Setting up help, if possible

[pk1m]

Hi I recently got scammed by the white van speaker scam. Well, I only payed 75$ for it so don't know if I got ripped off badly. I was wondering if I could still use the speakers and subwoofer even if it isn't amazing quality.

I was planning on buying an receiver from craigslist and was wondering if anyone knew some material that would help me set it up.

It has 5 speakers with the red and black wire jacks (don't know the technical term, forgive me i am a newbie) and the subwoofer has 8 of those. I know nothing about home theater systems so I could use any help at all thanks!

 

[chris357]

Basically you use the speaker connectors from the AVR to the subwoofer then from the sub to the speakers.

 

[pk1m]

Is there a specific receiver I have to purchase? And i'm really ignorant about how to hook it up, i'm unsure which ones to plug in where.

 

[JerryLove]

For you, it might be worthwhile to go down to a store that sells receivers and can offer basic assistance (Best Buy??). You'll need a 5.1 receiver, or better, to power your 5 speakers. Used those can go below $60.

You'll also want to know if your subwoofer is powered or not (does the big box have a plug for a wall outlet?). If so, receiver power is likely a non-issue; but if not (If it's a passive subwoofer), then you need to read the rating on the unit (how many watts continuous)... though it's likely most any decent receiver will have enough.

 

[markw]

Hi I recently got scammed by the white van speaker scam. Well, I only payed 75$ for it so don't know if I got ripped off badly. I was wondering if I could still use the speakers and subwoofer even if it isn't amazing quality.

I was planning on buying an receiver from craigslist and was wondering if anyone knew some material that would help me set it up.

It has 5 speakers with the red and black wire jacks (don't know the technical term, forgive me i am a newbie) and the subwoofer has 8 of those. I know nothing about home theater systems so I could use any help at all thanks!

We're at somewhat of a disadvantage since you bought a non-standard "system". You've got the instructions and that gives you a tremendous advantage over us.

But offhand, I'd dugget you buy the cheapest receiver that you can.

 

[highfigh]

I don't know that there's a reason to buy the cheapest one out there if you plan to use it longer than these speakers. Buy what you can afford and think about the fact that if a receiver is selling fro a really low price, there's a reason for that and it's not necessarily a good thing. Best to define how you'll use it (mainly movies, music, connection to a computer for streaming, iTunes/iPod, etc). If you want loud, you'll need power- there's no way around this.

 

[pk1m]

Thats the problem this didn't come with a manual. It's a passive subwoofer, and I just want to listen to some music not to loud but enough for a living room.

I'm just looking for advice on how to hook the wires up from the sub and speakers to the receiver because from looking at the back it doesnt look all that intuitive. Not sure if i'm supposed to hook up two wires from each of the speaker to the sub or if im supposed to some how chain them.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated

 

[dkane360]

Thats the problem this didn't come with a manual. It's a passive subwoofer, and I just want to listen to some music not to loud but enough for a living room.

I'm just looking for advice on how to hook the wires up from the sub and speakers to the receiver because from looking at the back it doesnt look all that intuitive. Not sure if i'm supposed to hook up two wires from each of the speaker to the sub or if im supposed to some how chain them.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated

When you get a receiver, on the back there will be sets of binding posts that are black and red. You can connect the positive to the red and negative to the black. Then there should also be a positive and negative input on each speaker. I've never owned a passive sub, but I'm assuming it's the same. Can you take a pic of the back of the sub? that would help clarify how to set it up.

 

[pk1m]

I'm in class, i'll post a picture when I get home but its basically this design

[]red []red
[]black []black
[]black []black
[]red []red