[odinsride]

Hi,


I am looking into buying my first receiver and 5.1 speaker system. I currently have a Philips Home Theater in the Box which sounds fine to me, but doesn't have enough ports for all of my devices.


I have a Comcast cable box, Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii. I am basically looking for a receiver so I can plug them all into one device via hdmi that I can control with my logitech remote. Currently I am fumbling with remotes, adapters, jerry-rigged cables, etc. I just want a cleaner setup.


I am not much of an audiophile, like I said, my HTIAB sounds just fine imo, and it's just a $100 system. I recently got my tax refund though, and would like to buy a decent setup to replace it.


Looking on amazon I found the following receiver and speaker sets, which got good reviews:


Edit: Sorry I can't post URLs since this is my first post, but I am looking at these on amazon:

Receiver = Onkyo TX-SR507 5.1-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Speakers = Polk Audio RM705 5.1 Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black)


My question is, are these fairly good for a basic entry level home theater setup? Is there anything else I would need? I believe I already have the HDMI cables necessary.


Thanks in advance experts

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

Budget?

 

[odinsride]

Budget = Under $1k

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

The above system will be OK....

Are you looking for absolute bang for buck out of the $1K?


It would not satisfy me though. But I am some what of an audiophile type. $1K is pretty tight for a full system.

 

[odinsride]

Well like I said, I'm not much of an audiophile. I really just want to upgrade from my HTIB to something that will be more versatile and last me for a while. I know $1k is not much for a home theater set up, but I just need the basics - speaker + receiver, and I feel it would not take much at all to make me happy as far as sound quality goes. I hear that Polk speakers are a good choice.


And just to be clear, is there any other components or cables that I need to buy other than the speakers + receiver for a basic HT setup? Do speakers generally come with the cables necessary to hook to a receiver, or is that a separate purchase?


Thanks

 

[SugarBowl]



Quote:
Originally Posted by odinsride /forum/post/18191617


Well like I said, I'm not much of an audiophile. I really just want to upgrade from my HTIB to something that will be more versatile and last me for a while. I know $1k is not much for a home theater set up, but I just need the basics - speaker + receiver, and I feel it would not take much at all to make me happy as far as sound quality goes. I hear that Polk speakers are a good choice.


And just to be clear, is there any other components or cables that I need to buy other than the speakers + receiver for a basic HT setup? Do speakers generally come with the cables necessary to hook to a receiver, or is that a separate purchase?


Thanks

Speaker wire is extra. Get all of your speaker cable and hdmi cables from monoprice.com.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

 

[cornhulio]

A better bet for speakers are the Energy Takes 5.0 from newegg for ~$200 shipped or 5 Energy Minis from Vanns with a sub by Bic, HSU, eD or Epik.

 

[odinsride]

So for the speaker wires, is there any type of connector I need to use as well? Or just the bulk cable is all I need? I will need a wire stripper right?


I'm a noob at all of this, thanks everyone for answering my simple questions

 

[zervinb]

You could use banana plugs to make connections to the receiver easier. However, first check if the receiver can take banana plugs. Even if you use bare wire, you should be fine. Just be careful that strands of bare wire are not touching each other.

 

[RoboRay]

You can just strip the bare wire and insert it into the binding posts on the speakers and receiver.


As previously suggested, Monoprice is the most economical source for cables and wiring.

 

[odinsride]

Hi, well I just received my polk 5.1 speakers.


Still waiting on my receiver to get here. I am trying to figure out how the subwoofer hooks up to the receiver. The sub has RCA ports for L and R, and the manual says to use those to hook it up to the receiver.


But looking at the receiver I ordered, I don't know where it plugs in? Would it be in the Zone 2 L and R ports?

Also, could someone link me the cable I need to do this? I didn't order the cable so I need to order one ASAP so it can be delivered monday with my receiver.


Thanks

 

[phantom52]



Quote:
Originally Posted by odinsride /forum/post/18212243


Hi, well I just received my polk 5.1 speakers.


Still waiting on my receiver to get here. I am trying to figure out how the subwoofer hooks up to the receiver. The sub has RCA ports for L and R, and the manual says to use those to hook it up to the receiver.


But looking at the receiver I ordered, I don't know where it plugs in? Would it be in the Zone 2 L and R ports?

Also, could someone link me the cable I need to do this? I didn't order the cable so I need to order one ASAP so it can be delivered monday with my receiver.


Thanks

It would connect into the sub pre-out connection. A good RCA cable long enough to reach where you have the sub will do just fine.

 

[odinsride]



Quote:
Originally Posted by phantom52 /forum/post/18212294


It would connect into the sub pre-out connection. A good RCA cable long enough to reach where you have the sub will do just fine.

okay I think I already have the RCA cable I need which is currently hooked up to my cable box, I will be replacing that with HDMI when I get the receiver.


it's hard to read the text from the receiver image, but it looks like there's only one port for subwoofer, the purple one. my sub has two ports, for L and R (red/white). Do I need an adapter or something for this?

 

[phantom52]



Quote:
Originally Posted by odinsride /forum/post/18212380


okay I think I already have the RCA cable I need which is currently hooked up to my cable box, I will be replacing that with HDMI when I get the receiver.


it's hard to read the text from the receiver image, but it looks like there's only one port for subwoofer, the purple one. my sub has two ports, for L and R (red/white). Do I need an adapter or something for this?

If you look on the back of the sub usually the left port is marked LFE. That's the one to connect to. If your sub does not have this you will need to get an adapter. 2 RCA male into one RCA female.

 

[RoboRay]

Plug the one cable into the Left jack on the subwoofer.


I'm sure that's what the manual that came with it says, as it's pretty standard.

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

I generally use the "Y" as I have seen better output to many times no matter how the subs inputs are marked. A couple a buck at a radio shack if I remember correctly for that "Y" adapter.