How do I connect my old subwoofer to my new speakers?

Can i connect a powered subwoofer to the passive speakers i have running on an independent amp?

• I want to add a subwoofer to help out with the low end bass, but I'm not sure how to connect the subwoofer to the input source. The passive speakers are running through the amp, which is connected to the turntable, finally connecting to the computer. Would it be possible to send the signal to the subwoofer by just connecting it to the amplifier?

• Answer:

  You need to know what you are doing here. So, lets take it apart. The amplifier most likely has what they refer to as a high Z (or amplified) output to the passive speakers. That makes sense. The subwoofer since it is powered, is like an amplifier and in all probability was built to receive a low Z input. The same kind of input that you amplifier is receiving now. What you need to do is to check the output specifications on the amplifier and also verify the input capacity for the subwoofer. They need to match up. If the amplifier has an AUX or other low Z output on it, that would work fine. But again, don't take my word for it because I have not seen the output specifications for all the output ports on your amplifier. You need to make sure they are a match. If your turntable has a subwoofer output, that would probably match or if your subwoofer has a built in frequency crossover (most subs do) then you can split the output from the turntable and send it to both the amp and the subwoofer. If the amplifier has a sub out that is low Z than that would also work. If you need to output from the amplifier because of an EQ or compressor or other tonal settings that you want sent to the sub, and the amp does not have an output that matches the sub then, you can still connect the amp to the sub using a DI box which converts the high Z to low Z. In short, you always need read the output specifications and the input capacity specs of everything you connect to make sure you are doing it right. I have powered subwoofers for my bass guitar because I have a 5-string bass that requires a lower frequency than the speakers in a normal bass amplifier can handle. It took me while to figure out how to connect it up correctly. If you have a preamplifier like an EQ or mixer for instance, that will most likely output correctly to both the sub and the amp. Hope this helps.