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voodoochild2426
Posts: 1
Registered: 01-07-2012

Using Subwoofers in House

Hey! I've got two 10" subs together in one standard shell that I previously used in my car. The amp is a Kicker, but I'm not sure about its wattage..all I know is that it's more than plenty to power these. I asked a Geek Squad rep, and she said it could definitely be done. I never got into the details though about how. So I guess my questions are: Can I use the subs from a standard home outlet and play them from my computer? Can I use them together with a speaker system, say a 2.1 Bose system for example? Kinda ridiculous if I can only play the bass/lows. Any estimates on how much would this cost if I could do this myself? How much if a Geek Squad rep did it? I only have the wire that you thread into the slots on the back side of the subs but no others, so any wires might have to be factored into the cost. Thanks for any help!
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mstng87gt
Posts: 2,564
Topics: 57
Kudos: 70
Solutions: 29
Registered: 04-29-2009

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

My only comment is I would not recommend it.  Home audio and car audio are to different animals.   Most home audio systems are 8 ohms and 6 ohms whereas car is 4 ohms and lower.  The amp would need 12 volts but home audio is 120 volt so you would need a converter that can handle the amps and I don't know of any that can.   By amps I mean a car audio amp can draw anywhere from 30-90 amps each time the low freq is called upon. Thats why you see lights dim on cars when the bass hits.  Home audio doesn't not require much amperage.

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Contributor
TechSavvyChick
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-25-2011

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

Actually, the ohm of the sub will not have any bearing in this situation as long as you are using an amp to power them.

I will post more about this a little later as it takes a bit to explain.
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Contributor
TechSavvyChick
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-25-2011

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

To start, No service that BBY provides will do what you are wanting to do. Secondly, You cannot utilize this kind of sub setup with any Bose system because it is a closed system. Messing with your Bose equipotent in this manner will void any kind of warranty.

 

Now to answer you question, yes you can use your car subwoofers in a home audio setup provided you have a system that does not limit you. AKA- not Bose. However, just because you can do this doesn't mean you should. It can be very difficult to build your own home subwoofer because, that is what you are doing.

 

The Easy Way

To start, it sounds like you have a box the subs currently reside in. This is a good start. From there you can still utilize the kicker amp in order to power the subs. As Mustang mentioned you would have to purchase a power inverter in order to use it. Given the fact that there are many different kinds of amplifiers as well as power inverters you would have to match these two components to compliment each other. You would have to match the amperage of each device. This website here tells you how you can connect it. You will have to turn off the inverter every time you are not using the subs. Otherwise it will say on all the time. Once you have proper power to the amplifier you can hook up your subs to it just as you would in your car.

 

Now this is where the ohm comes into play. The actual "power" sent from the amp to the subs is all dependent on the ohm capability of the subs and in turn the ohm capability of the amplifier. Rule of thumb, the lower ohms you can give to the amp the more "power" sent to the subs. Now this is where you have to be careful and not wire the subs to the amp incorrectly. Doing so could result in damage to the subs and/or amplifier. If you were able to give me the model numbers of your subs and amp, I can tell you how to hook them up best in order to get the best performance.

 

Once you have the subs hooked up correctly to the amp you can connect your amp to any device that has an audio output via the L/R audio input on the amp. You also have to be careful here too unless you have a dedicated sub output on the device you are plugging it into. The signal that is being sent from a dedicated sub output is low frequency signal and generally you will be safe from the mids and highs that can damage your subs. If you do not have a dedicated sub output and are using the L/R audio output from the device you will need to make sure and adjust the settings on your amplifier in order to block any mid to high frequencies come in.

 

This is the basic way of converting car subs to home subs. There is a better way of doing this that can allow for a more permanent setup and doesn't take up as much room. But, it is highly complicated and unless you know your way around a soldering iron and have an excellent knowledge of electrical systems, I don't recommend doing it yourself. 

 

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mstng87gt
Posts: 2,564
Topics: 57
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Registered: 04-29-2009

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

When I meant ohms I was talking about hooking them up to a Home audio Amp like Emotiva or onkyo  for the inwall/passive subs etc.  Not using the car audio amp.

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Contributor
TechSavvyChick
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-25-2011

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

I see... Although depending on the sub, you could still use a Home audio amp if you wire the sub to 8 ohms. But, I get what you're saying. I myself and probably you as well would not hook it up in this manner. It's a waist of a good amp.
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mstng87gt
Posts: 2,564
Topics: 57
Kudos: 70
Solutions: 29
Registered: 04-29-2009

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

I would buy a true home theather sub.  Even on a budget there are some really good ones.

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Contributor
TechSavvyChick
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-25-2011

Re: Using Subwoofers in House

Agreed!!
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