I totally need your help please!

[leocalgary]

I am a newbie at AV system, right now I have a pair of bookshelf speaker Bose 141, I am going to buy a receiver which is Pioneer 7.1 Channel THX Receiver (VSX-1016TXVK), I don't have too much money spend on AV system, but I really want to establish my preliminary AV system, so what is your suggestion please, if I buy a subwoofer as another speaker, is that enough for this AV system(totally 3 speakers plus the pair of Bose)?(I have DVD player and TV).If it's OK, how can I make the connections between the receiver and the speakers with cables?
Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Is it enough? No, there is no such thing as 'enough'. But, if it is all you can afford right now, then that is where you are at. You mentioned 2 speakers only, so I'm not sure where you get 3 speakers plus the pair of Bose...

In the end: A 5.1 system for surround (5 speakers plus a subwoofer) is a pretty standard/generic surround setup. The quality of the sound will depend on the quality of the speakers you get and that combination with the receiver you purchase. The Pioneer is an excellent product for the money and I feel you are making a good choice there.

If you are purchasing additional speakers, or want to know about the quality of the speakers you have, then that should be addressed separately, and you likely will get better responses in the speaker section of this site. Just an FYI: Bose is not often spoken of as one of the better choices in speakers and is generally considered fairly low quality overall. The 141s at the very least allow for traditional wiring.

How to wire?

You already answered that question. How do you make the connections between the receiver and the speakers? With speaker cable! You can pick this up from many places - even you local Home Depot. Better stuff and cheaper/higher quality may be found online. But, you just need to run a speaker cable (14 or 12 gauge wire is what I would go with) from the receiver, to the speaker. Put the red wire on the red terminal for the spaker, put the other end of the red terminal on the back of the receiver... on... you guessed it... the red terminal! Do the same with the black wire/black terminals. The location of speakers will be covered in the 1016 owners manual and there is good info on this site for speaker placement.

The subwoofer should be an active model which you will need to plug into the wall. The receiver has a 'subwoofer out' or 'LFE out' jack on the back. Connect a standard video cable (yellow RCA ends) from the receiver to the subwoofer and you will have your subwoofer audio output ready to go.

Depending on how well you want to hide wires it could take from 30 minutes to a full day to setup the system to your satisfaction - but the setup itself stays the same. Pretty darn easy overall.

 

[leocalgary]

Thanks very much,BMXTRIX, that helps a lot!
By the way, can I still use the pair of Bose?your advice depressed me a little bit cause I thought that Bose bookshelf always presents the best sound of all ( I bought them last year because I got someone's recommandation from a website). Can I add a subwoofer to make a 2.1? I seldem watch DVD but listen to music and FM radio often.

Thanks very much.

 

[Seth=L]

Bose is definitely not the best sounding speaker, unless you truly believe it to be. There is no such thing as a best sounding speaker, it is all up to each individual to decide what sounds best to them.

Traditionally Bose is not looked to for high quality sound, but rather simplicity or aesthetics. In either case they don't offer you a good bang for buck. Bose leads consumers to beleive that they are some of the best sounding systems out there, but this is just part of their marketing scheme. Most companies would have you believe they are the best at what they do, and Bose is no exeption or slouch when it markets itself.

We can help more once we know what speakers you have already and your spending budget. I am assuming the 141's are the only speakers you have, but I am just double checking.

 

[leocalgary]

Thanks you very much for your reply and caution, Seth=L.
Presently I just have a pair of Bose 141 speakers, I sold my old receiver and ready to buy a Pioneer VSX-1016TXVK this christmas, I appreciate for your help.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Yes, the Bose speakers you currently own are designed in a way that allows for traditional wiring. If I were you I would come back and frequent this forum for honest information on speakers and other gear. There is another post that just went up about Bose and the quality of their products - but the key is to remember that a lot of the money everyone spends on any Bose product does not go back into that product, but goes into advertising. They aren't the worst sounding speaker, but for the money you spend, they may very well be the worst sounding at that price point.

Use them though! Enjoy them! Bang the heck out of them! Then, get new speakers next year when you can afford them.

Yes, by the way, you can definitely add just a subwoofer to make the system a 2.1 setup.

 

[Seth=L]

If it was me, I would use the Bose as surrounds and get front left/right/center speakers all from another manufacturer. PSB, Infinity, Paradigm, or maybe internet brands Like SVS, HSU, AV123, or Axiom would all be good choices for your front channels. Try to timbre match your fronts, meaning usually you want to get the same series for your Left/Right speakers and Center.

 

[Audioholics]

We can help more once we know what speakers you have already and your spending budget.

Uh, oh... Seth thinks he has spam-posted himself into being part of the collective!

 

[Seth=L]

Uh, oh... Seth thinks he has spam-posted himself into being part of the collective!

Sorry, did I miss something.

Edit:
Clint, you have got to put a grin there or something, I completely missunderstood.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Sorry, did I miss something.

Clint seems to be on a sarcasm and joke roll this week. Somebody needs to give him a whack in the forehead and yell STOP IT! This is the Internet, we don't get humor here.

 

[superstar]

I had somewhat of a similar question about the Bose speakers/system and I was pointed to these very informative links Bose Review Battle of the Budget Towers

Edited for wrong link.