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Connecting receiver to computer

S

schmendrek

n00b
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
6
I have a pair of KRK Rokit 6 GP2's and I just bought a Harman Kardon HK 3390 receiver and an Energy ESW-8HG subwoofer to go along with them. What's the best way to hook these up to my computer? I have an X-Fi Xtremegamer and my motherboard has SPDIF. I've never owned a receiver before so I'm not quite sure which cables I need to do this. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
 
I'm not sure why you bought the receiver. The Rokit's and the sub are both powered speakers.

Oh well, you can still use the receiver as a volume control if you want. Note that the 3390 doesn't have digital inputs (SPDIF means nothing here).

Connect a 3.5mm to stereo RCA cable from the X-Fi to one of the stereo inputs on the receiver. As long as its an input and its NOT labeled Phono, you'll be fine.

On the back of the receiver, near the bottom, there are two RCA jacks labeled pre out. Take two RCA cables and connect it to the RCA input on the KRK speakers.

For the subwoofer, the receiver has a subwoofer pre out, use the one on the bottom and connect that to the line in of the subwoofer (try the left (white) input first). One jack is fine, you don't need two RCA cables going to the sub.

That's it! You're done! :)

The receiver might have some settings to tweak, but in terms of physical connectors, thats all you need.
 
Well the HK3390 doesn't support a digital input and is a stereo receiver so just hook it up to you X-Fi Xtremegamer via a decent Jack - RCA cable like a QED one.

Edit: 450 beat me to it.
 
I got the receiver because I had no way of connecting my sub to my system (Unless theres something I'm missing here or doing something wrong. I tried connecting it to my X-Fi but it didn't work) and the manual for it only showed receivers as connection options. I also figured that it would probably sound a lot better than my X-Fi. How would you recommend doing this without a receiver? The receiver hasn't shipped yet so I can still cancel the order.
 
X-Fi output -> 3.5mm splitter -> 3.5mm to rca -> subwoofer
X-Fi output -> 3.5mm splitter -> 3.5mm to rca -> KRK rokit

Control volume via windows.
 
You may have to connect the receiver as said, then the sub via the sub out on teh receiver and the KRK monitors via the pre-outs?
Not sure here to be honest, you haven't exactly got the best combination of equipment.
 
450 said:
X-Fi output -> 3.5mm splitter -> 3.5mm to rca -> subwoofer
X-Fi output -> 3.5mm splitter -> 3.5mm to rca -> KRK rokit

Control volume via windows.
Click to expand...

This.
Though renders the receiver obsolete. Though you don't need it..
 
450 said:
X-Fi output -> 3.5mm splitter -> 3.5mm to rca -> subwoofer
X-Fi output -> 3.5mm splitter -> 3.5mm to rca -> KRK rokit

Control volume via windows.
Click to expand...

This is a very cheap and easy solution! I'll be cancelling the order for the receiver. Thanks everyone!
 
schmendrek said:
This is a very cheap and easy solution! I'll be cancelling the order for the receiver. Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

The receiver provides bass management. Unless your soundcard drivers have LF filter software to output sound to the subwoofer, you will get no output through the subwoofer unless you are watching a movie or a game with a dedicated subwoofer (LFE) channel.

During music playback the subwoofer will be inactive. If that's okay with you, then you are set.
 
jakeshields said:
The receiver provides bass management. Unless your soundcard drivers have LF filter software to output sound to the subwoofer, you will get no output through the subwoofer unless you are watching a movie or a game with a dedicated subwoofer (LFE) channel.

During music playback the subwoofer will be inactive. If that's okay with you, then you are set.
Click to expand...

That's very good to know. Music was one of the main things that I wanted the subwoofer for. I'm guessing the X-Fi doesn't have this feature? I tried looking around in the control panel but I didn't see anything like that.
 
schmendrek said:
That's very good to know. Music was one of the main things that I wanted the subwoofer for. I'm guessing the X-Fi doesn't have this feature? I tried looking around in the control panel but I didn't see anything like that.
Click to expand...

You can use FFDshow to enable LFE crossover in applications that use it.

That said, do you really need to use the digital out? It's not like you're saving yourself from extra wires since you have a two-channel setup.

The receiver should be able to take a two channel signal and send the bass below a certain frequency to the sub. I'd just run analog 2 channel from the computer to the receiver. You should be able to adjust the crossover frequency and the subwoofer volume somewhere in the receiver's menu.
 
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I was doing some research and I was wondering if Foobar 2000's Channel Mixer plugin would do the same thing as the receiver?
 
I would cancel the receiver order regardless what your plan is. Since you are getting active speakers, the purpose of a receiver for you should be as a sound processor. A $350 stereo receiver is really a waste of money for just bass management--most of the cost you are paying for is the 2 channel amplifiers which are not being used since you have powered speakers. For sound processing you should look towards more features and inputs.

In that case, you'll want a surround sound receiver with hdmi inputs and HD audio processing, as well as multichannel pre-outs for future flexibility -> surround sound gaming, ipods, cdplayers, disc (sacd/dvd/bluray) players, XM radio, karaoke, video game systems, connect your pc to a TV, etc.
 
I just wanted the receiver to hook up my sub...I don't really need any of the other features to be honest. So what's the best and cheapest way for me to do this while still being able to use my sub for music?
 
Wait, what? The subwoofer won't be silent using my method. He's not using the subwoofer output of the soundcard, he'd be using the same 2 channel output as the speakers, which is a full range signal and always active.
 
I guess it depends on your preferences. One option is to run the same signal to both speakers and subwoofer using a splitter, like how you propse. Some people also like to play 2 channel stereo on 5 speakers. Everyone has their own way of doing things, I suppose.

I prefer to just listen to the original signal as intended--I guess I am a purist that likes to do things "properly".

Using the "splitter" method you propose, however, robs him of deep bass in movies (among other media sources) that exists in the subwoofer LFE channel. Perhaps its a character fault of mine but my personal preference is to keep as much as the original content as possible.
 
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450 said:
Wait, what? The subwoofer won't be silent using my method. He's not using the subwoofer output of the soundcard, he'd be using the same 2 channel output as the speakers, which is a full range signal and always active.
Click to expand...

Seconded
 
The question is, do you want a subwoofer or do you want a bass boost device. There is a difference. Splitter = bass boost. Crossover = subwoofer.
 
jakeshields said:
The question is, do you want a subwoofer or do you want a bass boost device. There is a difference. Splitter = bass boost. Crossover = subwoofer.
Click to expand...

Wiskey, Tango, Foxtrot
The sub listed in the first thread is a sub woofer, with built in crossover. The sub will play any frequency with in the range selected, it does not make any difference how the signal gets to the sub.
 
Snufykat said:
Wiskey, Tango, Foxtrot
The sub listed in the first thread is a sub woofer, with built in crossover. The sub will play any frequency with in the range selected, it does not make any difference how the signal gets to the sub.
Click to expand...

UH....NO

That's not a crossover, that's a high pass filter to protect subwoofer the driver.

A crossover is a pair of filters with mirrored slopes used blend the subwoofer and the midbass driver of the corresponding satellite speaker.

The subwoofer + satellite design was envisioned as a alternative to large floorstanders, by making the bass driver(s) mobile. Just using a splitter is not utilizing the subwoofer as a subwoofer--it's utilizing it as a bass boost device. These are not the same thing.
 
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jakeshields said:
UH....NO

That's not a crossover, that's a high pass filter to protect subwoofer the driver.

A crossover is a pair of filters with mirrored slopes used blend the subwoofer and the midbass driver of the corresponding satellite speaker.

The subwoofer + satellite design was envisioned as a alternative to large floorstanders, by making the bass driver(s) mobile. Just using a splitter is not utilizing the subwoofer as a subwoofer--it's utilizing it as a bass boost device. These are not the same thing.
Click to expand...

You're wrong here and being pedantic in a way that's going to confuse people with non-technical aphorisms you've made up. The satellites have a natural roll-off at probably like 60-80hz. They say 49, but I doubt it. Maybe with more like -3db rather than 1.5.

The sub has: "Variable Crossover and phase control to blend with any speakers, low-level & speaker level inputs for connection to any receiver, amplifier or TV"

It will reinforce the bottom octave fine crossed over at 50-80... maybe even 100 (but that will probably be too thick). It's still a subwoofer, not a "bass boost." It's reproducing frequencies the main speakers can't reproduce whether it's due to natural driver roll-off or a crossover doesn't matter. Even if they were both overlapping and playing the same things it would still be a subwoofer, since it's dedicated to low frequency. Just as a midbass driver is always a midbass driver even if you are sending midbass to your midrange as well. It just becomes more difficult to blend if they're both playing the same notes.

Also, it has a low-pass not a high-pass.
 
Sounds good. Crossovers are entirely unnecessary. Just run a couple of drivers--tweeter, midrange, and woofer--full range with "they probably roll off together" and let's get that thing cranking.
 
jakeshields said:
Sounds good. Crossovers are entirely unnecessary. Just run a couple of drivers--tweeter, midrange, and woofer--full range with "they probably roll off together" and let's get that thing cranking.
Click to expand...

That is done for the majority of stock car stereo systems and mass market speakers you realize, right? Whizzer cone runs full range, tweeter just has a high pass on it.

You bandpass a midrange and high-pass a tweeter due to power handling, distortion nodes, breakup, etc. Natural driver roll off in the lower octaves for a woofer is oftentimes less chaotic, and when it is a problem, it's usually an issue with subsonics and physical damage(power handling) more than anything. Natural roll off of a sealed enclosure is what... -12db/octave after the F3? and -24db/octave for a ported design. The Rokit's a ported design, and it plays fine to where it rolls off now so what's the issue here? The enclosure itself serves as a crossover.

People crossover to a sub using natural roll-off all the time. It's done a lot in car installs. It helps keep some of the bass up front.

The benefit to upping the crossover frequency for a midrange and using a sub is power handling and distortion, freeing it up to give the speaker a bit more dynamic range.
 
What are these so called mass market speakers of yours? Boom boxes? Even $35 Best Buy speakers have crossover networks. I wasn't aware there was a huge market boom boxes in this day and age. These "large majority of mass market" speakers that you speak of apparently don't have much of a market. If there were that many models I haven't seen them in any large BM store--they are usually a tiny selection in a corner. Then again, I'm not sure where you live--maybe your country/region has this so-called mass market that you refer to.
 
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