Brand New System! (1 Viewer)

[MikePio]

Hello all,
I finally convinced my wife to let me get a new home theater system. As I unpacked everything yesterday I realized that hooking all this up is going to be a bigger project than I thought. I got it working, that is I have a picture and sound, but I'm sure there are better ways to do it. I'm sure glad I found this forum, and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions. If the questions I have were answered before, I apologize. I'm a virgin at this, so be gentle.
First off, here's what I have:
Samsung 61" DLP HD monitor
Harman Kardon AVR330 receiver
Infinity TSS750 speaker system
Panasonic DVD-S25S progressive scan dvd player
Wide Open West cable TV (currently analog, switching to digital as soon as they can get here)

I ran my coax cable directly into the tv's input. I also hooked up the dvd player directly to the tv using the component video hookups. This dvd player doesn't have optical audio, so I used digital coax to my receiver.
First question: Is there a benefit to connecting my video from cable, dvd player, vcr, etc to my receiver first, then to the tv?
#2: The back of my subwoofer has a crossover dial. How do I know where to set it?
#3: I have 3 options with my surround speakers. The wall behind my couch is about 7 feet behind me. I can mount the speaker there, on the ceiling (8ft) above the couch, or on the walls 3 to 4 feet on either side of the couch. If I mount them on the walls, it would have to be near the ceiling, as I can't run the wires inside the walls & don't want to have speaker wires running for a long distance down the wall.
#4: The Infinity speakers came with wires. Do I use them or toss them? I bought a roll of Monster wire, but should I spend the money when Infinity apparently thinks the ones they gave me are adequate?
#5: Is it necessary for all the wires to the speakers to be the same length? I seem to recall from long ago that if the wires were different length the sound would reach some speakers sooner than others, messing up the sound.
Whooh! That was alot, and I'm sure I'll have alot more questions as I go along. Thanks again for any and all help you can give me.

 

[Mark Olton]

Don't worry about this. Even if the length difference were 50 feet, the phase difference would only be about 50ns, something the human ear cannot come close to detecting. On top of that, being electromechanical devices, your speakers are not likely to "come alive" with exactly the same amount of delay anyway, so don't waste your time trying to run the wires precisely the same length.

 

[Chris Bplayer]

Answers to your points and more:

1. Some will argue that routing the connection via the receiver could degrade the signal quality. Current receivers do a good job of this, but you should test on your system. The key point is convenience in switching and selecting the source to watch. It may be possible to use the receivers remote to do all the switching.

2. The sub should be connected to the sub-out on the receiver via a coax cable, and the satellite speakers to the appropriate connectors. The crossover point is configured in the receiver. Set the satellite speakers to SMALL. For you speakers the best cross-over point will likely be 100Hz, but this will be dependent on the specifications of the satellite if their frequency range goes that low. Check the booklet.

3. Ideally, the surround sound speakers should be mount on the side walls slightly behind the listening position, and at least 2-3 feet above ear level. If possible, they should be at least 1 foot below the ceiling.

4. The size and quality of wire is a hotly debated topic. The longer the length of wire used to connect the surround, the lower the gauge should be. Do what you feel comfortable with and can afford.

5. The length should be same for the both front speakers, and the length to the surrounds should be the same.

This covers your basic setup.

The next level is to audio balance the speaker sound using a test disk and an SPL meter. Do some research to find out what is required. The TV should also be colour calibrated. The same test disk will cover this as well.

The ultimate level is to get the TV calibrated by and ISF certified technician. This will cost you $$$.

Enjoy!

 

[Ted Lee]

be sure to read the beginner's faq (top of forum) and this thread