Question with PB12-NSD

I just got my sub in from SVS yesterday and i've been trying to hook it up right all morning. For some reason I have to turn the gain control on the sub almost all the way up to hear anything and even then its very faint. I tried different inputs and different modes on my receiver but still either nothing or close to nothing. My components are as follows:

receiver: pioneer VSX-D514 (soon to be replaced by Onkyo TX-SR674(whenever JR gets them back in stock)

speakers: Athena audition series (5)

Could the sub not be getting enough power? i tried 2 outlets in my basement and both shared the same results. One last thing, the cable im using to connect receiver-sub is some standard subwoofer wire i bought at best buy.

I'm learning as i go with all of this home theater stuff so any help is much appreciated.

ok i switched the sub output on the receiver to preout and now it seems to be working good... however i still need the gain cranked to atleast half to hear decent bass when the the receivers around -35db.

yea i dont think any of my speakers are calibrated at all. like i said, im very new to this stuff. ill probably just wait until my new receiver comes in to calibrate everything fresh

one more question, when my receiver is on with no sound from an input, i can hear a slight hiss from my speakers that inceases if i turn the volume up. is that just a bad wiring job? im using 16 gauge wire

my receiver only goes to -3db (i havent turned it up that high with the speakers on). at -35 the speakers sound really loud and almost as if they are pushing the limit(im afraid to go higher). i know the speakers are rated at 250W power handling and my receiver is only 100Wpc, so what am i missing?