Forgive my relative n00bness as far as HTS is concerned. I've searched high and low for the solution to this problem, both here and elsewhere on the web, but haven't been able to find anything yet.

I previously had a Panasonic combination 5-disc changer/Standard DVD player/HTS that was hooked up to the included speakers, and it worked to my satisfaction.

Yesterday, I made the jump to HD-DVD. I discovered while doing this that my Panasonic player/receiver had exactly one audio input in the back - the old red/white cables. So, time for a new receiver in order to be able to hear sound from the new HD player in more than just stereo.

I went with the Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver. Pleased with it so far, and was able to hook up all of the speakers with no issues, but the subwoofer cable is not compatible. The new receiver only has a subwoofer pre-out jack, but the woofer has the traditional +/- 2 wires, just like the other speakers do. It's a passive woofer, and there are no other ports on it, just the wire coming out the back.

So, what are my options? Is there some sort of an adapter to solve the subwoofer issue? Can I re-wire it somehow? Or is it time for a new one?

Also, another concern is the receiver manual says not to use speakers with less than 6 Ohms, but the ones I currently have are 4 Ohms. They did seem to work fine for the couple of hours that I tested them.

While pondering this problem, I have been looking at new speaker packages. The Onkyo SKS-HT240 or SKS-HT540 look nice, but they are at the upper end of my price range. Any recommendations for these or others if I decide to get all new speakers and subwoofer?

Any suggestions or advice will be appreciated.

If you are satisfied with the speakers from your old system. You may just want to get a relatively inexpensive subwoofer. BIC H-100, Onix X-Sub are both about $245 each. For another $25, you could also get the HSU STF-1.

The sub that came with you Panasonic HTiB will not work with the new receiver. Since it is a passive sub, the amp and electronics that controled the sub, are in the Panasonic receiver. Like Spyboy said, if you are happy with your speakers, you can get a decent quality sub like the ones he mentioned.

As for the 4ohm speaker question, they will work but it's not recommended. The lower the ohm rating the more power it takes to drive them. This could cause overheating in receivers that aren't specd for them because of the amps having to work so hard to power them. If you don't listen at high volumes you should be ok and don't worry about the overheating. The 605 has protective circuitry that will shut it down first. Although I would HIGHLY recommend upgrading the speakers in the future you need to do the sub first, just keep it at low to normal listening volumes and you should be ok in the mean time.

As for a sub, a passive sub will not work with 605. About the least expensive quality subs start at $200 + shipping with the Bic H-100 and AV123 X-Sub. Get that done first then work on your speakers.

Thanks everyone. I went ahead and ordered the Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 speaker/sub system. Seems like a pretty good product for the price, and it's within the range of effectiveness that I was looking for.

Thanks everyone. I went ahead and ordered the Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 speaker/sub system. Seems like a pretty good product for the price, and it's within the range of effectiveness that I was looking for.

Why did you do that? You could have kept the 605 and bought a new sub. :confused:

Thanks everyone. I went ahead and ordered the Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 speaker/sub system. Seems like a pretty good product for the price, and it's within the range of effectiveness that I was looking for.
Why did you do that? You could have kept the 605 and bought a new sub. :confused:
Yeah, really. One step forward, two steps back. :confused:

Why did you do that? You could have kept the 605 and bought a new sub. :confused:

I did better than keeping the 605, I upgraded to the 705 AND got the new speakers/sub.

I did better than keeping the 605, I upgraded to the 705 AND got the new speakers/sub.

How do you like the 540's??