Soundbar with a receiver? (1 Viewer)

[Donald_S]

I have to ask a super dumb question. I'm going to be getting rid of old speakers and with my new setup the spacing will be tight. So I thought of a soundbar. Can you hook one up to a receiver? My sense is not since the soundbar/woofer has it's own power source, but the receiver has much more control over balance and other settings. Just confused by the whole thing.
Thanks!
Donald

 

[Al.Anderson]

Most soundbars provide their own power and are not meant to be connected to a receiver. However, there are a few companies that make slightly higher end soundbars that do connect to a receiver (and do not provide their own power). Boston Acoustics used to, but I just checked and they don't seem to have them anymore. I forget the others ... they'll come to me and I'll update.

 

[Donald_S]

Ok, so I have a DVD player, a cable box, and an old VCR. Do I hook them all up to the soundbar? Or do I just output the sound from the monitor to the soundbar?
Thanks!
Donald

 

[Al.Anderson]

If you go with the less common, but better sounding, receiver+soundbar option, then you connect everything to the receiver. These soundbars only provide simulated surround, but they do it with discrete channels, so they do a better job.
If you use the much more common plain soundbar (that has an integrated amp), then it 's easiest to connect everything to the TV and then connect the TV to the soundbar. Many soundbars have a second input, so you could connect the DVD or VCR directly, but why bother? Might as well keep the configuration and remote switching to a minimum. If you are using this kind of soundbar they offer only simulated surround sound from two channels, so the usual advise to not go through the TV doesn't apply.

 

[Donald_S]

Thanks!!!!

 

[MRK]

HI All,

I am very new & novice in home theater stuff. Please help for the best set up.

I am little curious what will happen if I connect my active/powered sound-bar to a receiver?

Here is my current setup.

[*]Sony Bluray player
[*]Philips DVD player
[*]Apple TV
[*]Pioneer VSX 921 receiver
[*]55" Samsung TV Wall hung
[*]Sony HTCT660 sound-bar (recently bought)
[/list]
All items in green are in a bedroom's closed closet and bedroom is attached to my family room. Our TV is wall hung in family room with sound-bar connected using optical cable. I am using my receiver as a switch between these units and running a HDMI cable from receiver out to TV in for video.

Based on above scenario, is there any better option I could use to get a good audio?

Your help is appreciated.

 

[schan1269]

We have no idea without model numbers. Cause...you might not even be able to connect them together...which would render this...

"I am little curious what will happen if I connect my active/powered sound-bar to a receiver?"

a moot question.

 

[Jason Charlton]

There are several other questions that come to mind?

[*]Is there a specific reason you're using both a DVD player and a Blu-ray player?
[*]Are there no speakers connected to the receiver?
[*]Since the sound bar has three HDMI inputs, the only reason I can think of why you would connect things the way you have is because you want to keep the DVD player, Blu-ray player, and Apple TV in the closet. Is this correct?
[*]If the receiver is in the closet, does it support RF for remote control signals, or are you using CEC or something similiar between the TV and receiver via HDMI?
[/list]
Unless you have some rather unorthodox requirements, there is little practical reason to use both a sound bar and a receiver (particularly in the manner you're describing). That receiver is way overkill if all you're using it for is a video switcher, and the sound bar will not allow you to take advantage AT ALL of the various digital surround audio formats that your sources provide.

It's a decent receiver, you'd do well to get some nice speakers to go with it.

 

[schan1269]

Now that my "model numbers" query has been answered...(that info wasn't provided till after I answered)


So, what does the Pioneer do that is so special the 3 HDMI inputs on the 660 couldn't do?

 

[schan1269]

The 660 "can" decode lossless audio, but you aren't getting that...because you are using HDMI into the Pioneer (still have yet to figure out the rest, read rest of post).

I'm not even sure how the 921 is going to send anything to the 660 anyway. There is no digital audio output. The only audio output is line-level analog, which takes nothing off the HDMI/toslink/digital coax.

So, what were you attempting to be trying?

 

[MRK]

Thanks Jason for your quick response. Here are my responses

[*]Yes, I wanted a multi regional DVD player. My sony Bluray doesn't play all.
[*]No speakers connected to the receiver, using as a switch right now
[*]Correct for a nice cleaner look.
[*]I have a RF remote with IR blasters (Harmony 900)
[/list]
I know receiver is a overkill as I am not using the way it supposed to be but I wanted a clearner look in family room without any equipment being shown. Right now its clean as it has only TV wall hung and Sound-bar installed on top. I will probably take some picture and post it here.

If I buy a speakers and it needs be connected to receiver requires some kind of wires run thru' wall to the cabinet for connecting which is kind of hard for me to do unless you have some simple solution.

Please advise.

There are several other questions that come to mind?

[*]Is there a specific reason you're using both a DVD player and a Blu-ray player?
[*]Are there no speakers connected to the receiver?
[*]Since the sound bar has three HDMI inputs, the only reason I can think of why you would connect things the way you have is because you want to keep the DVD player, Blu-ray player, and Apple TV in the closet. Is this correct?
[*]If the receiver is in the closet, does it support RF for remote control signals, or are you using CEC or something similiar between the TV and receiver via HDMI?
[/list]
Unless you have some rather unorthodox requirements, there is little practical reason to use both a sound bar and a receiver (particularly in the manner you're describing). That receiver is way overkill if all you're using it for is a video switcher, and the sound bar will not allow you to take advantage AT ALL of the various digital surround audio formats that your sources provide.

It's a decent receiver, you'd do well to get some nice speakers to go with it.

 

[MRK]

Hi, again, I have only one HDMI cable running from bedroom closet to family room in the wall as part of structured wiring. I can't connect all these equipment inputs to sound-bar as my sound bar in family room installed on top of my TV.

Now that my "model numbers" query has been answered...(that info wasn't provided till after I answered)


So, what does the Pioneer do that is so special the 3 HDMI inputs on the 660 couldn't do?

 

[schan1269]

Since now we know what you want...

http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Technology-XTR-SSA3-Ultra-Speaker/dp/B005AT2R2A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1374264051&sr=1-1&keywords=def+tech+lcr

Yes, more money. But that is a passive bar, which lets you get lossless audio...which you can't get now.

And here is a less expensive one.

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-Surround-Acoustech-PL-200/dp/B007WLQNUQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1374264133&sr=1-2-fkmr2&keywords=bic+lcr+bar

 

[schan1269]

Dumb question.

Can you not run speaker wire from "where the receiver is" to the TV? (as in, is there a provision for it in the future?)

 

[MRK]

VSX 921has HDMI out which I can connect to 660 HDMI in and then 660 HDMI out to TV HDMI in(also same should work as ARC). Again I am a novice here, did I understand your question right?

The 660 "can" decode lossless audio, but you aren't getting that...because you are using HDMI into the Pioneer (still have yet to figure out the rest, read rest of post).

I'm not even sure how the 921 is going to send anything to the 660 anyway. There is no digital audio output. The only audio output is line-level analog, which takes nothing off the HDMI/toslink/digital coax.

So, what were you attempting to be trying?

 

[schan1269]

So...

Why do you have the VSX921 at all, instead of something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Switch-Switcher-Remote-Support/dp/B00264NZWS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1374264723&sr=1-1&keywords=hdmi+switch+ir

 

[MRK]

I was thinking that my harmony 900 doesn't recognize all these HDMI switchers for switching from one source to other from my family room without going to bedroom close all the time. And also thinking these switchers would not provide good sound via HDMI to TV.

FYI: I bought my receiver 18 months ago and sound-bar a week ago.

So...

Why do you have the VSX921 at all, instead of something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Switch-Switcher-Remote-Support/dp/B00264NZWS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1374264723&sr=1-1&keywords=hdmi+switch+ir

 

[MRK]

Its not a dumb question . Let me admit, my wife doesn't like wires going all over the place. She basically wanted a cleaner look.

I have asked the structured wiring person for a provision to pull additional wires in future, initially he agreed but couldn't install the pipe due to some structure issues thats why he pulled one HDMI cable from my bedroom closet to family room which I am using with my receiver for switching.

Dumb question.

Can you not run speaker wire from "where the receiver is" to the TV? (as in, is there a provision for it in the future?)

 

[schan1269]

The switchers are irrelevant to sound. Anybody who tells you otherwise doesn't know the first thing about what they speak of.

That switcher would need its own IR blaster. And you are right, you'd have to switch the source in the HDMI switch(just like you do already with the Pioneer) and start controlling the source.

With that HDMI switch(ignoring the reviews saying "it sucks". It was just for reference. Cables to Go and Vanco make the same thing...but not for $13) you could yank that 921, input the switch, program the codes for "that switch" into your Harmony replacing the codes for the Pioneer.

The net result would be exactly the same.

 

[schan1269]

Is this bedroom part of the house that "wasn't there when the house was new"? Otherwise known as a "room addition"?

That would be about the only explanation that would make sense on why he couldn't run a piece of conduit. (or rather, didn't want to...more work. Was this "agreed upon" in price before hand...and then it turned into "more work" than he thought he'd get paid for?)