Need help with RCA to speaker wiring

[bsteeze]

Hi i am usually pretty good with audio wiring but am stuck with this one. i have a set of tower speakers that are each independently powered and have inputs for regular speaker wire. my audio source is my traktor S4 dj controller with RCA outputs. i bought the cables at radio shack that have a male RCA plug on one end and rax speaker wire on the other end. when i plug the RCA to my mixer and the speaker wire to the speakers, i dont get much sound. i have to turn the volume up all the way on my mixer and laptop and then can hear a little bit of sound from the speaker. is there something i need to do differently? please help

 

[getochkn]

what speakers? Don't usually see powered speakers that have speaker wire inputs as that's usually a powered source itself. RCA or XLR is 99% what you get for powered equipment.

 

[billius]

The RCA outputs on your controller are probably low level, (low voltage), and intended to first pass to an amplifier that will boost the power and only then will that device connect to your speakers via native inputs. I have never seen RCA direct to speakers connection in a proper setup- the cables/ports are purpose made for the type of device they are intended to connect to.

This is why you have to turn the volume up all the way to hear even faint sound, an in-line amplifier is needed and can be had cheaply to accomplish the goal of connecting speakers.

Check this out, CNET loves this cheap little box:

http://www.cnet.com/products/lepai-lp-2020a-plus/

 

[bsteeze]

what speakers? Don't usually see powered speakers that have speaker wire inputs as that's usually a powered source itself. RCA or XLR is 99% what you get for powered equipment.

they are tower speakers. Definitive Technology is the brand. says on the back BP-2004 Bipolar Array with built in powered subwoofer. i also tried it with a regular stereo speaker and had the same results

 

[getochkn]

what speakers? Don't usually see powered speakers that have speaker wire inputs as that's usually a powered source itself. RCA or XLR is 99% what you get for powered equipment.

they are tower speakers. Definitive Technology is the brand. says on the back BP-2004 Bipolar Array with built in powered subwoofer. i also tried it with a regular stereo speaker and had the same results

The sub is powered in those speakers, not the speakers themselves. you need an amp.