TV audio directly into subwoofer? (1 Viewer)

I went to a local pawn shop to get an appraisal on a JBL Leviton AEH50 5.1 speaker package. I immediately learned I should have brought my own speaker wire, and possibly a receiver. The guy working there said it wasn't necessary, so he went about connecting an rca cable from the tv audio out to the red/white line in jacks on back of the sub, and the low frequencies came through. He then connected the satellite speakers to the terminals on back of the sub. When he got no sound from the sats, he said the amp must be fried!!! Seriously? I know just enough about connecting av equipment to be dangerous, so I let him try the whole show. Needless to say, it didn't work. I explained he needed a receiver, he scoffed. Am I just a total idiot, or is he? Here's a pic of my sub back panel.

You are correct. Those speaker terminals are just what the label says - speaker level inputs that can be used with a receiver that doesn’t have an RCA subwoofer output. You won’t get a signal from them via the RCA inputs on the panel.


Regards,

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

He doesn't know what he's going. Wayne is right.

Thanks guys. I ended up taking it elsewhere, and they didn't have any trouble testing, then buying it. I dropped off the instructions for the guy at the first shop to read.