranked, and adjust volume through your OS to adjust the volume uniformly across both sets, but it works. 

I could live with that, I can't remember the last time I touched my volume knob on my current speakers. 

 

I guess I'll order that amp I mentioned earlier if I don't find anything in person tomorrow, along with the necessary cables + speaker wire.

[thermalgoop]

I'm not sure what the posts above were describing, but if you are using a splitter, simply split the green plug, with one end of the splitter going to the desktop amp, the other end going to the subwoofer. 

I don't think you'll have any issue of running the speaker amp into the subwoofer, as the plugs for those two things are mechanically incompatible.

 

The parts you will need (other than the amp, speakers, and sub) are:

• 1X 3.5" Male to double 3.5" Female Stereo to Stereo Splitter
• 2X 3.5" Male to RCA Male
• A spool of copper speaker wire (banana plugs optional for brownie points), wire strippers (teeth), wire cutters (also teeth if you're, like, super gnarly) 

[ohh3nry]

10 minutes ago, thermalgoop said:

The parts you will need (other than the amp, speakers, and sub) are:

• 1X 3.5" Male to double 3.5" Female Stereo to Stereo Splitter
• 2X 3.5" Male to RCA Male
• A spool of copper speaker wire (banana plugs optional for brownie points), wire strippers (teeth), wire cutters

That's what I had in my Amazon basket, good to know I was on the right track. Thanks

[Dr0y]

https://www.amazon.ca/Douk-Audio-Bluetooth-Amplifier-Subwoofer/dp/B07Y8B7RBV/ref=sr_1_38?crid=3OT8B9F5K4GVO&dchild=1&keywords=desktop+amplifier&qid=1608990401&sprefix=desktop+amp%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-38

 

Here is something for you.  RCA input from the computer or an external dac, sub out for the powered sub and speakers output.  I really don't know if it's any kind of good sound quality tho.

[Derkoli]

19 hours ago, AbydosOne said:

Whatever you do, don't run the amplified speaker output into the sub line in!

Unless it's a REL

 

19 hours ago, ohh3nry said:

I recently got some hand me down speakers, the bookshelves are the passive paradigm mini monitor v5's. They are 80 Watts and 8 Ohms. The powered sub is a paradigm PDR-10 v4. I am wondering how I should be setting them up to my PC. I'm having a hard time find an AMP that has a powered sub output that can drive the bookshelves aswell(at least one that isn't several hundred dollars), so I was wondering if I can just get a 2.0 channel amp then somehow use a splitter somewhere to get audio to the sub? I'm super clueless about this kind of stuff and don't want to screw something up and end up blowing up the amp or speakers cause I get the wrong thing. Could I get an aux male spilleter to 2 aux female , and from there go 1) aux to rca to amp to bookshelves, with the second 2) aux to rca to sub? Is there a better way do this, or an AMP that could meet my requirements that won't break the bank?

 

The product that @Dr0y linked is what you want. It will contain a crossover, which is what you want.

 

You don't want your main speakers playing too low, as this induces distortion, and when a subwoofer is added, huge phase issues.

 

 

The entire reason a subwoofer is added is to remove the LFE load from the main speakers, to enable them to play with less distortion and often louder. So why make the speakers play bass anyway if a subwoofer is involved?