How do I wire this amp/sub up?

How to wire my speakers?

• I've got Logitech X-530 speakers. These speakers are designed to be used as a set and connected to computers. They are 5.1- (6 channels). Each speaker connects to the sub via RCA and the sub is connected to AC mains. The input for these speakers/sub comes from 3x 3.5mm TRC audio jacks which are connected to the sub. I am thinking of buying an AV receiver/ amplifier which outputs to speakers via 6 normal + - speaker wire ports (for each channel you put in a wire for + and a wire for -) Output from receiver= normal speaker wire terminals for 6 channels. Input to speakers+sub= 3 3.5mm TRC connectors My question is, how do I wire this? I am prepared to solder and make my own connectors. Does 1 TRC connector support 2 channels? How so?- where do the 2 channels come from on the plug?- where does this correspond to the speaker wire terminals? And, is it safe to wire powered speakers/ sub via a receiver? ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I'm definitly not an audiophile and am a bit of an audio novice so thanks for your help.

• Answer:

  Sorry to tell you, but what you are planning won't work. Your new receiver's outputs are already amplified. The three TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) jacks on your Logitech system's subwoofer cabinet get line-level signals from your computer. They are all amplified by amp channels within the subwoofer box. You cannot safely connect the amplifier outputs to those inputs. They are MUCH too high level, and furthermore have a common ground, which many higher-power amp outputs absolutely do not want to provide. FWIW, the front and rear jacks are: Tip = Left, Ring = Right, Sleeve = common ground for both (and for all three jacks, in fact). For the center/sub jack generally Tip = center and Ring = subwoofer, the Sleeve is again the common ground. Besides being too high voltage, the speaker outputs from many amps do not directly correspond to these inputs, because there is not necessarily a common ground among them. i.e. the - speaker terminals are not necessarily connected to the amplifier's signal ground, or to each other; they may be actively driven one way while the + terminals are driven the other. If this is the case then hooking the - terminals directly together as "common" would likely cause the amp's output transistors to fail before too long. It is possible to take the amplifier's outputs and knock them down to line level, and also do the necessary isolation of the common ground at the subwoofer's connectors, but it would be silly. You'd be essentially not using at least half of the cost of your new receiver. Computer speakers are not really up to the quality you'd want for "real speakers" (the sort you'd connect to a separate receiver) anyway. If you absolutely insist on using these speakers with a new amp, you'd have to disconnect the speaker wires from the subwoofer cabinet and connect them directly to the amp outputs. For the subwoofer... the amp MIGHT have a line-level subwoofer output, but again, this would be putting the cart before the horse, as the subwoofer channel amp in the receiver is going to be far better than the one in the computer speaker set.