I need any help I can get

[zcon1303]

Ok so I know virtually nothing about home audio set up, especially when I have not done the initial install... I just bought a house we moved in about 3 weeks ago and the living room already had 6 total speakers built in flush to the walls (all 6 speakers look exactly the same so I'm not sure if it means no subwoofer or not). Everything runs to the picture I am attaching. My question is how exactly do I go about getting it all to work? I have gone to best buy and I believe there is a 7 channel receiver (Pioneer VSX-834) I need to get but I am unsure outside of that what I need. Every video I try to pull up shows connecting speakers that aren't built in....is it as simple as just connecting speaker wire from the receiver to these plug ins? or based off of the picture is there anything else you guys could recommend I do or would need. Like I mentioned all the speakers look the same so I assume no sub, but the connection says subwoofer so I'm not sure if I need to purchase one separately. Thank you so much for any advice, also I can post more pictures of the living room set up tonight if that would help as well.

 

[shadyJ]

Looking at those plugs, you should have 7 speakers in there. The subwoofer plugs should only go to some other subwoofer signal jacks somewhere else in the room, but they aren't going into any installed sub. It looks like you will have to add a sub. If the wall speakers are wired to those plugs, all you have to do is hook up the speaker wire from your receiver to the wall plugs shown there. Use banana plug tips on the speaker wire.

 

[zcon1303]

Looking at those plugs, you should have 7 speakers in there. The subwoofer plugs should only go to some other subwoofer signal jacks somewhere else in the room, but they aren't going into any installed sub. It looks like you will have to add a sub. If the wall speakers are wired to those plugs, all you have to do is hook up the speaker wire from your receiver to the wall plugs shown there. Use banana plug tips on the speaker wire.

I just double and triple checked I swear I have only a total of 6 speakers and I also have two different connections one on the far left wall and one on the far right, I am assuming these would be the subwoofer plugs you mentioned?

 

[lovinthehd]

If you have six are they all left/right? Maybe the center was nixed after wiring? Maybe they had a separate center?

Having separate subs seems likely, and seems you've found the different connections (for rca plugs). The avr you mention should work...altho it'd be nice to know just what the speakers are.

 

[zcon1303]

If you have six are they all left/right? Maybe the center was nixed after wiring? Maybe they had a separate center?

Having separate subs seems likely, and seems you've found the different connections (for rca plugs). The avr you mention should work...altho it'd be nice to know just what the speakers are.

They all appear to be left/right and like you said maybe they didn’t go with a center the console I posted would be the center of the room where the tv is....all the speakers look like the picture attached they are just spread throughout 3 different walls in the room left right and back wall. I also attached a picture of the other connections I have on the right and left walls would this be for the subwoofer I’d buy separately?

 

[lovinthehd]

They all appear to be left/right and like you said maybe they didn’t go with a center the console I posted would be the center of the room where the tv is....all the speakers look like the picture attached they are just spread throughout 3 different walls in the room left right and back wall. I also attached a picture of the other connections I have on the right and left walls would this be for the subwoofer I’d buy separately?

I meant what make/model each speaker is. Does look like an rca connector in the second pic on the bottom, curious why there's what appears to be speaker terminals as well, tho....

 

[zcon1303]

I meant what make/model each speaker is. Does look like an rca connector in the second pic on the bottom, curious why there's what appears to be speaker terminals as well, tho....

Ohhh yeah I would have no idea we just bought this house and moved in a month ago and the previous owners weren’t the ones who installed any of this itnwas the guy before them and they never messed with it that’s why I’m so lost on what I have or still need

 

[lovinthehd]

Ohhh yeah I would have no idea we just bought this house and moved in a month ago and the previous owners weren’t the ones who installed any of this itnwas the guy before them and they never messed with it that’s why I’m so lost on what I have or still need

Do you have any audio gear to test the speakers/connections with now? Yours doesn't sound as convoluted as some with combinations of single and pairs of speakers in various rooms and odd controls....yours is just a simple surround system it seems.

 

[zcon1303]

No I’ve got literally nothing ha... I was going to make a trip to Best Buy to pick up everything I need once I figure out exactly what that is

 

[zcon1303]

Going off what you said if it is just a simple surround sound set up do I just need a receiver and some speaker wire to hook it all up?

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd still try and test the speakers/connections to start, for me that's always easy as I have plenty of gear....

An avr would be a good way to start along with some speaker wire and banana plugs (I buy speaker wire in bulk and use Sewell Silverback banana plugs), might want to make sure they'll accept a return if necessary, tho. I'd hold off on further purchases of center/sub until I got the built-in speakers working (and make sure they are to your liking).

 

[zcon1303]

I'd still try and test the speakers/connections to start, for me that's always easy as I have plenty of gear....

An avr would be a good way to start along with some speaker wire and banana plugs (I buy speaker wire in bulk and use Sewell Silverback banana plugs), might want to make sure they'll accept a return if necessary, tho. I'd hold off on further purchases of center/sub until I got the built-in speakers working (and make sure they are to your liking).

Awesome I appreciate it...I’ll start there then

 

[zcon1303]

I'd still try and test the speakers/connections to start, for me that's always easy as I have plenty of gear....

An avr would be a good way to start along with some speaker wire and banana plugs (I buy speaker wire in bulk and use Sewell Silverback banana plugs), might want to make sure they'll accept a return if necessary, tho. I'd hold off on further purchases of center/sub until I got the built-in speakers working (and make sure they are to your liking).

Ok this is my last question I know it’s a dumb one but I just want to clarify....the banana plugs would be used to connect into the receiver and the wall plate meaning I use it on both sides of the speaker wire correct? So a 12 pack of banana plugs would really only be for 6 connections

 

[lovinthehd]

Ok this is my last question I know it’s a dumb one but I just want to clarify....the banana plugs would be used to connect into the receiver and the wall plate meaning I use it on both sides of the speaker wire correct? So a 12 pack of banana plugs would really only be for 6 connections

Correctamundo but questions are good. If you use the same banana plugs I do they have two small set screws that need a fairly small screwdriver (regular) blade. Some like the crimp/toolless type but I have tried those and don't find them as secure (in gripping the speaker wire bare end). You can use a table like this to determine the best gauge of speaker wire for your speakers' impedance and length needed (altho in your case most of it is in the wall, and who knows what gauge). Be cautious of very low priced speaker wire in bulk, sometimes it is CCA (copper clad aluminum), better to get all copper (99.9% or better, ETF or OFC as most is). Read around that site the table is from, lots of good info on speaker wire. A wire stripping tool is also a good thing to have but you can make do with a knife/blade....

 

[zcon1303]

Awesome I’ll have to browse around the site...last thing I think ( until i continue to think of possible issues) with only have the 6 speakers no center or sub....are those things I need immediately or if I get the receiver hook everything up will I still have functioning sound until I’m ready to invest in a sub down the road? Basically the set up is just for me and my wife with movies/ sports and the couch is straight ahead from the tv so I wasn’t sure how the sound would be straight on without a central speaker or if it even matters

 

[lovinthehd]

Awesome I’ll have to browse around the site...last thing I think ( until i continue to think of possible issues) with only have the 6 speakers no center or sub....are those things I need immediately or if I get the receiver hook everything up will I still have functioning sound until I’m ready to invest in a sub down the road? Basically the set up is just for me and my wife with movies/ sports and the couch is straight ahead from the tv so I wasn’t sure how the sound would be straight on without a central speaker or if it even matters

I personally prefer a center speaker for dialog (which is largely what it does for tv/movies), some prefer a phantom center, tho. Can't tell much about the speakers except the photo makes them appear on the small side so they may not go very low and may actually need a sub to sound decent. You'd still have functioning sound without a center or sub, tho.

 

[zcon1303]

Yeah that’s what I’m hearing from others too that center is preferred....as for the sub does placement matter? The picture attached is on my far left living room wall would this be where a sub gets connected and then i hook up the receiver to the sub connection behind the tv on the wall plate?

 

[lovinthehd]

Sub is specific to a room as far as placement goes. Whether where it's wired closest to is a good spot...hard to know. You can look up subwoofer crawl....but measurement gear is better (but probably beyond your interest at this point I'd guess). Some avrs help integrate subs better than others (I think Audyssey does a good job).

 

[Paul DS]

You might want to test those speakers first to see if they work. Using two pieces of wire, one end connected to the negative and one to the positive end of a 1.5 volt flash light battery, touch the negative and positive connections to each speaker. You should get a healthy pop when you touch the connections. You won't damage the speakers in any way by testing them this way.

 

[BMXTRIX]

While I don't often buy stuff from Best Buy, getting a entry level 7.1 receiver may be a good way to go. If you already have 6 speakers in the room, they should be spread out in a pattern that follows close to the speaker placement guide.
https://www.audioholics.com/home-theater-connection/loudspeaker-placement-guide

I would probably unscrew the main wall plate and see what audio connections are behind there. I expect you will see at least 12 wires (6 pairs really) connected out to the room speakers, then another 2 coaxial cables which run to the subwoofer locations on the left/right of the room.

I would pull off the left/right locations as well to see what was connected behind there. It makes ZERO sense that there are 5-way binding posts (normal speaker connections) at the wall plates, but it is something I might do if I started with in-wall speakers but wanted to go to floor standing speakers later. I might wire the in-wall speakers in series with the wall jacks. So, maybe those come from the main left/right speaker locations.

How to check?

Get a short piece of speaker wire with two conductors. You can use an old power cord and cut it back if you have that around. Connect one end to the binding post on the wall. Red & Black. Now, on the other end of the wire, tap it to a battery. A 9 volt battery works well. If someone else is standing next to the speaker that you believe you connected to, you should hear the speaker make a small popping sound as you connect/disconnect the battery. It won't hurt the speaker.

Repeat this process for all the speakers to ensure they are all labeled correctly and wired properly.

At the speaker connections in the corner, see if you connect the battery there, if it affects the in-wall left and right main speakers. As I said, if it were me, I might connect those in series so that I could add good floor standing speakers in the future.

Once you are pretty sure of things, then you can move forward. You can pick up a entry level receiver from Best Buy, or check out Accessories For Less for some options as well. The receiver you listed is a perfectly capable entry level receiver...
https://intl.pioneer-audiovisual.com/products/av_receiver/vsx-834/specification.php

It has 4 HDMI inputs which should be plenty for a typical setup.

Speaker wire is probably overpriced at Best Buy, so get it from Amazon or Monoprice if you can wait. Realistically, you don't need much speaker wire. Just enough to get from the receiver to the wall. Be aware that your wall connections unscrew. You don't need ANY banana plugs, but they make installation much, much easier. Once again, if you can wait, Sewell Silverbacks are a great value and work really well. Beyond the 12 for your wall connection, you may want to get another 4 to 12 so you can connect to the back of the A/V receiver.

Banana Plugs: https://www.amazon.com/Sewell-Silverback-Banana-Speaker-Connector/dp/B0072KOHQ4/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2F14WVVAY64AF&keywords=sewell+silverback+banana+plugs&qid=1563381243&s=gateway&sprefix=sewell+silv,aps,125&sr=8-3

Speaker wire: https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Gauge-Speaker-Oxygen-Copper/dp/B01N4BIXDX/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=50+feet+speaker+wire+14/2&qid=1563381278&s=gateway&sr=8-4