Should I or should I not use my pre-out for my subwoofer?

[iSamurai]

I just installed a new deck that has an RCA preout for a subwoofer. On my previous deck, and how it's currently wired as well, I have my sub signal spliced from the rear channel feed. I use the fader to adjust the balance between sub and front speakers as my rear speakers are crap and I don't even use them. I have the bass set to the lowest possible setting so the front speakers are just for mids/highs. This setup has worked great for me. Now my new deck has a preout, and an LPF on the deck. Should I even bother using it? I have an LPF on the amp so I don't see why I'd need the LPF of the deck, and I don't use my rear speakers anyway. The only advantage I can think of is maybe better SQ?

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[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

Use your pre-out for it. Much cleaner to have a dedicated signal. You won't have to worry about tearing your rear speakers up to get more out of your subs. You (most likely) have a higher pre-out voltage than the old deck, so make sure and reset your gains (should be lower could be the same if your pre-out voltage remained the same)

 

[iSamurai]

Thank you.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

If your deck has a subwoofer output, it also probably has a crossover, subwoofer level control, and possibly a subsonic filter. You can only utilize these features if you use that output.