Newbie wiring question

[Belaflek73]

I have a question about speaker hook up to the back of a receiver. I have the Denon 3313ci receiver. The hook ups on the back are as follows from left to right:

[R FRONT L]

[R SURROUND L]
[R SURROUND BACK ASSIGNABLE L]
[R FRONT HEIGHT L]
[R FRONT WIDE L]

I am getting 4 HTD Level 3 bookshelf speakers, 1 HTD Level 3 center speaker, and the HSU ULS-15 subwoofer. I'll connect a bookshelf each to the [R FRONT L]....the center to the

. Then I was thinking of connecting the other 2 bookshelves to the [R SURROUND L]. If I do that will I still be able to enjoy the benefit of surround in movies while also having full volume when listening to music? Or will those speakers be silent during music listening?

Also, where does the subwoofer connect to?

Thank you ​

 

[monkish54]

I am getting 4 HTD Level 3 bookshelf speakers, 1 HTD Level 3 center speaker, and the HSU ULS-15 subwoofer.

FWIW, I think those HSU are better.

Will I still be able to enjoy the benefit of surround in movies while also having full volume when listening to music? Or will those speakers be silent during music listening?

The rear channels will be silent while listening to music, unless you are listening to music mixed in 5.1. Movie content plays through 5 speakers (plus sub) because it is mixed in 5.1. Music that isn't 5.1 will be mixed in stereo. (Stereo is technically 2.0, but for the sake of your understanding we'll call it 2.1 as your receiver will add the sub.) This means most music will play through the front two channels + subwoofer

Also, where does the subwoofer connect to?

You connect it to SW1 port under preout (to the left of the speaker terminals).

 

[Adam]

Hi. Check out page 75 of your Denon owner's manual that discusses listening modes. You can choose "MULTI CH STEREO" to listen to music through all of your speakers if you prefer that over having it play only through the front two.

 

[Belaflek73]

Ok thanks guys....

Dammit Monkish54 I just made up my mind on the HTD's....don't inject any doubt into my mind lol!! You don't know how many sleepless nights I've had pondering this haha.

Just kidding...actually I would have gone with the HSU except they don't seem to be selling the bookshelves in the Rosenut wood. That rosenut wood is beautiful and not sure I want the black. I know cosmetic stuff is clearly not that important...but my wife has veto power and she vetoed the black speakers.

 

[monkish54]

Dammit Monkish I just made up my mind on the HTD's....don't inject any doubt into my mind lol!! You don't know how many sleepless nights I've had pondering this haha.

HAHA

I'll call them when they open in two hours to find out if they still sell the rosenut. I haven't actually gone to sleep yet and it's 7am. I might drop before 9, but if I do I'll let you know so you can call them!

 

[Belaflek73]

HAHA

I'll call them when they open in two hours to find out if they still sell the rosenut. I haven't actually gone to sleep yet and it's 7am. I might drop before 9, but if I do I'll let you know so you can call them!

That's pretty good I don't know if I can do all nighters anymore. Thanks for your help you really don't have to do that. I don't think I've ever been so excited about rosenut before.....I probably should go around saying that. Haha..

 

[monkish54]

That's pretty good I don't know if I can do all nighters anymore. Thanks for your help you really don't have to do that. I don't think I've ever been so excited about rosenut before.....I probably should go around saying that. Haha..

LOL It's no problem.

It's not quite an all-nighter. I came down sick about a week ago and i got home from class and slept all day. Now my schedule's messed up! It'll get fixed tomorrow when I have to go to class at 3:45pm. I'm gonna have to wake up at 2pm. That Would be amazing if I went to sleep at 2am, not 8 or 9am.

 

[monkish54]

Rosenut will arrive in mid January.

 

[zieglj01]

Ok thanks guys....

I just made up my mind on the HTD's....don't inject any doubt into my mind lol!! You don't know how many sleepless nights I've had pondering this haha.

Just kidding...actually I would have gone with the HSU except they don't seem to be selling the bookshelves in the Rosenut wood. That rosenut wood is beautiful and not sure I want the black. I know cosmetic stuff is clearly not that important...but my wife has veto power and she vetoed the black speakers.

It is easy to speculate, what may be better >> however there are no
guarantees, if you want a Rosenut HSU, they will come back in stock.

 

[monkish54]

It is easy to speculate, what may be better >> however there are no
guarantees, if you want a Rosenut HSU, they will come back in stock.

What he said!

 

[Belaflek73]

Well looks like I'll be waiting until January...damn, oh well. From all the comments I got I came to the conclusion that HSU Research and HTD make good speakers. So like usual, I let my wife make the final decision. She likes the rosenut wood...rosenut it is.

p.s. that is a great technique to get what you want and give your wife some ownership of it so she doesnt complain about you spending tons of money on audio stuff

thanks monkish54 for making that call, and zieglj01 I appreciate the help.

Wiring options - I looked at the HSU research owners manual for wiring recommendations. other than gauge (AWG) and length...is there anything i should be considering when purchasing wiring?

 

[monkish54]

Is there anything i should be considering when purchasing wiring?

Very welcome! I still haven't gone to sleep (I took a 2.5 hour nap) now it's an all nighter! xD

Nope. As long as it's not hard to work with, I'd get the cheapest wire I can. If the wire is really really cheap it tends to fall apart making it a pain to work with (unless you have banana plugs). My wire was $50 per 100ft. I am more than happy with the wire. It has quite a few strands, and I have had no problem with them falling out! Money well spent! I assume you can get cheaper wire that is just as easy to work with.

 

[Adam]

other than gauge (AWG) and length...is there anything i should be considering when purchasing wiring?

For performance, choosing a gauge based on length is the criterion. But, you mentioned a wife, so...aesthetics. Seriously, you can make wires look a lot nicer if you want. You can get sleeving for the outside, wire "pants" for the ends, and banana plugs (or other termination) for a finished look that is also easier to work with. A member here, ImcLoud, recently helped me pick out the components to do just that (I've used banana plugs for years, but I'd never added the sleeving or wire pants). There are a number of options, and if you're interested, we'll be happy to point you towards them. I've shown photos of my cables (raw materials and a finished cable) below as examples.

Also, if you are going to run the wire behind a wall, you'll want to get wires that are rated for in-wall usage (especially if your local building code requires that).

 

[Belaflek73]

Looks nice. I don't think I will be running any wires into the wall...or maybe I will have to. As far as hiding wires I'm assuming running them along the baseboard where the floor meets the wall is the only option. In that case maybe it wouldbe best to choose a sleeving that matches the color of the carpet?

What do you do with your wires?

 

[monkish54]

As far as hiding wires I'm assuming running them along the baseboard where the floor meets the wall is the only option.

You can buy racetracks, wire them through the wall, run them on the ceiling etc. The carpet idea is practical and easy as well.

I personally prefer the ceiling. (Only if being lazy and throwing them on the floor isn't an option, of course!) They can be run straight through the room which uses less cable than running them along the baseboard, and there is something sweet looking about speaker wire coming down from the ceiling into the speaker. Plus, the wire is easily accessible if I want to switch rooms or change cable, etc.

That said in-wall is probably the best looking.

What color are the carpets?

What do you do with your wires?

I just run them right through the room because I'm a lazy teenager.

Probably not very practical for 98% of the other people on this forum.

 

[zieglj01]

Well looks like I'll be waiting until January...damn, oh well. From all the comments I got I came to the conclusion that HSU Research and HTD make good speakers. So like usual, I let my wife make the final decision. She likes the rosenut wood...rosenut it is.

p.s. that is a great technique to get what you want and give your wife some ownership of it so she doesnt complain about you spending tons of money on audio stuff

thanks monkish54 for making that call, and zieglj01 I appreciate the help.

Well, you could have bought the HTD speakers - and give them to
your wife as a Christmas present. That way she could open them
up early, so you two could enjoy Christmas music together. If she
didn't like the sound - then send them back for a refund, and then
buy HSU.

 

[zieglj01]

While Monoprice would be cheaper - some nice prices here
HTD Speaker and Subwoofer Cables

 

[Belaflek73]

Well, you could have bought the HTD speakers - and give them to
your wife as a Christmas present. That way she could open them
up early, so you two could enjoy Christmas music together. If she
didn't like the sound - then send them back for a refund, and then
buy HSU.

Haha....don't tell monkish54 but I ordered the HTD's and going with the HSU sub. I can't wait until January. My goal is to get this all hooked up before xmas to impress the family. This is classic decision making for me where I change my mind a thousand times.

Of course wiring is a whole different animal. I guess I have to decide whether I'm going in the wall or not. My room is essentially square, carpetted with a berber off white carpet, sheet rock walls and ceiling. Can anyone tell me the best way to go into the wall....how many holes would I have to make to snake the wire? Anyone know of any good links that demonstrate how to do this?

Thanks guys

 

[monkish54]

don't tell monkish54

**** that guy...he's a ****! xD

 

[Belaflek73]

Haha...once I get this stuff I'll repay all the great advice I got with giving some of my own. I love these discussion forums, I built my own computer with the help from forums...thank god these exist!

When I wire in the wall should I get a faceplate for where the wire enters and exits the wall? Whats the cleanest and best looking way to do that?