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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 360 Registered: Apr-05 | alright im sure this news is as excited to you guys as it is me, last night i purchased the digital panasonic off amazon, along with some Athena AS-B1's and an AS-C1 center off audioadvisor. This few seconds of celebration is all you get though cuz im not leavin yet. I have approx. 5 days until both shippments come in which during i need to buy all the cables, wire, banana plugs(if needed), etc. What exactly am i going to need to buy to get everything set up. I wont need anything for floor speakers or a subwoofer yet, im waiting on those. thanks guys |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 372 Registered: Jul-05 | I would get a 50 or 100 foot spool of 14 gauge wiring to start with. Banana plugs aren't really a requirement but they are convenient to have, particularly with receivers that have crappy terminals. As for interconnects from sources to your receiver, depends on what all you're connecting. For a DVD player you may as well use the digital coax connection. Gold plated connectors with some shielding + insulation is nice. For a seperate CD player a good optical cable by Acoustic Research should do the trick |
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Silver Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 307 Registered: Apr-05 | "I would get a 50 or 100 foot spool of 14 gauge wiring to start with." Go to Home Depot Here are some good, really cheap banana plugs: http://www.lenexpo-electronics.com/detail.php?m_id=473&price=2.45 |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 361 Registered: Apr-05 | for now im only connecting the two bookshelfs, center, and dvd player. I dont have a cd player im hoping to be able to connect my mp3 player up to it using one of the inputs. i do this with my car receiver using the "aux-in" input, will i be able to do the same with the panny? |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 373 Registered: Jul-05 | You may need an adapter. |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 362 Registered: Apr-05 | regarding the interconnects and gold plated connectors above, what are these used for and approximately how much should i spend on them, how many will i need? i just dont want to walk into an audio store and have them rip me off b/c my ignorance toward wiring. will i need any cables, i see a bunch of expensive ones on the net but nobody has mentioned them. |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 374 Registered: Jul-05 | To connect your DVD player get a digital coax cable. Something like this should be sufficient. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=4251954&type=product&id=1051384791 747 For 14 gauge speaker wire the cost is about 40 cents a foot. Make sure the insulation is ok and has some kind of indicator on one side so you don't have any problems wiring your speakers in phase. Also make sure the copper is relatively nice and shiny and not green and degraded. Other than a possible adapter for your mp3 player you don't really need anything else... Don't worry about real expensive cables. There isn't much point to spending more on wiring than you did on your speakers after all. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 1917 Registered: Mar-05 | db, whew...finally! I say go with the cheapest generic speaker cable you can find, as long it's 16 gauge or under you'll be fine. Even Jan here uses HomeDepot extension lamp cord which is even cheaper, just check to make sure that it's no smaller than 16 gauge. The banana plugs you can get real cheap on eBay in a pack of 3-10 pairs (for 3 speakers you'll need a total of 12 bananas). Some people here dislike the twist-in banana plugs in favor of the soldered ones but I've had no problems with mine, you just have to be a little careful when plugging and unplugging them not to accidently loosen the twist-in part. The coax cable between your DVD and receiver you can get from RadioShack, HomeDepot, Walmart, etc. for under $10. I would not buy anything from Best Buy or Circuit City, they always gouge you on the cables & accessories. Save your money for some good speaker stands if you don't have any already---proper elevation and positioning of your speakers will make 1000x more difference than cables & interconnects. |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 377 Registered: Jul-05 | Actually its funny the Phillips digital coax cable I found on Walmarts website is 16 bucks. |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 980 Registered: Jun-05 | Just go to Radio Shack and get wired up and enjoy! |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 363 Registered: Apr-05 | ok so tell me if im wrong here. the banana plugs connect the speaker wire to both the speaker and the receiver. the digital coax cable connects the dvd player and receiver through the "coax in" receiver input. im still confused on the interconnects, devils advocate mentioned "Gold plated connectors with some shielding + insulation is nice" above. Are these interconnects or what exactly are you talking about. And besides the digital coax, which iterconnects will i need (if any) |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 382 Registered: Jul-05 | "im still confused on the interconnects, devils advocate mentioned "Gold plated connectors with some shielding + insulation is nice" above. Are these interconnects or what exactly are you talking about. And besides the digital coax, which iterconnects will i need (if any)" The gold plated connectors, etc is in reference to the digital coax cable. Other than a connector for your mp3 player, you're set. |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Post Number: 525 Registered: May-05 | db - Don't think you've won any awards just yet. I seem to recall several people who took longer than you did. Does the name Timmothy Dannenhoffer ring any bells with people? |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 364 Registered: Apr-05 | i cant imagine im the worst. i went to Radioshack today and found a Monster Cable digital coax for $20. what do you think of this one, or would the Monster one be better? http://www.accessories4less.com/amazing/itemdesc.asp?CartId=1454-EVEREST-8605OTH DW99&ic=IXOS%2D1061%2D050&cc=&tpc= |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 391 Registered: Jul-05 | That one will do fine. No need to pay 20 bucks for Monster Cable. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 1922 Registered: Mar-05 | MC is the Bose of cables. Avoid or be gouged. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 1654 Registered: Feb-05 | Agreed. However, their power conditioners are some of the best. |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 982 Registered: Jun-05 | Yeah monster does Art,but dont give him something else to run around with his head cut off like a chicken |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 365 Registered: Apr-05 | So how about...are you still reading or cursing at me for asking a new question. J/K no question. ill stay away from Monster, just because Walmart carries it so it must be crap. |
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Silver Member Username: DakulisSpokane, Washington United States Post Number: 502 Registered: May-05 | Hey, Monster Cable isn't crap, it's just overpriced. Since my kids were working at BB this past summer, I purchased their cable and paid about the same as what you'd pay for the cheaper stuff at Radio Shack. It sounds absolutely fine but I got it for about 1/4 of regular price. I LOVE MY KIDS. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 1658 Registered: Feb-05 | Trust me Dave you can do better than Monster and not spend more. |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 366 Registered: Apr-05 | What does "wiring your speakers in phase" mean. |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 527 Registered: Dec-03 | Did someone mention banana plugs? There are good ones and bad ones. These are good ones. http://www.diycable.com/main/product_info.php?products_id=544 |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 395 Registered: Jul-05 | + on the receiver to + on the speaker - on the receiver to - on the speaker Some crap wire doesn't have markings to aid in this. |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 367 Registered: Apr-05 | i went to home depot and they have premium copper wire for 37 cent/foot or standard 1/2 copper 1/2 silver for 20 cents/foot. does having both strands made of copper make a big enough difference to go the extra money? |
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Silver Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 533 Registered: Dec-03 | 50% silver? Are you sure? |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 398 Registered: Jul-05 | Probably aluminum. |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 399 Registered: Jul-05 | "does having both strands made of copper make a big enough difference to go the extra money?" For your purposes, probably not. What gauge of wire are you looking at? |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 369 Registered: Apr-05 | 14 gauge. the longest length ill have to run a wire will be 25 feet or less. |
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Silver Member Username: Devils_advocatePost Number: 402 Registered: Jul-05 | Sounds good. |