Panasonic SA-XR57 hookup nightmare!?

[dart451]

Got my XR57 today hoping that my video/surround sound would be an easy hookup and booooyyy, am I confused! Alzheimer’s has already kicked in I'm afraid! Anyway, The HDMI is pretty worthless to me...thought I'd HDMI from Directv to the amp and then back into the HD tv which works but it apparently takes the DVR HDMI away (it's labeled for a DVR in and out). So, I hooked my component cables from Directv to the amp, back to the tv and I can watch tv with surround sound but DVD doesn't work! No sound, no Picture. Reading some of the fine print, it says that "The input video signal can be sent out through an output terminal of the same type only". Now, this is confusing! Does that mean my original Directv input signal?(composite). I can't see where this would make any difference on a DVD player...you only have an output signal, right? So, anyway, this has not been a good day...can't seem to get anything to work right.
I also couldn't get the subwoofer to work! My old Panasonic subwoofer had two wires that I used to hook up...it worked fine yesterday. The XR57 has a Monaural connection cable hookup so...I just spliced the two wires onto an old video rca jack and walla, no sound out of it at all. Is Monaural something special? I figure it's only the two wires inside. Anyone need a new XR57 brick?? All puns aside, any help would be appreciated.

 

[Nick250]

There is a lot to know the first time you setup your system. This is from the "setup your system" section here on Audioholics. I think it will answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/avhardware/CableSatelliteTVConnection.php

Nick

 

[racquetman]

I also couldn't get the subwoofer to work! My old Panasonic subwoofer had two wires that I used to hook up...it worked fine yesterday. The XR57 has a Monaural connection cable hookup so...I just spliced the two wires onto an old video rca jack and walla, no sound out of it at all. Is Monaural something special? I figure it's only the two wires inside. Anyone need a new XR57 brick?? All puns aside, any help would be appreciated.

I think you are going to be the one stuck with the brick if you continue trying to come up with your own connection schemes by splicing wires together. You pretty much admitted that you don't understand the connections - don't make matters worse by inventing your own. You'll instantly void the warranty and destroy your equipment in the process.

Speaker level connections and RCA interconnects aren't interchangeable. You want to use a single rca cable from the subwoofer out (preout) on the receiver to the rca input on the subwoofer if it has one. No mixing and matching!!

Post the model numbers of all the gear you are wondering about and you'll get a better response to your questions. Otherwise we are just left guessing what exactly your connection options are and what you can do.

 

[racquetman]

A P.T. Barnum quote comes to mind . . . . .

You don't need a professional. You need to educate yourself.

Your setup is really not complicated at all, and there is nothing involved you can't easily do yourself with a little knowledge.

 

[Nick250]

There is a lot to know the first time you setup your system. This is from the "setup your system" section here on Audioholics. I think it will answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/avhardware/CableSatelliteTVConnection.php

Nick

Also, you have a manual that should provide step by step setup instructions. If you don't have it, you can download them on line at the manufacturers web site.

Nick

 

[dart451]

First of all, I appreciate everyone that left input! Alandamp, I'm not trying to invent my own connections...the somewhat cheap Subwoofer that comes with the 640W has only two wires coming out the back, no plugin and no access to the inside wires. I simply used an RCA plug I had laying around and spliced the bare wires to see if it would work. No harm done, no warranties voided...just a way to try to make the subwoofer work. Didn't have another subwoofer lying around to try.
Yes, I should educate myself...I'm stuck in the old days when we used to daisychain everything. Oh, I have the manual alright...I've read it till I'm blue in the face. I guess if you don't get it, you don't get it!?
This saga all started when we bought a Panasonic SC-HT640W DVD home theater sound system. We also bought a new Polaroid 32" FLM323B HD tv. They sat for a few months while we got our house done. Found out that the SC-HT640W was just a DVD player with speakers, no connections on the back at all! Soooo, I decided to purchase the XR57 amp that I thought would cure the 640W shortfall. I spent many hours studying the manual and spent two solid days trying to get things to work. Funny...I'm usually pretty good at hooking things up electrical! Not this time! Got the TV part working fine but for some reason, I couldn't get the DVD to produce video or sound...and needless to say, I tried other connections that were not as prescribed in the manual. Nothing seemed to work to get the DVD working. Oh, it worked fine by itself! Finally, after spending so much time and listening to the wife repeat over and over, "It was working ok when you had the 640W hooked up to the system", I packed the XR57 back in the box and plan on sending the unit back. I know, it's giving up but I just got fed up. Hope no one else had as much trouble as I had this Christmas season!