Noob in need of a little advice. (1 Viewer)

[trainergames]

Ok a while back my grandpa bought a Wahldorf Home Theater WD-305HT surround set from a guy in a store parking lot for $200,now after i found out about it i looked them up,and found out they were White Van speakers and he got ripped off,and they also tricked into thinking it was wireless and had a receiver,(he thinks he just misunderstood them)so they have been sitting around gathering dust cause he wanted wireless,now i have not told him that he got scammed,but i have told him that i am going to buy the speakers off of him(for what he paid so he does not lose any money),plus i don't have a surround sound setup yet(it would be my first),and something is better than nothing. Now where i need advice is i am trying to find a SAFE receiver to use with it, cause i have heard that if you put to much power to them they could catch fire, now i have tested them all with a REALLY old 25watt stereo receiver,and they all work fine,i don't have a huge budget think $75 max for a used receiver,and $150 MAX for a brand new one,and that is pushing it cause i don't want to spend a lot on these speakers plus i am poor,i am going to CAREFULLY check pawnshops(i will test any receiver at a pwnshop before i pay for it),but i would like to know what to look for in one when looking for a used one,and just incase i can't find a used one could you guys please suggest a good cheap receiver for me to use with those? Than you guys for any and all help.

 

[gene c]

I have no idea how a speaker could ever catch fire but who knows...anything's possible I guess. Those speakers are listed as 8 ohm and an spl rating of 93 db which is fairly high. But how much trust can you put into those ratings? I'd remove the drivers and check the wiring just to make sure they make good contact and appear to be wired properly. If the subwoofer is a powered model (with a power cord) make sure it's in the "off" position when you plug it in. Look for an Onkyo 500/501, 601. Pioneer 815/816. H/K 300/500. Really any name brand receiver on craigslist for $75-$100. Will probably be 6-8 years old, have optical/coax digital inputs but no hdmi and most likely 5.1 channels. Use a good (not expensive, just good) quality surge protector on the receiver and the subwoofer if it's self-powered. You should be fine but don't expect too much. I'd worry more about the sub then the speakers. Good Luck.

 

[trainergames]

Ok i checked the wires on the sub i was unable to get a good look at them(cause i did not want to unscrew them in the front cause it looks like the used plastic screws on the front)but they did use real screws on the back and it seemed fine from what i could see but i am no expert. I checked my local craigslist,and there were not even any 5.1 receivers in my price range and they all came with speakers,so in the morning i am going to go to some pawnshops to look. But i should look out for Onkyo,Pioneer? and are there any other good brands i should look for? Also if i can't find one, do you think this one i found on newegg.com on sale would be a good buy? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117398 EDIT:i don't know how well we can trust any of those ratings cause they were White Van speakers lol. EDIT#2:i forgot the sub are powered by the receiver,also it's hookups are different than i have seen before(but i am a noob at audio)it has 4 sets of hookups for speaker wire(a left input set a right input set,and a left output set a right output set).how do i go about plugging into the receiver when i get one?

 

[gene c]

I only mentioned Pioneer and Onkyo because I could remember their model numbers from several years ago. Any Harman Kardon, Denon, Marantz would work just as well. The Pioneer 521 is a fine entry level receiver. $150 is a very good price. To hook up a passive subwoofer to a receiver you hook the front left and right speaker outputs from the receiver to the subwoofers corresponding speaker inputs. Then hook the left and right speaker outputs from the sub to the front left and right speakers. Set the Center and Surround speakers to Small in the receivers setup menu and use the crossover setting in the receiver for them. Set the Front speakers to Large in the receivers setup menu. Use the knob on the back of the subwoofer to set the crossover for the Front speakers.

 

[trainergames]

Ok i checked a few pawn shops,and the only 5.1 receiver i found that was not overpriced was an Optimus stav-3350,but it was not working i think,cause they let me use a single speaker to test it,and i was switching it between the channels,and sound would only come out of the rear surround and center speaker channels,i tried messing with the settings but could not find a way to get sound to work on the other channels,but like i said before i am a noob at audio. I may just use some of thespeakers with the old 25watt stereo receiver i have for now, and keep watching the pawn shops. Also thank you for the advice on setting up the speakers.

 

[gene c]

The Front two channels should always work. There's no reason or setting for them not to (while the center and surrounds are working). You did good to walk away from it. Be patient. Something good will turn up.

 

[trainergames]

What is funny(and weird) is that i just remembered(i fell asleep after i got home,but before i posted that) i found a sony on another pawn shop was unable to test it there but it was not being sold as-is,and i got it home to test and i could only get A&B front speakers to work,no matter what settings i tried,and not only that the sound quality was HORRIBLE at any sound level it was distoreted and staticy, so i took it back for a refund and told them that is was not working. But some good did come from those trips, i found something to give me a little more fun till i can find a good 5.1 receiver,i found a phillips Blu-ray player on sale for only $41 cause it had been there for a while,i checked it before i left and i picked up some movies for it also,and i must say it looks amazing on my 47" samsung 1080i screen. I should be happy till i can find a good receiver. I will post on here if/when i find something, to make sure i got a good find,and agian thank you for all the help.