Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stereo and surroundsound

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.

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?

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!

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.

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.