Plugging my Subwoofer into my Receiver for power....? (1 Viewer)

[Matt*B]

Hey all,

Since I am not down in my theater everyday, I like to keep the subwoofer powered off when I'm not using it. I always find it annoying to walk over and power the sub on every time I use the theater. Now, I have a nice Pioneer receiver that's about a year old, and it has a power outlet in the back for other components. I thought it may have been a grounded outlet, but now that I think of it, it may not be. However, first off, let's say it is grounded. Then, is it ok for me to keep my sub switched on, but have it plugged into the back of the receiver for power? That way it automatically turns on when the receiver is on.

Ok now, lets say it isn't grounded. Since the receiver is plugged into a surge protector (the receiver plug itself is not grounded...if i remember correctly), could I use an adapter to take the grounded sub plug down to a two prong, and plug THAT into the receiver?

Just wanted to see if there was anything really wrong with this..... has anyone tried? Am i correct in assuming that this wouldn't affect actual sound performance during a movie, etc for any reason?


Thanks,

Matt

 

[BrianWoerndle]

Do not do that. The outlets on receivers are meant for low power devices (like CD players). A sub pulls way to much power. You will fry the receiver.

 

[Doug Otte]

Indeed. Back when I had my first AVR and sub a few years ago, I e-mailed Sony with the same question. Their terse response: "No." No maybes, no ifs, no ands, no buts...just a very clear "No."

Doug

 

[John Garcia]

Absolutely not. If you look in your manual or even on the back of the reciever, there will be a rating for the outlet(s) on it. That rating is generally quite low, and as Brian said - only low power gear should be plugged into these outlets.

Defeating the ground on a grounded item is never a good idea either.

 

[Carl P]

Does your sub have an "auto on" feature? If so, leave it in the "auto on" mode. It will turn your sub's amp on and off with an audio signal. It draws very little amperage in the sleep mode.

 

[Doug Otte]

Right, mine goes into sleep mode after only a few minutes (2-3?) if it doesn't receive a signal. The green lights turn to red when in sleep mode. At first, those red eyes staring at me in the living room all the time got on my nerves, but the medication fixed that problem.
:b
Doug

 

[Kenneth Harden]

It is usually 50-100 watts, maybe 1 amp max (~120 watts) - do not do it.

Just as long as your subwoofer goes into standby, and it is plugged into a good surge protector/power center, you are fine.