Thread: Noob alert - time to buy real equipment.

I actually only had 1 connection going from my receiver to my TV... I had everything connected to my TV and HDMI going to my receiver.



Is this bad? Or not ideal for some reason?

I have a 47" Sammy LCD.

This was optimal for us because of how limited the receiver we have is.

Originally Posted by meStevo

I actually only had 1 connection going from my receiver to my TV... I had everything connected to my TV and HDMI going to my receiver.

Is this bad? Or not ideal for some reason?

I have a 47" Sammy LCD.

This was optimal for us because of how limited the receiver we have is.

It only matters if you have older equipment that needs to get connected. Say an old VCR or laserdisc player. If everything has HDMI, then the feature doesn't matter.

However, be careful of text that says "HDMI 1080P pass-through" That generally doesn't decode the audio in the receiver, and you need to add a second optical cable. There are numerous threads here about how the optical link doesn't support the best audio codecs, if that is important.

Paradigms here as well. Listened to several brands including Polk and JBL before making the decision. Have a full 7.1 set-up with the "Titans" in the side and rear locations and Monitor 9s in the front. Middle-grade center and 12" sub. (Might replace that with a 15" or add another 12".)

Your speakers will have much more influence on the sound quality (as you define it) than your receiver, assuming you're choosing from comparable receiver models. That said, get a receiver with the latest features/codecs and as much power as you can afford. Keeps it from becoming obsolete a bit longer. Higher power = less chance for distortion and speaker damage, not to mention the awesome dynamic range it will support! You'll probably need to "negotiate" with your neighbors in any case following an upgrade. Invite them over for blockbusters and major sports events!

Agreed that your receiver should also accept/process audio over HDMI. Look for HDMI 1.3 as a minimum. Gives you more decoding options and reduces wiring considerably. You'll probably find that you eventually let your receiver do all the switching and end up with only a single connection to the TV from the receiver.

Take your time with your upgrade project! Allow flexibility and "upward mobility". I ended-up spending all $5K of the $3K I originally budgeted...!

I have a 360 (VGA), PS3 (HDMI), Wii (Component) and HR22 (HDMI) to deal with.

Had all of this going into my Sammy and then an HDMI and an optical cable over to my receiver.

Looks like with a 507 I'd have to do the same thing (no VGA), or buy a 360 with HDMI or dig up/buy the component cables for it.

I like the current setup because we don't ever touch the receiver, we change inputs on the TV and whatever is on the TV we hear through the receiver. If we can do the same without ever touching the TV inputs, then great. VGA ports uncommon on receivers these days im guessing.

Originally Posted by meStevo

I have a 360 (VGA), PS3 (HDMI), Wii (Component) and HR22 (HDMI) to deal with.

Had all of this going into my Sammy and then an HDMI and an optical cable over to my receiver.

Looks like with a 507 I'd have to do the same thing (no VGA), or buy a 360 with HDMI or dig up/buy the component cables for it.

I like the current setup because we don't ever touch the receiver, we change inputs on the TV and whatever is on the TV we hear through the receiver. If we can do the same without ever touching the TV inputs, then great. VGA ports uncommon on receivers these days im guessing.

I tried that when I first got the new Plasma. I found out that although the Panasonic had an optical audio out, it only passed the front two channels, and not the surround information. A little investigaton showed that this was very common. In order to get surround, you needed to go through the receiver first.

Speakers are one of personal taste. For best results once you have yours installed is do not listen to others and you will stay happy. Going over to someone elses house and listening to theirs might lead one to be dissatisfied. This can happen at almost any price point. Figure out how much you want to spend and listen to all those in that price range and buy the ones that you like the best.

Originally Posted by meStevo

...I like the current setup because we don't ever touch the receiver, we change inputs on the TV and whatever is on the TV we hear through the receiver. If we can do the same without ever touching the TV inputs, then great. VGA ports uncommon on receivers these days im guessing.

In my case it's just the opposite. I only need to turn the TV on. Everything else is done in the receiver. I haven't integrated my remotes into 1 yet, but once you do that it's even simpler, 1 button powers everything up, etc. I've never seen VGA inputs on a receiver but I'm newer to this level than some who have or had older equipment. Some newer computers have SD or even HD outputs that could connect to the receiver that way, or maybe you could add a video card that allows the option. Even my 10 y.o. laptop can be connected via composite...

Originally Posted by mike123abc

Speakers are one of personal taste. For best results once you have yours installed is do not listen to others and you will stay happy. Going over to someone elses house and listening to theirs might lead one to be dissatisfied. This can happen at almost any price point. Figure out how much you want to spend and listen to all those in that price range and buy the ones that you like the best.

You know, I laughed when I first read this, but there is more than a hint of truth to it!

Newegg has some pretty good deals on the Polk Monitor series of speakers right now. I just bought pairs of Monitor 70 and Monitor 60 speakers plus a CS2 center, all delivered for $700 - less than just a pair of Monitor 70s would have cost you at list price, so that is a pretty good deal. The center speaker is pretty big (has the same 6.5" drivers in it that are in the front and rear speakers). These Monitors are floor-standing speakers, but they also have smaller book-shelf models available.

I haven't set it all up yet but I'm optimistic. I may in the end need a subwoofer, but I can always add that later.

CDH.

Edit - Whoops: just realized the Klipsch speakers you're looking at are a lot cheaper than the Polks, quite a different price point, so maybe these Polks aren't worth considering for budget reasons.