Connectivity Problem

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bhingston

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Oct 30, 2008
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I have a Macbook Pro, and just purchased Behringer MS40 and a Dayton 10" sub. When I ordered them I thought I just plugged the MS40s into my computer, and then the sub to the MS40s via RCA cables. I am getting sound out of the speakers, but nothing from the sub. What am I missing? Do I need an external sound card or something?
 
Is your sub getting any power? Is it getting amped? Generally, you have a sub preout to an amp that powers the sub. or is the sub self powered?
 
The sub is self powered, and when I touch my hand to the RCA cable it is making noise. There is no amp. I was under the impression I wouldn't need an amp but really have little knowledge on the subject.
 
You're going to have some kind of preout to the sub. I'm not sure how you have everything wired though. I assume that you have the speakers hooked up via a coaxial output. The problem is that the sub more than likely isn't getting a signal.
 
I am currently using the two analog inputs. The 3.5mm to my computer, and the RCAs to the sub. What would a solution be for me?
 
it looks like you might need some sort of sound card... none of the equipment you listed seems to have a subwoofer output.
 
I don't believe the MS40's have any type of output. Only two inputs.
You can split the audio from the pc to both the subwoofer & the speakers.
I believe your subwoofer has an Low Frequency Filter that can be switched on, so it will only output the low bass frequencies from your computer's output.

3.5mm splitter plugged into computer.
3.5mm cable going from splitter to your MS40's (You should already have this)
3.5mm to Stereo RCA adapter also plugged into splitter.
Then use your RCA cables from the 3.5mm to RCA plugs to your subwoofer's input.
Does your subwoofer have one mono RCA input or two for Stereo? If it has two, it almost definitely has a crossover built in so this will work.

Fairly simple solution.
 
The red/white RCA connectors on the back of the speakers are inputs not outputs. If your subwoofer has a built in crossover at a minimum you need to split the LR outs (which you are currently getting from the 3.5mm) and send one pair to the speakers and then a mixed mono signal to the sub. If the sub doesn't have a built in crossover you'd need to send the LR from the sound card to an external crossover and then use the appropriate outs on that to the correct speakers.
 
Great I think I am finally getting somewhere. My only question with the set-ups mentioned above is how do I adjust the volume from the sub? Will I need to get a receiver to be able to adjust that?
 
bhingston said:
Great I think I am finally getting somewhere. My only question with the set-ups mentioned above is how do I adjust the volume from the sub? Will I need to get a receiver to be able to adjust that?
Click to expand...

You have two options. (In order of personal preference)
1) Set the subwoofer to a reasonable volume and deal with having it always be the same volume.
2) Change the way you are connecting the subwoofer...
Plug an RCA splitter into the Left Channel OUTPUT on your main MS40 speaker. Then plug your left speaker's RCA cable into the adapter. And run a single RCA cable from the adapter to the subwoofer.

Option #2 would allow the subwoofer's volume to be controlled by both the volume dial on the MS40's AND your computer/source.
But the main drawback is that the subwoofer is only playing the low frequencies from the left channel.
So let's say you are watching a movie and there is an explosion on the left, you would feel the might bass from that explosion... but if it is going through the right speaker, there either won't be very noticeable bass or none at all.

You could get a receiver, and it would be able to handle the downmixing to mono and pass the low frequencies to the subwoofer, but it wouldn't be used to power your already powered-speakers, they would be connected via pre-outs. So it would be somewhat a waste of money.
You could buy an external soundcard for your Macbook, but those get pricey and are hard to configure and whatnot.

Personally, I would go with option #1. And technically that's kinda what I have to do for my bedroom setup. I have the subwoofer set at a fixed volume that's reasonable for music/movies/gaming/etc. And I only use it during the day so at night I just turn the subwoofer off. But when I am using it I normally have the volume for my Xbox360 gaming, music, movies, etc. at the same volume so it isn't an issue for me.

If you really feel you need to have the ability to control the volume of the sub simultaneously with the volume of the speakers, then you can either go with option #2 and live with single-channel bass, buy an external soundcard that works with your Mac and supports at least 2.1, buy a receiver and use it for just the subwoofer output, or upgrade further and purchase new non-powered speakers along with a new receiver. :p

Sorry for the lengthy post, I figured I should cover most of your options here.
 
phimp seems to have got it. basically, you're going to have to ghetto rig the hell out of this to make it work... if you want it to work PROPERLY, you're going to need to get some extra equipment.
 
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