Polk Audio speakers not working with sub

[RockyPlays]

Hey there.

I have a Polk Audio PSW202 Subwoofer, and two Polk Audio RTi38 speakers. I have speaker wire coming out of the sub, and to the speakers. I plug it into my iPad and I get sound from the sub, but not the speakers. I have checked and I do them wired + to + and - to -
There is no power switch on the speakers or volume control. I dont know if the speakers work or not, but I think they do. I am just using speaker wire to connect them, do I need something else to connect them? Maybe bigger speaker wire? Pictures: http/imgur.com/a/wxdj6

 

[ien2222]

Hello,

The sub does not power speakers so you will need either an amp or an AVR of some kind.

The speaker input/output on the sub is for already amplified signal, usually used when there isn't any bass management happening.

So, your options are ipad -> amp/receiver -> speaker input on sub then use speaker output to the speakers.

Or use an AVR with bass management where both the speakers and sub plugs into it.

 

[Bakhus Mps]

ien2222 is on track but I disagree on the final setup. I think it should be ipad->sub->amplifier->speakers.

Your subwoofer is an active type subwoofer with has a build in amplifier for the bass driver. It uses the 2 stereo inputs from your ipad (or pac, phone etc) to get the stereo signal, then amplifies to the bass driver on one side and on the other side lets the stereo out (unamplified) so you can amplify them with a dedicated amplifier wich then you output to speakers.

Imagine your subwoofer like a splitter.
It takes signal input A and splits it to outputs B and C.
B is then amplified and goes into the bass speaker inside the box.
C is not amplified and goes to the output jacks on the back of the box.
You take C output and put it into an amplifier D wich outputs to speakers E.
So you have:
A->B - subwoofer bass
A->C ->D-> - stereo speakers

Second option, as he said, is to get an AVR - audio-video receiver.
This time the receiver has an unamplified subwoofer output and 2 (or more if its a 5.1, 7.1 etc) amplified outputs.
You take the sound source (say ipad) plug it into the AVR, then you connect your subwoofer to the AVR sub out (unamplified), and the speakers to the speaker outputs (amplified).

I think I cleared this up as best I could

 

[ien2222]

That is incorrect. The RCA inputs on the sub are strictly input (line level) only, the signal is not passed onto the speaker out jacks. The sub's speaker input assumes it's already an amplified signal and if you were to pass line level voltage to the sub it wouldn't be amplified correctly.

But an AVR with bass management is usually the best solution.

 

[Bakhus Mps]

I'm not sure I understand you.
He already stated the sub WORKS with the unamplified signal from the ipad, and the subwoofer is an ACTIVE type sub, that means it takes low level input signal and amplifies it to the inside the box bass driver.
It just takes the stereo signal and passes it through to be amplified by another device, before speakers.
Putting the amplifier before the subwoofer, means you will feed the built in amplifier in the sub, with already amplified signal from the stereo amplifier (that he doesnt have) like this: Source (unamplified) -> Amplifier (amplified) -> Subwoofer (amplified!!!), wich is incorrect in my opinion.

 

[ien2222]

Yes, he's currently plugging his ipad into the RCA jacks which take line level, the sub should work fine. But that isn't passed into the speaker out jacks so you can't add an amp after the sub. There is an option of using a y-splitter for both on the left and right channel where one branch is connected to the sub's RCA and the other branch goes to the amp.

However, if he does not split it like that, nor use bass management he needs to plug his ipad into an amp, then connect the amp to the speaker input on the sub, there it hits the sub's crossover (if it's not defeated) and the high pass is given to the speaker out jacks which then go to the Polks, and the loss pass is then stepped down and used by the sub. The is a somewhat common feature available on subs. Pages 3 and 4 of the manual confirm what I just said.

Pages 6,7, and 8 have diagrams also.

 

[RockyPlays]

Ok thanks for the help guys. We figured out that we needed an amp but are not sure which one to get in this situation. Which amp would you guys suggest? Thanks again.

 

[Bakhus Mps]

Depends alot on what you want it for:

Music - get a simple stereo amplifier (Yamaha, Onkyo, NAD, Denon good brands with decent prices)
Movies/games - get a 5.1 AVR (same brands)

I'd go for the latter, they do decent in stereo music and nothing compares to watching movies in surround sound

 

[ien2222]

What kind of budget were you looking at?

 

[RockyPlays]

Sorry for not replying guys, this has been a busy week for me. I would use this for music much more than movies and games and I was hoping to get one for under $50.

 

[ien2222]

$50 is a bit limited. You can go used, in which case it really depends on what's out there for sale: Amps, receivers, AVR's all would be fine.

Otherwise, I'd suggest bumping up your budget a little and get the SMSL SA50 amp which can be found for around $65. As long as you're not expecting ear bleeding loudness, this should be a good little amp to get.

It's single RCA inputs, so for you you'd use your 3.5 to RCA splitter and just hook it into the amp, then speaker wire from the amp to the 'speaker in" on the sub with 'speaker out' going to the Polks. This would be the setup you'd use for any kit (amp/receiver/AVR) that doesn't have bass management.

When you use this method, when you first hook everything up, turn the volume all the way down on both the amp and on the sub, also set the crossover on the sub to 100Hz. Once you've done that, turn up the volume on the amp until the speakers are playing as a reasonable level. Next slowly turn up the sub until it matches the speakers to your liking. Now, start lowering the crossover level (you may also need to adjust the sub's volume level as you go), 70-80Hz is about where you'll want to stop but if there's a point higher where it sounds the best leave it there. I wouldn't really go any lower than 70Hz as the sub will handle the lower frequencies better at louder levels.

If you find something with bass management let me know and I'll help out with that.

 

[RockyPlays]

Okay, I am now looking to buy an amp as I was short on funds after purchasing my computer. Pricing aside, what is the best amp I could get with this sub and speakers. Not looking to spend much over $100 though if necessary I will spend the extra.