How many cables? (1 Viewer)

[Larry_S]

I will have the following:

WS65413
HKAVR-325
DV563A
XBOX
VCR
FLUANCE AVHTB 5 Speakers
Dish Network

I have a buddy of mine that was an electrical engineer for the Navy to hook it up, but I wanted to get all the cables and label them accordingly to speed up the process lol.

I hear pros/cons about Monster cables, and don't have to have them, but do other high quality brands come in a "package" based on my setup?

If I have to go around buying different types of cables separately, Im not 100% I could go on my own and get it right...

Thanks!

 

[chung_sotheby]

Take a look at:
Blue Jeans Cable
Bettercables
Rhino Cables
CatCables

All will have much better price/performance than Monster, and if you are buying a lot you can email/call them and get a good group price quote. Some might be a little more expensive than Monster, but you will want to spend that extra little bit

 

[FeisalK]

since you have the 563A just remember to get extra 3 pairs of analog interconnects for SACD/DVDA output in addition to the digital interconnects

 

[Larry_S]

Thanks for the responses....I will look at those sites. How much should I expect to pay for EVERYTHING?

$200? $400?

My head would explode trying to hook all this stuff up!

Oh! Will any of the equipment I'm purchasing come with quality cables?

 

[FeisalK]

Oh! Will any of the equipment I'm purchasing come with quality cables?

Probably not! In fact when i got a 655A it didn't even come with the 3 pairs of i/cs needed for SACD/DVDA, it just came with a (cheap) composite video cable and a (cheap) pair of stereo i/cs.

have you made out how many cables you need already?

look here for SACD/DVDA connexions (3 pairs of i/c)

 

[Larry_S]

Trying to get it figured out here at work, but I'm the only network guy here today lol.

The link you sent helps alot....scary it actually makes sense looking at em

As a matter of fact, if I can find the hookup diagram for each item, I should be fine, right?

I guess Im more worried about getting more than I need, but if I go one device at a time, maybe it will become simpler.

Thanks much for your attention.

 

[FeisalK]

your receiver manual should have them

you'll have fun!

ever thought about DIY cables? i read somewhere someone was making them with CAT5...

 

[Larry_S]

Nope. Never thought about DIY. I'll check them out. Heck, I make enough CAT5 cables now, I should be a pro at that lol

 

[FeisalK]

yeah but CAT5 for networking is easy - the crimper helps a lot. for interconnects i think what they do is twine the individual strands together. you can find some links on that page.

on seconds thought.. looks like its only for sepaker cables, and judging by the amount of effort required i would hesitate to recommend it

 

[Larry_S]

lol Well, your recommendation to not do it + my laziness = buy cables!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I'll add a bit of specific advice:

Component Cables: Go with the custom cable sites. For $50-$100 these are superior to the Monster offerings. Use these cables for DVD->TV and any HD source to TV.

XBox - Suck it up and buy the Monster HD cable for the XBox and the Optical Adaptor. You can spend $20 for the cheap Microsoft Advanced AV pack, but you still have to add Component cables. That cheap break-out box does not have shielded wires, and I'll bet it really does not do a good job with 720 signals. Right now, the Monster cable is the only game in town.

Note: Try to go straight to the TV with the HD video signals. DONT go through the receiver unless the receiver says it's rated for HD signals. Just because it has component jacks does not mean it handles the HD video well.

VCR - Give this up. If you really must use it, look into one of those $20 "Composite to SVideo" adaptors from Radio Shack. Buy Radio Shack or AR brand SVideo cables to hook it up.

Speakers: a lot of people like the "Sound King" brand of 12 ga wire from www.partsexpress.com. Get a spool and use it everywhere.

 

[Larry_S]

Thanks for the additional tips. I am at work today looking at the back of my AVR325(pdf file) to count how many cables I will need lol.

 

[Arthur Vino]

bluejeans, rhinocables, cobaltcables, heartlandcables, bettercables..

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Speakers: a lot of people like the "Sound King" brand of 12 ga wire from www.partsexpress.com. Get a spool and use it everywhere.

I can also recommend the Dayton brand interconnect cables sold at www.partsexpress if you are looking for reasonably-priced interconnects. The build quality is just as good as the Monster Cables sold at Best Buy, and the cables are no more than half the cost. They offer a toslink optical cable for less than $8, which is about 1/4 the cost of a Monster Cable version at BB. Their component video cables work very well, too.

 

[kevitra]

For component cables, I recommend avcable.com. They do a lot of custom work (you can mix and match connectors - RCA -> XLR) and have great prices. A 10' Component cable is $60. They use Canare products (big in the DIY community) and the build quality is great. Check out the cable here.

I have no affiliation - I have found that for the price they are great. They also make great interconnects. A 3' interconnect with gold RCA plugs is $14.