Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with SurroundSound

Budget home theater

bove — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:07:16 -0800

Help me design a budget HD home theater. I am planning on upgrading to HD. I have a small room and a few constraints. The size of the room dictates a 42" TV. I have about $2000 to spend on everything (this is slightly flexible). I currently have a Tivo (Series 2) and love it. I have Cox cable and will probably switch to their digital/HD service. Help me figure out where to best spend my money. Possible components:

HDTV (no preference for plasma or LCD currently)
HD DVR. Preference is Tivo (or is it worth living with the Cox box?) I am under the impression that with HD Tivo is the only option, I can't build a media center PC
Blu-ray player. I have Netflix and could switch to their Blu-ray plan. Although I am also considering relying primarily on services like Amazon on Demand, Cinemanow, etc.
Speakers/Sound. Major constraint here is I cannot have a full surround sound system. I can't run wires and I can't mount rear speakers. I am thinking about a "virtual" surround sound system.
Universal Remote

Any components I have forgotten? Anything I should do without? Can I build a good setup and stay close to my budget?

Technophobe seeks help wrangling Dolby 5.1 into plain old stereo

parilous — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:29:37 -0800

More and more DVDs are coming encoded with Dolby surround sound and many don't have an alternate Dolby stereo option. The resulting sound has way too much background noise mixed in, making it hard to hear the dialogue. Usually, we turn down the volume and turn on the closed captions. Is there another way or am I forced to spend hundreds on a surround-sound system? We don't have cable and wouldn't choose to spend money on an entertainment system for the TV. We use the TV for (max) 8 hours a week -- for Netflix movies (the source of the problem), video games (Wii, PS2), and as a clone display for my laptop for a couple of TV shows.

It's a standard tube TV (not flatscreen, not HD), purchased circa 2001, with front inputs (currently connected to a switchbox for the aforementioned peripherals).

If you know of anything easy and cheap that can help, please let me know. Links and step-by-step instructions are especially useful. Thanks!

How do I stop my surround sound system cutting out?

Beep — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:26:46 -0800

My surround sound system keeps cutting out at higher volumes. Please help me find a way to stop it happening. I'm using a Panasonic SC-AK600 receiver; it has 5 speakers and is programmed to receive digital signals. It's plugged into both my DVD player and Xbox 360 through a coaxial cable and optical cable, respectively. When the volume is at higher levels, all but the center speaker cuts out. And it cuts out at a single instance of sound (such as a sudden explosion or noise in the movie/game). I know that this may be some kind of safety feature to keep the speakers from becoming ruined, but I feel that the volume should be able to be higher.

Important point: the volume only cuts out when it is receiving a signal in 5.1 surround sound. If I'm not watching something in that configuration (ie, noise is still coming from all speakers; it's just not in 5.1) I can turn the volume up as high as I want, and nothing happens. So, I know that the fact the volume can't be higher is something to do with it receiving a 5.1 surround signal. The receiver is meant to be able to play this, so I don't know why this keeps happening.

Also, my left surround speaker has some additional speaker wire I had to hook up to it to extend the length, and has a lower volume than the right surround speaker. I don't know if that's a result of the additional speaker wire or not. I know it has nothing to do with settings on the receiver because I've checked that. Anyway, does this lower volume or additional speaker wire on the left surround speaker have anything to do with the speakers cutting out in 5.1 surround sound? I'm no sound expert, but thought I'd throw that out there for anyone who may know.

While I'm at it, there seems to be a slight difference between the audio coming from the TV and from the receiver's speakers (again, only in 5.1) when using the DVD player. I usually just turn down the TV's volume to 0, but feel as I shouldn't have to. There's an HDMI cable running from the DVD player to the TV. And again, the receiver is hooked up directly to the DVD player.

Thanks for reading this whole thing. Please help me with any knowledge/experience you may have.

How can I make my surround system work on my Xbox 360?

Beep — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:17:22 -0800

How do I make my surround sound work with my Xbox 360? I have a Panasonic stereo system, model number SC-AK600, which has 5 speakers. When I play CDs through it, all speakers work fine. I also have it hooked up to a DVD player through a coaxial cable, and again it works fine with all speakers. But when I use it through the Xbox 360, it fails to work properly. I have it hooked up with an optical cable to the little outlet on the AV component cable. Then, when I'm playing a game it will work fine for a few minutes with all speakers. But then, it simply cuts out and only the center speaker emits audio from the Xbox.

I've tried changing the settings in the Xbox system settings between digital speakers and digital 5.1 speakers, and the problem still persists under both.

How can I make it so the Xbox can be played with surround sound? As I said, it's not that it doesn't work at all - it works fine for a few minutes, and when it stops working the center speaker still works.

Where can I find a specific stereo speaker to replace my old one?

Beep — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:25:55 -0800

Where can I find the correct speaker for my Panasonic CD Stereo System, model number SC-AK600? It still works quite well except for the left surround speaker. I need to find a replacement speaker. Any websites out there that sell these?

Help me set up my new 5.1 surround sound speakers!

Effigy2000 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:23:51 -0800

I just bought a 5.1 home theatre system. The speakers are Klipsch; the receiver is a Yamaha RX-V363. I'm having some (read; a lot) setup problems that I'm hoping the hive mind could help me out with. Specifically, I'm having trouble getting sound out of my PS3 and a picture and sound out of my Wii. Hope me! OK, so this is the first time I've ever tussled with a 5.1 surround system so this is a bit new for me. Normally I'm pretty good setting things up like this with a bit of trial and error but I've been at this for a few hours now and I'm at my wits end.

I'm doing some things right though. I have my iPod dock hooked up to the receiver (via the portable connection at the front of the receiver) and sound is running from my ipod through my speakers beautifully. So it's safe to assume the speakers are connected properly.

The first problem is that my PS3 isn't giving me any sound. I'm running an HDMI cable from the PS3 to the HDMI port marked 'DVD' on the receiver (see this picture of the back of my receiver for a clearer picture of what I'm talking about). From there of course I run another HDMI cable from the HDMI out port on the back of the receiver to the HDMI In (1) port on the back of my TV, which is a Sony Bravia 40" LCD. I am getting a picture from the PS3 just fine. No sound though, which is a major bummer.

I have a theory about what may be needed to fix this. As you'll see from here's this diagram of the back of my TV, there are two HDMI In ports; HDMI In (2) has audio ports next to it. I'm assuming if I had an audio cable I could run a cable from my receiver to these ports on the back of my TV. I'm just a little confused as I've always managed to run sound and video through the single HDMI cable into the HDMI In (1) port on my TV. I'd test this out but it's night where I am and no shops are open (I need to buy this cable). In the meantime I just want to ask if I'm on the right track here?

As for my Wii, it usually runs through to the TV via component cables. With the arrival of the home theater system, it had been my hope to run the component cables into one of the component cable connections at the back of the receiver. No such luck. Switching to the DTV/CBL channel on my receiver (where I had plugged the Wii cables into), I got both no sound and no picture. I have no theories how to fix this at this stage.

I've also run the auto audio setup thing the receiver has, and I've fooled around with the 'scene' settings like the manual says. No luck.

And I've told the PS3 via it's menu to run sound through the HDMI port. As you can guess, still no luck.

To help you help me (and just in case you missed the earlier links), here's some pictures of the front and back of the receiver. Also here's something of a diagram of the back of my TV. With these pictures I'm hoping it makes it easier for any tech experts out there to tell me exactly what needs to be plugged where.

Please help me!!!

Manuals for a Technics SU-G91 amp?

lonefrontranger — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:01:57 -0800

Old-skool AmpFilter: Who can provide links and/or guidance for us to find manuals / technical info for an older Technics amp and 5-CD changer? Neither AskMeFi nor Google has been of any help.

Specifics: The amp is a Technics SU-G91 New Class A Stereo Integrated Amp. The CD player is a Technics SL-PD845 5-CD changer.

Both components appear to have serial# / manufacture dates of 1993. From the (very) sparse info I was able to locate on the web, Technics was apparently taken over by Panasonic at some point, and neither site has any info on these 2 components that I could locate.

mr. lfr was the beneficiary of a friend's move, and picked up these 2 components. Both appear to be in pristine shape, however it's a little flaky trying to figure out how to set up the amp for surround mode with satellite rears.

I think (I'm not that knowledgeable about All Things A/V) that this system may predate Dolby 5.1 Surround. It does have a Dolby ProLogic button on the front of the amp.

I've tried various google searches and the information on these things is not easy to find. A smattering of forum posts on diy sound forums is about all I could find, and they mainly concerned stuff like how to re-solder leads to the heat sink on damaged amps.

Specifically want to figure out how many channels the amp has, and how many watts per channel - I see some references to 130 wpc, but is this for all channels, or only the front? Don't want to fry the satellites or blow the amp.

A link to a .pdf of an user manual for one or both of these components would be ideal. Failing that, someone who knows where we can find links to (preferably free) schematics online, or can otherwise give insight. I would imagine there's someone on MeFi who knows enough about older rack system componentry to provide assistance.

Thanks AskMeFi!

Surround Sound Movies?

eunoia — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:25:33 -0800

Can you recommend some good movies to watch that will utilize my surround sound, but won't put me to sleep? I generally dislike action movies, but I have this surround sound system and I'd really like to watch some movies that would put the thing to use, as opposed to the quiet dramas that I usually watch. The problem is that I usually find action sequences that are not part of an interesting plot boring, plus an overabundance of gratuitous gunplay annoys me. I don't like "buddy" movies, crime action movies (unless the crime itself is interesting), war movies (unless they're obviously about how awful war is such as "Full Metal Jacket" NOT movies like "Saving Private Ryan" or "Braveheart"), or mafia/mob movies. There are action-esque movies that I have enjoyed, however, and hopefully someone can recommend movies that are similar. Here are a few:

Children of Men
The Island
Independence Day
Speed
Grindhouse
Blood Diamond
The Fugitive
Sin City
Poseidon
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Titanic

Sci-fi and horror movies that people have enjoyed in surround sound are also welcome. Thanks!

"We should have recorded the album in Dubley..."

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:31:52 -0800

Wireless speakers for a Philips HTS3555 surround sound system? After years of setting up and breaking down computers, I hate wires with a hateful, bloody passion. Is there any way to use the speakers with this surround system in a wireless fashion, without much extra expense? Is there another system you might recommend which includes wireless speakers and more or less the same features as this system?

Get a dumpster surround sound system to play from my Macbook?

raygan — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:26:15 -0800

How can I get surround sound from my Macbook to this nice five speaker system I found in the trash? I found a Boston BA7800 computer surround sound system in the trash. It's in great shape, I've hooked everything up and everything seems to work, but I don't know how to get surround sound to it from my Macbook. Ideally I'd like to be able to play DVDs with surround sound from my Macbook.

Here's how it's set up: the system is "4.1 surround" (front and rear speakers and a subwoofer) and has no optical input or surround sound decoder, It just has two mini-jacks, one of which feeds through to the front speakers and one of which feeds through to the rear speakers. There is no way to get it to play from one jack to all four speakers, it's just Stereo and Stereo. I'm assuming that this thing was designed to work with computers that have surround sound audio cards, but I'm on a laptop.

Now, when I found the system, it had with it a USB Xitel MD-Port AN1, which I have researched and I can use as a 2nd audio output. I have plugged it into my Macbook and can see and use it as an audio device. So I'm thinking, Bang! Two stereo outputs to two stereo inputs... Surround Sound!

Software-wise though, I haven't figured out how to make this happen yet. From the Sound prefPane I can have the system output audio from EITHER the built-in audio output OR the USB device, but not both at once so I can have audio on the Front speakers or the Back speakers, but not both at once, and definitely not both playing different audio, as I would need to work out to play surround sound from DVDs, which is my primary goal.

Can anybody help me? I'm interested in either software or (inexpensive) hardware options. I've googled extensively and found a wealth of options and products, but none seemed to make sense for my somewhat unusual needs.

2.0 + 3.1 = ?

daver — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:30:14 -0800

Surround Sound 2.0 setup: What do I do w/ my new amp and old speakers? I have 2 old Boston Accoustic "a150" 100 watt speakers, and a powered yahama 'inline' subwoofer. My old amp is dead, now I have a new (to me) Denon AVR-2700 surround sound amp.
Basic question: do I now also need 3+1 more speakers to make life complete? Or can I get reasonable performance from my old speaker setup?

Additional info: I'm just fine with how music and movies sounded on my old Stereo amp.

Extracredit:
* If I need 5.1 speakers, do I need to go out and get matched speakers, or can I use my 2 A150s as 'fronts'
* Is it reasonable to run my built in TV speaker (from a huge old Toshiba Cinema Series TV) as my 'center' channel?
* What am I loosing out on if I don't move to a 5.1 speaker setup?

Thanks in advance...

Help me wire this crazy-ass layout for surround sound...

twiggy — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:32:20 -0800

Help me inexpensively and at least somewhat discreetly wire my place for surround. The problem: Really challenging room layout and a tight budget. The short version of what I'm looking for is:
- Recommendations of quality but affordable speaker cable (please, no Monster)
- Ideas on how to find out if/how I can drill into the soffit safely (if you need pics, I can put some up)
- Ballpark figures on having a room wired for surround if you've had it done
- Creative ideas for semi-attractively achieving this wiring without going into the wall
- Or .. point me to a magical tool that will let me go through the wall with minimal damage and easy/inexpensive repairs?
- I already have the surround system, and I'm house-poor - please do not recommend I purchase wireless speakers

The more detailed notes with regard to this challenge:
- Floors are hardwood, I can't tuck wiring under baseboards or carpet, unfortunately
- It shouldn't make a huge difference, but the system I have is 6.1 surround (3 rears), not just 5.1
- Ceilings are somewhat high (9 feet). There is a soffit running around the perimeter (from the left of the entertainment center toward right, all the way around the wall with the balcony doors, and over to the kitchen), but it is unclear if I can drill into this soffit safely. Ductwork definitely runs through it, but it seems awfully big for all of that space to be air duct. Is there a safe way to find out if/how/where I can drill in and pull cables?
- Note all the doorways / hallways in the floorplan below. I was going to buy that white conduit-type tubing you can run along your trim, but it seems like it'd look awfully goofy going around so many doors or hallway openings. Please excuse my really crappy and not at all to scale MS Paint mockup of the room's floorplan:

- I'm very house-poor having just spent most of my savings on this condo, so I'm afraid spending several hundred dollars having an electrician pull cables is probably out of the question, though I don't know how much that costs.

I fully understand that waiting until I have the money to have a professional run cables is an option. However, I have 2 cats and leaving the wiring running all over the floor temporarily is not really an option as they like to muck with things once in a while, so right now I can't hook up the speakers at all. I'm really really missing the ability to listen to music and watch movies with decent sound.

Help me get the surround sound system from heaven.

kingjoeshmoe — Mon, 22 May 2006 10:07:24 -0800

Help me get a surround sound system! Specific questions and products inside. So I'm completely clueless. I've made some preliminary decisions based solely on amazon.com rankings and reviews, and I need you to tell me if I'm making a mistake.

Right now, I'm looking at getting this HK receiver, and this set of speakers.

Are these what I'm looking for? Specific questions:
(1) Is that receiver far more than I'd ever want or need, or will it be worth the extra money?
(2) Are the speakers good? They're cheaper than the receiver, which makes me worry, but I didn't find anything particularly better. (If you tell me that I should get separate components rather than a boxed set, please tell me what exactly to buy. Switching from one big choice to seven little ones will make my head spin.)

Here are my criteria:
*Excellent sound quality
*Relatively loud, but not necessarily blow the house down. I'm in an apartment and won't be able to take it up to max capacity anyway, though I wouldn't mind the option for whenever I move.
*Easy hook up/calibration would be nice
*Anything else I'm forgetting?

Budget matters, but if a few hundred dollars will be the difference between "good" and "OMFG I WEEP WITH JOY", I'll pay it. I want to have this a while, and I don't want to cheap out. (That's how I talked myself into that receiver.)

Bonus questions: How do I deal with calibrating the speakers to get the most out of them? Any particular components I should get (e.g., brand of cd player/etc.)?

Please help me. I don't know what I'm doing here, and I'm about to spend a serious chunk of change.

Please don't just tell me to go listen to them in the store. I know that's the best way, but (a) Like I said, I'm clueless, and I want audiophile input, (b) I don't want to have to deal with the salesman who claims to be an audiophile but is really just pushing for a bigger commission, (c) the choice is overwhelming, and seeing 15 home theater systems in a store without any idea about what I'm looking for won't help much.

Surround sound, without breaking the bank?

Rothko — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 22:06:14 -0800

Recommendations for a decent surround sound + DVD setup between $250-350? The following features would be useful:

• comes with decent speaker set (three speakers okay, if I can reuse current two bookshelf speakers)
• has line-in to plug in computer audio
• DVD player plays PAL and NTSC

I realize I might be asking a lot. Suggestions which go slightly over the budget are welcome, or recommendations about better options.

Wireless speaker transmitter system for surround sound?

Four Flavors — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 16:51:23 -0800

Does a wireless speaker transmitter/amplifier system for surround sound exist? I have the speakers already, and they will be near a power outlet. Ideally there'd be a tranmitter that sat behind my stereo receiver, wired to the left and right rear speakers, and a small base that the speakers themselves sat on and attached to that plugged into the wall. The signal could travel via radio or through the wall (riding along the AC), but no matter how it goes the device(s) that attach to the rear speaker should be as small as possible.

I've seen the 2 Radio Shack options, both of which provide far more than I want (volume control, large size, comes with speakers), and found this x-10 model that does largely the same thing as the Raido Shack models, with the same problem (too big, provides more than I need).

Surely a very simple implementation of this exists as a consumer product? I'm very close to buying 2 small transistor radios and 2 of those little FM transmitters that are designed for short-range broadcasts, or overpaying for the Radio Shack option.

iTunes to SACD by way of CD

ao4047 — Sat, 09 Apr 2005 15:42:25 -0800

Are CDs and SACDs physically the same - just with different audio encoding? If I buy NIN's The Downward Spiral Deluxe Edition which is mixed in SACD on iTunes, then burn it to a CD and play it in my DVD player (+ 5.1 channel audio system) will it retain the 5.1 information? Will moving from AAC format to an audio CD strip the encoding for some stupid DRM reason?

Wireless Speakers

mattr — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 12:53:45 -0800

Following an earlier question I uncovered and had an old parquet floor refinished. Its beautiful, and I thank everyone that advised me.

Now I want to reinstall my surround sound speakers, and I cannot think of a neat (non-destructive) way to get the rear speakers installed. Rugs are out of the question - and I really don't want to run cables all the way round the room.

Are there any wireless speaker solutions that don't suck?

I have just bought a Dolby 5.1 sound system. Please tell me why I should or shouldn't listen to my CDs, recorded in stereo, using all six speakers.

meech — Wed, 14 Jul 2004 19:39:26 -0800

Audionazi-filter: I have just bought a Dolby 5.1 sound system. Please tell me why I should or shouldn't listen to my CDs, recorded in stereo, using all six speakers. [And slightly related: What movies should I rent for their brilliant 5.1 sound?]