Connecting my old boxed speakers

[Superphilipp]

I hope this goes here. I also hope nobody here minds questions asked this way. If I'm wrong on those counts I apologise.

I currently have a 2-ish year old €200 DVD player + 5.1 passive speaker setup (Philips HTS3154, cheap all-in solution) connected to a pretty neat HD projector. I want to go Bluray, but I would like to do it as cheaply as possible, meaning I would like to keep the projector (of course) and, more importantly, the speakers too. I know they are pretty low-end, but they do it for me. Also rewiring the room is a pain I would like to avoid.

So here's my question: What's the cheapest way to replace just my DVD player and still connect my old passive (passive sub too!) 5.1 speakers? I have seen pretty cheap Bluray players with full analog chinch outputs. Will those do or isn't there any amplification with them? Do I have no choice but to buy an additional amplifier too? And what are the figures I have to pay for an amplifier that will go with my six speakers or alternatively a suitable Bluray player + amp combo? Do you know if Philips offers anything for my problem? I'd like to stick with Philips because of their excellent MPEG-4/.avi support.

Again, if this is the wrong place to ask this, I'm sorry. I don't want to waste anybody's time.

 

[mike123abc]

I have not seen a BD player all in one unit with speaker amps built in on the market yet. Perhaps there is a digital sound input on your old all in one unit for an external player. Then you could use your old unit to amplify your BD player output. I say digital input like coax or optical since it is unlikely you have a 5.1 analog input on the all in one unit.

If your old all in one unit does not have an auxiliary input means, you will need to go with a BD player and a receiver/amplifier.

 

[diogen]

What's the cheapest way to replace just my DVD player..

It sounds like you have a HTIB (home theater in a box).
What is the brand name and model number? How are the speakers connected?

Diogen.

EDIT:
Ups! You did mention the brand/model: Philips HTS315.
Looking through the manual, each speaker goes into the player using a proprietary connector (page 14). I don't think you will find a BD player+amp with the same connectors.
But if you are ready to cut them off and replace with RCA, no rewiring will be needed to make them work with a BD setup. But you'd need to buy both, a BD player and receiver/amp.
There are a few blu-ray HTIBs on the market, but they are sold only with their own speakers.

 

[Superphilipp]

Thanks for the lengthy replies.

diogen, I don't mind cutting and possibly re-soldering the speaker wires. But I have stumbled upon a new problem:

I checked the (German) ebay for 5.1 amplifiers under €100 and all of them seem to have connectors only for active subwoofers. However my HTIB naturally has all-passive speakers, including the subwoofer. Do you know what kind of money I'll have to spend for an amplifier with a powered subwoofer connector, like my HTIB seems to have?

Or woud you recommend just getting new speakers while I'm at it? This is starting to get more tedious by the minute.

 

[Superphilipp]

Thanks for the lengthy replies.

diogen, I don't mind cutting and possibly re-soldering the speaker wires. But I have stumbled upon a new problem:

I checked the (German) ebay for 5.1 amplifiers under €100 and all of them seem to have connectors only for active subwoofers. However my HTIB naturally has all-passive speakers, including the subwoofer. Do you know what kind of money I'll have to spend for an amplifier with a powered subwoofer connector, like my HTIB seems to have?

Or woud you recommend just getting new speakers while I'm at it? This is starting to get more tedious by the minute.

 

[diogen]

Getting a new setup would certainly be preferrable.
And if you want to enjoy the lossless audio from BD - desirable as well.

Start with replacing just the subwoofer with a powered one. And the rest just like you planned.
I'd suggest to get the simplest BD player (without analog circuitry) and a receiver that is capable of handling lossless audio.
Neither will be under 100 Euros. But combined they can be under $500. Plus a sub.

Diogen.

 

[jayn_j]

Getting a new setup would certainly be preferrable.
And if you want to enjoy the lossless audio from BD - desirable as well.

Start with replacing just the subwoofer with a powered one. And the rest just like you planned.
I'd suggest to get the simplest BD player (without analog circuitry) and a receiver that is capable of handling lossless audio.
Neither will be under 100 Euros. But combined they can be under $500. Plus a sub.

Diogen.

What Diogen suggests is a good starter step for improving sound. Look for a powered subwoofer that has speaker level inputs. The original connector is an amplified connection with 4-8 ohms impedance. If you simply ran a line from this to an RCA input on an amplified sub, you would get poor sound and would run the risk of destroying the amplifier in the sub. That is why they made it a non-standard connector in the first place.

If the goal is hooking up the BD player, how about the following: Connect the BD player directly to the TV using HDMI. Then run an audio link from the TV output back to the phillips. You don't specify the projector in your post, and The spec sheets I have seen on the Phillips just say it has an input for the TV signal. This would allow you to switch signals at the TV instead of having to switch both TV nd amplifier.

If the projector doesn't have audio output, then use the aux connector on the Phillips for just the audio portion. Use an optical (TOSLINK) input if one is available. Otherwise use the RCA inputs. Not ideal, but definitely the most cost effective way of doing this.