Another question! How difficult is it to set up a reciever? (1 Viewer)

[Alex_C]

Ok, I'm almost ready to buy. I could buy online and setup the system myself or I could pay a bunch more money to buy at a local retailer and have them set it up.

I've set up systems before but that was when you put plug A into socket B and that was the extent of it. I admit it, I'm intimidated by all the new connections.

Do you think a super-newbie can handle setting up a HT without screwing it up?

Any good resources for tips?

Thanks again!

 

[Kevin. W]

Its dead easy. Just take your time. Money wasted on someone else doing it is money lost for DVD or other purchases.

Kevin

 

[Michael Reuben]

Any good resources for tips?

Try our Beginner's Primer and FAQ. Use the link in my signature.

M.

 

[JamesHl]

Are you pretty good at hooking up other things with lots of connections (computers, etc.)? If so, then it will probably be okay.

 

[Alex_C]

Awesome Michael!

James: I'm an MCSE and litigation technology specialist. I can handle computers but I'm worried about audio connections.

 

[Andy Young]

Yes, read that primer. It's good stuff.

Also, read the manual that comes with your receiver. The manuals aren't perfect but they do help quite a bit.

Bottom line is that a receiver is not plug and play like a VCR or DVD player is. You'll have to make quite a few connections for your speakers, all of your components coming in, and video going out.

You then will have the option of fine-tuning the sound and such. This is where the manual and the primer really come in handy.

It's not rocket science and don't pay someone to do it. Worst case scenario is that you get lost at some point and you can get help here.

 

[Ted Lee]

cabling is pretty easy.

i tend to imagine the way the sound would literally flow from one component to the next.

for example..

cd audio out ---> receiver cd audio in
dvd video out ---> receiver dvd video in

the sound literally goes "out" from the cd (via the left/right outputs) to the receiver's "cd input" (via the left/right inputs).

the picture literally leaves the dvd player and travels along the cable to the receiver's dvd video input.

just be mindful of which output is going to which input. reading the manual is a definite help - usually they have schematics to help you too.

 

[Michael Reuben]

i tend to imagine the way the sound would literally flow from one component to the next.

My imagination isn't as good as Ted's, so I usually end up diagramming the various components and their connections. It's also a useful exercise for determining what interconnects you need.

M.

 

[Ted Lee]

lol.

imagine all the cables.......living in harmony....

or is it "...perfect harmony"???

 

[TylerZ]

Following the manual is a good start. Read the whole thing before you start to get acquainted with what you're about to do. One tip, label every cable on every component. I bought some blank adhesive address labels, marked them like 'DVD video in' on one side and 'DVD video out' on the other side before I plugged them in to their respective connection points. Now I know where every cable/wire originates from and where it ends up at a glance. I don't need to look thru the massive amount of spaghetti on the back of my reciever with a flashlight to figure it out. To make it easier I labeled all the DVD connections in blue ink, all the Sat connections in red ink, etc. One more thing, go get a SPL meter from Radio Shack to properly tune your speakers to your room with the reciever test tones. Don't make the novice mistake of trusting your ears on this one. A good dealer should be able to answer your connection/setup questions too, without charge.

 

[Dodie]

If you know how to READ and COMPREHEND what you are reading then there is no problem. It's prettry easy setting up a receiver.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Yeah, the cable setup should be described by the manual, and of course we can answer any questions. As for setting it up, though, again read your manual to figure out how to navigate all the menus. You need to measure the distances to all the speakers and enter this in so that the receiver can do the proper delay, and then you need to calibrate levels with an SPL meter and Avia or Video Essentials. This is not hard either, probably much easier than figuring out which cables go where. And lastly, since you already have Avia or VE (which you will buy to calibrate hopefully), then you can properly calibrate your TV. That also is not hard, it explains it all for you, and that way you will have perfect sound, and perfect video too.