Question LFE to RCA

[Alfi76]

Hello guys

I just bought a DENON DM41DAB with speakers (DENON designed for the system) and I would like to match a sub next. All the subs i am looking at have only RCA inputs whereas the unit has only LFE output. I have read different opinions about how to connect an AV to a SUB in such scenarios and, like everything else, there are different schools of thought. Some think you connect the LFE to the Left RCA, some think you should use a Y cable (LFE to RCA), some think it doesn't matter if the LFE cable from the AV goes into the Left or Right on the sub.
Can you please shed some light on this and clarify if any of those connections affect the sound?
Thank you.

PS. Tech support from Wharfedale stated it does not matter what RCA connection you plug the cable into as there is no stereo sound coming out of the sub anyway.

 

[Al ears]

Hello guys

I just bought a DENON DM41DAB with speakers (DENON designed for the system) and I would like to match a sub next. All the subs i am looking at have only RCA inputs whereas the unit has only LFE output. I have read different opinions about how to connect an AV to a SUB in such scenarios and, like everything else, there are different schools of thought. Some think you connect the LFE to the Left RCA, some think you should use a Y cable (LFE to RCA), some think it doesn't matter if the LFE cable from the AV goes into the Left or Right on the sub.
Can you please shed some light on this and clarify if any of those connections affect the sound?
Thank you.

PS. Tech support from Wharfedale stated it does not matter what RCA connection you plug the cable into as there is no stereo sound coming out of the sub anyway.

wharfedale tech support are correct

 

[Alfi76]

wharfedale tech support are correct

Can you also confirm quality is not affected by this?

 

[Al ears]

Can you also confirm quality is not affected by this?

No I cannot, I have never tried to use a sub with a mini system. However, don't ask me ehy, if I attempted it is would automatically assume a splitter would be best. In which way do you feel quality will suffer? Apart from adding the sub that is.....

 

[Alfi76]

No I cannot, I have never tried to use a sub with a mini system. However, don't ask me ehy, if I attempted it is would automatically assume a splitter would be best. In which way do you feel quality will suffer? Apart from adding the sub that is.....

Hahaha I get that. What I mean is, not using the same connection (LFE - RCA) could affect the signal from av to sub?

 

[Al ears]

Hahaha I get that. What I mean is, not using the same connection (LFE - RCA) could affect the signal from av to sub?

Not my area of expertise but would say no, the sub gets a signal or it doesn't and that's about it as far as I know.

 

[Deliriumbassist]

LFE is an often misused term. But that's besides the point.

If your subwoofer has stereo inputs, you may need to use a Y-adapter in order to engage the subwoofer fully (i.e. get full potential output). Some subwoofers may have circuitry that will detect if you are using one or two cables, and bump up the gain of the single input to match as if you were using the y-adapter. But I would generally assume a y-adapter is needed unless the sub feature set/manual lists otherwise.

 

[abacus]

RCA is just a connector type; LFE just means that only low frequency’s come out. (You can use any type of connector that the sub requires (Most consumer ones use RCA)
Pretty much every sub I have come across has a marked LFE input socket with cheaper ones using the left channel. (Download the manual for the sub you are looking at and it will tell you what if anything extra is needed)
Subs are mono so it’s seldom that you need a Y adaptor, the only reason they have a left/right input is so that you can use an amp without an LFE output.
Whichever you use there will be no difference in performance.

Bill

 

[Alfi76]

RCA is just a connector type; LFE just means that only low frequency’s come out. (You can use any type of connector that the sub requires (Most consumer ones use RCA)
Pretty much every sub I have come across has a marked LFE input socket with cheaper ones using the left channel. (Download the manual for the sub you are looking at and it will tell you what if anything extra is needed)
Subs are mono so it’s seldom that you need a Y adaptor, the only reason they have a left/right input is so that you can use an amp without an LFE output.
Whichever you use there will be no difference in performance.

Bill

Thank you for your reply! It's very simple yet specific. Just a what a newbie needs.

 

[nads]

How you connect it depends on the sub you buy. There is no standard.

if the tech guys for the sub tell you how to connect it that will be correct for the sub you have asked about. But it may be incorrect for a different sub.