Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hometheater and speakers

how to get sound from tv's built-in speakers

anonymice — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:51:54 -0800

How do I set up my home theater to let me use my tv's built-in speakers? I normally use a Bose 5.1 surround speaker system, but would sometimes like to use my tv's internal speakers instead.

My main home theater components -- all connected by HDMI -- are:
-- Onkyo TX-SR674 Receiver
-- Tivo Series 3 HD, and
-- Panasonic TH-42PX60U Plasma TV

The tv's speakers definitely work. I've tested them by connecting a VCR directly. But I've never been able to get any sound from them when I use the receiver. So I figure either the receiver or the tv is cutting off the audio signal.

The TV automatically shuts off its speakers when it detects that external speakers are connected. But the TV's set-up menu has a setting to turn the speakers on. I've done that, but no success.

I've also screwed around with the receiver settings, like turning on HDMI audio out. I've even tried running composite audio cables from the receiver to the tv. Still no luck.

Any suggestions?

Sounds Good...

madeinitaly — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:34:33 -0800

[Hi-Fi / HT filter] Help me find the right front speakers for my receiver, so that both music and movies sound good ! Hello.

I have a Harman Kardon AV 145 which i always used with the standard JBL 5.1 speaker set it came with (little and probably not so good satellites, but i really like the subwoofer).

I got my hands on a Mission m7c1 center speaker (got for almost free) and recently replaced the left and right front speaker (which previously were just little boxes) with some TEAC coming out of a compact system a friend was throwing away.

The difference since i put those left/right (sorry i don't have name or characteristics, but just imagine your typical 2 ways system from a 90s compact system) is amazing: music sounds much better - and i guess it's because now the left/right sound can manage some bass and the subwoofer just gives it a final touch.

The issue is that now when i watch a movie, i think the right/left sound too powerful compared to the middle - so you hear all the background noised much louder than the speech... and that's less than optimal. My receiver has the option to select if each speaker is "large" or "small", option that basically cross-overs the bass to the subwoofer or to the speakers themselves.

now... i think i might need to set the speakers as "small" in order to not overpower the middle... but then i miss the improvement i gained in the music listening area....

does this make sense? What would you do and/or what tests would you do ?

Secondly... I have now the chance to do two things

1) replace those TEAC speakers with the speakers that come from this Panasonic SC-DP1 system which actually sound _amazing_ and i would like to keep. Problem... these speakers have 4 wires coming out of them and my HK AVR 145 only has 2 plugs for each speaker... how do i connect them ?

2) someone is selling these amazing Mission 733 speakers for a very low price... i really like the idea of professional speakers but... will they be alright for the rest of my system or would i just add to the problem of left/right overpowering the middle ?

thank you all for your help!

Should I buy a home theater in a box, or should I buy speakers and a receiver separately?

Grither — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:57:09 -0800

Should I buy a home theater in a box, or should I buy speakers and a receiver separately? My fiancee and I are moving into a new apartment soon, and would like to upgrade our home theater system when we do. I was wondering if anyone had any pros or cons for the home-theater-in-a-box type systems like this one, or should I piece it together myself? Should I avoid certain brands, or are they all basically the same? I'm no audiophile, but I would like a system that is 7.1 channel for some future proofing. If it helps, here is what I will be hooking up to it:
PS3
Sharp Aquos 37" 1080p LCD HDTV (will probably upgrade this soon, too)
Wii
Potentially my PC

Is there anything I should keep in mind? Will there be any compatibility issues if I upgrade to a newer TV of a different brand? Do they have wireless systems so I don't have to mess around with wiring all over the place (though the reason I want to do this now is so I can properly wire it up before we set all our furniture up in the new place). I'm looking to spend less than $1,000 on the receiver and speakers, if that's possible.

Can I salvage the speakers from this POS Sony "Dream System"?

slenderloris — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:53:51 -0800

Can I salvage the speakers from this POS Sony "Dream System"? I bought this Sony "Dream System" about 4 years ago. True to form, judging by other owners' stories 'round the net, it's been a total lemon. One by one, each of its various AV functions has quit working, and today it just gave up the ghost completely. I'm ready to trash it and replace it with a more modular solution.

So to the question: I wouldn't mind keeping the 5.1 speakers and reusing them with whatever new receiver I end up with; however, the connectors where the speaker wires plug into the receiver box are some kind of bizarre proprietary design that I'm sure won't plug in to any other brand of receiver. Can I somehow cut that part off, strip the wires, and attach them to generic speaker connectors? I'm far from an audiogeek (hence the purchase of the in-a-box system in the first place), so dumbed-down guidance will be appreciated.

How can I use my TV speakers as the center channel on my receiver?

odinsdream — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:02:13 -0800

How can I use the speakers in my TV as the "center" speaker on my receiver? I have a receiver hooked up to four normal speakers. I'd like to use the speakers in my TV as the center speaker.

My TV has audio inputs for each set of video inputs. These are normal RCA red-white connectors.

Is there some way to connect powered speaker wires to these without breaking the TV? My first thought was to open the TV and disconnect the speakers from the internal wiring and substitute my own. I'd prefer not to do this since the TV is new and still under warranty.

The other problem would be that the TV has two internal speakers, left and right, which I want to treat as one.

Any thoughts?

DIY Balanced Audio Cable-O-Rama

Skorgu — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:36:34 -0800

What's the best balanced audio wiring stuff, and where do I get it all? I'm wiring up some speakers. I want to build custom audio cables (and eventually in-wall conduit and fancy faceplates) that will run under a drop ceiling to the speakers. The total run is ~25'. I'll be running balanced audio cable from a line-level converter to the balanced ins of my speakers, so I need balanced wiring. I'm not afraid of a soldering iron or of spending money, as long as I get what I pay for. I don't need any new devices, mixers, or converters, just the cable.

I'd like to eventually use Neutrik combo connectors on the wall plates, but for now is there an advantage to 1/4" TRS over XLR connectors? I've heard that certain brands of cable and connector work better together than others. Is there any truth to this, and if so, what brands/combinations do you recommend? What about shielded cable? Grounding the XLR sheath? Can I run audio cable alongside ethernet cable in one conduit?

Finally, if anyone has any horror/success stories about this sort of thing (including where you got good prices!), please share!

Home Theater System for $400

bigspoon — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 23:27:16 -0800

Can I get a decent home theater system for $400? My dad recently decided that he wanted to get a 5.1 speaker system for our TV. He says he is willing to spend $400, although I would bet I could convince him to spend a couple hundred more. To me and my limited knowledge of home theater speakers, this sounds like too little to get a good system. Could we get a decent system for $400 (including the receiver but we already have a solid DVD player), what would you get with this money? What are some good buys and what brands should be avoided?

Good audio setup for a Home Theater PC?

mmcg — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 23:57:06 -0800

What's the best combination of soundcard, speaker bundle and/or receiver I can get to work with a standard PC running MediaPortal that I'm using as a HTPC? I'm by no means an audiophile, and all I'm really concerned about is nice, loud 5.1 that'll sound good to someone who listened to a lot of really loud music in high school and college.

Ideally I'd like the computer to be able to send whatever type digital audio you might find on a DVD to the speaker set up, but all the hype put out by companies like Creative Labs has me confused. Do I need a soundcard and a set of 5.1 computer speakers, or a soundcard and a receiver and a set of home theater speakers, or what? I'd love to hear specific product recommendations if anything has built setups similar to this, and, again, I'm looking for functional and affordable rather than, you know, German and shiny.

How hard are in-wall speakers to add to an existing finished room?

mathowie — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:45:37 -0800

I'm thinking about moving to a more minimalist home theater -- in-wall speakers, all components in a nearby closet, nothing in the room except the TV attached to a wall. I'm not finding much in the way of resources for doing this in existing construction. Anyone ever try something like this? Everything I've found when researching seems to be at either ends of the home theater spectrum. They either cover the basics of how a $300 home theater goes together (like wiring and connections) or they talk about new custom home construction and loading up your walls with tens of thousands of dollars worth of custom stuff. There's nothing in the middle for someone wanting to spend a grand for a simple setup that isn't home-theater-in-a-box.

I've found the IR repeaters/blasters/eyes for mapping remote commands in a room to the components elsewhere (~$100-200), and I've found some cheap racks to put in a closet (~$200) to hold the components. I can find in-wall speakers (down to about $80 per speaker), but everything seems to be designed for new construction, for bare studs.

Is it a tremendous cost/pain to add speakers to existing finished (stud construction) walls? Will those $80 speakers cost $800 after labor, repainting, and construction?

Is it something I can do myself? I can't seem to find any books on home theater for do it yourselfers, but seems like it's all pretty simple stuff like cutting holes in drywall and fishing wires down to the crawlspace.

What speakers should I spend $10,000 on?

joshuaconner — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 04:16:39 -0800

HomeTheaterFilter: My friend currently owns a Rotel surround receiver and DVD player and six B&W 600 series speakers. He wants to upgrade speakers, and has budgeted $8,000-10,000 to do so. Should he, or is there another part of the system that needs upgrading more urgently? And if speakers are the way to go - keeping in mind that high-end home theater can be highly subjective - what should he get?

Can we get a decent set of 5.1 speakers for the Onkyo TX-SR500 receiver for <$200?

muckster — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 16:12:37 -0800

We are looking to buy a set of 5.1 speakers for this receiver, but we're pretty clueless. Can we get something decent for around $200?

Speaker Shopping

subgenius — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:15:23 -0800

Do you have any advice on purchasing speakers for a home theater / stereo setup in an apartment building with relatively thin walls? [More inside....] I live in a NYNY apartment building that was converted from offices to apartments a few years ago. It's a nice place, but they sort of skimped on the soundproofing. It's not uncommon to hear stereos (especially annoying subwoofers) and I don't want to contribute to the noise.

I would like to buy a set of decent, relatively inexpensive speakers for home theater and music use. Should I buy separate bookshelf speakers, a center speaker, and forego the subwoofer? Should I buy a home theater package and turn down the sub? (I am leaning toward the former.) I don't plan on playing these very loud while I'm living in the city, but it would be nice for them to be useable at a higher volume if I ever move into a house.

Oh, if it makes any difference, I use a Sony STR-DE995 Receiver (7 x 100 WPC) and don't currently have a SACD setup.

good, small, inexpensive speakers

dobbs — Fri, 19 Dec 2003 14:25:30 -0800

Looking for good, small, inexpensive speakers... I'm considering getting some 3.0 or 4.0's from noHr because, I'll admit it, I like how they look and they seem to get good reviews. I will hook them up to my "Home Theatre" which is an average 27" television and an above average DVD player. Does anyone have experience with noHr or can anyone recommend a different brand? Thanks!