Brand new user....

[rlgoldinger]

I have just inherited a home theater set from a friend of mine and I'm determined to do this right. (I'm brand new to all of this, so please excuse my ignorance) I have 2 larger speakers, 2 smaller, 1 subwoofer, and 5 mountable surround sound speakers.

My question is simple. What else do I need to set this up? I've got it down that I need a receiver (I'm looking for mid-range quality) and speaker wire of some sort. I picked up 100 feet of 16 guage wire so far. Someone else told me that I should probably get a speaker selector box, but I was wondering if a receiver could do that.

Lastly, I wanted to hook this up to my computer to play my music through. What is it that I need to get? Is it something that I need to get to hook the computer up to the speakers or something that I need to hook the computer up to the TV....or is it the same thing?

Any advice I would greatly appreciate it.

-Newbie

 

[joe68]

thats an awful lot of speakers, what are you thinking in terms of setup, and what type of room(s) are you setting up. that would probably help in determining what other equiptment to buy, and give the experts on this fourm some insight, they seem to have a handle on whats out there.

 

[Halon451]

I have just inherited a home theater set from a friend of mine and I'm determined to do this right. (I'm brand new to all of this, so please excuse my ignorance) I have 2 larger speakers, 2 smaller, 1 subwoofer, and 5 mountable surround sound speakers.

My question is simple. What else do I need to set this up? I've got it down that I need a receiver (I'm looking for mid-range quality) and speaker wire of some sort. I picked up 100 feet of 16 guage wire so far. Someone else told me that I should probably get a speaker selector box, but I was wondering if a receiver could do that.

Lastly, I wanted to hook this up to my computer to play my music through. What is it that I need to get? Is it something that I need to get to hook the computer up to the speakers or something that I need to hook the computer up to the TV....or is it the same thing?

Any advice I would greatly appreciate it.

-Newbie

Welcome to the forum. Do you know what brand of speakers you are using? Are you looking to do a full 7.1, 6.1, 5.1 (indicates # of speakers in system plus subwoofer, which is the '.1')

You shouldn't need the speaker selector box for basic HT setup. With that many speakers you could consider running a separate zone in your house, don't know if that is what you're after.

Purchasing a decent receiver is obviously a fundamental aspect of a good Home Theater system, but most here will agree that your speakers are what makes or breaks your system in terms of performance. It sounds like you may have a mix-matched set of speakers on your hand, depending on what they are, even a good receiver will not be able to truly give you stellar performance, although it would work.

To get down to the nitty gritty though, try to list as many details as possible - I'll give you some starters:

- Type of speakers (brand name/model number)
- Same for subwoofer
- Room dimensions (length, width, and height)
- Distance of back wall to main seating area (to determine if 6.1 or 7.1 is even feasible)
- Budget - how much you're willing to spend
- If you plan to run a second zone or not

Your answer to these questions will help people here suggest some surround sound receivers that will best work for you.

As for the computer hookup - very simple. If the computer is nearby, all you have to do is run a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable (available anywhere home electronics are sold) into an available input to your receiver (some even have a 3.5mm jack built in so all you need is a single 3.5mm to 3.5mm cord), select the appropriate input on the receiver to have it come through your speakers. You would of course run this cable from your single stereo out jack on your computer.

Lastly - HT can be addictive, but you came to the right place for help getting started.