Please Help with my first system. (1 Viewer)

[jf2oo6]

Hi all this is my first post here. I am looking for a nice 5.1 or maybe even 7.1 setup. This is my first time with any of this so I am very new. I have a decent knowledge of car audio, but dont know much about home audio. This system will be a gift for my girlfriend, so I dont want it to be overly complex.
 

This set up will be hooked up to her lcd tv. All she has connected to it right now is a PS3, and her cable box. The PS3 I know can just use one of the hdmi inputs on the receiver, but what about the cable box? The cable box is connected to her tv right now using a coaxial cable (I think thats the cable. The old style one that screws into the wall, with the wire in the center?). Is there an input for this on the back of the receiver? Also I would like to be able to switch the surround sound off if need be. For instance, if she just wants to watch tv without surround sound.
 

So I was thinking would I be better of going with a HTIB? I like the idea of buying everything in one shot so I dont have to worry about forgetting some stuff. I dont want her to open it and find I still need more parts when setting it up. But if you guys suggest that piecing together a system is really the better option I can do that too.
 

Please give me some advice and suggestions guys, Thank You.

 

[gene c]

Buying pieces one-by-one usually results in better performance but the price is almost always a little higher.

 

For all-in-one systems Onkyo is usually the best choice. They come with a real receiver and real speakers packaged together and since she has a PS3 that can be used as her dvd/bluray player.

 

We need a pretty solid budget before we can start to recommend models.

 

I'm not sure about the coax cable question. I know receivers don't have RF connectors on the back but I'm not sure if you can covert that cable to a video cable. But my guess is that you can't. If you want the cable connected to the receiver, and you should, then she may need to get a cable box from the provider.

 

If you do get the cable box then you would hook the red/white audio cables and yellow or s-video cable to the tv and the hdmi output to the receiver. She would have to change inputs on the tv when using the receiver but she could watch tv without the receiver on by changing the input on the tv again. If this still sounds confusing then get her a Harmony remote and it will make these changes for her.

 

[jf2oo6]

Ok for budget im gonna say 800 because the Onkyo HT-7300 can be had for 750.
 

And im sorry but what is a RF connector? If you go to this link, you can see the back of the receiver, and it allows you to zoom in close enough to see all the connections. It has 2 coaxial connections on there. Are those for the cable box? And she already has a cable box. But it is connected to the tv through a coaxial cable. I dont know if there is any other way to do it. My hd cable box is connected to my tv through hdmi. That would make life easier if hers was, but it does not have that option.

 

[Jason Charlton]

The simple truth is that no matter where you get your television from, you need a tuner that is capable of separating the individual channels from the consolidated (and often encrypted) signal stream that usually arrives at our homes in the form of a coaxial cable with F-Type (screw-on) connectors.

 

A/V receivers do not include TV tuners.

 

Cable companies and satellite providers offer boxes, or if you use an over the air antenna, you feed that signal directly to the television, which has a tuner built-in.

 

It's also important to distinguish between cable type and connector type: "coaxial" refers to the geometry of the cable itself - a central conductor (solid or stranded) surrounded by an insulating dielectric, shielding, and outer jacket. Coaxial cables can be terminated with any variety of connectors, including RCA, F-Type, BNC, etc.

 

The only screw-type connector I see on the back of the receiver is for the FM radio antenna.

 

As Gene mentioned, if watching the system both with and without the use of the receiver is a necessary requirement, it will complicate the hookup and operation a bit (contrary to what most people believe). Essentially, for each source device hooked up to the system, you will need to make TWO sets of connections - one to the receiver and one directly to the TV. Input switching will be a bit more tricky, and I second Gene's suggestion of a good universal remote like the Harmony line that is "activity based" and does an excellent job of switching inputs and turning devices on and off as needed.

 

Getting back to the whole "watching without surround sound on" discussion. There are usually two arguments for such a setup:

 

1) It's "simpler" to not have to use the receiver each time. As we've discussed, not really. Having everything go through a receiver and using your TV as a monitor makes it possible to do ALL your switching with one device (and hence one remote control), the reciever. Hookups are also much simpler when you only have to deal with a source feeding ONE device, and for some devices, there are situations where using one output automatically disables others (this varies on a device-by-device basis) but obviously it can cause problems if you're trying to use two outputs at the same time.

 

2) I don't want it to be too loud. I always love this one. Receivers have volume controls! It can be made just as soft as you need it. Plus, with the better quality speakers than the ones in your TV, the sound fidelity will be much improved, and you probably won't need it to be as loud in the first place. Many receivers also include a "midnight" mode or some other form of dynamic compression that can limit the boominess of bass. Finally, calibrate and properly set up your system so it produces a balanced, even sound to begin with. Follow these steps, and surround sound will become the norm for you as it has for many of us in the forum.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Jason:

 

Welcome to the forum! ../../../image/id/364281/width/1000/height/800

 

[jf2oo6]

Thanks for all the help guys! Very detailed responses. Ok so since it seems like it will be more complication that its worth, I can do without the ability to switch back to tv speakers. I only thought it might be pretty simple because I was reading about a yamaha receiver that said it has some sort of pass-through capability. Which I think allowed it to still make a connection with the inputs and output even when the receiver is off. Ohh well no biggie though. Im sure it wont be a problem having it on all the time.

 

So for the cable it is an F-type coaxial. How will this be connected? Will this cause a problem?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by jf2oo6

 

So for the cable it is an F-type coaxial. How will this be connected? Will this cause a problem?

I'm pretty sure you're going to need to get a cable box from her provider. Most cable boxes these days are HDMI compliant.
 

Would that be a problem? Does she have HD service?

 

[Jason Charlton]

HDMI pass through as you describe is one other option, though it's not a standard feature on all receivers, and is less likely to be available on low to mid-level models. Some receivers do allow passthrough even when off, or in "standby" mode, however this is generally limited to HDMI-connected devices only. It may be something worth asking about, but take anything you hear from a salesperson with a grain of salt. Your best bet is to download online copies of manuals for receivers you're interested in and give them a quick glance. Lots of answers can be found within...

 

As for the cable box - the cable coming from the wall will still connect to the "Cable/Antenna Input" on the back the same way it is now. There should be additional output terminals on the back of the cable box (red/white/yellow RCA at the very least). Run audio and video from the cable box to the receiver.

 

If the only output on the back of the cable box is F-Type, then call your cable company and tell them they've left you stranded in 1985 and you want an upgrade!

 

Oh, that reminds me, if you are going to use a cable box that has any video connection OTHER than HDMI (component, composite) then you'll need a receiver that converts these analog video formats to digital to output via HDMI. That feature (called analog-to-digital conversion) is becoming more and more common these days, but may not be present on lower end models.

 

[Jason Charlton]

The HTiB systems from Onkyo are generally considered the best value out there. Doing a quick comparison between the 7300 and 5300 shows that both have analog-to-digital conversion (in fact, they both seem to use an identical receiver). The 7300 has better speakers, and if you can get it for $750 or so, that sounds like a great deal.

 

Page 49 of the manual does discuss audio passthrough via HDMI to the TV, but gives no indication of whether this feature is available when the receiver is off.

 

[jf2oo6]

Ok sounds great guys. I am really liking the way that 7300 system is sounding. It seems like it might have everything I need. And as for the cable box I am not completely sure what is on the back of it. There is an hd box in the house, but it is in the main room. This set up is for her bedroom, which I dont believe has an hd box. But if the box she has wont work I suppose we can always just call the cable company and have them bring us a new box. Shouldnt be a big deal. Thanks for all your help guys. And any other advice is more than welcome!

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm sorry. I missed the post with the info that the cable box was already in place.
 

It sounds like you are good-to-go, Jason.
 

And, if it's not an HD cable box in the bedroom set-up...it oughta be!

 

[jf2oo6]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

Yeaaa I agree. Ill have to see about that one. Would definitely be much nicer.