Need advice connecting sub to dvd

Anonymous	Posted on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 22:01 GMT Hello ! I have a simple question. Recently purchased DVD player and now i'm looking for affordable solution to make use of my old good shelf speakers from burned out audio center. I have noticed some cheap 5.1 home theater systems do not require receiver cause speakers and sub are connected to DVD player directly. I have also seen some woofers with up to 4 red/black connectors on the back I suppose for connecting speakers to. My question follows: Is there an option to purchase the sub, connect speakers to it and then connect sub directly to DVD, without receiver ?? If yes, can I connect any sub directly? This is a very basic audio system & I dont want to invest in receiver just to listen to music once per week. Obviously quality sound is preferred and I probably would buy receiver later, however I want to start using the system right now and only sub is on my current budget. Kurt thanks
Johnny Silver Member Username: Johnny Missouri Post Number: 234 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 13:31 GMT Kurt, I don't know exactly what you are talking about, but I think you are referring to a simple Home Theater in a Box. However, you are incorrect in saying that there is no receiver present in this system. There has to be a receiver or some other sort of amplification present in order to get the sound from the DVD to the speakers. It simply is not possible for a simple DVD player to amplify the sound. I think you are confused by the fact that many of the cheaper Home Theater in a Box setups have the receiver and DVD player contained all in the same housing...so it appears as if the speakers are hooked up directly to the DVD player when in fact they are actually hooked up to the receiver contained within the same housing. If you want sound, you have to get a receiver or some other sort of amplification...plain and simple. You refer to subwoofers that have up to "4 red/black connecters on the back". You are correct in saying that they are to connect speakers to. Without getting too technical, this is one of two ways of connecting a sub to your receiver, but you still have to have a receiver to amplify the sound. You say that right now, only a sub is in your budget. What exactly is your budget? What type of speakers do you have now? If you want a 5.1 setup, you will have to buy a receiver. If you tell us your overall budget, we can help you find one that meets your needs and budget. If you say you want quality sound, I would probably stay away from most of the Home Theater in a Box setups that you have obviously seen in stores. Typically, these HTIB setups have very bad sound quality.
Anonymous	Posted on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 14:07 GMT What I have for now is a couple of 75W Sherwood speakers (made in USA) and new JVC 332SL DVD player (made in nowhere ;) I have about 150-170$ to invest for the start and I cannot afford quality receiver. I have seen subs that have built-in amplifier. AL20P is the one I am aiming for / http://www.alpha-technology.us/audio/alpha-technology/subwoofers.html / Not top quality sub but i can get it cheap. No way I am going to buy home theater but maybe pair of really good loudspeakers (later). thanks again Kurt
Johnny Silver Member Username: Johnny Missouri Post Number: 236 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 15:50 GMT Kurt, The built in amplifier in the sub is for the sub only...it won't amplify any other speakers. Like I said, if you want to make this thing work, you HAVE to buy a receiver or some other sort of amplification. With the amount of money that you have, it is possible to buy a receiver, you just have to know where to look. I would recommend checking out www.ecost.com. They have a great deal on a refurbished Onkyo 501 receiver for $175.95 and free shipping. This receiver is about as good as you can do at the price range and will sound MUCH better than any of those cheap Home Theater in a Box setups that you have seen. Ecost does have some receivers that are a bit cheaper than the Onkyo, but none will sound as good in my opinion. You really do need to get a receiver before you get anything else though. Getting the sub won't do you a bit of good if you don't have anything sending it sound...it will just be a really expensive door stop. If you can't afford getting everything at once, I would suggest buying things in stages. Like, buy a receiver now, then get a sub when you can afford it. Then, in a few months, maybe you can afford a center speaker and some surrounds. That way, in the end, you will have a much better system than you will if you try to get everything now. Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Anonymous	Posted on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 19:17 GMT ok I guess I was confused by these theater in a box sets. thanks for helping
John A. Silver Member Username: John_a Post Number: 521 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 08:34 GMT You CAN get stereo from a DVD player directly into active speakers for stereo; the player has stereo analogue out, just like a CD player. But not many main speakers are active (that is, with their own built-in amp), outside of computer speakers (where most do). I am fairly certain the Kenwoods will passive speakers, not active. But check. In contrast, almost all modern subs are active speakers. But the problem there is you need the surround-sound decoder part of the receiver to generate its input. The terminology is really confusing. Inside and "AV" receiver is: a pre-amp; a power-amp; a radio tuner. But the AV pre-amp does more that a stereo pre-amp, whether stand-alone or part of a stereo integrated amp or stereo receiver. The "AV" pre-amp has a digital signal processor, too, to take the signal and convert it into 5.1 surround. The sub is the ".1". Hope this helps. I completely endorse Johnny's suggested upgrade path. If your old music center is burned out, the first thing to do is get a 5.1 receiver to replace it. Then you will get stereo back, straight away, and the coast is clear. A sub is the last thing to get, really, unless you are deeply disatisfied with the bass from your main speakers. Even then, it has to come second to something to give it input.

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