What cables to use with my xbox to hook up to my receiver? (1 Viewer)

[Todd smith]

I am getting an xbox to hook up to my hk525 reciever and sony hs500 tv. I assume that I need the hd audio video pack for the xbox (correct?) so I can take advantage of my hdtv. Now what other cables do I need? Are monster component cables the way to go to hook up the xbox to my tv for the best picture? Does monster make an audio cable as well for the xbox to hook into my receiver? How about a monster surge protector, are these good as well? Obviously I am a rookie and would appreciate your help.

 

[Bill Griffith]

I went with the Xbox HD Pack, and connected the Component Cables and the Digital Optic out into my Onkyo 600. Then ran Home Made Component Cables from the reciever to my 47" Panny.

I'm not sure if there's any benefit running directly into the TV or through the reciever. I don't notice a difference.

 

[Brian Ruth]

Todd: I'd skip the Monster cables and get the HD Pack and some optical cable for sound.

IMHO, Monster isn't worth the price they charge for their PS2/XBox cables.

You CAN still go Monster for both audio and video, but the combination will run you $80 instead of $50 or so, and IMHO, the difference isn't worth the extra $30.

Either way, though, will get you High Definition gaming and surround sound in games that support it. Once you do purchase the cables, be sure to plop in a nice game like Halo to test it out.

And enjoy!

 

[Todd smith]

Thanks for all the replys! Money is not to big of an issue, so I will probably go for the monster cables.

 

[Rob_Pierce]

Todd, I have the exact same receiver (HK 525), but lack the HDTV.:frowning: I went with the Monster setup because I found a pretty good deal and I've been very happy with it. My only suggestion is to be SURE you get BOTH the video and optical cords from Monster; they've made the cords so that you must have a converter that makes them compatible.

I run the component video cables through my receiver the to the TV to take advantage of the switching the HK525 offers, but I didn't notice any difference in running it straight to my TV. Either way works, but I needed the extra component input.

Enjoy!

 

[Todd smith]

Thanks for your reply regaurding the 525, I am excited to get going with it. I am a little confused about needing a converter to make them compatible. Does this mean I need to buy something else besides the monster component cable and the monster audio cable?

 

[Bill Griffith]

On the Optical cable.

Optical cable is optical cable. It only passes 1's and 0's. Go with the least expensive optical cable you can find. if you go with monster optical cable you will most likely be paying 2 to 3 times more just for the name monster. I got 16' of optical cable at $14 from Best buy.

 

[Brian Ruth]

Todd:

You'll need the Monster XBox Optical Kit to get surround sound if you end up buying Monster XBox Component Cable (or any other monster cable for XBox). The reason is that the surround signal is normally sent via the AV out instead of seperately (like the Playstation 2).

The Monster Cable carries this stream, and has a small connector on it that can pass the audio signal to an optical cable.

The problem is it needs something to convert the miniplug connector to optical. The Monster XBox Optical Kit has this included. This pretty much means that if you go monster for the video, you'll ABSOLUTELY want to go Monster for the audio too. As long as you go Monster for both, you won't need to buy anything extra. This WILL, however, set you back about 80 bucks.

The Microsoft HD Pack, on the other hand, doesn't need any special adapters to convert the audio, as it has an optical connecter integrated onto the connector box. This means you can use any optical cable you want, and again, it saves you $30 or so.

Either way you go, you'll get surround sound on supported games and on most of your DVDs, plus beautiful HD picture quality on your TV.

 

[Rob_Pierce]

This pretty much means that if you go monster for the video, you'll ABSOLUTELY want to go Monster for the audio too. As long as you go Monster for both, you won't need to buy anything extra.

Right. If you buy the optical cord, it comes with the connector. If you don't have the connector, there is no way to use both the optical and and video cords together.

Let me try this another way. The video cords plug into the back of the XBox. The component (and composite audio) cables run directly from the plug that is in the back of the XBox into your receiver, just like the regular RCA cords that come with the XBox. However, there is an empty "socket" that is on the back side of the part of the video cable that is plugged into the XBox; it kind of looks like a headphone jack would fit in it. If you didn't plan to use digital audio, it wouldn't matter. However, if you use the digital audio cable, it comes with a connector that plugs into that socket. So, one end of the connector looks like a headphone jack, the other end is a female toslink audio socket. Then, plug the toslink connection into the back of the connector and into your receiver. Why is the socket on the video cord not a female toslink connection, thus avoiding the need for the connector? The only logical assumption is to screw the consumer; I find it hard to believe that Monster engineers couldn't create an easier solution. Essentially, the connector is a middleman that requires you to purchase both the video and audio cords from Monster.

Basically, you end up paying Monster for the connector and the optical cord is just a bonus. I got such a good deal because I found an extra connector, used an $8 GE optical cord, and didn't have to spend $30-$40 for the Monster audio cables. I found the video cables on eBay for $25, getting the entire setup for $33.

This all sounds very confusing, but it's pretty simple. You said earlier that money is not an issue...I'm for hire to set it up.

 

[Todd smith]

Thanks again for clearing all that up which I now understand.

One more question. If I end up going the monster route, will this sound and look as good or better than any other conection method (microsoft hd pack, etc...) I could choose? My goal here is to get the best possible sound and video obviously and even though the monster is a little more I dont mind spending it to get that peace of mind.

 

[Brian Ruth]

Todd: You SHOULD get the best picture and sound possible. The cables themselves are shielded, so it rejects interference that can cause screen imperfections.

My hunch is, however, that it will not present a large range of difference over a Microsoft HD Pack.

If you're looking for the best picture and sound, though, Monster should fit the bill.

 

[Bill Griffith]

Todd, the answer to your question is yes you will get a good picture and sound but no its not the best its the same as the Microsoft HD pak, and you ended up spending more money going the monster cable way.

Like I said earlier Monster Opticle cable is the same as any other brand, its 1's and 0's. The only difference is your paying more for the monster name. As for the component video I've seen them both run on the same HDTV and there is no Difference and I also ran them both on my Panny 47" RPTV, no difference.

 

[Rob_Pierce]

I really like the Monster route, but mainly got the connections to match my other cords (I'm such a dork). I'm willing to pay for customer service and Monster is EXCELLENT in replacing their products for free, even when the problem has resulted directly from my negligence or simply losing a cord during a move.

Is the picture/sound quality better? I'm not totally sure, but the customer service is worth it to me. Whichever route you go, if you don't like it, you'll get 60-70% back on eBay.

 

[Brian Ruth]

Todd:

Have you picked up the cables yet?

Keep us posted on it.

 

[Brae]

I'll add that I bought the HD adapter and used its Component and optical connection (usnig a $4.50 12' optical cable from PartsExpress). The component is going directly to my Mitsubishi 65" RPTV while the optical is feeding my Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX receiver (which feeds my Paradigm Studio speakers).

 

[Todd smith]

I have not picked up cables yet, but will let you know when I do. The HT hobby has been put on hold for a few days due to other issues that I must tend to, but plan to get back to this project as soon as possible. Thanks for your help!

 

[shane_watson]

im very happy with my monsters and i have had them about a year nowyou wont regret the purchase.

 

[David Preston]

Just got my X-box tonight for free. Won it at work. My question is if I get the HD pak do I still need to buy a set of component video cables. Also do I have to buy a optical cable to get this to work right. If I just use the regular hook up straight to the tv what will the picture quality be like. Thanks David

 

[David.DJ]

this maybe a stupid question and i am sorry. the question is that, does the MS HDTV come with the cables like optical cable, coaxial cable, and all of those good cable stuff? also can you tell me what is in the box of the MS HDTV pack or MS Advance AV Pack? If i dont have a HDTV receiver and buy the MS HDTV pack, is it useless or is that pack the same as the MS Advance AV pack? Can you please tell me the difference between those two?, thank you

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Advanced pack is SVideo and digital optical out
HD pack is for component and HD out

The pack comes with video cables, but you need to buy the optical cable yourself. Since optical cable has nothing to do with video, your picture will be fine. You only need it for surround sound