Speaker set up.

Monoprice.com has some adequate and affordable cable. bluejeanscable.com, too.

Have a look at this. http://www.roger-russell.com/wire.htm#wiretable

This may also be helpful.
http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/connecting-your-system/receiver-setup-and-connections

Speaker cables or interconnects?

Cable lengths?

For speaker cable, the "one size fits all" solution is 12 or 14 gauge wire such as these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023902&p_id=2820&seq=1&format=2

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023901&p_id=2817&seq=1&format=2

Cables with RCA connectors on each end. For example:



Depends on the length, but never too much.

It should list the gauge. It could be 14, maybe 16. Either of which would be fine for at 25 or more ft as long as your speakers are 4ohm or higher - which is extremely likely. Take a peek at the first link I gave you above)

I use monoprice b/c of the price. Assuming, you aren't loosing $, then any brand would work.(ducks for cover, from the snake oil merchants...)

80Hz. (But it's arguable.)

Run the YPAO calibration program, if you haven't yet. Try different room positions for the subwoofer. (A lot has been written about getting good bass from a sub.)

After you get all your speakers hooked up, and after you run the auto calibration program, set all speakers to "small" with a crossover of 80hz.

A good method of finding the prime sub location is the SUB CRAWL.

Because if you set your speakers to 'small' (which is a terrible misnomer for the intent of that setting) then your AVR will redirect low frequencies from that speaker channel to the subwoofer.

Well, it is debatable, but the short answer is: 80hz is where the directional bass frequencies begin - if you send any frequencies above 80hz to your sub, you risk localization. Not a problem if your sub is close to your FL/R speakers, but if (like most) you have to put your sub along a side wall or behind the MLP, localizing it is not something you want.

One thing I should have mentioned that is quite important: if your AVR's auto calibration sets any of your speakers at a crossover higher than 80hz, you should not lower it. Only raise speakers that the auto cal set lower than 80hz.


EDIT: Geez, I should really read the question, eh? What JD said.

Then generalize the advice to "if the crossover is set to below 80, raise it to 80. If it's above 80 leave it alone".

To be fair, some folks like a slightly higher crossover for various reasons, and there's no harm in experimenting with it a bit to see if it works better for you at, say, 100.

Yeah, personally I use 120hz (OMG, the horror! ). Of course, that is subject to change because I'm still dialing in my new subs, but for now, I like how it sounds at 120hz.

What do you mean that you "had it to 7.1 audio"? If you mean you played the 7.1 track, that's OK. As long as you configured your receiver as 5.1 when you set it up, the AVR will make sure the data for the rear channels is downmixed into the surrounds.

Well, the Prometheus Blu Ray only has DTS MA 5.1 so you are not getting 7.1 into the AVR with that disc.

If you want sound from your surround back speakers with 5.1 content, you will have to use the Dolby PLIIx or DTS NEO 6 surround setting to matrix SR/SL info into the back channels.

Why do you say the receiver is sending 7.1?