noobish questions, mainly wiring

[nmathew]

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has written FAQs, and added to this website. I have learned a lot from a few hours of reading.

My main question concerns audio and video cable connections. As near as I can tell, component video cables, digital audio coax cables, composite video cables, subwoofer cables, and the standard stereo cables with the RCA plugs are all the same. They should be 75-ohm shielded cables.

It seems I could just buy identical 75-ohm cables for everything.

If that is true, is there any reason I couldn't buy a 5 cable bundle designed for composite video with stereo sound and use it for a 5.1 analog audio connection between by DVD player and receiver? Naturally, I would need to buy a seperate plug for one of the connections, probably the subwoofer. Doing so looks to be cheaper, and would tend to keep the cables neater.

Does anyone know if there is a reason to stay away from www.cablewholesale.com? They appear to have reasonable prices, and their website is easier to navigate than pacific cable.

Furthermore, I'm going to ask for a little feedback on the equipment I've bought or am planning or purchasing. I just want to know if I made any horrible mistakes. If this is in poor taste to ask, I'm sorry. Mainly, I'm just looking to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. If only kind of dumb, I'll be happy in ignorance. For background I'm a graduate student, and my funds are limited, but I'm looking for some futureproofing. Furthermore, I've lost the extreme top end of my hearing due to an indoor concert I went to (seriously, why light fireworks off inside?), so that limits what I can enjoy a little. The DVD player listed below is a firm decision, but besides that, I'm looking at about a $600 price point for the receiver/speakers after taxes/shipping.

I bought some 6.1 JBL SCS160SI speakers on clearance for close to $300. They can still be returned. The included speaker wire looks like braided aluminum strands. The wires for the surround, rear, and especially center speaker are longer than I need. Will it be worth the cost to invest in some copper speaker wires? Should I cut the excess cable if I go with the supplied ones to lower the impact of any interference, or is it not worth the hastle? If I keep them the same length, is there anyhting wrong wiht just bundling them and tying them with a twist tie?

I bought a Pioneer DV-588A-S DVD player. I need the afore mentioned analog connections for DVDA.

I have an old SVHS VCR I'm going to use.

I've basically decided on a Yamaha HTR-5850. I've had trouble finding good, unbiased reviews for receivers. It's possible that unit is overkill for my system, but it would provide massive growth for connectivity. In addition, my father could always use a receiver to replace his aging one, and this one would work for him. Sadly, his doesn't even do proper Dolby Digital (bought 2 years early I think). I would enjoy the improvements over the cheaper 5840 model. This would be $260.

I'm still researching TVs, and they fal outside the scope of this website.

Thank you for your time.

 

[MDS]

Regarding the cables, sure you could buy that 5 cable bundle and use it for the 5.1 analog connections for DVD-A. As you said you would need one more for the sub.

But be aware that you could probably find a similarly priced set with the correct color coding for each channel. Naturally the color coding doesn't affect the sound but it sure is convenient to see which channel is which from behind the audio rack. I think it is Jaxvon that always recommends Philips Gold cables that are sold at Walmart (among other places). I have seen them and they do appear to be well made and rather inexpensive. Might want to look for something like that if the main reason you are considering the bundle is to keep costs down.

 

[jaxvon]

Curses! I've been undermined!

You are very right, as all these cables are 75-ohm coax cables.

On a budget, Phillips Gold is the way to go (or Acoustic Research if the price is right). Both are solid cables. But MDS is right abou the convenience thing. I plan on picking up a set of these when I finally get my DVD player (used Pioneer DV-578A). They don't have as good of shielding as other options (due to their size), but for a short run, they will work fine.

I like your receiver choice, though you may want to consider the Pioneer VSX-815. It has a plethora of connectivity options and recently got a pretty nice review from Audioholics. I've heard of some people having buzzing problems, though I'm not sure if those are isolated incidents or not. You can get it for $250 shipped from J&R, but you have to call their toll free number to get the nice price.

As far as speakers go..I'm not sure what to say. If you CAN stretch your budget a little farther, I would recommend the Audioholics Budget Special (R), which would be the BIC Venturi setup. This would include 2 pairs of DV-62SIB bookshelves (fronts and rears), a DV-62CLR center, and a DV-1220 subwoofer (or a Cadence X-Sub for about $40 more). This system will run you $220.98 for the Bookshelves, 104.49 for the center, and 190.99 for the BIC sub or $229 for the Candence. All of those prices include shipping. The only thing you'd have to invest past that would be some speaker stands (you can make 'em yourself for a few bucks) and some decent speaker wire (super cheap from Westlake-Electronic).

 

[nmathew]

Thank you for the replies and help.

I assume that audio research performance series cables are acceptable?

ALso, do you believe it would be worth it to replace the included speaker wire with copper ones?

Thanks again

 

[jaxvon]

Yes, I would do so. If it's really small aluminum wiring, then it might actually make an audible difference if you switch to a heavy copper wire. It might not though. Anyway, I would suggest that you go pick up some 12ga or 14ga speaker wire at Home Depot, or pick up some 12ga wire made by Belden from Westlake Electronic.

 

[snickelfritz]

The only cable related problem I have ever experienced in the past 25 years was with the 25' cable that came with my $1700 Paradigm subwoofer.
The RCA plugs were connected to the cable with flexible vinyl sleeves instead of rigid plastic or metal ferrules.
As a result, after several years of handling, the connection within the sleeve failed.

The other interconnects in my system are made by Straightwire, and have been very reliable.
The connectors provide the perfect amount of tension on the jacks; they stay firmly in place, but not so tightly that you rip the jacks out of your components when removing them.
At $16/3' pair, these are the only interconnects I will buy anymore.

My speakers are connected using 12 gauge zip (Monster I think).
Kimber Kable makes a VERY good (technically speaking) speaker cable called "4PR". The conductors are all separately insulated, then braided together and terminated with spades or plugs.
Very impressive (in both appearance and electrically) cables for under $100/pair.

 

[jaxvon]

Isn't that Kimber's original cable? I think it has very good noise rejection properties, and doesn't have rediculous capacitance like their other models.

As for I/Cs, I think when I need some new stereo ones, I'll opt for some from Knu Konceptz. It's like $10 for a 3' pair, and the features are pretty cool...lotsa shielding and some heavy-duty looking construction.

Edit: link is down at time of posting.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I personally use mini-high resolution cable for most of my cabling. They amount to a very thin, very nimble version of RG-59 coaxial cable. I am terminating them with gold plated RCA connectors and it works beautifully with both video and audio connections.

It is a bit more money for the mini-HR cable instead of just using quad shield RG-6 cable, but the very small size makes it a lot nicer to work with when I have a total of ... let's see.... about 10 pieces of equipment hooked up to the back of my A/V receiver and audio distribution to about 14 zones in the house.

Yes, go with the package, go with what saves you money, and avoid over priced specialty cable rip-offs at all costs. Spend more to avoid them.