I've never had a HT before so I thought I'd jump on a recent slickdeal and scored some Energy Classic Take 5.1 with a H100 Sub. I also got myself an Onkyo 607 receiver to run it through. Now I know next to nothing on the quality of these two items other than they were highly recommended on the SD Forums. I eventually want to get my LCD TV and HTPC hooked up through HDMI and my Wii and PS2 through Component.

I just had a few questions for my first time wiring up a system:


Will speaker wires running alongside cause interference with each other?
How do I connect my OTA HD Antenna to the TV and have the sound come out into the receiver? My antenna only has a Coaxial connector which I plug direct into the TV
The speaker wire I bought doesn't seem to be colored Red or Black, is there a trick to keeping track of the positive/negative wires? I recall someone posting a method of testing the wires with a 9V battery but I can't find it
How much space does a receiver need for airflow? I have a small bookcase with no back that I use as a tv stand and it allows for a few inches of clearance with the receiver... is that enough?
Does the sub require any special wires? (sub hasn't arrived yet)


Sorry for the litany of questions, I've been trying to read up on all the resources and sticky threads but I can't seem to find these answers. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!
Tom

I can answer some

1) I don't think it's a problem
2) With that setup, you'll need to run and audio out from the TV to the receiver. You may only get 2.0 sound, it seems most TV's won't pass 5.1 out. There are a couple that do digital out 5.1, but it's rare. The receiver can then do it's best to process that signal to surround so it's better than nothing.
3) Not sure on that receiver
4) No special cable for the sub. Any RCA cable will work, don't spend money on anything fancy.

Actual don't spend a lot on any cables. Check monoprice.com for good cheap cables.

There is always a chance that two wires transmitting an electrical signal running side by side can have interference, but its very unlikely.

The speaker wires... One of them probably has a small colored strip on it. Just match that side with the positive on both receiver and speaker.

Your auto setup on your 607 will tell you if its hooked up right or not (out of phase).

How do I connect my OTA HD Antenna to the TV and have the sound come out into the receiver? My antenna only has a Coaxial connector which I plug direct into the TV.Your TV will have a digital audio output (optical or coax). Connect that output to your receiver. It's there for exactly this purpose - so that people using OTA antennas can feed DD 5.1 to their receivers for surround sound. (Jettore's comment above about getting 2.0, not 5.1, refers to how TVs handle external components such as disc players and set top boxes, not OTA antennas or QAM cable feeds.)

Does the sub require any special wires? (sub hasn't arrived yet)
A powered sub needs a standard digital coax cable with RCA connectors on both ends. 75 ohms is recommended.

A powered sub needs a standard digital coax cable with RCA connectors on both ends. 75 ohms is recommended.

Are you sure about that? I've only ever used a standard phono cable interconnect. After all, it's an analog connection at line level. The only difference between it and a analog connection to a tape deck typically is the distance.

Are you sure about that? I've only ever used a standard phono cable interconnect. After all, it's an analog connection at line level. The only difference between it and a analog connection to a tape deck typically is the distance.The cable design is all the same, yes? You can use a lesser cable, especially for short distances. But, as noted by Blue Jeans cables:

"By the way: we often hear from people on internet discussion boards, or in e-mails inquiring about our products, that "audio cable is supposed to be 50 ohms." There is indeed a lot of 50 ohm coaxial cable in the world, and no doubt some of it has been used for analog audio; but there is not now, and has never been, any standard impedance spec for unbalanced analog audio cable. 50 ohm cable isn't a good choice for analog audio. That's not because of the impedance, which doesn't matter at all, but because of the capacitance, which is quite high in 50 ohm cables (typically 25 to 31 pF/ft). We're not sure what the origin of the "50 ohm audio cable" myth is, but it doesn't seem to want to die."

The cable design is all the same, yes? You can use a lesser cable, especially for short distances. But, as noted by Blue Jeans cables:

"By the way: we often hear from people on internet discussion boards, or in e-mails inquiring about our products, that "audio cable is supposed to be 50 ohms." There is indeed a lot of 50 ohm coaxial cable in the world, and no doubt some of it has been used for analog audio; but there is not now, and has never been, any standard impedance spec for unbalanced analog audio cable. 50 ohm cable isn't a good choice for analog audio. That's not because of the impedance, which doesn't matter at all, but because of the capacitance, which is quite high in 50 ohm cables (typically 25 to 31 pF/ft). We're not sure what the origin of the "50 ohm audio cable" myth is, but it doesn't seem to want to die."

Perhaps I'm confused about the "digital" aspect.

Your TV will have a digital audio output (optical or coax). Connect that output to your receiver. It's there for exactly this purpose - so that people using OTA antennas can feed DD 5.1 to their receivers for surround sound. (Jettore's comment above about getting 2.0, not 5.1, refers to how TVs handle external components such as disc players and set top boxes, not OTA antennas or QAM cable feeds.)


That's good to know, I wasn't aware.

Thanks for all the great info guys! I can't wait to hook everything up and hear what I've been missing.

The speaker wire I bought doesn't seem to be colored Red or Black, is there a trick to keeping track of the positive/negative wires? I recall someone posting a method of testing the wires with a 9V battery but I can't find it
Typically it’s marked down one conductor - either with a colored stripe, some kind of writing, or a raised ridge that you can feel.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

The cable design is all the same, yes? You can use a lesser cable, especially for short distances. But, as noted by Blue Jeans cables:

"By the way: we often hear from people on internet discussion boards, or in e-mails inquiring about our products, that "audio cable is supposed to be 50 ohms." There is indeed a lot of 50 ohm coaxial cable in the world, and no doubt some of it has been used for analog audio; but there is not now, and has never been, any standard impedance spec for unbalanced analog audio cable. 50 ohm cable isn't a good choice for analog audio. That's not because of the impedance, which doesn't matter at all, but because of the capacitance, which is quite high in 50 ohm cables (typically 25 to 31 pF/ft). We're not sure what the origin of the "50 ohm audio cable" myth is, but it doesn't seem to want to die."

Is all Coaxial cable the same? I have an extra Coax that I used to connect my tv to the cable box, will it work for the sub too?

I recall someone posting a method of testing the wires with a 9V battery but I can't find it


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1162821

Is all Coaxial cable the same? I have an extra Coax that I used to connect my tv to the cable box, will it work for the sub too?
Sure, it'll work - all you'll need is a couple of F-to-RCA adapters and you're set.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt