Setting up new sound system

[dharma14]

Okay, I think I'm going to be getting one of those Onkyo receivers and maybe all level three 5.1 speakers. Does anyone know if I will get HD audio from my HD tivo? and what are those subwoofer amplifiers for that come with it? I thought the receiver did that amplifying.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by dharma14

Okay, I think I'm going to be getting one of those Onkyo receivers and maybe all level three 5.1 speakers. Does anyone know if I will get HD audio from my HD tivo? and what are those subwoofer amplifiers for that come with it? I thought the receiver did that amplifying.

I don't know about TIVO. However, DirectTV DVR gives you only Dolby Digital. Although it is not HD, it is still better than the normal sound that you get from the TV's built-in speakers.

A Subwoofer needs a separate amp to drive it. A Receiver only drives the front, center, and surround speakers. There are two types of subwoofers: Powered and Unpowered (Passive).

The Powered subwoofers have a built-in amplifier. You normally connect one RCA cable (preferably RG6 sub cable) from the LFE out on the receiver to the LFE (sub in) input of the subwoofer.

For Passive subwoofers, you connect the LFE RCA cable from the receiver to the external amplifier and run two speaker wires from the external amplifier to the Passive subwoofer.

If there are two inputs for the LFE on the subwoofer amp, connect the single RCA cable to the left channel or use a Y cable (1 female to 2 male adapter).

Normally, you set the crossover frequency dial on the subwoofer's amp to the highest frequency because you should set the crossover frequency inside the receiver's menu. It is usually set to 80Hz.

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by dharma14

Okay, I think I'm going to be getting one of those Onkyo receivers and maybe all level three 5.1 speakers. Does anyone know if I will get HD audio from my HD tivo? and what are those subwoofer amplifiers for that come with it? I thought the receiver did that amplifying.

you will only get dolby digital with your Tivo. no tv/cable companies broadcast hd audio right now.

audio will always be a step behind video, or so it seems, when talking about broadcast television.

[dharma14]

Okay, I got another question about these Onkyo receivers. Will I still get just as good video quality (1080p and 120hz etc...) with these when running audio and video via HDMI? and if anyone knows about guitar hero lag, what is the best set up for playing guitar hero and games in generally if there's any audio problems with games.

[Beta Man]

I don't know anything about Guitar Hero, but for your PQ, the Onkyo won't downgrade the signal being sent to the t.v. so you'll be fine.