Reference powered subwoofers: Can they also be used as UNpowered subs?

I want to use one as the bottom half of a satellite-subwoofer setup. (Note: I'm NOT talking about the LFE channel!) I want to hook the speaker level inputs to an amplifier, and pass the high frequencies on via the speaker level outputs to the satellites. I am currently doing exactly this with an old unpowered subwoofer.

With "speaker level" power coming from the amplifier, do I still need to plug the subwoofer into a power source? Is the powered sub's internal amplification circuitry needed or used at all when the sub is attached with the speaker level inputs?

Thanks for sharing your expertise! -Bruce

Bruce, I'm 99.9% sure that the sub's amp will need to be plugged in. The only way around this would be to open the sub box and see if the amp can be bypassed.

Assuming the sub has both inputs and outputs at speaker level, the high-pass satellite output should function okay, but you'd have to see if the low-pass feeding the sub amp is all speaker-level.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

If your running 'speaker' level audio into the amp, I'm 100 percent sure it converts it to line level audio internally and then re-amplifies it with it's own amp.

Probably better to stick with it this way, there may be some equalization done inside the unit for specific speaker deficancies with that driver..

Well, shucks. I wonder if anyone still makes good unpowered subs (that will ship to me)? I've got plenty of amps lying around. What a pain.

I know NHT used to have the SW2, you may find that somwhere in ebay or something. Unpowered sub...

http://www.svsubwoofers.com/

These are, bar none, some of the best subs you can buy.