Connectivity issue (active sub, passive speakers, amp)

[daniandko]

Hi everyone! 

This is my first post, I tried to find this specific information but I didn't, so sorry if something similar has already been asked, I just really want to be sure before buying a product.

 

So in my current setup I have a soundcard connected to a KRK S10 active sub, and I have two Pioneer studio monitors connected to the subwoofer which is sending them the audio.

 

A friend of mine wants to get rid off a lot of audio gear he is not using anymore, and he offered to give me two KLIPSCH RB-75 bookshelf speakers (which are passive) and an old DENON stereo amplifier for a very small amount of money. I attached pictures of the amp, the sub and the speakers front and back.

 

So here comes the question : is it possible to connect them all together, kind of the same way I have the active speakers connected to the sub? basically by connecting the sub's output to the Denon's input which is then sending the signal to the passive speakers? I heard about amps having "link output" but I don't see any on this Denon, and I also want to use the low pass freq dial from the sub, which is why I think the best solution would be to connect the sub to the Denon.

 

So it would look like : laptop / record player -> audio card -> subwoofer -> amp -> passive speakers

 

Sorry if this is a stupid or obvious or amateur question, I never had any kind of passive speakers, always had active studio monitor for making and listening to music so this is a first for me and I need to be educated on the topic  

 

Also if you have any opinion on these two gears, or any other idea if mine wouldn't work... I am all ears!

 

Thank you for your help and have the loveliest day,

 

Dani

 

 

*EDIT : little extra detail, that friend lives reaaaally far away from my place (another country actually), which is why I can't just go there to try if it works, and want to be sure before organizing the whole trip

Spoiler

 

 

 

[daniandko]

Hi billbill,

 

Thanks for your suggestion. I found a copy of the manual online. Since it's from 1990 most of the stuff they connect it to is irrelevant, but there is one "AUX" input. So I guess I can just connect the sub's output to this aux input and it should be working?

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

[johnt]

Some of the things you are asking about are confusing. But your situation is very simple and yes it can all work together.

 

I am not sure why you need to connect a laptop or record player to an audio card. You would plug each device into a separate input of the receiver. For example, the laptop would connect to the CD input, a computer can connect to the AUX, and a record player can connect into one of the others.

 

The amazing benefit of decent Denon products is they typically provide pre-out terminals. These are line level signal, but they are volume controlled. However, they are not amplified to a level as you normally need to drive a speaker. These pre-out terminals, at the very bottom of the unit, can be used to send a signal to the subwoofer. And you would use some music or YouTube videos to help you balance the speakers and subwoofer levels. After that, you use the volume knob on the receiver to control both the speakers and the subwoofer.

 

Just know it takes a lot of fiddling around to get the balance to your liking. Even then, it can change from song to song or video. It's not a science. You can get a microphone and REW software to help you balance, but I think it's a waste of time unless you have a dedicated theater.

 

This is my recommended configuration:

Many devices > Receiver > Speakers (using the speaker posts) and Subwoofer (using pre-outs)

 

Of course you need speaker cable to connect the speakers to the speaker posts. You can get ones with banana plugs on the end and they nicely fit into the back of the posts. And you would need standard RCA cables to connect the receiver's pre-out to the line-in of your subwoofer.

 

This method will still give you full control of the dials on the back of your subwoofer for adjustments.

[Bad5ector]

I could be wrong, but I don't think you want to do it that way, I'm not sure if you will be able to add the additional speakers, but I believe that you will need to have the chain as follows:

 

soundcard>amp>connected to subs internal filters>speakers plugged into sub. Though that doesn't help you if you wanted to add additional speakers. You could always try bi-wire, but I'm pretty sure that isn't recommended.

[Bad5ector]

2 minutes ago, johnt said:

This is my recommended configuration:

Many devices > Receiver > Speakers (using the speaker posts) and Subwoofer (using pre-outs)

Agreed, didn't notice the pre-outs in the picture.

[johnt]

2 hours ago, billbill said:

I think connecting to 4 speakers to the Denon will allow for dynamic range. Try out every connection option to suit to your hearing.

Is the Op trying to connect all four speakers? I hope not. I don't think they will sound good together.

[daniandko]

Hi there,

 

Thank you everyone for your help! You guys are really amazing I know have a better understanding of these equipments and what I can do with them.

 

Actually I don't want to connect all 4 of them, I would like to replace the studio monitors (pioneer) with the passive speakers (klipsch) and my main problem was to figure out how can I connect active woofer to a pair of passive speakers but apparently the answer is obvious : by using the Denon's pre-out (I had no idea such thing existed nor what it's for, we do learn every day).

 

Also to clarify the reason I want to keep the audio card in the loop is because I often record stuff / connect instruments / sample vinyls, so if the record player is connected to the denon through the sound card (that way also connected to my laptop), I can either listen to vinyls with the sound card's monitor option but also sample them in ableton (which would be impossible if the record player is connected to the Denon's phono in and the laptop separately to the AUX in).

 

But now that you guys are talking about connecting the 4 I had a stupid idea which I'm just curious if it would work or not... So if I connect the Sub to pre-out and the speakers to the denon's main L + R, but I also keep the two pioneers connected to the sub's out, what will happen? will the sound signal be sent to the sub through the pre-out, then to the two pioneers, and parallelly to the passive speakers? (sorry english is not my first language so I tend to formulate my questions in horribly confusing way ) Not that I would really want to do that but just wondering.... (or I could make a fun 4.1 who knows)

 

Anyways thanks for your help and time! I will let you know how it sounds once the system is set up (I'll go get it this weekend) 

 

[johnt]

5 hours ago, daniandko said:

But now that you guys are talking about connecting the 4 I had a stupid idea which I'm just curious if it would work or not... So if I connect the Sub to pre-out and the speakers to the denon's main L + R, but I also keep the two pioneers connected to the sub's out, what will happen? will the sound signal be sent to the sub through the pre-out, then to the two pioneers, and parallelly to the passive speakers? (sorry english is not my first language so I tend to formulate my questions in horribly confusing way ) Not that I would really want to do that but just wondering.... (or I could make a fun 4.1 who knows)

Yes you can connect all four speakers in the method you describe. But I would do it for fun and experiment. It is not something I would keep longterm. It's not really a 4.1 setup since you only have two signals. You are talking about a surround stereo. The subwoofer has a dedicated signal in movies, that's why it gets the .1 designation. In your case, you are sending the stereo signal to the subwoofer to give your stereo speakers more range. My hesitation with this configuration is that different speakers are going to sound very different. Klipsch is inherently not an easy speaker to listen to. They tend to be very bright with slow dynamics. They cause me listener's fatigue at each listen.

[Derkoli]

On 2/22/2023 at 3:37 PM, daniandko said:

Hi everyone! 

Yes, this is very possible and simple to do.

 

Connect your soundcard to the RCA input on the subwoofer, then connect the RCA output of the subwoofer to a random input of your choice on the Denon amplifier. The subwoofer will behave as the crossover, and then once youve balanced the subwoofer volume wise with the Klipsch speakers, you can adjust the overall system volume with the soundcard or windows.

[daniandko]

1 hour ago, johnt said:

Yes you can connect all four speakers in the method you describe. But I would do it for fun and experiment. It is not something I would keep longterm. It's not really a 4.1 setup since you only have two signals. You are talking about a surround stereo. The subwoofer has a dedicated signal in movies, that's why it gets the .1 designation. In your case, you are sending the stereo signal to the subwoofer to give your stereo speakers more range. My hesitation with this configuration is that different speakers are going to sound very different. Klipsch is inherently not an easy speaker to listen to. They tend to be very bright with slow dynamics. They cause me listener's fatigue at each listen.

Yes I agree, espescially since my Pioneer speakers are studio monitor while the klipsch are bookshelf speakers... I would still try it for fun and maybe plug it that way when having friends over (if I can manage to make it sound okay and balanced). 

Its strange, looks like Klipsch is an aquired taste, some people swear by it while other claim the same you do... I guess I'll know where I stand in a few days 

 

 

29 minutes ago, Derkoli said:

Yes, this is very possible and simple to do.

 

Connect your soundcard to the RCA input on the subwoofer, then connect the RCA output of the subwoofer to a random input of your choice on the Denon amplifier. The subwoofer will behave as the crossover, and then once youve balanced the subwoofer volume wise with the Klipsch speakers, you can adjust the overall system volume with the soundcard or windows.

Yep, that was the original plan! Glad to hear it would also work, guess it will be either like this or by plugging the sub to the Denon's pre-out 

 

 

27 minutes ago, billbill said:

The sub's RCA outputs is a full range signal you can connect to the Denon. Just try each way that you can connect them. 

I guess I will try each and every way and see which one works best for me. I was afraid there would be no way to make it work, but it turns out there's even more than one! Thanks again everyone's help  I will be coming back for sure, as soon as I have another noob question  Will also let you know how I set it up once done!