Argh, lamen needs help setting up HT (1 Viewer)

[Ike]

For Christmas I got the Kenwood VR-507, a Kenwood 5-Disc CD Changer, and Kenwood 5.1 speaker package.

Without knowing what we were doing, we bought a optical Monster cable. I can get sound to come out of the receiver via the CD player using RCA cables, and even sound out of the DVD player when I use just RCA cables, but with the Optical cable hooked up, audio won't come through the CD player or the receiver.

My DVD player didn't have the right Digital In on the back (the hole in was round, the optical cable was square), but I had another DVD player that did the trick.

[rant]This is extremely frustrating![/rant] I've been working on this for hours, and I realize it's probably something super simple. Any help is appreciated, and I can better flesh out details as best as I can if needed. Again, please speak in complete lamen's terms.

Thanks

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Ain’t technology grand, Ike? They can send a man to the moon, but they can’t give us plug-and-play home theater.
The situation is that the receiver has both analog and digital inputs. The analog inputs are labeled according to the type of source component, “CD,” “VCR,” etc, but the digital are merely labeled “1,2,3,” etc. Typically there are digital ports for both types of carriers, optical (the “square one”) and coaxial (the standard-type RCA jack).
The problem is you have to tell the receiver which digital port you want to use for which component. Any digital port can be assigned to any named input, but you will have to read the receiver’s manual to determine how to do this. Which is something every layman should do before getting in a panic anyway.
Hope you enjoy the new gear!
Happy Holidays,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

It's possible that in order to get sound through the optical connection, you need to make an adjustment on the receiver. I know on my Onkyo receiver, you have to specify which input (analog or digital) you want to use. If I have it set to analog, I will only get sound coming through the RCA connections on the back. If I set it at optical or coaxial, then it will recognize the signal from that connection.

Also, make sure that the Dolby Digital and DTS settings on your DVD player are set to Bitstream and not PCM. I don't think you'll be able to send a digital signal from the player if you have it set up the other way.

 

[Ike]

I got it hooked up!

After several hours fidgeting and fretting over it, and finally tasting victory, I was dealt a blow when there was now center channel.

But now, everything is up, and running. The VR-507, despite my having nothing to compare it to (it's my first Digital system. My previous 5.1 was Pro-Logic.) sounds like a beast. I've demoed The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over and Gladiator, both in DTS, and they both sound great!

Now, if only I could put the stereo with my new 51" HDTV, I'd have a marriage in heaven, but alas...