Hooking up my ghetto sub to my receiver

[Sillyboy]

An easy one, if slightly off topic.

My last system was a *horrible* trash in a box system. It had a sub... with just speaker level inputs.

Okay, now I have a sony 6.1 receiver, str-de598 (maybe still a bit crappy, but trust me... way better ). I want to hook up my sub.

The question is: what's the best (free'ish) way to hook up my sub?

One theory came to me today: the receiver has a 2nd set up speaker outputs for (speaker set "b"), I can just hook the sub up there. However:
a) its a bit quiet
b) its not crossover, so its trying to play all kinds of mids

Now b) sounds like a fun first xover project. not sure how to deal with a), but I have one theory/question. Can I hook up BOTH left and right outputs to the single sub? I was nervous about shorting something out. Would this boost volume at all?

For that matter, if I add a crossover... would that "boost" the low end since its not wasting energy on mids... or is life not quite that simple?

Anyway, thanks for any input.
-Silly

[Dryseals]

I bought one of these for my sons room, it works fine
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cerwin-Vega-200-...QQcmdZViewItem

[sdclc126]

SillyBoy -

There are a few options you can consider. The least expensive is to get a pre-made passive sub crossover from PartsExpress, or look for them on eBay or other internet electronics retailers. You want to find the type (Cerwin Vega is the kind I have) that has stereo speaker-level inputs for the sub and outputs for your satellite speakers. You just run your two front channels to the sub - the crossover divides the frequencies, usually at around 120hz, sending below that to the sub and above that to your satellites.

If you want to use the "B" speaker outputs for the sub only, just run those wires to the sub inputs, while keeping the satellites hooked up to the "A" channels. I don't know if this second option will give you higher output - it depends on the amplification circuitry in your receiver - so just try both and see if you can tell any difference.

Now, you can also try to use the B outputs for the sub and bridge the right and left channels - say, right positive/left negative - this MAY give you more juice to the sub - BUT - your receiver may not be designed for this and I'm told this can damage the amp. So it's possible this could be risky - I would consult the manufacturer first - at the very least it may void the warranty. So this should only be a last option.

If you want to spend a little more money then a dedicated sub amp would be in order. Hope this helps!