I just purchased an HK 3480 with a pair RTi4 speakers which are primarily going to be playing music (vinyl and CD), but which I suppose I will hook up to my TV when I want more than my TV's speakers. Obviously, I'm not interested in 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 7.1, 27.1 or whatever (not really into explosions and bad movies), and though the receiver can supposedly do video switching, I'm not interested in that either. I'm soliciting advice as to the best way to hook this up.

I'm no audiophile, but appreciate higher rather than lower quality sound.

Here's my system:

Amp/Receiver: HK 3480. All analog audio inputs and outputs, and some composite video in/outs which i have no intention of using.

TV: Sony 40 inch Bravia XBR2 LCD. (Incidentally, I've noticed no cloud problems or whatever on it.) Looks pretty good and its built-in speakers are decent. It has analog and digital audio outs.

HD Cable Box/DVR. Connected via HDMI to my TV, obviously. Has analog audio out.

Turntable: Stanton STR8-100 (I'm no turntablist, but my mother-in-law wanted to get me and my wife a turntable and she loving selected a fairly high-end direct drive club-ready turntable for us, somehow).

CD Player: HK FL 8385 (God help me). Hopefully it won't break, and fortunately it is under warranty.

DVD Player: Play Station 2, connected via component video to my TV. Ghetto, but it upconverts and works fine for me.

So here is my question: obviously, I will connect the cable box/DVR and PS2/ghetto DVD player's video signals directly to my TV, and the CD player and turntable's audio signals directly to the receiver. What I've been trying to figure out is whether I should connect the Cable Box and PS2's audio directly to my receiver, or into my TV and then run the audio out from the TV to the receiver? Any specific reasons why I should do one or the other?

Also, are there any places in this setup where it would make sense to be using higher quality cables of any any kind?

Thanks in advance for the help! This is a great forum and I have really learned a lot over the past week trawling around!

Hook everything up to the receiver that you can (at least in terms of audio). If you hook it up to the TV, the sound is only going to come out of the tv speakers. While you may not be a huge video fan (I'm not either, two channel is my main usage) we can all agree that the sound coming out of television speakers is painful to listen to. I would get some decent cable for the CD player and turntable. PS2 sound is not going to improve much and there aren't too many cable choices out there anyway. Happy listening! Also, I recommend some decent speaker cables. For around 40 dollars, you can get 10 gauge (as thick as they come) cables from PartsExpress.com. For a little more, I HIGHLY recommend Cobalt Cables. The best bang for the buck on the planet.

There is no reason to run through the TVs signal path, it cannot do anything good for the signal, and will likely introduce it's own mess...

Hook ALL the audio to the receiver, and use the receiver to switch the audio

Don't worry about the cables. Not many on this forum think that anything much of the high priced cables. If you want to buy a good cable, go to bluejeanscable.com where they sell proven products at a reasonable price

In addition to what has been mentioned, experiment with the analog/optical outs on your CDP to see which device has a DAC that you find more pleasing - the CDP or the receiver.

Using the analog outs utilizes the CDP's DAC, and if your receiver has a "pure direct" sort of feature it will turn off (almost) all of the processing inside the receiver. Using the optical outs will use the receiver's DAC instead of the one in the CDP. You may find one more pleasing to you than the other.

My Denon 3910 has a DAC that I find vastly superior to the one in my Yamaha 5990.

In addition to what has been mentioned, experiment with the analog/optical outs on your CDP to see which device has a DAC that you find more pleasing - the CDP or the receiver.

The HK 3480 is a true stereo receiver... Alll analog, no DAC. Very nice sounding one at that....

Oh, nevermind!

The HK 3480 is a true stereo receiver... Alll analog, no DAC. Very nice sounding one at that....

I actually did not get the Polk speakers, I got a pair of Onix Reference 0.5 bookshelves. They are very precise and accurate, I love them on well-recorded stuff. The bass is lacking though. Any recommendations on a budget subwoofer? This is in a large room with hardwood floors, very little material to absorb the treble from those speakers.

For a very cheap sub, get the Polk Audio PSW10 (I think thats the model number). It should run you 160 on Amazon, which is pretty unbeatable. If you want serious power and lower frequencies, you will have to step up to the SVS subwoofers, the cheapest of which is $499 direct from SVSOUND.com. Nothing wrong with the polk though, and you dont want to completely overpower the Onix system.

What about the Dayton 10 or 12 inch available on parts express? I've seen that recommended a few places and is $150 incl. shipping on parts express.

Don't know anything about it, so can't tell you how it sounds, although if it costs the same as the Polk I'd prefer to go with a big brand. Anyone know about this sub?