Many all-in-one home theater systems like the LG use proprietary speaker connections and very low impedance speakers that are not compatible with anything else. Using low impedance speakers with receivers not designed to work with them can cause severe damage to the receiver. This is one of the compromises these systems make in order to simplify and consolidate the components into a single unit.
Looking at the
manual for your unit, however, it seems as though the speakers connect using regular speaker wire in spring-loaded connectors. Also, according to the specs, the speakers have an impedance of 6 ohms - that's not as low an impedance as many all-in-one speakers, and could conceivably work with many standalone receivers.
The subwoofer, however, is a passive model with an impedance of 4 ohms. This is less likely to work with a new system.
Normally, I would agree that you should not try using the speakers with another system, but in this case, it's
possible to use these, but it will depend greatly on what equipment you opt to get.
What is your budget for getting this system back up and running?
How important is having the DVD
and VCR back in the mix?
Do you have any other sources hooked up to the system now (cable/satellite, high-def)?
Any chance of wanting to expand the system in the future (Blu-Ray)?
I see a couple of options available to you, depending on your budget.
- Try and find an all-in-one that will work with your speakers. This is probably the least likely to happen. Most all-in-ones will come with their own speakers, anyway. Also, while the LG used close to "normal" speakers, that's a rarity.
- Get an inexpensive 5.1 receiver that will drive the speakers, and add a DVD player (or DVD/VHS combo if you can find one) and probably a subwoofer, too.
If you can answer the questions above, hopefully we can provide more specific options for you.
