How Do I Hook Up...
speakers, subwoofer, and everything else?
Speakers and Wiring
Home theaters use a lot of wires to connect all of your components together. Its important to know what those cables do and why they go
where they go.
The best example of why this is true: Surround sound. Did you know that you need special cables to get surround sound? If you were to
use those red and white composite cables, you would get stereo surround. Some receivers enhance it and fill your center and rear channels
with sound it thinks go there, but the reality is that it is not surround sound. Only a digital connection, like fiber optic or digital coaxial,
will give you true surround sound.
Below you'll find some How-To guides on various, specific home theater configurations, like connecting your subwoofer or DVD recorder.
Connecting a Powered Subwoofer: Receiver Pre-Out
If you have a powered subwoofer (meaning it plugs into an AC power outlet, like your microwave), than it probably has some
RCA jacks on the back of it. Your receiver would need a subwoofer pre-out to complete this setup, which is optimal for subwoofers.
- How to Hook up a Powered Subwoofer
Added January 15th, 2008.
Last update January 15th, 2008.
Written by Joe.
Connecting a Non-Powered Subwoofer Using Front Speakers
In the event you have a sub that is not powered, it may not have RCA jacks on it. Either way, you won't be using them;
instead, we connect our front speakers to the subwoofer and then the subwoofer to the receiver. A pre-out is not needed for this
setup.
- How to Hook up a Non-Powered Subwoofer
Added January 15th, 2008.
Last update January 15th, 2008.
Written by Joe.
Hooking up your Speakers
Connecting speakers is simple, but there are some guidelines to follow. For instance, you want to match up
your positives and negatives, use the right gauge cable, and keeping your cable lengths the same.
- Running your Speaker Wire
Added January 15th, 2008.
Last update January 15th, 2008.
Written by Joe.
Check our our Home Theater Glossary to lookup some of the words you haven't seen before or don't fully understand. Its a great way to familiarize yourself with home theater connections and will help you make better buying and configuring decisions.
>>Glossary
Crystal clear like this little LCD's image, our Forums can help answer your questions. Users and administrators alike will be quick to respond.
>>Visit the Forums
