Keith^S

Hey everyone,

I have a quick question. I've tried searching the boards but could not find out anything in specific.

First, my simple system:

Sony Wega KV-27FS120 TV
Harman Kardon AVR 230 Receiver with HK speakers
Sony DVD Player

Ok, here are the connections:

1. Component video from DVD---->Receiver---->TV
2. Digital Coax from DVD----->Receiver
3. L/R Audio from TV---->Receiver (for cable TV sound)

Ok now the question. What do I have to do to get sound from the DVD player to come through my HK Speakers AND my TV's speakers? I don't have a big 5.1 system and I want to use my HK speakers to supplement the sound coming out of my TV speakers, not replace it altogether. I realize that my DVD player has L/R Audio outputs as well as digital audio outputs, and that I could use stereo interconnects to connect my DVD player straight to my TV. But will the DVD player put out a digital sound through the digital coax wire as well as a composite audio dignal to my TV simultaneously?

Thanks for any help

Keith^S

Well, I think I may have found my answer. I went over to Harman Kardon's website and downloaded the .pdf owners manual for Harman Kardon's DVD-101 DVD player. The rear jacks on my Sony DVD player are the same as the HK's rear jacks.

In the manual, it states this:

"NOTE FOR ANALOG AUDIO: The connection from Audio out to the TV is optional. If you plan on using your DVD-101 alone, without turning on your complete system, this connection must be made; then you can turn up the TV's volume as needed.

This was an excerpt from the section about hooking up the DVD-101 to a receiver with Dolby Digital or DTS, so if my Sony DVD player behaves the same way, I guess I'm set

Glenn Overholt

Hey, give it a try. On my Pioneer changer, I have a switch to change between component video and S-Video/composite, but the audio does come out both.

However, if your DVD player has a menu to chose between digital and analog, it might not work. If that is the case, select analog and get a couple of 'Y' connectors and send one set to your receiver and the others to your TV speakers.

Glenn

Nathan Stohler

Keith,

You're probably not going to like the combination of your TV speakers and your external speakers. If you're watching a DVD in 5.1, the audio information is going to go to the proper channels (left, right, center, surround, sub) and then all the audio will be duplicated by your TV in the center. I've never tried this, but it can't sound good.

I would use either your TV speakers or your HK speakers, but not both.

--Nathan

Jeff Gatie

I second the idea that using the TV speakers to "supplement" the 5.1 sound is going to sound worse, not better. We had a poster last week who tried this and after hearing it he agreed with the predictions that it sounds awful. Too much duplication of sound from inferior TV speakers that are not timbre matched to the 5.1 speakers. Blech!

Keith^S

I would like to only use my HK speakers, but I have my system set up a little...weird.

My HK receiver is actually hooked up to my computer via an optical cable. My 2 HK bookshelf speakers(only 2 speakers, I don't have a 5.1 system yet) sit on either side of my monitor, so they are my computer speakers.

So, in one corner of my room, I have an L-shaped computer desk in the corner with my PC, HK Receiver, DVD player, and HK receiver on it. I use the speakers primarily for my PC audio.

In the opposite corner of the room, I have my TV. So all wiring from my TV goes around 2 walls to get to the opposite corner of the room in order to get to the HK receiver.

I live in a small college apartment so noise is an issue. Sometimes I will want to just use my TV speakers when watching a DVD. Other times I will want to hear the sound from my HK speakers too, but it cannot just be the HK speakers alone because since they're in the opposite corner of the room, it'd be like rear speakers only.

And a good bit of the time I will want to listen to DVDs through my Sennheiser HD-590 headphones (plugged into my HK receiver).

This is why I need digital audio to my receiver + analog audio to my TV.

I realize I could just put my DVD player over with my TV in the other corner and just forget about having sound come through my HK speakers over my my computer. This would be fine, but I realllyyyyy want to be able to plug my Sennheiser HD-590's into my HK receiver to listen to my movies.

Jeff Gatie

It is still going to sound lousy. The HK speakers are going to be duplicating your TV speakers, so you will have not have rear speakers, you will just have the same sounds coming from all parts of the room. There will be no directionality and nothing will be pinned to the TV. I recommend you either set up the HK speakers on either side of the TV or watch through the TV only.

Keith^S

I see your point. Thanks for the advice.

One more question. How will my Sennheiser HD-590 headphones sound when plugged into my 27" Sony WEGA tube set (connected to the DVD player via L/R audio cables) as opposed to being plugged into the headphone port of my HK AVR-330 receiver (connected to the DVD player via an optical cable)?

MikeSh

Keith, you'll get the same sound from either setup with the headphones, 2 channel stereo.

I use headphones for listening at night so that I don't disturb the family. I'm a night owl, they're not.

MikeS.

Keith^S

Wow, I had guessed that the sound might be better coming from the receiver when I had headphones plugged in. In light of all this new stuff, I'm just gonna keep my DVD player with my TV over in the TV's corner of my room. The 2 will be totally seperate from the receiver and other equipment in the other corner of my room. I'll worry about hooking up external speakers for DVD's when I can buy a 2 channel receiver to replace the AVR-330 for my computer speakers, and move my AVR-330 and whatever 5.1 system I buy to my TV