[Urgent] Energy 5.1 + Denon 591, good combo?

[mwok]

I'm preparing to purchase the Energy 5.1 classic take speakers and a Denon 591 receiver. Is this a good choice?

Questions:
1) I need the receiver to run extremely silent and cool in a 76-80F ambient environment (plenty of ventilation space). Is the 591 passively cooled and will it run cool? I read that Onkyo tends to overheat.

2) I want to connect my PC to the receiver using optical only for audio (PC will be connected to monitor directly through DVI). Can I tell the receiver to just output the optical audio (with whatever audssey processing the receiver does) OR does it need an HDMI signal also?

3) I currently have a X-FI and Z-5500 speakers, the X-FI DAC sounds amazing for music and movies, will I notice a difference with this setup?

4) Does the unit produce any frequency/humming noise?

5) The receiver will be out of sight, does it include a IR external receiver so I can place it where I want?

6) What extra wires are needed? I notice on the 591 receiver, there are no "terminal" wires...I don't know what kind of wires are on the Energy speakers but it looks like terminal wires. SO where does it connect?

 

[dkane360]

Questions:
1) I need the receiver to run extremely silent and cool in a 76-80F ambient environment (plenty of ventilation space). Is the 591 passively cooled and will it run cool? I read that Onkyo tends to overheat.
The 591 is passively cooled. I can't comment on its running temperature, but as long as it has ventilation space then it should be fine.
2) I want to connect my PC to the receiver using optical only for audio (PC will be connected to monitor directly through DVI). Can I tell the receiver to just output the optical audio (with whatever audssey processing the receiver does) OR does it need an HDMI signal also?
You tell your computer to output the sound as optical, then you have the receiver select the input as optical. Audyssey processing is different. It uses the included mic to calibrate your system.
3) I currently have a X-FI and Z-5500 speakers, the X-FI DAC sounds amazing for music and movies, will I notice a difference with this setup?
Probably, but seeing as how I haven't heard that particular Energy system or those logitech speakers, its hard to say how much of an improvement.
4) Does the unit produce any frequency/humming noise?
It shouldn't, unless there's a problem somewhere. I don't think a company would knowingly release a product that produces unwanted noise, especially a home theater component.
5) The receiver will be out of sight, does it include a IR external receiver so I can place it where I want?
No I don't think it comes with an external IR receiver. That is something you would have to get together on your own.
6) What extra wires are needed? I notice on the 591 receiver, there are no "terminal" wires...I don't know what kind of wires are on the Energy speakers but it looks like terminal wires. SO where does it connect?
The red and black things on the back of the receiver are called 5-way binding posts. They accept a varierty of different wire terminations such as banana plugs, spades, and just ordinary speaker wire.

 

[mwok]

Thankyou for the reply! So, do I need to get any additional plugs/wires if I get the Energy 5.1 Classic and the Denon 591 receiver to connect these two pieces together? (already have plenty of spare optical and hdmi cables).

 

[dkane360]

You will need speaker wire for each speaker and an rca cable to hook up the subwoofer to the receiver. www.monoprice.com has some at a great price. Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[mwok]

1) So the energy 5.1 classic set does not come with "speaker wire" by default?
2) Is speaker wire the type of wire where you have to splice the ends and put it in a "lever port"?
3) Is RCA or speaker wire generally better?
4) For my logitech squeezebox touch, it has two ports (I think they are RCA ports because they are red and white colored). Can I connect it to the Denon 591 receiver and get Dolby digital/truehd or "whatever" digital signal 5.1?
5) What do you call the "IR redirector" for the 591 receiver?
6) How do you like your Denon receiver? Does it run cool and quiet? (what are the ambient temps?) Do you notice any issues?

Thanks!

 

[dkane360]

1) So the energy 5.1 classic set does not come with "speaker wire" by default?
I'm not sure, but probably not. You will have to look at the specifications of what is included in the box.
2) Is speaker wire the type of wire where you have to splice the ends and put it in a "lever port"?
If by lever port you mean spring clips then yes. Although you can use it in the 5 way binding posts too. You splice the ends of the + and - wires and put the bare copper wire into the hole on the binding post, then screw it down.
3) Is RCA or speaker wire generally better?
They are 2 different things. Speaker wire is used to connect your receiver or amplifier to your speakers, and the rca wire just sends a signal to the subwoofer. The subwoofer in the energy speaker system is powered, so it has it's own amplifier built in.
4) For my logitech squeezebox touch, it has two ports (I think they are RCA ports because they are red and white colored). Can I connect it to the Denon 591 receiver and get Dolby digital/truehd or "whatever" digital signal 5.1?
Red and white rca jacks are just left and right channels, so it will only be stereo. To get dolby truehd and dts master audio, you need a blu-ray player that can send out those signals over an HDMI cable to your receiver. If you are using your computer, you will need a video card that can bitstream those signals, but I don't know about the exacts because I haven't done it.
5) What do you call the "IR redirector" for the 591 receiver?
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55983
6) How do you like your Denon receiver? Does it run cool and quiet? (what are the ambient temps?) Do you notice any issues?
My denon receiver is great. I havent had any issues with it. It runs relatively cool, but I don't know the exact temps. No humming or buzzing either. You seem very concerned about how much heat it is giving off. You dont need to worry about it as long as you dont put other components right on top and you have a few inches of clearance above it for ventilation.

 

[mwok]

Thanks again!

Do you know how much power consumption a system like this would take? (I want to reduce power consumption and in return heat output as much as possible). The system will never be used more than 2 or 3 volume bars.

 

[dkane360]

I have no idea. Once you get the system, you can use a Kill-a-watt to measure how much electricity you are using. http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7657/

 

[mwok]

Thanks, couple more questions.

1) Can you output HDMI video and a optical audio source (instead of the audio coming from the hdmi source) at the same time?

2) Why does the receiver have so many outdated component/composite connections? Can they even carry a 1080p/5.1 signal? They should have added more digital inputs.

 

[mwok]

(can't edit the post above)
In addition to question #1, can I watch video from HDMI #1 BUT output the audio from HDMI #2? For an example, if I'm playing an XBOX game...I may want to play slacker from my PC thus the video source comes from the XBOX and the audio source comes from the PC.