Subwoofer with mackie cr3

[mtcultra]

Hello, so I am looking for new speakers and I like the mackie cr3 but I want a dedicated subwoofer. Can I hook up a sub to the cr3's and if so how. Thank you!

 

[jsmithepa]

According the Amazon, these are self-powered L+R speakers with optional passive hookups so your have 2 options:

1. Your source component (PC?) has a separate SUB OUT JACK, then yes, hookup your powered sub there.

2. If SUB OUT not available, then you have to buy a powered subwoofer with built-in CROSSOVER, and you know this when you look at the back of the sub, it has LINE IN, as well as OUTPUT for the L+R speakers. In this scenario you are powering the entire system via the amp inside the sub and bypassing the amp of the Mackie.

 

[americanaudiophile]

The Mackie CR3 are self powered only. The passive out on the main speaker is to connect the other speaker to because the amp for both is in that cabinet.
The first solution above will work fine if you are using a PC that has green and orange audio outputs so you get a 2.1 self amplified system.
Set the PC to 2.1 operation.
If you have a laptop with only stereo audio out and the sub has line level in and out you could connect the laptop to the sub line level input and the CR3s to the line out. If it only has line level in you can split the audio output to feed both the CR3s and subwoofer. This will also work but the CR3s will also produce bass so won't play as loud. You would adjust the sub differently in each case.
It's very unlikely that the sub will have a 2.1 channel amp in it even if it has speaker level inputs and outputs. If you use the line level input you would get nothing from the speaker level output.