Extremely New to home theater

A

anyuse200

Banned
Hi, there I have a bunch of cables from impact acoustics and cables to go, an svs sbs-01 7.0 speaker system, with a 16-46 plus sub and a yamaha rx-v 2600 receiver with an oppo digital dvd player.

Having never set up speakers before, and having nothing else to do tonight, I have decided to start talking in the audioholics forums.

The speaker cable I have is the impact acoustics in-wall cl2 12 guage I believe , in wall speaker wire, I have 100 feet of it .

I am planning on splitting my 100 feet cables into 7 pieces, so I would say 14 feet for each wire(I am suddenly realizing I may not have enough speaker wire- well hopefully I do but anyways my questions are as follows.

Does guage matter in speaker wire, first off becasue I realize I may run out of speaker wire, 100 feet may not be enough for my small living room(maybe cut varying lenghts).

How is one supposed to cut this speaker wire
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=3104&sku=43131
Can I use a steak knife, a household knife, I mean do I just slice in the middle where I want to cut it off.

Finally when connecting to the speakers and the subwoofer, do I need to jumble it all in, ot just one a strand of wire and use the banana plugs, the yamaha
receiver and the sbs speakers have those screw on blakc and red circulor things that you can screw in and out.

Ok that's it for now- my next concern is buying a good projector and finding out what's going on with this dvd blu-ray and hd-dvd- how will 7.1 sound hd be outputted, I hope if I buy a 720p projector it will last over the next few years?

I have no experience with speaker positiong and the like, and arguments with my parents about a ht are common.
Please give me advice on how to get cheap speaker stands or in-wall mounts for my speakers, and no I am not a "rebel young-man", but I would like to make the speakers blend into areas transparently(yeah I am already knowing what people talk about WAF-wife approval factor).
 
Rock&Roll Ninja

Rock&Roll Ninja

Audioholic Field Marshall
anyuse200 said:
I am planning on splitting my 100 feet cables into 7 pieces, so I would say 14 feet for each wire
All your pieces of speaker-wire do not need to be the same size, the electrical signal will travel over the wires so fast you won't hear a difference in 2 feet or a half mile of speakerwire. So if you keep your AVR under the center channel (and most people do), you'll only need 2 feet or so for the CC, front L&R will be a few feet more, and that'll leave plenty of wire for the surrounds & rear speakers.

How is one supposed to cut this speaker wire
Can I use a steak knife, a household knife, I mean do I just slice in the middle where I want to cut it off.
Use dedicated wire cutters/strippers. Yes you can cut wire with a pair of scissors, but you'll need to strip an inch or so of the plastic insulation off the ends to connect it to the speaker or AVR. So just pony-up the $8 for a decent stripper/cutter from Radioshack.

Finally when connecting to the speakers and the subwoofer, do I need to jumble it all in, ot just one a strand of wire and use the banana plugs, the yamaha
receiver and the sbs speakers have those screw on blakc and red circulor things that you can screw in and out.
Once you have the wire stripped of its plastic housing, you can just insert the ends into the speakers and AVR as is, special wire plugs will make things simpler, especially if you have to undo a wire at some point and plug it back in. Plugs will not make your system sound better/worse, its a convenience thing. Also if your subwoofer is a powered sub (and it better be, you didn't say you bought a seperate amp) you'll also need a mono RCA cable to connect it to your AVR's "sub out" jack. No speaker wire needed for the sub.

how will 7.1 sound hd be outputted,
HD DVD and BRD will both continue to use existing DD and DTS codecs, just like DVD. New codecs are DD+, which allows for 7 discreet channels, and TrueHD, Dolby's new lossless audio format. DD+ can be output with regular optical & digital RCA cable (just like regular DD), but TrueHD will only work with HDMI or analog cables from the player. (Toshiba's HD DVD player will only support TrueHD 2-channel in this fashion).


I hope if I buy a 720p projector it will last over the next few years?
HD DVD, BRD, XBox360, PS3 all support 720p natively (HD cable might also in your area, ask them). But if you need 1080p really depends on the size of your screen and you. Most people will be happy as clams with 720p and 96" screens. The big concern right now is HDCP, currently you can get HD DVD over component cable & DVI, but the studios can start insisting upon HDMI whenever they want. So I'd make sure whatever projector you buy has a HDMI input.

I have no experience with speaker positiong and the like, and arguments with my parents about a ht are common.
Visit Dolby's website for graphics on proper speaker arrangement. 3 in the front, 2 to the sides of the couch, 2 behind.

Please give me advice on how to get cheap speaker stands or in-wall mounts for my speakers, and no I am not a "rebel young-man", but I would like to make the speakers blend into areas transparently.
You can find cheap speaker stands almost anywhere (SVS will sell you some with your speakers), even Wal*Mart.com. And you have to buy special in-wall speakers to mount your speakers in walls (which also requires knocking holes in the sheetrock). I suggest wall brackets: they aren't invisible, but they're better than having to knock holes in your wall.
 
jcPanny

jcPanny

Audioholic Ninja
Projector options

Sound like your HT is off to a good start based on the components you have selected.
For projectors, check out the Recent review of the Optima HD72 on this site. It should offer great 720p DLP performance in the $2k price range. If you need additional features like lense shift for your installation, check out the Panny AE900U and Sanyo PVL-Z4 LCD projectors. This site does occasional projector reviews, but their emphasis is on audio gear.
Check out projectorcentral.com for reviews on all of the available HT projector models.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
Rock&Roll Ninja said:
you won't hear a difference in 2 feet or a half mile .

Well, He might:D But for a different reason :D
Couldn't help it:p
 

Latest posts

newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top