$3000 -$4000 budget for 5.1

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shug23

Audioholic Intern
thanks for the advice on the pass-thru and the RCA/mini plug. Both have met with success. So now I have a puzzle...I am running my DISH to the receiver and then down to the TV on HDMI 1 (as input to the receiver) and I am running my ROKU to the receiver and then down to the TV on HDMI 2 (as input to the receiver). With pass thru set on, I can listen to DISH through the receiver or through the TV when the receiver is off.....same with the ROKU......If y'all follow this so far, I am stymied as to how to take the capabilities of the Smart TV features and run, say, HULU through the receiver......Ideally, I should be able to toss the ROKU into a file cabinet, but don't see how to do the wiring.
 
U

urtoast84

Audioholic Intern
Earlier these deals were showing as expiring at midnight PST tonight. The countdown timer is no longer there, so they may be around longer, but if you are ready to buy, just do it!

A pair of these for $162 each (or $324/pr)
one of these for $162

That gets you the front three for $486! I know that is way under your budget, but these are great speakers and the center is the best center I have ever heard - I assume that since you are talking 5.1 that your emphasis is on HT so the center is important to you!

That leaves you with $1500 to $2500 for your subs (we would recommend two) and AVR.
For the AVR, get this:

So that leaves you with $950 to $1950 for a pair of subs. Like I said, I assume you are about HT and or gaming. If you were 100% music, you could save money with subs that do not get all of the way down to the low (or below) 20Hz territory, but for HT, unless you are in an apartment where you need to be sensitive to your neighbors, you will want to spend at least ~$1400 for subs. I don't know of any killer deals right now on good HT subwoofers, and we need to know more particulars like your room size and how much of your listening is music%/HT%/Gaming% to make good subwoofer recommendations.

Again, the low cost of these speakers may scare you, but trust me, they are great speakers being clearanced at a deep discount and a couple of good subwoofers will easily take half of your budget!

Edit: I should ask what type of music you listen to because some genres of music do involve the kind of high output at low frequencies that I would normally consider only needed for HT!
Not to hijack this thread lol but you really like that center that much? Was looking at SVS ultras....this one is much less lol....
 
S

shug23

Audioholic Intern
I bought Paradigm many many moons ago....before I got my iPod, and have no complaints....I guess I just opt for keeping the single manufacturer
 
S

shug23

Audioholic Intern
Can anyone tell me how they run , say, Hulu or Netflix, using their smart TV, through the receiver...? I am running DISH and ROKU through the receiver and then back down to the TV through the receiver. but would like to get rid of the ROKU……..The only thing I can think of is to run DISH directly to the TV and use a digital optical cord from the TV over to the receiver...….although I think I tried this an I wasn't getting any volume from either the TV or the AVR
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Can anyone tell me how they run , say, Hulu or Netflix, using their smart TV, through the receiver...? I am running DISH and ROKU through the receiver and then back down to the TV through the receiver. but would like to get rid of the ROKU……..The only thing I can think of is to run DISH directly to the TV and use a digital optical cord from the TV over to the receiver...….although I think I tried this an I wasn't getting any volume from either the TV or the AVR
Your signal path description is a little confusing... all components should ideally run through the AVR/Pre-Pro. For example:
Sony Blu Ray > AVR (via HDMI) > TV (via HDMI)
TV Audio Out > AVR (via Toslink)

There are different ways people connect things, but many here seem to prefer keeping everything running to the AVR/PrePro as the hub. Most TVs are not good for processing everything and shouldn't always be trusted to send the signal then to the AVR/PrePro.

Though I have had little issue with my more modern experience using ARC, I do still use the Toslink output on the TV to the AVR on the rare occasions that I use the TV for streaming rather than my BluRay Player.

SO, it sounds like maybe you don't have the TV audio configured properly. Check both the TV and AVR/PrePro to confirm that you have that set up right. Once you do, then by selecting TV Audio on the AVR/Pre-Pro, any audio streamed to the TV directly from any TV App should go to the AVR.
Likewise, if ARC is funcioning properly, it should transmit aver the single HDMI (assuming you have ARC enabled and both devices are configured properly for the audio signal).
;)
 
S

shug23

Audioholic Intern
yeah, I must be doing something wrong...but I see you are using a BluRay player to get your Netflix, Hulu, etc......just as I am using a Roku.........I was hoping to eliminate the Roku altogether and haven't figured out how to do that....How would you do it, if you got rid of your BluRay , but wanted the option to hear sound either through the AVR or the TV ,choosing Netflix through the smartness of the TV?
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
yeah, I must be doing something wrong...but I see you are using a BluRay player to get your Netflix, Hulu, etc......just as I am using a Roku.........I was hoping to eliminate the Roku altogether and haven't figured out how to do that....How would you do it, if you got rid of your BluRay , but wanted the option to hear sound either through the AVR or the TV ,choosing Netflix through the smartness of the TV?
Just as I described.
I think something in your settings is askew if you have the Toslink hooked up: TV Optical Audio Out > to AVR/Pre-Pro Optical In...
[Sometimes I have connection issues, or Amazon Prime likes to get hung up while using my X700, so I switch to the TV to stream.]
...Then I have my TV audio assigned to that Digital Audio Input. I don't have the ability to confirm right now if I had to do anything on the TV-side Settings, but in my AVR I did.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Which dish receiver model? Does it have HDMI?
That’s a good question. FWIW, I have a hopper 3 and 3 joeys. All my displays are connected with a single hdmi cable from each dish receiver, to AVR , to TV. iirc, dish just started carrying Netflix. So, in this case I would just use the DN receiver to the AVR for NF. Fukk ARC, it’s a pain and doesn’t allow lossless. Again, like Ryan, I use my BD player for NF and Vudu etc.

Side note, I wish tv makers would have never adapted smart apps. It’s more complicated than hooking up a damn streamer...
 
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shug23

Audioholic Intern
I am going to contact Yamaha help desk tomorrow, but will try to post my question again here in case someone knows the answer. I have my cable box going into the receiver via an HDMI cord. I have an HDMI cord going from the receiver e/ARC output to the smart TV e/ARC input. When I put on the Packers tonight, I will get great audio coming through the receiver. But if the Packers get blown out, I may switch my smart TV over to Netflix to help my depression....The problem will be that I cannot get audio from the receiver if I switch from cable to Netflix. I am all but certain that the Yamaha 880 can somehow be told to allow the e/ARC connection to pass Netflix audio through the receiver but don't know how.......This is what I will be asking Yamaha tomorrow. (I have attempted to simplify the question by eliminating any ROKU or BLURay components)......As an aside, I did try passing Netflix audio using digital optical but , not only does that seem overly complicated, but it didn't work with the settings I have apparently...……...anyone know anything about the e/ARC HDMI connection that both the television and receiver have ? I think somehow it can be set to allow audio to be passed to the receiver
 
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ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
We have tried helping you. :)
Where are you streaming Netflix through?

if you are streaming through your tv, and the audio return channel does not work:
It could be that the receiver or television is not set up properly... both need to be configured in their respective settings.
It could be that you have a bum HDMI cable and should replace it.
You should also be able to connect a Toslink optical cable to send TV audio from the tv to the AVR.

If you are streaming Netflix from a separate device that is plugged into your AVR, it should work as simply as your cable box is.

As I recall, this has all been brought up before. Have you even tried any of these solutions?

FWIW: I have had zero failure with any of these cables I own:
 
S

shug23

Audioholic Intern
yes, I do appreciate the support but I probably need some hand holding. I thought I was pretty good at understanding connections but this seems to have me at a loss.....I am able to get everything I want using a ROKU device and the television....I am trying to eliminate the ROKU because it should be redundant. my HDMI cords should be fine; they are high quality and new. I have tried running optical cable(don't know what TOSLink is...a brand name?) from TV but that doesn't work...…...I still believe this should be seamless with no need for optical cable but that may be wishful thinking.....so yes, I think I need help with configuration :)
 
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shug23

Audioholic Intern
I would add e/ARC....the ARC stands for audio return cable.....so I think somehow in my set up, I am doing something wrong...but I do believe the e/ARC is a two way street , at least at the moment
 
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shug23

Audioholic Intern
I think you are right...I think somehow I have to tell my television to 'know' it has e/ARC......once I have an answer I will post
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Audio Return Channel
IS
a two way path.
If your TV, Cable, or reciever is not set up properly, it will not function.
Bypassing ARC with a Toslink cable... the Optical Audio Cable is common and easy to do. You just have to assign the AVR to play that optical input when you select TV or TV Audio, or whatever it may be on your AVR.

Though you may think you have good HDMI cables, this is a common problem. There are a lot of cable failures out there. Though if you get good quality image through them, it is probably OK. Please share what brand and length you are using on the Audio Return Channel.
 
S

shug23

Audioholic Intern
Monster 6 foot lengths......I am perusing the sony tv settings...My guess is somewhere in there is going to be a place where I tell it to do something...…..I may have to go to the SONY help desk...I hear what you are saying on the optical, but then how do I tell the receiver which video output I want at the same time...eg right now I am telling the receiver I want a) Roku or b) DISH and I get the visual and the audio...…......anyway, don't answer that question...something simple is getting complicated
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
anyway, don't answer that question...something simple is getting complicated
Yes. :)
And no. :p

You should try switching your cable. Order that Monoprice, from them or Amazon, or whoever... or find a different brand to try. Its good to have a back up cable anyway! Also, Monster is considerably over-rated as a brand and cost has no bearing on quality in this world. :)
I have at least 5 Monoprice HDMIs as I linked to before. They all work.
Re: the Toslink cable, it will be in the AVR menu for selecting that optical input as the source audio for Television Audio (any signal generated by the TV itself).

Please let us know how this goes for you.
 
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shug23

Audioholic Intern
I will take a look at the link but off to church now..Ryanosaur..I see where I can separate the audio from the video on the AVR so I believe I can successfully use an optical cord as you suggest.....still bothers me that I am bypassing the e/ARC....but will look at the article just posted and try the optical cord idea later...thanks
 
S

shug23

Audioholic Intern
Thank you Ryanosaur and Wlliam L for putting up with my struggles....The following did the trick...no optical cable needed...Ryan you were write that the AVR and Sony TV needed to be told what the other was wanting....


  1. Set the HDMI Control setting on the receiver to ON.
    1. On the receiver remote control, press the Menu or Home button.
      • The menu should appear on the TV screen. If not, check your connections.
    2. Select Settings.
    3. Press Enter.
    4. Select HDMI Control or CTR.HDMI.
    5. Press Enter.
    6. Select ON or CTRL ON.
    7. Press Enter.
  2. Set the Control for HDMI setting on the TV to ON.
    1. On the TV remote control, press the Home or Menu button.
    2. Select Settings or Setup
    3. Select HDMI.
    4. Select Control for HDMI.
    5. Select ON.
 

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