thanks for the help, my original question was on how to hook up my ATHENA ASP4000 SUB to an old pioneer reciever - VSX-9500S, i followed instructions, which were to hook up two pairs of wires to the front (A) speaker terminals on the reciever, one pair going to the front speakers and the other to the high level inputs of the sub, it was also suggested to set the front L and R to large, i guess this may be the problem, i'm not sure how to do that, i have hooked up the speaker wires as suggested but i'm not getting anything from the sub. any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

I can't find a manual on the Pio, but it appears it is 1990 vintage. Best bet is it is a stereo receiver. If this is true, then there isn't any way to set the speakers to large. The full L/R signal is sent to the speaker outs. You also lack bass management features. You need to connect the left and right outputs, using standard speaker wire, to the L/R high level inputs on the sub. Then run more speaker wire to the left speaker from the subs high lever left out and the same for the right. Then set the subs crossover to around 80 Hz. This should work, but again, I am assuming this is a 2 channel receiver and not an AVR.

106300 i,m trying to attach a pic of the rear of my reciever panel, i called pioneer and they suggested hooking up the sub to the b connectors of the front speakers, i tried this and it did not work, i haven't tried your suggestions because it would involve rewiring my wall unit which is permenantly built into my wall and would mean drilling holes and trying to snake new wires thru it. i was hoping that maybe if you saw this pic you might see another way, if not i will do as you had said. thanks for your help. i had no trouble scanning the pic and getting it into manage attachments in the avs forum box but it doesn't say how to actually attach it to the reply. in the attach pic it's asking for the URL of my picture and i have no idea what that is. i tried copying the image and pasting it in here but that doesn't work.

106300 i,m trying to attach a pic of the rear of my reciever panel, i called pioneer and they suggested hooking up the sub to the b connectors of the front speakers...............Yes, as long as you turn on the "B" outputs, that should provide the same result as wiring both the speakers and sub to the "A" outputs, but may be a little bit easier to wire at the receiver end of things. If the sub has speaker-level outputs that are high-passed (filter applied at 100Hz, for example), you could wire them as ransac suggested however, if I understand you correctly, you can't do that because of your pre-existing wiring restrictions. I would not go to the trouble of rewiring things, yet, especially if the sub isn't going to work.

I assume your speakers are working fine when you connect everything either the way you were initially instructed or the way Pioneer recommended, correct? Does your subwoofer have an "Auto-On" type of main power switch? You may have to set it up to be always ON, if possible.

Is this a new subwoofer? If not, did it work fine in the past?

There IS another way to connect it, but if the sub is just not functioning, it will not help. Another option is to remove the jumpers between the "pre-out" and "power-in" outputs/inputs of the front amp and to insert 2 Y-adapters there with one end of each of the Y-adapters looping back into the receiver to provide the same connection that the jumpers provided while feeding the sub's L/R line-level (RCA) inputs off the other branches of the 2 Y adapters.

the sub is new and i have never used it, it has an auto on feature and i have tried it both ways, auto on and always on but neither way worked. my speakers are working fine which makes me wonder why the sub doesn't do anything, when i turn the volume on the sub all the way up i do get a hum so i know at least it's on. i wish i had another way to test the sub and if anyone knows of one i'd appreciate hearing it. thanks

im having the exact same problem. I cant get my sub on but I do hear the hum when its all the way up. I just wired it using a sub cable to a pre out for the sub on my receiver. Nothing.

i wish i had another way to test the sub and if anyone knows of one i'd appreciate hearing it. thanksConnect one (or both) of your DVD/CD player's RCA outputs directly to one (or both) of the the subwoofer's RCA inputs. Turn the sub off to make the connections and turn the sub's volume all the way down prior to "testing" it.

the connectors on the back of my reciever are not the same as the rca jack on the sub so i'm not sure how i'd hook it up

the connectors on the back of my reciever are not the same as the rca jack on the sub so i'm not sure how i'd hook it upEh?

What connectors? The L/R RCA input jacks that you connect your DVD/CD player to are identical to the RCA input jack(s) on the back of your sub (provided your sub does have a line-level RCA input). It may only have one RCA input. That is fine. COnnect one of your DVD-CD players RCA outputs directly to the sub.

Does the sub have any sort of illuminated indicator? If so, does it come on? What color is it?

my sub has an RCA line input but not the same kind as my reciever does. it has an indicator light so i know it's on, and when i turn the volume all the way up i hear a hum .

my sub has an RCA line input but not the same kind as my reciever does.:confused: An RCA input/output is an RCA input/output. If you connect your DVD/CD player to your receiver with an RCA cable, then you can connect it to the subwoofer as well.

this is frustrating for me because i know so little about any of this that it makes me feel like a total moron and i'm sure i sound like one to you as well. my cd player, dvd player, etc are hooked up to my reciever with what i assume are RCA jacks, if you look at my above pic of the back my reciever which i included above in an earlier post you see what i mean, my sub on the other hand has what looks like a cable tv connector which is marked RCA line in, it's one line not like on my reciever which has two for each piece of gear hooked up to it. again i'm sorry for my lack of even basic knowledge, i tried to scan the pic of my sub to show you but the file keeps coming out to big to include in here so all i can say the RCA line in on the sub is different from what's on the back of my reciever.

this is frustrating for me because i know so little about any of this that it makes me feel like a total moron and i'm sure i sound like one to you as well. my cd player, dvd player, etc are hooked up to my reciever with what i assume are RCA jacks, if you look at my above pic of the back my reciever which i included above in an earlier post you see what i mean, my sub on the other hand has what looks like a cable tv connector which is marked RCA line in, it's one line not like on my reciever which has two for each piece of gear hooked up to it. again i'm sorry for my lack of even basic knowledge, i tried to scan the pic of my sub to show you but the file keeps coming out to big to include in here so all i can say the RCA line in on the sub is different from what's on the back of my reciever.

Does it look like this (which would make it a BNC connector):

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/pages/technicaldocs/bncjack225.jpg

which would mate up with this:

http://www.nuggetlab.com/comptia_files/equipment/net_10base2%20cable%20with%20BNC%20connector.jpg


Scott

medium,

Don't feel like a moron. A/V stuff can be pretty intimidating until you've spent the time getting to understand what everything does. Don't be so hard on yourself :).

What sivadselim is recommending at this point is to hook up your DVD player's audio connections DIRECTLY to the subwoofer. Ignore your receiver. It does not exist. Check the amplifier on your sub. It will have either one or two RCA jacks (just like the red and white audio jacks on your receiver - the sub will have either one or two). Make sure your subwoofer is off and the volume knob is very low. Connect your DVD player's red and white audio cables directly to the subwoofer (if your sub only has one RCA jack, just connect one of the cables, either one should be fine). Once it's connected, turn the sub back on. If you put in a movie that has some bass in it, then gently increase the volume on the subwoofer, you should at least hear something. Obviously it won't sound good, because you won't be hearing much of the soundtrack (only the deep bass), but it will help you check to see if your subwoofer actually works or not. If you hear bass, that means it's working :). Once you've tried this, let us know whether or not the sub is working, and we can help advise you from there. Good luck!

ok i did what was suggested, i connected a cable from one of the RCA jack's on my dvd player and plugged it in to the RCA input on my sub. i put a movie in and started it, then i went to the sub and turned it on. there is a red indicator light on the sub that is always on, once i had plu8gged in the cable to the RCA jack on my sub and turned it on the light went from red to green and i did hear sound out of the sub, there was also a deep bass rumbling coming fron it as well possibly because i had turned the volume up to high. i'm assumig that this means the sub is working but i'm not quite sure nor am i sure what to do next

Where is the Impedance Selector set? Is it on A+B or A or B?

There are some impedance markings that I can't make out in your attached image.

Try this. Run a temporary speaker wire from the A right +/- on the AVR to the subs high level (speaker level) right input. Then run another speaker wire from the sub's high level R output to the right main speaker. You can connect left and right if you want, but we are just testing for now. Now play a DVD/CD and see if the sub's power light changes from red to green. End of test. Tell us what happens.

I'm glad I just read this post. I had written about a four page essay recommending the same thing :p (not kidding, either). Thank goodness for ransac.

I'm glad I just read this post. I had written about a four page essay recommending the same thing :p (not kidding, either). Thank goodness for ransac.You should still post it. No sense wasting all those key strokes and your instructions may make more sense to mutt.

Too late, already deleted it :cool:.

It is funny that mojo, you, and I always seem to find the same threads. Let's see if he shows up now :p

I guess weak minds think alike.;)

Where is the Impedance Selector set? Is it on A+B or A or B?

There are some impedance markings that I can't make out in your attached image.

Try this. Run a temporary speaker wire from the A right +/- on the AVR to the subs high level (speaker level) right input. Then run another speaker wire from the sub's high level R output to the right main speaker. You can connect left and right if you want, but we are just testing for now. Now play a DVD/CD and see if the sub's power light changes from red to green. End of test. Tell us what happens.The impedance selector, although it does need to be set properly for his speakers, shouldn't affect the issue (whatever it is) that he is having.

He really doesn't need to connect the high-level speaker outs of his sub to his speakers to troubleshoot this. Yes, that may be the best way to connect his speakers once he gets his sub working, but he has already said that his current in-wall wiring limits his ability to do this. I guess that if it won't pass a speaker level signal when it is ON could be somewhat diagnostic, but it may pass a signal even when it's off. Maybe he's been incorrectly connecting his receiver to the sub's speaker level outputs. Beats me. :(

I just use a process of elimination. We know now that the sub works. Now let's test the speaker outputs. I'm not trying to get him to rewire, just do some basic, temporary connections. To understand my reasoning, read my post just before yours.

Now let's test the speaker outputs.We know that at least his receiver's A outputs work. He said his speakers worked. Whether he has connected his speakers to the B outputs, I don't know. But he had both his sub and his speakers connected to the A outputs at one time. Provided everything was connected properly and his receiver set up for playback of his player properly, that should have worked. Now, I am assuming that when he had everything connected this way (sub and speakers to A outputs), his speakers DID work.

What we need to test is the sub's high-level inputs, which, if he has been connecting them properly, is what he HAS been "testing". I HAVE seen one or two people post here claiming that their subs worked with a low-level connection but could not get them to work with speaker-level connections (and maybe vice-versa).

mediummutt, when you used the B outputs for the sub, did you turn on the B speakers with the button on the front of the receiver?

just to summarise what i've tried so far: my first attempt was to use the A outputs of my reciever where i hooked up both the speakers and the sub together, the speakers worked fine but not the sub. then i connected the sub leads to the B connectors and it did not work that way either, i tried connecting both to the high level inputs as well as the normal inputs both times on the sub. each time my speakers worked fine just not the sub. when i did as you suggested and hooked up my sub via the RCA connector on the back of the sub to one of the RCA connectors on my dvd player and turned the sub back on the red indicator light on the sub went from red to green and i did hear sound ( voices and bass) from my sub which i assume means the sub is working. when i tried to use the B connections on my reciever i did make sure the that the button for the B speakers was on but that didn't help. i hooked up the positive speaker wire (indicated by the grey stripe on the wire itself) to the positive speaker terminal of both the sub and the reciever and did the same with the negative side as well. i'm not sure if it matters which cable is considered the positve one but i have my speakers hooked up the same was ( grey stripe on the cable i use as the positive side) i have tried various reciever settings ie: simulated surround, stadium surround, dolby pro logic surround as well as just turning off all those effects. i think i have tried every conceiveable way the receiver operates. if anyone can give me another way i'd be glad to try it. thanks for all the help so far i really appreciate it.

just to be sure i hooked up one of my speakers to the B connector on my reciever and it worked fine. that puzzles me because if it's putting out a signal to the speaker shouldn't it also put out a signal to the sub?

i just called pioneer again and got a different tech this time, at first he said i couldn't hook up a powered subwoofer to that reciever, he said i could only use a passive sub but when i questioned him further he then said i could use the left RCA jack on the tape out and connect it to the subs line in RCA jack and that that would work, even with what little i know that made no sense to me because i'd have to keep the reciever on tape to make the sub work, that's if it would work at all that way. after he told me that i figured it best not to ask anymore questions, even i could see he didn't know much more then i did or at least he didn't sound like he did. so now i'm back to square one, i've been reading the receiver's manual and i think i see what you (sivadselim) told me about using the pre out jack by removing the jumper and getting 2 y adapters and looping them back and attaching the sub wire to them, i assuming i would use only 1 of them using an RCA cable and running it to the line in RCA connector on the sub, is that what you meant? it would involve a lot or snaking wires but at this point i doesn't seem like i have any other choices. i've also sent another e-mail to the subwoofer company, athenia but they never answered my first e-mail so i'm not counting on much help from them. thanks so much you guys for staying involved and trying to help, it's really appreciated

You probably won't get much help from Athena - they don't exist anymore ;). They were bought out and it seems there's no way to get support for their products.

i just called pioneer again and got a different tech this time, at first he said i couldn't hook up a powered subwoofer to that reciever, he said i could only use a passive subHe's wrong. PERIOD. That sub will work fine with ANY receiver if it is connected via a speaker-level connection.


but when i questioned him further he then said i could use the left RCA jack on the tape out and connect it to the subs line in RCA jack and that that would work, even with what little i know that made no sense to me because i'd have to keep the reciever on tape to make the sub work, that's if it would work at all that way.That is a terrible way to connect it as the sub's volume will not vary with the receiver's volume knob.



after he told me that i figured it best not to ask anymore questions, even i could see he didn't know much more then i did or at least he didn't sound like he did.Good idea.


i've been reading the receiver's manual and i think i see what you (sivadselim) told me about using the pre out jack by removing the jumper and getting 2 y adapters and looping them back and attaching the sub wire to them, i assuming i would use only 1 of them using an RCA cable and running it to the line in RCA connector on the sub, is that what you meant?I meant for you to to connect both the receiver's L and R outs to the sub, but I was assuming that the sub has a L and R RCA input. If the sub only has one single RCA input, you can only connect one of the receiver's outs, L or R, which will mean you will not be sending one of the channel's bass to that sub. I do not think that you can safely use another Y to merge the receiver's L and R outputs, but I am not certain. Although there is some stereo bass in the front channels of both music and movies, it is mainly in the mid-bass frequencies. I'm not sure what speakers you are using, but since they WILL be running full-range in your setup, they should handling most of that stereo mid-bass.


You really should consider getting a new AVR, especially since you want to utilize a subwoofer. With your current setup, you are missing the LFE (.1) channel entirely as your DVD player does not reroute the LFE channel to the player's L/R analog outputs. It simply drops it altogether. The LFE channel is where much of the really low and loud bass energy resides in the soundtrack. Additionally, if you are using center and/or surround speakers, you are not truly getting fully discrete surround sound.

In order to enjoy DD and DTS 5.1 sounndtracks, you need to utilize a digital connection from your DVD player to a properly DD/DTS 5.1 equipped receiver. Considering what you are currently using, you can get a new AVR that will meet your same current needs very inexpensively.

You probably won't get much help from Athena - they don't exist anymore ;). They were bought out and it seems there's no way to get support for their products.I know they were bought out by KLIPSCH, but are you certain they no longer exist?

http://www.athenaspeakers.com/v2/

....................i tried connecting both to the high level inputs as well as the normal inputs both times on the sub.The sub has a pair of high-level inputs and a pair of high-level outputs. So what are you calling the "normal inputs", here?


i hooked up the positive speaker wire (indicated by the grey stripe on the wire itself) to the positive speaker terminal of both the sub and the reciever and did the same with the negative side as well. i'm not sure if it matters which cable is considered the positve one but i have my speakers hooked up the same was ( grey stripe on the cable i use as the positive side)mediummutt, would it be possible for you to take and post a photo of the back of your sub, particularly the high-level inputs/outputs, wired-up the way that you have been wiring it?

i've scanned and tried to enclose the diagram of the back of my sub from the instruction booklet, i hope it works, i do have another avr, it's a sony str-de597, it was very inexpensive and i'm using it in a small room with inexpensive speakers. not that the speakers in my living room are all that great either, they are ascend cbm-170 se's, but for someone like me with an uneducated ear they sound great and are about all i can buget for speaker wise. would the sony reciever do the job? it's rated at 90 watts rms per channel and is described as 6.1 channels, it also has a subwoofer jack. i guess the main reason i'm trying to utilize the pioneer reciever is because at the time it was an expensive purchase for me and it still works and sounds great. i figured i would get better quality sound from it so i am trying to stick with it. if you're telling me that even if the sub can be hooked up it will still not fully do the job then i guess i'll have to reconsider what i'm trying to do here.

I know they were bought out by KLIPSCH, but are you certain they no longer exist?

http://www.athenaspeakers.com/v2/

Hmm...could be wrong, but it sounds like nobody has been able to get any help regarding Athena subs. I know a while back there was a thread about sub amp problems and nobody could get help from Athena. However, it looks like I may have misspoken regarding the existence of Athena. I know lots of their products are being cleared out of places, but they might still be around after all.

i've scanned and tried to enclose the diagram of the back of my sub from the instruction booklet, i hope it works.....................I asked if you could post a picture of the rear of your actual sub, particularly the high-level inputs/outputs, with it wired the way you have been wiring it with the speaker level connections. Apparently it has no high-level outputs; only inputs. So, I really see no way that you could be connecting the subwoofer incorrectly, unless you are completely screwing up the wiring, which I trust you to not be doing as you seem to "have a clue". So, a picture is not necessary. One thing to definitely do, for now, when "testing" the sub via speaker-level connections, is to set the low-pass filter setting as high as possible (120Hz). And leave it in the ALWAYS ON mode.


i do have another avr, it's a sony str-de597, it was very inexpensive and i'm using it in a small room with inexpensive speakers. not that the speakers in my living room are all that great either, they are ascend cbm-170 se's, but for someone like me with an uneducated ear they sound great and are about all i can buget for speaker wise. would the sony reciever do the job? it's rated at 90 watts rms per channel and is described as 6.1 channels, it also has a subwoofer jack. i guess the main reason i'm trying to utilize the pioneer reciever is because at the time it was an expensive purchase for me and it still works and sounds great. i figured i would get better quality sound from it so i am trying to stick with it. if you're telling me that even if the sub can be hooked up it will still not fully do the job then i guess i'll have to reconsider what i'm trying to do here.Well, you are sort of comparing apples to oranges. The older Pioneer may indeed be a nicer receiver, but it is incapable of truly discrete 5.1 playback. This means 5 truly discrete main channels along with a truly discrete LFE (low frequency effects) channel. Even if you do not need 5 channels, you will still get the discrete LFE channel to your new subwoofer from movie soundtracks with the SONY receiver and a digitally connected DVD player. As I already said, with the Pioneer, and a 2 channel analog connection from your DVD player, you are totally losing the LFE channel from movie soundtracks, which is sort of the whole purpose of the subwoofer with movie soundtracks. Now, if movie playback is not a concern, the Pioneer should work fine for music reproduction. But we need to figure out why your sub will not work with the speaker-level connections.

i did one more thing, just to make sure the wires going to the sub where ok i hooked a speaker up to them to check, it played fine. not knowing much about any of this it would seem that if those wires hooked up to the front B connectors played my speaker with no problem then that meant the reciever was sending the proper signals thru the speakers wires, it makes no sense that the sub won't play if all it requires is output from the receiver. i'm not sure what to try or do next and if anyone has any ideas i'd be glad to try them

i did one more thing, just to make sure the wires going to the sub where ok i hooked a speaker up to them to check, it played fine. not knowing much about any of this it would seem that if those wires hooked up to the front B connectors played my speaker with no problem then that meant the reciever was sending the proper signals thru the speakers wires, it makes no sense that the sub won't play if all it requires is output from the receiver. i'm not sure what to try or do next and if anyone has any ideas i'd be glad to try themIt seems your sub's speaker-level inputs are not functioning, mediummutt. I really have no advice as to what you should do about it. Did you buy it locally or online?

I have to second what miles davis (sivadselim) says. Since it comes on with the low level connection but not the high level, then there must be some type of disconnect for those connections. Time to try to get warranty service. There's only so much troubleshooting you can do on a forum. I also agree that you should really look into a new or newer A/V Receiver. You will get so much more from movies with a real 5.1 sound system. You should be able to get a very good deal on a used one.

thanks for all the help, i'm going to use the sony avr i have instead of the pioneer, as far as the sub goes i doubt i'm going to get much help from athena if it still exists, they have yet to answer my e-mails, thanks again

just as a follow up, i hooked up my sony avr instead of the pioneer and it's working fine, i just have one more question to ask, i hooked up my sub using the RCA cable and the sub is working but since i did not run an RCA cable thru my wall unit i was wondering if i could just hook up the sony avr to the sub using the already installed cable from the lower left speaker connectors to either the high level sub inputs or the normal sub inputs? i have it hooked up that way now and it works but it did seem like that when it was hooked up via the RCA cable on my avr to the RCA input on the sub there was a higher level of sound, is that just my imagination or could that be true? also i still can't figure out why when i hooked up the sub to the lower left front speaker connector's on the pioneer avr the sub didn't work yet when i hooked a speaker up using the same cables that did work. i guess i'll never know the answer to that, i'm just happy the sub is working as athena never answered any of my e-mails.

................i hooked up my sub using the RCA cable and the sub is working but since i did not run an RCA cable thru my wall unit i was wondering if i could just hook up the sony avr to the sub using the already installed cable from the lower left speaker connectors to either the high level sub inputs or the normal sub inputs? i have it hooked up that way now and it works but it did seem like that when it was hooked up via the RCA cable on my avr to the RCA input on the sub there was a higher level of sound, is that just my imagination or could that be true?I'm not sure what the distinction is that you are making between "the high level sub inputs or the normal sub inputs?". The sub has a single pair of R/L high level inputs; a + and a - for each R or L channel. You can't simply connect the speaker wire to the sub's RCA inputs without soldering an RCA connector on the end. So what are you calling the "normal sub inputs"?

Otherwise, no, you cannot just simply do what you are describing. You need to read up on the what the LFE channel is and how 5.1 receivers perform bass management. Unless you have specifically configured the receiver as having NO SUB so that the LFE channel is being rerouted to your front channels, your sub is not performing properly the way you have it connected via a speaker level connection. And even if you did configure the receiver properly, your sub is not receiving the signal from the right channel if it is only connected to the left channel.


also i still can't figure out why when i hooked up the sub to the lower left front speaker connector's on the pioneer avr the sub didn't work yet when i hooked a speaker up using the same cables that did work.A better question is: Why is the sub working NOW with a speaker-level connection? If I am understanding your post, you are saying that you have connected the sub via a speaker level connection to the SONY's left channel speaker output and it works, correct? Why is it NOW working with a speaker-level connection? :confused:

I can't find a manual on the Pio, but it appears it is 1990 vintage. Best bet is it is a stereo receiver. If this is true, then there isn't any way to set the speakers to large. The full L/R signal is sent to the speaker outs. You also lack bass management features. You need to connect the left and right outputs, using standard speaker wire, to the L/R high level inputs on the sub. Then run more speaker wire to the left speaker from the subs high lever left out and the same for the right. Then set the subs crossover to around 80 Hz. This should work, but again, I am assuming this is a 2 channel receiver and not an AVR.

Even if it is a 5.1 or 7.1 AVR, you run the main speakers (front right and front left) connections on the AVR to the high level input on the sub just like you would on a two channel receiver. Since this older sub does not have LFE in, this is the only way to use it.

Even if it is a 5.1 or 7.1 AVR, you run the main speakers (front right and front left) connections on the AVR to the high level input on the sub just like you would on a two channel receiver. Since this older sub does not have LFE in, this is the only way to use it.Read the whole thread.