A total newbie- PLEASE HELP!

[chloe_sullivan]

I am like a total newbie with this whole home theatre thingy. I am going to set up this whole new ensemble ( whenever it gets delivered to me)- HDTV, dvd player, reciever, speakers and all that jazz.


Now here is what I need help with...

Reciever- Onkyo 7.1-Channel Surround Sound Receiver (TX-SR803S)

Speakers- Infinity Home Theater Speaker System (TSS 750)

What kind of wires and other stuff do I need to hook up the reciever to my speakers?

I tried surfing for info and stumbled across this forum. Hoping for help. :-(

 

[majorloser]

Welcome to the addiction!

I'll try and help. Could you tell us a little about the other component you plan on hooking up? TV, DVD, satelite/cable, etc.

Obviously you'll need some 14 to 12 gauge speaker wire. A lot of guy around here use Belden brand wire they buy from www.bluejeancables.com

 

[chloe_sullivan]

Billy p... Now what is an audio cable? I am learning A..B..C..Ds.. of it all now :-(

Major Loser: I am gonna hook up my upconversion DVD player and my HD-cable box to my new Samsung 50" DLP™ HDTV (HL-S5087W) tv. I am going to use HDMI cables to hook them all up through my receiver. I am just so very confused about the speaker systerm wiring and the terms. I wish they provided wiring with the speakers. :-(

So, do I need to buy seperate subwoofer cables, digital coaxial cable, fiber optic cable besides the wire you mentioned? And what about the colorful connector thingies?

sighhh

 

[WorldLeader]

Welcome!

To start out connecting your speakers to your receiver, you will need speaker cable. This is comprised of two wires, usually red and black, that connect to both the back of the receiver and the speakers themselves. Here is a link to Blue Jeans Cable, which makes reasonably priced and good quality cables.

You can also get speaker wire at your local Radio Shack, or Hi-Fi store if you don't already have it. To connect it, measure and cut enough cable to reach to each speaker where it will sit, and connect the cables to the appropriate output on your receiver. Make sure that you don't get the red and black ends confused and attach them backwards, as this can damage your speakers.

To hook up your HDTV, you will probably use either HDMI, which your receiver may or may not have, or component cables. HDMI cables are made up of one cable with small, flat and wide ends. Like so:

Component cables are made of three smaller cables labeled Y, Pb, Pr; which are usually green, blue and red. Here's a picture:

The DVD player will attach to the receiver's inputs using component cables as well.

The receiver acts as a Headquarters for the system, routing all the data from the source (like a CD or DVD player) to the TV and speakers. Pay attention to the inputs and outputs on the back of the receiver, the source material should go into the input.

Sound input can be achieved with (from good to best)

1) a stereo cable, made of two individual cables that are red and white. They make up the left and right channel of an analog signal. OK, but not the best.

2) with a Coax cable, which is a single cable that can carry digital audio

3) with an optical cable, which some DVD players have. This is about the same quality as the Coax cable. It uses fiber optics to carry digital signals. You'll sometimes see this referred to as TOSlink.

Suggestion: For your DVD player, use a digital audio signal like Coax or Optical, for your CD player use the stereo sound cables (red and white, L&R)

To hook up your subwoofer, there is a little input on the back of your receiver called subwoofer or LFE. It is usually in the pre-out section of the back panel. You will need a normal, simple subwoofer cable to attach to the output on the receiver to the input on the subwoofer. Here is a picture:

There are lots of places on the Audioholic's website that deal with setting up equipment as well. Best place to start is HERE.


I hope you have a better picture now!

WL

 

[jaxvon]

All you need is some speaker wire. It looks like the Infinity system comes with the requisite subwoofer cable (15 foot length, if this isn't long enough, you'll need to get another one). You should be able to find the cables you need at Radio Shack. You don't need fancy cables like Monster. Just pick up some decent quality 16ga or 14ga speaker cable and a subwoofer cable if you need it.

However, you will need some other cables for the other goodies you're getting. If you wouldn't mind, it'd be great if you could post the models of the TV and DVD-player you've got on order too so we can help you select the best cables to use.

Edit: I would recommend against buying speaker cable from Blue Jeans. While they carry quality stuff, buying in bulk from them is expensive compared to other stores. If you really want the Belden or Canare wire they carry, I would suggest that you buy it from here:

www.westlake-electronic.com

 

[chloe_sullivan]

Worldleader: WOW! Thanks for the detailed reply. That really really really helps. Pictures and all, awesome! I actually know what I am supposed to buy now.

Jaxvon: Thanks to you too. My tv is Samsung 50" DLP™ HDTV (HL-S5087W)
and DVD player is Sony 5-Disc DVD/CD Changer (DVPNC85HB).

And they both have HDMI thing and my reciever has two HDMI inputs and one output so I guess I can use HDMI cables for it.

One more question.. do the HDMI wires have to be as expensive as they are at circuitcity? Like about four feet at 150 dollars! I have found cheaper ones online but does that make a difference in quality?

And I am hearing a lot of buzz about cable boxes not being compatible with recievers with the whole HDMI dealio, so if I use the coaxial cables for that will the quality not be as good as it would have been with HDMI connections?

 

[Totoro]

Edit: I would recommend against buying speaker cable from Blue Jeans. While they carry quality stuff, buying in bulk from them is expensive compared to other stores. If you really want the Belden or Canare wire they carry, I would suggest that you buy it from here:

www.westlake-electronic.com

Also, radioshack has Monster xphp brand cables on sale for less than $10. They include the gold plated pins.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2117894

 

[majorloser]

World Leader: You da man! (I think I'll link to this post in the future )


Now back cables

For good quality HDMI cables at a good price try www.monoprice.com

The whole HDMI thing is still being worked out (ver. 1.3 blah, blah, blah). Just try to stick with the heavier gauge wires if you have a run over say 10 feet or more (22 to 24 ga.). In case you didn't know, the lower the gauge number, the bigger (heavier) the wire. Hence, 12 gauge wire is larger than 14 gauge.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Welcome Are you by chance female? We don't get too many here

You are so lucky to have been guided here as some others places may have been an expensive learning tool.
Lots of good info given to you. Need to remember, audio like other consumer marketplaces is full of bs, voodoo, urban legends, myths, so be careful.
That $150 cable is just one of them
You got a link to monoprice. It is a very good place for wire at a good price as you will see right away.
Yes, at times there is a difficulty with HDMI and TV connection to the cable box. There are signals to recognise for it to happen and that at times gets messed up.
If you browse this site on the home page, lots of good papers about a lot if areas.
Welcome, good luck and don't be a stranger

 

[Rob Babcock]

If you're lucky you might find HDMI cables at your local WalMart store. The ones in my area sell them for around $20-$30 depending on length.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Definitely take a look at www.monoprice.com for all your cabling needs. If you aren't running wires behind walls or anything crazy, then if you decide to upgrade later on you can. But, in my experience, the cables from Monoprice are transparent when compared to other far more expensive brands.

Yes, I've tried the $200 Monster cable, then the $10 Monoprice cable and no visible difference was detected. So, why spend 20 times as much?

You got some great specific answers already - keep the questions coming if you have them.

 

[chloe_sullivan]

Welcome Are you by chance female? We don't get too many here

You are so lucky to have been guided here as some others places may have been an expensive learning tool.
Lots of good info given to you. Need to remember, audio like other consumer marketplaces is full of bs, voodoo, urban legends, myths, so be careful.
That $150 cable is just one of them
You got a link to monoprice. It is a very good place for wire at a good price as you will see right away.
Yes, at times there is a difficulty with HDMI and TV connection to the cable box. There are signals to recognise for it to happen and that at times gets messed up.
If you browse this site on the home page, lots of good papers about a lot if areas.
Welcome, good luck and don't be a stranger

true, too many myths out there and I was made a fool of by the circuit city guys..they piled on stuff sensing I was a newbie..
They asked me to buy a 300 dollar surge protector for the home theatre system saying it delivers clean power and stuff.. so should I stick with it or buy something cheaper?

and yes, I am a female. Isn't that obvious..

Thanks Rob

BMXTRIX: Yeah, thanks. I bought the cables from monoprice just yesterday. Will return the monster cable the CC guys forced upon me.

 

[KevInCinci]

First, I'd applaud the vets here for actually answering our new friends questions, rather than giving an angry "use the search function" or simply ignoring him/her. Kudos to everyone and the friendly atmosphere on the forum!

For speaker wire, if you need a lot, say to run to your rear speakers, you can get 12 gauge wire for like $.60 cents a foot at Lowes or Home Depot and they'll cut exactly how much you need. Of course, it's really hard to be that price of the Monster cable currently on clearance at Radio Shack, like $10 for 25'. For once, their price matches their quality.

People here don't seem to much recommend buying off e-bay, but I got my 25-foot HDMI cable off there and it works great for like $50. I got the heaviest gauge I could find. I compared it to an expensive 6' HDMI cable I borrowed from my more HT-savvy friend and noticed absolutely no difference between them in picture quality.

Cheers,

Kevin

 

[majorloser]

People here don't seem to much recommend buying off e-bay...

Well, for a complete newbie who doesn't know what they're looking at, E-bay can be an even bigger ripoff. Caveat emptor

 

[billy p]

Uhm

First, I'd applaud the vets here for actually answering our new friends questions, rather than giving an angry "use the search function" or simply ignoring him/her. Kudos to everyone and the friendly atmosphere on the forum!

For speaker wire, if you need a lot, say to run to your rear speakers, you can get 12 gauge wire for like $.60 cents a foot at Lowes or Home Depot and they'll cut exactly how much you need. Of course, it's really hard to be that price of the Monster cable currently on clearance at Radio Shack, like $10 for 25'. For once, their price matches their quality.

People here don't seem to much recommend buying off e-bay, but I got my 25-foot HDMI cable off there and it works great for like $50. I got the heaviest gauge I could find. I compared it to an expensive 6' HDMI cable I borrowed from my more HT-savvy friend and noticed absolutely no difference between them in picture quality.

Cheers,

Kevin

I think some how they new this member might be female
Just a guess on my part

Hey Chloe, sounds like you've put together a good set up, foward some pics later.
Bill

 

[mtrycrafts]

I was made a fool of by the circuit city guys..they piled on stuff sensing I was a newbie..
They asked me to buy a 300 dollar surge protector for the home theatre system saying it delivers clean power and stuff.. so should I stick with it or buy something cheaper?

No, stay away from that one. If your area experiences blackouts, surges, or lightning, there are better ones for that. Clean power is also a myth.

and yes, I am a female. Isn't that obvious..

Well, coul dhave been a fan of Chloe on 24. Don't want to assume.

I bought the cables from monoprice just yesterday. Will return the monster cable the CC guys forced upon me.


Tell them the picture was horrible on them but the ones from monoprice was superb and at a fraction of the cost. Then, watch their expression

 

[chloe_sullivan]

billy p: I surfed the sub-forum where people have posted pictures of their HTs. My system( whenever it gets set-up) will be a mere candle in front of those bright blazing stars. But I will put up pictures.

mtrycrafts: By better you mean price wise or performance wise? Well..in place of the 300 dollar monster power thingy, I got a simple 30 dollar one from Radioshack.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Well, coul dhave been a fan of Chloe on 24. Don't want to assume.

Mtry: Chloe Sullivan is one of the key characters on the show Smallville. A show I'm waiting for on HD discs for sure.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Mtry: Chloe Sullivan is one of the key characters on the show Smallville. A show I'm waiting for on HD discs for sure.

Oh, thanks. I knew the name was familiar as I watch both, but the season has been over, so I made room for other names up there

At least I was on the right track about using a character's name.

 

[mtrycrafts]

mtrycrafts: By better you mean price wise or performance wise? Well..in place of the 300 dollar monster power thingy, I got a simple 30 dollar one from Radioshack.

Price wise