AV Receivers and equalizers were quite popular even a few decades back. Nowadays, we hardly see those in use. However, if you love those vintage audio-video systems of the past, you might be still using one. Many of the users of this entertainment equipment didn’t exactly know how to connect an equalizer to an AV receiver. Thus, they could not take the maximum advantage of the system.
That is why we have jotted this article down with the tutorials on how to connect an equalizer to an AV receiver. We will be sharing all the necessary instructions down below in a step by step manner.
So, let’s get into it…
Step by Step guide on How to Connect an Equalizer to an AV Receiver
There are several ways you can hook up an equalizer to an AV receiver. However, not all of them are easy or efficient. Thus, we will be sharing only 2 methods in the following section.
Method 1. Directly Connect the Graphic Equalizer and the Receiver:
This method is very easy to execute. However, before you start to try this one out. You will need a few things.
Requirements:
- Two Pairs (4) of RCA cable. Those come in red, black or white color
- The length of the RCA cables will depend on the distance between your Equalizer and the AV receiver
- Your AV receiver should have one or more tape monitor. So if a tape deck monitor is connected to the tape monitor channel, you will need to unplug those
- This method will work if the AV receiver doesn’t come with preamp-out channels
Step 1. The connection from the AV Receiver to the Equalizer:
Most of the AV receivers would come with multiple tape monitor channels on the back. You can take advantage of those ports for connecting the equalizer to the AV receiver.
First, take a pair of RCA cables. Now, connect one end of each of the cables to the output channels of the tape monitor port on the back of your AV receiver. So, now you have two ends of the RCA cables that are unplugged. Among them, one would be red-colored and another one would be white or black colored.
Now, take the red RCA cable and plug the other end of this cable to the right channel input jack of the equalizer. And, take the white or black RCA cable and plug the other end of this cable to the left channel input jack of the equalizer.
Step 2. The connection from the Equalizer to the AV Receiver:
Now, take the 2nd pair of the RCA cables. And, plug in one end of those RCA cables to the output channels of the graphic equalizer.
Then plug in the other end of the red RCA cable to the right tape monitor input channel of the receiver. And, plug in the other end of the black or white RCA cable to the left tape monitor input channel of the AV receiver.
Step 3. Test the Connection:
As usual, turn on the equalizer and the AV receiver. Then, select the ‘Tape Monitor’ function from the front control panel. At the moment, you should notice the equalizer is active. Now, you can set the equalizer according to your needs by adjusting the knobs.
If everything works right, then give yourself a pat on the back. Otherwise, check the connections carefully to see whether you have connected the cables the right way or not.
Method 2. Connect the Equalizer in-between the Amplifier & the AV Receiver:
This method is also quite easy to follow. But first, make sure you have all the required things that are listed below.
Requirements:
- 2 sets of RCA cables
- The RCA cable length should cover the distance between the equalizer to the AV receiver
- Your AV receiver must come with one of the preamp-in or preamp-out jacks
Step 1. The connection between the AV Receiver and the Equalizer:
As usual, take a set of the RCA cables. Now, connect one end of each of the cables to the pre-amp output channels that will be on the back of your AV receiver.
Now, take the red RCA cable and plug the other end of this cable to the right channel input jack of the equalizer. And, take the white or black RCA cable and plug the other end of this cable to the left channel input jack of the equalizer.
Step 2. The connection between the Amplifier and the Equalizer:
Now, take the 2nd set of the RCA cables. And, plug in one end of those RCA cables to the output channels of the graphics equalizer’s back.
Then plug in the other end of the red RCA cable to the right input channel of the amplifier. And, plug in the other end of the black or white RCA cable to the left input channel of the amplifier.
Step 3. The connection between the Amplifier and the AV Receiver:
In the process, the AV receiver and the amplifier should be connected via an RCA cable. The connection would be between the output channel of the amplifier and the input channel of the receiver. At the moment, your equalizer is connected with both of the AV receiver and the amplifier. That way, you can use all the 3 components at the same time.
Step 4. Test the Connection:
Now that you have made all the instructed connections, you can turn on all the components (amplifier, equalizer, and the AV receiver) for testing purposes. Check whether you can customize the equalizer successfully or not. If you can’t then you should redo the entire process carefully.
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Our Last Words:
From the tutorial above, you should already know that it is pretty straightforward to hook up an equalizer to an AV Receiver. Here, we have laid out 2 methods to execute the connection. From our experience, these are the two best ways to connect an equalizer to an AV Receiver. Typically, all the modern receivers come with integrated equalizers.
So, you can turn the equalizer option with a push of a button. If you own one of the new Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system, you will not need to go through all the hassles. Interestingly, you might also be able to adjust the equalizer with the provided remote control nowadays as well. No need to manually use the physical buttons or knobs anymore.
So, do you have any other methods of hooking up a graphics equalizer to an AV Receiver? Then you can share that with us down below!
