Newbie with VERY BASIC Questions about home audio: SORRY (1 Viewer)

[akumaslair]

I was asking a friend 1000 home audio questions, and he got peeved with me and directed this forum.

Firstly, let me apoligse in advance as I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about audio, and Im not old.. (26 y/old)... And I mean I KNOW NOTHING.

This is my situation:

Went and bought myself a relatively cheap Samsung plasma TV on impulse........

Took it home, found out it was a model without speakers.....

So I went to ebay and bought a relatively cheap set of speakers, bought it because the speakers were new, big, flashy, black and there were 5 of them.

oh well, not a problem, so I get home and try and connect the antennae to the tv, found out the antennae didn't go into the screen, call the shop and find out that I need to buy a set top,

Q1: why can I not plug the antennae into the screen like the old type of tvs

so I buy myself a settop box, and managed to connect it up relatively easily... got a picture straight away..quite happy. Tried to connect the speakers with the TV with the cables provided with the TV, however they don't match, the ones from the tv were the Red, White Yellow ones, the back of the speakers there is only 2 plugs and these ones don't fit on them anyway....So I call the shop again, and was told "you need an amp, and do you have a subwoofer"

Why can I not just connect the speakers to the TV just like a set of pc speakers, I had to go through the manual to find out that
I don't think I have a subwoofer although each of the speakers has a "5.5" woofer inbuilt"

so I need to buy an amp,

Q4. what sort of an amp do I need?

I am trying to get this up as cheap as possible, as we will be watching tv
and the odd dvd and thats it. nothing else.

I dont know how to describe the back of the speakers but the standard 3 Red, Yellow and White cables don't fit.

Q5. Do I need some special types of cables???

I am pretty sure that I will have more questions as I get the setup going........

Once again, thanks for any upcoming comments and feedback

 

[gene c]

A regular tv has a receiver (to pick up the tv signals), a screen (to display those signals), a pair of speakers and an amplifier (to amplify the sound before it reaches those speakers). Looks like your Samsung is a "monitor" style (much like a computer monitor) and not a regular television. These are basically a screen only and come without the tv receiver, speakers and amp. Q1: Since there is no tv signal, there is no need for an antenna input. The set top box that you bought has that. Q2 (I think): Why can't I connect the speakers to the tv? Because the speakers need an amplified signal and your tv has no amplifier. This is why your speakers have a different type of connection (for speaker wire) than what came with your tv (red and white). Q3: The 5.5" woofer referred to is the size of the driver in the speakers you bought. A subwoofer is a separate large speaker specifically designed for the low frequencies (the deep bass) that your other speakers are unable to re-produce. You don't "need" a subwoofer but it would be a good idea to get one. Q4: Any basic audio-video receiver will do. You can pick one up for under $100, but remember, you get what you pay for (hopefully). Q5: From what I've read so far you only need speaker wire and something between your set top box and receiver for sound. If you by a sub, you will need a subwoofer cable too. You can use red and white cables, like those from your tv to set top box, between your set top box and your new receiver, but a "digital" cable
would be much preferred if your set top box has a "digital-out". There are two types of digital connections. Toslink and coaxial. Hope this helps. And yes, there will be more questions!

 

[akumaslair]

Gene_C: thank you very much for your response, it has given me a lot of information,

just another quick question (here they come!)
I have seen amps with 5.1ch and 6.1 ch and 2.0 ch, which one am I going to need, if I have 5 speakers, 1 subwoofer, do I need a 6.1CH????

 

[gene c]

You need a 5.1 ("5" is for the speakers and ".1" is for the subwoofer) but a 6.1 or 7.1 will also work. You just won't be hooking up the unused back channels.

 

[akumaslair]

ahh.. I see now, what is the difference between 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1, especially in terms of quality

Also, I will be getting a subwoofer, but will a system work without a sub????? and if it doesn't, does that mean there will be no bass at all??

also is there a special type of cable I need to join the subwoofer+speakers to the back of the amp,

ive taken a photo of the back of the speakers in case I have purhcased something weird...

 

[Robert_J]

Can you link to your auction where you won the speaker or a similar auction? That will help a lot with your connection questions.

-Robert

 

[akumaslair]

thanks rob...
the forum won't allow me to post a link, so here it goes, I bought a set of spekaers from this company a few months ago and its very similar to the ones I have, it also includes photos of the back

go to ebay.com.au
ente item number: 300061027210

 

[Robert_J]

Those look like quality speakers but I've never heard of them. The connections in the back are basic terminals. Just strip some insulation off of your speaker wire and make tighten the terminal down on each wire. Just make sure you keep the polarity consistant throughout your connections.

You will now need a receiver to power the speakers. For example, Ebay 160063992449 would work fine. There are hundreds of other options and the price can get very high. Stick with 5.1 models and you will be just fine.

Finally, you will need a powered sub. SVS is the sub of choice for most here. Again, if they are outside of your budget, we can help with more appropriate suggestions.

-Robert

 

[akumaslair]

THanks again Robert,

Just another question, I ve been looking at 2 different subwoofers, exactly the same in every way, except the air vents/2 holes, one is on the front, the other on the back, what is the difference>???

you also said to strip down the speaker wire, is this the best way to do this, just seems a bit amateurish..... is there say a plug that can be connected to it to make the wire sit/fit better???

 

[Robert_J]

Adding a connector like a bannana plug doesn't do anything except help you when you have to constantly connect and disconnect your speakers. The wire connects to the plug the EXACT same way it connects to your speaker terminal.

-Robert

 

[akumaslair]

Thanks again Rob,

I have looked at the 2 product brochures, and its almost like they have photocopied eachother but just changed the picture, so yes, they do seeem identical at every level,

do you have an email addy that I can email you directly on??

SOmeone has told me that even if you are going to get a budget 5.1, to make sure it has 100W minimum, is that per front/speaker only??? and also how will it effect my setup...

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Mike. Thought I might add a few words.

I love dual banana plugs like these from Radio Shack:



They make it easy to do a neat job. Buy 1 pair and test it with your speakers and receiver before buying a bunch. The spacing is NOT the same on all brands of speakers. The Shack also carries single banana plugs for this case.

WARNING: It is very important to do a neat wire job with your speakers. It is easy to let the little strands of copper stick out and months from now they could short across each other. This 'short' is like sticking a fork in an AC outlet. It wont cause sparks/fire, but it will damage your receiver. The dual-banana plugs make it harder to short things by accident.

Speaker wire: There are lots of 'myths' about wire. Dont worry about these. My advice is to buy a spool of good 12 ga Oxygen Free speaker wire from www.partsexpress.com and use it for all your speakers. (Oxygen free reduces the rate of oxidization). You can buy it from Home Depot, but try to not spend more than about $0.50/ft or you may be getting ripped off.

Amp: You want a Home Theater receiver. The "watts" are "watts per channel". I have a lowly Yamaha that is rated at 80 wpc. But thats 80 watts X 5 channels = 400 watts.

I strongly recommend you check Craigs List for something like a Yamaha RX-V receiver, Dennon or even Kenwood. Avoid anything with the word "Digital", "Turbo", "Theater", "Lazer" in the name. Check with us before you buy (there are a bunch of rip-off brands out there).

While power is nice - this is not a music system that you try to blast the whole house with. A HT system surrounds a few chairs with 5 speakers. Tons of power is not needed.

Hope this helps.

 

[Robert_J]

My e-mail address will stay private. Home theater is a hobby and spreading the joy of it just makes it better but sometimes I want to step away and enjoy my theater. Also, taking a discussion like this away from the forum just hurts the people that come here later looking for help. Their searches may turn up some useful information.

-Robert

 

[akumaslair]

thanks for all your help everyone, you've guided me very well,

however, there is another question I have which no newbie or sales person can answer..

I am trying to working within a realtively small budget, and I don;t intend to do any hardcore stuff on my setup, just watch tv and dvds, I don't have high expectations, if I get the plasma tv, with a budget amp, the speakers I mentioned before, and an average subwoofer, will it do me........ I mean are the connections to the back of my speakers fine or are there higher quality plugs, as I believe the plugs are a good indicator of qualitly or potential quailty

 

[Robert_J]

The existing connectors are fine. As long as you have a good connection between the connector and the speaker wire, you will get sound.

-Robert

 

[gene c]

Mike, don't worry about the connector on the back your speakers. As Robert has said, they are fine. You should be thinking more about speaker wire. Most suggest a minimum of 12 gauge wire. I use 14 gauge and consider 16 gauge to be the smallest you should use. It doesn't have to be expensive. Most of us get ours at home improvement and discount stores. As for the actual connection, I use the previously mentioned "banana plugs" on the receiver end and what are called "spade" connectors (they look like "C" clips) on the speaker end. They are much less expensive than banana plugs but still offer the high quality and secure connection you seem to be looking for. And at least get the calibration disc that Robert mentioned earlier. It works for both audio and video and can really help you set up your system properly when you finally get it up and running. And have you decided on a receiver yet? Just curious.

 

[akumaslair]

thanks guys, I am learning more then what I did at school all those yars ago,

also, I think I ve become a bit slower, I am trying to jam as much info as possible into my head,

I manged to buy a BOSE AMP, which after doing a bit of shopping around cost about $400, now all I need is a subwoofer and some cable to join it up....

was wondering, I purcahsed a sony 5 speaker stereo about 10 years ago, and it came with heaps of leftover cable, its just the cable with 2 strands stuck togehter with the wires at the end exposed, it doesn't look very hardcore or heavy duty so will these do, or do you recommend I go out and buy a different one????

 

[Robert_J]

Please post a link the the amp that you bought. The type of cable used will vary based on what "amp" you bought. Bose uses a lot of proprietary connections and is not usually a recommended brand here.

-Robert

 

[akumaslair]

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year,

well to give me an update, I returned the BOSE AMP as one of my family members bought me an el cheapo AMP. when I first saw it, I was worried but it has 5 x 100W and is 5.1 ch so all is good,

I have bought myself an xbox (not 360) so no need to buy a DVD player, all I need is an amp....

Im having a few problems wiring them all together, ive tried a lot of combinations, Im able to get everything working except I am facing the following problems:
Everything is working except:

1. I can't change the channel through the tv, it has to be done through the set top box, i think the tv is in Video mode
2. Everytime I change the channel on the settop box, the volume is on mute on the set top box
3. the xbox has one main cable which has 3 components to it (Red, white, yellow), however to get it working I have to put 2 of them into audio In of the amp, while 1 of them into the video in of the tv, ie the tv and the amp have to be 20cm of eachother as the 3 cables from the xbox are taped together
4. obivously everytime i play xbox and change to tv, I have to rewire.....
5. Please advise on what I should be looking for in an amp.....

thanks again everyone

Mike

I am trying to put a MS Paint diagram together so people can see whats going on, but it won;t let me post until i have 10 posts..

 

[mylan]

I haven't read through this entire post so please excuse any ignorance of your situation but i'll try to explan what I do know.

1.this is normal. Anytime you use a digital cable or satellite box or a tivo, it then controls the channel changing and volume control functions. You can still use the tv remote for changing inputs or fine tune the picture but do not change channels with the tv remote because it needs to stay on a certain channel, usually 3 or 4.
2. No clue as to this one.
3. these are standard cables, the red is audio positive, the white is audio negative, and the yellow is video. These cables are rarely longer than what you have.
4. Your "amp" is actually a receiver and it sounds as though it is incorrectly connected or you do not have enough inputs for your various components. Not knowing what receiver you have limits us from helping.
5. What is your budget?