Yet Another Help me Choose an HDTV Thread **ANOTHER UPDATE WITH PROBLEM**

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Chris
You won't find a universal remote for the PS3 as its Bluetooth. Either suck it up and use the PS3 remote, or get the PS2 IR remote and a USB->PS2 adapter and use any universal IR remote.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=761809

Logitech is working on an adapter for their Harmony remotes that will not hog a USB Port. No word yet on a release date.

Actually, since the time of Chris's post (over a year ago) several solutions have come out that use the guts of the PS3 bluetooth remote along with an IR receiver: avsforum thread. I found the IR4PS3 for $63 shipped and went with that one. It works great. The only thing it won't do is turn off the system when I'm playing guitar hero. I think it has something to do with the guitar controller interfering with the IR4PS3.

 

[CubanlB]

I agree that you should go through the trouble of disconnecting all the speaker leads and turning the receiver on to see if it still goes into protection. If it does it's 100% that the receiver is on the fritz. If it doesn't it could be that you have, as stated previously, a loose connection and you are shorting either a wire on the chassis of the receiver or at a speaker.

If it is the receiver it may only be one of the amps that is causting the issue, so start in stereo and turn of the surround and center amps in the setup and add them back one at a time. You may be able to continue using the receiver even if say your surround right amp is no longer functioning, although you would be sacrificing surround sound. (obviously not ideal)

You also could have melted a voice coil, or blown part of you crossover in an individual speaker and this is creating an overload on the receiver causing it to go into protection. I have seen this many times on systems that are older and worked fine for many years, having never been modified, and a speaker goes and it will send the receiver into protection. Having the receiver shut off a high volumes but not at lower volumes can be a symptom of a blown speaker. You can also troubleshoot this with a multi-meter if you have one. Look for one speaker having different resistance or other properties that vary from the rest, that speaker would also sound terrible.

Worst case you already have to pull the receiver to put a new one in anyway so might as well go through the motions to try and see if you don't need a new receiver.
Good luck troubleshooting!

I just looked and saw that this is an HTiB so not all of this advice may apply if you can?t turn off different amps in the receiver.

 

[KeithTalent]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone.

I went through the process of trying all the different speakers separately, but unfortunately that did not work, it is still shutting down. I have a feeling it may be what CubanlB mentioned (a melted coil, or something) so I will probably need to replace the whole kit and kaboodle.

I guess that is what I get for buying a HTIB.

Any advice for a cheap replacement system?

KT

 

[s44]

I already suggested a replacement receiver: the Yamaha 6150/V563. You should be able to drop that in and run your current speakers until you get around to replacing those.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: s44
I already suggested a replacement amp. You should be able to drop that in and go.

Whoops, my bad. Yeah, that actually looks good.

It's weird though because when I first went ino FutureShop to talk about the problem, the guy said no individual receiver would work with my stuff since they output too much power. Does that make sense? Will this Yamaha still be ok?

Thanks again.

KT

 

[s44]

I *think* what he's saying is that the HTIB is so shitty that the receiver part can't put out any power and the speakers can't take any. Hard to say because no one seems to know the specs -- wattage, power handling -- of that Samsung (unless you have them from the manual).

But look at it this way: if you blow your speakers by giving them actual power (though that Yamaha's amp side isn't exactly a monster), it's an excuse to get better ones. If you're worried, just don't crank the volume so high.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Thanks for all of the advice everyone.

I went through the process of trying all the different speakers separately, but unfortunately that did not work, it is still shutting down. I have a feeling it may be what CubanlB mentioned (a melted coil, or something) so I will probably need to replace the whole kit and kaboodle.

I guess that is what I get for buying a HTIB.

Any advice for a cheap replacement system?

KT

Define "cheap." If cheap is $500 or less, then you'll probably do better by spending that entire budget on a receiver and subwoofer and reusing the speakers from your existing system. Then you can budget for replacing your current speakers as you're able to.

 

[KeithTalent]

$500 would be my absolute maximum. I am barely home to watch TV and movies right now and when I'm home, there are other things I'd rather be doing. Also, I'm not really an audiophile at all and I thought my current system sounded great, so spending a tonne of dough on audio would not be worthwhile in my case.

I may just go get the Yamaha and see how it goes. If it ends up blowing my speakers, then I guess I'll just have to see what I can find in the way of cheap speakers after that. Ugh, so annoying.

KT

 

[PurdueRy]

The employee was full of crap. You're more likely to damage speakers with a receiver that is underpowered than overpowered. There is no reason you can't use any other receiver provided the speakers take standard configuration speaker wire.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
The employee was full of crap. You're more likely to damage speakers with a receiver that is underpowered than overpowered. There is no reason you can't use any other receiver provided the speakers take standard configuration speaker wire.

That's sort of what I figured, the part about him being full of crap I mean. I actually cursed very loudly in the store, then walked out, when he told me there was nothing I could do except buy a whole new setup. :|

KT

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
The employee was full of crap. You're more likely to damage speakers with a receiver that is underpowered than overpowered. There is no reason you can't use any other receiver provided the speakers take standard configuration speaker wire.

That's sort of what I figured, the part about him being full of crap I mean. I actually cursed very loudly in the store, then walked out, when he told me there was nothing I could do except buy a whole new setup. :|

KT

Of course, it may not hurt to take the nicer receiver as a good opportunity to upgrade your main L/R speakers Maybe just to a pair of Polk R150's or something. That and grab a cheap $100 receiver and I think you'll notice a good deal of difference...of course I'm guessing since I know very little about your current setup.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
The employee was full of crap. You're more likely to damage speakers with a receiver that is underpowered than overpowered. There is no reason you can't use any other receiver provided the speakers take standard configuration speaker wire.

That's sort of what I figured, the part about him being full of crap I mean. I actually cursed very loudly in the store, then walked out, when he told me there was nothing I could do except buy a whole new setup. :|

KT

Of course, it may not hurt to take the nicer receiver as a good opportunity to upgrade your main L/R speakers Maybe just to a pair of Polk R150's or something. That and grab a cheap $100 receiver and I think you'll notice a good deal of difference...of course I'm guessing since I know very little about your current setup.

Where the heck would I find a $100 receiver?

I really think fancier speakers would be wasted on me. I don't even watch my TV or movies at a high volume, so I probably wouldn't even be able to notice the differences.

Oh yeah and would this receiver be any better/worse than the Yamaha one linked above?

KT

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
The employee was full of crap. You're more likely to damage speakers with a receiver that is underpowered than overpowered. There is no reason you can't use any other receiver provided the speakers take standard configuration speaker wire.

That's sort of what I figured, the part about him being full of crap I mean. I actually cursed very loudly in the store, then walked out, when he told me there was nothing I could do except buy a whole new setup. :|

KT

Of course, it may not hurt to take the nicer receiver as a good opportunity to upgrade your main L/R speakers Maybe just to a pair of Polk R150's or something. That and grab a cheap $100 receiver and I think you'll notice a good deal of difference...of course I'm guessing since I know very little about your current setup.

Where the heck would I find a $100 receiver?

I really think fancier speakers would be wasted on me. I don't even watch my TV or movies at a high volume, so I probably wouldn't even be able to notice the differences.

Oh yeah and would this receiver be any better/worse than the Yamaha one linked above?

KT

You can find refurb or open box Onkyo's for that price.

http://www.jr.com/onkyo/pe/ONK_TXSR304S_hy_BS/

I'm sure your HTiB receiver was nothing special so I doubt there would be much feature wise you would be missing. If it frees up money for better speakers all the better.

You don't have to listen to speakers loud to take advantage of better designs. That is a misnomer. Frequency extension, flatness, distortion, off-axis response and other characteristics are all improved by better designs.

If you want a receiver that's more full-featured you can get this:

http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=ONKTXSR507

I believe coupon code AFLAUD25 should still work taking 25% off.

 

[kalrith]

Another option is a refurb Onkyo 506 (cgi DOT ebay DOT com/Onkyo-TX-SR506-HDMI-75w-x-7ch-Audyssey-2-Zone-Receiver_W0QQitemZ130305224699QQihZ003QQcategoryZ14981QQcmdZViewItem) for about $180 after cash back. You can get 13% cash back on ebay right now. If you're interested, I'll post instructions on how to do that (it's too much work if you're not going to do it).

Then for $180 shipped with no tax, you could replace your front sound stage:

Polk Monitor 40 (pair) for $130 after coupon code EMCLSLS64
Polk CSM center for $50

The coupon code expires today, and you'll need to register on Newegg to use it. I know that's a good price on the Monitor 40, but I'm not sure how they compare to other speakers in that price range. I also think the CSM doesn't 100% timbre match the Monitors (it's a match for the Polk R series), but the CS1 for $80 is the correct match for the Monitors.

If you bought those for $360, that would leave $110-140 for a sub and give you a nice upgrade from your HTIB. You can just use your current speakers as surrounds as they're the least-used speakers in your setup. You could also use all four of your current speakers for 7.1 surround.

Edit: Fixed Onkyo 506 link (well, kind of)

 

[KeithTalent]

Thanks guys, but most everything you linked to does not help me much as I am in Canada (no cash back, no shipping to Canada from Newegg or those other places by the look of things).

KT

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Thanks guys, but most everything you linked to does not help me much as I am in Canada (no cash back, no shipping to Canada from Newegg or those other places by the look of things).

KT

J and R ships to canada.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Thanks guys, but most everything you linked to does not help me much as I am in Canada (no cash back, no shipping to Canada from Newegg or those other places by the look of things).

KT

J and R ships to canada.

Oh sweet, didn't notice that. That Onkyo may be worth it, even after conversion and shipping charges/brokerage.

KT

 

[s44]

The Yamaha is way better than the bottom-end Onkyo from three years back. HDMI sound, better EQ (this is way before the days of Audyssey), etc. Not to mention what he has to deal with if "open box" turns out to mean "broken".

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: s44
The Yamaha is way better than the bottom-end Onkyo from three years back. HDMI sound, better EQ (this is way before the days of Audyssey), etc. Not to mention what he has to deal with if "open box" turns out to mean "broken".

It's also 2.5 times more expensive. I don't think anyone would deny its significantly better but I would rather have him spend money on new speakers than a fancy receiver with HTiB speakers.

And JandR guarantees their open box items.

I also don't necessarily insist that is the best deal in the land, I simply looked for a basic reliable receiver for as cheap as possible. There may be a better deal out there.

 

[s44]

Again, if he were in the US I'd agree with you. But remember: he's in Canada. The Yamaha is 300 fake dollars. The Onkyo is 135 real American dollars, *plus* the cost of international shipping, *plus* the tariffs he's likely to hit, *plus* the hassle of returning it back to the US if the unit doesn't work. That's not a big enough gap.

Bottom line: looking for the best US deal doesn't much help. The best Canadian deal is what he needs.

 

[KeithTalent]

***************UPDATE part 2***************

Ok, I finally got around to buying a receiver. The Sony STR-DG720 is what I went with because I did not feel like spending a tonne and this was a good deal.

Anyway, I connected everything and nothing seems to be working. I went down to a basic setup and it still does not seem to work. Everything turns on and seems to work, but no audio comes through and all I can get is a brief video picture, but it goes away after about 5 seconds or so.

Basic setup I am trying right now is Cable -> HD Box, HDMI out from HD BOx -> Receiver HDMI in, HDMI out from Receiver -> HDMI in TV with all of the speakers plugged in (can't plug in the subwoofer because I need an adapter).

Does anyone have any experience with anything like this? I really have no idea what could possibly be wrong since all of the lights go on and everything seems to be working fine.

Help, please!

KT

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

When you say you need an adapter for the subwoofer, what do you mean?

(Sorry if you answered this already, I'm just picking up after update 2)

Does the audio work when you're using the tuner on the receiver?

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
When you say you need an adapter for the subwoofer, what do you mean?

(Sorry if you answered this already, I'm just picking up after update 2)

Does the audio work when you're using the tuner on the receiver?

The subwoofer wires are just the open, bare wires, like the rest of my speakers, but the output from the receiver is like a plug hole (not sure what you call it), which means I will need an adapter of some kind I guess.

Yes, I get fuzz from the speakers when I put it on FM Radio (for some reason I can't get any stations).

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

Well I now have audio, though for some reason only from the left and right speakers, not the centre or back speakers. So I can hear the TV shows, but I can't see them.

KT

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Well I now have audio, though for some reason only from the left and right speakers, not the centre or back speakers. So I can hear the TV shows, but I can't see them.

KT

Do you have the STR-DG720 set for 2 channel audio? That would explain why you are only getting 2 channel sound. However, it could also be your cable box. I have to tell my Directv receiver to output in Dolby Digital. Does your cable box have a similar setting?

As for the hearing & not seeing, is your tv set to the right HDMI input for the receiver?