Can I connect my sub to a phone/ipod/laptop

[Steverism]

Specifically, the Polk PSW505 Powered Subwoofer, can I connect that directly to my phone or iPod using a 3.5mm male to 2RCA cable?

 

[boosted1g]

Sure...you wont hear any music at all, only bass.

 

[Wayne_42]

hi, im wanting to know also, if that works and only bass comes out? then if im right? then connect two passive speakers to your sub and that should be it?
i have just bought a ms308 active sub with speaker connections on the rear, i dont have a amplifier so was thinking of connecting the sub direct to my laptop then put 2 passive speaker direct from my sub.
im also not sure if this works as im collecting my new sub in the morning and i will try it tomorrow

 

[Steverism]

Sure...you wont hear any music at all, only bass.

could you elaborate?

 

[boosted1g]

Sure...you wont hear any music at all, only bass.

could you elaborate?

A subwoofer only plays low frequencies thus only the freqency bellow the crossover level on the sub will output and thus you wont hear much of any of the music, you will only get the low frequency bass.

Your phone/laptop can not output to both the internal speaker and the headphone out jack it is A or B, not both.

 

[Steverism]

Sure...you wont hear any music at all, only bass.

could you elaborate?

A subwoofer only plays low frequencies thus only the freqency bellow the crossover level on the sub will output and thus you wont hear much of any of the music, you will only get the low frequency bass.

Your phone/laptop can not output to both the internal speaker and the headphone out jack it is A or B, not both.

an AV receiver will fix this correct?

 

[boosted1g]

hi, im wanting to know also, if that works and only bass comes out? then if im right? then connect two passive speakers to your sub and that should be it?
i have just bought a ms308 active sub with speaker connections on the rear, i dont have a amplifier so was thinking of connecting the sub direct to my laptop then put 2 passive speaker direct from my sub.
im also not sure if this works as im collecting my new sub in the morning and i will try it tomorrow

No, it wont work that way.

Your sub will take a low level rca input or a high level (as in already amplified) signal from speaker wires as an input for the sub.
The sub can then pass that high level input on to your speakers but it in no way will take the low level RCA input and also amplify it to speakers.


To put it very simply. It is a subwoofer, not a stereo receiver.

 

[boosted1g]

Sure...you wont hear any music at all, only bass.

could you elaborate?

A subwoofer only plays low frequencies thus only the freqency bellow the crossover level on the sub will output and thus you wont hear much of any of the music, you will only get the low frequency bass.

Your phone/laptop can not output to both the internal speaker and the headphone out jack it is A or B, not both.

an AV receiver will fix this correct?

Yes.

Input music device to reciever via rca or 3.5mm cable.
If receiver has sub out then connect that to sub and speakers to speaer outputs
If reciever does not have dedicated sub out then take amp speaker outputs to sub, then sub to speakers.