Home Theatre Advice

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

I did end up ordering that refurb 607. Hope its in good condition!

Most companies that sell refurbs are just selling you something that didn't pass testing through the assembly line. Basically a component wasn't working and it was sent back through, fixed, and is sold as a refurb.

I can't think of many companies that sell refurbs that have passed through customer hands and were returned broken. So condition shouldn't be something to worry about.

[Trelution]

Hehe, yeah I used to be pretty tidy with the wires when we moved in here last year, but kept moving and tweaking things around with the motto " Ah I'll go back and fix that later". Now the lost City of Atlantis could be back there and I'd never know. I see a bunch of random "Hide a wire" tubing, but not sure if that would be much better.

And yeah I figured that would be the case. I'm just always paranoid when I see "refurb" on something.

[Trelution]

So I got that receiver today, and I'm hoping I didn't get a lemon. http://www.avforums.com/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif

I hooked it all up and it sounded amazing playing Modern Warfare 2. However, after about I'd say 30 mins the speakers just cut out on me. Video stays on fine. Now I can't get them to play unless I switch inputs for awhile or power down/unplug it and turn it back on.

I have unwired and rewired everything and get the same results everytime. I'll admit I'm not super savvy when it comes to Home Theater but I like to think I'd know enough if I was doing something horribly wrong here. It makes a slight pop sound when it goes out. But sounds pretty great when it works. I am using HDMI, (And they work fine running straight to the TV) but still got same effect using RGB component cables for the Cable Box.

Here is some info if it helps/needed.
TV: Sony Bravia 40
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR607
Fronts: Polk Monitor 40s
Center: Polk CS2
surrounds: Old Sony SS-MSP2 from a HTIB I used before
Sub Sony from that same HTIB I forget its model
And I was just using my 360 as the only thing hooked up to test it out first Via HDMI in and as HDMI out to the TV.

I've tried only hooking up ceratin speakers, not hooking up sub etc etc, but it cuts off anywhere from 5-30 mins of use. Any tips/advice? Or should I be looking to send it in. It came with a warranty.

Sorry if this is rambling, but been copying and pasting this in all the AV forums I can find heh. Any of you guys ever ran into something like this?

[kareface]

So I got that receiver today, and I'm hoping I didn't get a lemon. http://www.avforums.com/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif

I hooked it all up and it sounded amazing playing Modern Warfare 2. However, after about I'd say 30 mins the speakers just cut out on me. Video stays on fine. Now I can't get them to play unless I switch inputs for awhile or power down/unplug it and turn it back on.

I have unwired and rewired everything and get the same results everytime. I'll admit I'm not super savvy when it comes to Home Theater but I like to think I'd know enough if I was doing something horribly wrong here. It makes a slight pop sound when it goes out. But sounds pretty great when it works. I am using HDMI, (And they work fine running straight to the TV) but still got same effect using RGB component cables for the Cable Box.

Here is some info if it helps/needed.
TV: Sony Bravia 40
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR607
Fronts: Polk Monitor 40s
Center: Polk CS2
surrounds: Old Sony SS-MSP2 from a HTIB I used before
Sub Sony from that same HTIB I forget its model
And I was just using my 360 as the only thing hooked up to test it out first Via HDMI in and as HDMI out to the TV.

I've tried only hooking up ceratin speakers, not hooking up sub etc etc, but it cuts off anywhere from 5-30 mins of use. Any tips/advice? Or should I be looking to send it in. It came with a warranty.

Sorry if this is rambling, but been copying and pasting this in all the AV forums I can find heh. Any of you guys ever ran into something like this?

Sounds like it's most likely a problem with the receiver. Do you have anything above or below the receiver? If you were overusing the receiver it would just off all together, so it's likely just faulty. If you have it in a small space try moving it out to allow it to breathe and try testing a fan on it for a while to see if heat is the problem. The only other thing I could think of would be if you had the ohms set wrong, but even then I don't think it would create this problem.

[Trelution]

Yeah, most replies I've gotten back have asked is it ventilated enough. I would think so. It is on the bottom of my TV stand all by itself where my old one worked just fine. Its one of those 3 shelf glass TV stands. It has plenty of room to the sides and back and front to breathe, but maybe the shelf above it is a little too close. About to pull it out to the middle of the floor and try that out.


Ninja Update: Just Had it sitting in the middle of the floor with nothing around it for miles and still cut out. It doesn't seem to be an overheating issue as the unit was barely warm when it clicked off.

[tyven]

i am going to hijack this thread for a sec because i have a home theater question and dont want to create a whole new thread.

i recently got some new front speakers and center channel and want to mount them on my wall. Is there a way i can do this without putting holes in the wall, my roomies get real butt hurt every time i drill holes in the crib.

the speakers are not very big but have a little weight to them. I am thinking about trying to find some heavy duty double sided tape. do they by any chance make any just for this kind of situation?

[zoobernut]

Speaker stands or drill holes in the wall. Those really are your main choices. Or maybe drilling holes in the ceiling and hanging the speakers. The mounting bracket has to attach to the wall somehow. I don't think 3M makes giant "Command" thingies suitable for speakers.

[kareface]

Yeah, most replies I've gotten back have asked is it ventilated enough. I would think so. It is on the bottom of my TV stand all by itself where my old one worked just fine. Its one of those 3 shelf glass TV stands. It has plenty of room to the sides and back and front to breathe, but maybe the shelf above it is a little too close. About to pull it out to the middle of the floor and try that out.


Ninja Update: Just Had it sitting in the middle of the floor with nothing around it for miles and still cut out. It doesn't seem to be an overheating issue as the unit was barely warm when it clicked off.

Then it's likely defect. You have 2 options at this point. You can return it either to A4L or Onkyo. I'd just find out which ones cheaper to ship to. I'm sorry to hear that you god a defect, I've ordered from this site before and had good luck with them but I guess it's the risk you run ordering anything referb.

i am going to hijack this thread for a sec because i have a home theater question and dont want to create a whole new thread.

i recently got some new front speakers and center channel and want to mount them on my wall. Is there a way i can do this without putting holes in the wall, my roomies get real butt hurt every time i drill holes in the crib.

the speakers are not very big but have a little weight to them. I am thinking about trying to find some heavy duty double sided tape. do they by any chance make any just for this kind of situation?

Just go get a little Spackle & a quart of paint matched to the color of your wall. If you drill a small pilot hole you'll be able to easily fix any damage with the paint & Spackle.

Speaking of which, I've got the better part of an asston of wall mounts for speakers if anyone is in the market. I can offer a huge discount on them & they are still sealed in their packages.

[Trelution]

Then it's likely defect. You have 2 options at this point. You can return it either to A4L or Onkyo. I'd just find out which ones cheaper to ship to. I'm sorry to hear that you god a defect, I've ordered from this site before and had good luck with them but I guess it's the risk you run ordering anything referb.

I put in a ticket to have it replaced at A4L, just waiting to hear back from 'em. Yeah it happens, but thats what warranties are for! Just hope it doesn't turn into a huge painful process getting it sent in and replaced. And whats even worse is I ordered a new Sub and it came in today and now its just sitting here mocking me! @_@

[kareface]

I put in a ticket to have it replaced at A4L, just waiting to hear back from 'em. Yeah it happens, but thats what warranties are for! Just hope it doesn't turn into a huge painful process getting it sent in and replaced. And whats even worse is I ordered a new Sub and it came in today and now its just sitting here mocking me! @_@

Sorry to hear that -_-; I can't comment on A4L's return department but I was satisfied with Onkyo's, was a little slow on the return but it came back in great condition.

I actually just places an order today for a second one of these bad boys:
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/F15.html

Looking forward to it's arrival, going to rock the block with them.

[Trelution]

Oh man that is going to be a beast. Wish I could be rattling my windows right now too! Still waiting to hear back from A4L. But has given me some time to read up and piddle around with speaker placement and other info.

And on the sub. I've never really had a "fancy" one like this. All the ones I've dealt with in the past have been HTIB type quality I suppose and only had the line out type of connection. This one has actual binding posts and recommends running it through the front channel and the front speakers out from it. Which I'm kinda interested in playing around with. (If I had a receiver Arrrghhh) Is there any real advantage or disadvantage to either way? Also, say I do run the fronts out from the subs, could I still Bi-amp the fronts? Or would that kerplode things?

[kareface]

What front speakers & center do you run?

The only advantage you'd get running the fronts through the sub would be a second crossover point so you could separate the surrounds from the fronts. I couldn't find the information on onkyos NA site, but assuming the model is the same for the EU site then you should have independent crossover adjustments for each channel. If that is the case then there is no reason to wire your front into the subwoofer and to make matters worse it's likely an analogue crossover so you'll likely be affecting the phase of the signal. You'd be better off just using your receiver to handle the LPF/HPF.

This will also give you a chance to move the sub to it's ideal position. This will look stupid, but trust me this is a great way of finding the perfect subwoofer placement. Once you have your theater setup, pop in a disk with a nice bass line. Place the subwoofer about where your head would be when listening to a movie, it doesn't matter how you do it as long as it's stable enough to use. Try and leave the seating in place if you can. With the music playing you need to wonder around the room with your head at about the same height as the sub would be placed and mark any point where it sounds best. Just keep track of all the places you marked, and move the sub there and listen again in the listing position. Test all the marked places to see which of the ones sound best at listening position and there you go. Remember, bass will be amplified in a corner but it'll create peaks in the response. You'll likely want to keep the sub at least a foot from any walls to avoid peaks.

I just through of something. You're bi-amping your fronts? Did you remove the bridge between the binding posts? That COULD damage the amp if you didn't. To answer your other questions you could still bi-amp your fronts, but you'd take w/e pair would be directed to the woofers and run them through the subs crossover first. If you do use the subs crossover, let me know and I can detail how you should setup your receiver. If not I can give you instructions on how to configure it for your current setup. People make a lot of little mistakes when setting up their amps.

[Trelution]

I ended up snagging those Polks you listed earlier. I had forgotten how much I liked Polks. Monitor 40s and CS2 center. Yeah I can't wait to play around with this sub. And no I hadn't fooled with Bi-amping when setting this up. Was thinking of tinkering with it when my new speaker wire came in. Or is it even worth it, would I get better sound using that extra channel to go 7.1?

[kareface]

I ended up snagging those Polks you listed earlier. I had forgotten how much I liked Polks. Monitor 40s and CS2 center. Yeah I can't wait to play around with this sub. And no I hadn't fooled with Bi-amping when setting this up. Was thinking of tinkering with it when my new speaker wire came in. Or is it even worth it, would I get better sound using that extra channel to go 7.1?

It depends. There is very little 7.1 content, but you can use your receiver to matrix 5.1 to 7.1. On the other hand most of the sound comes from the fronts rather then the rear back speakers and any content like music will benefit more from the front 2 speakers. If it's a smaller room the benefit of having the 2 back speakers is questionable. I'd personally bi-amp the fronts if you plan to cross them over pretty low to improve the dynamics of the higher ranges. I think it wound sound better that way.

[Trelution]

Hmm it is a larger room, but would be hard running some rear surrounds, unless I went through the wall and across the ceiling. Which I might one day, but dont think I want to undertake that project just yet. I'll probably try Bi-amping the fronts, because they are actual "real" speakers not these dinky HTIB Sony's.

[Trelution]

Update for anyone that cares... which is no one! XD But got my replacement receiver in today and it works great. The return process was really smooth and quick. And after getting this one, the other one must have been kicked around and picked from awhile. It didn't have alot of the little packaging that came with the new one. And if it wasn't for the refurb sticker on the back the thing looks brand new. Where as the old one had numerous scratches on it.

So all in all I give Accesories4less a thumbs up. Sure it was a pain getting a lemon to begin with, but they got on the ball and got the replacement process moving quick and fairly simple. Didn't even have to pay shipping.

[kareface]

Update for anyone that cares... which is no one! XD But got my replacement receiver in today and it works great. The return process was really smooth and quick. And after getting this one, the other one must have been kicked around and picked from awhile. It didn't have alot of the little packaging that came with the new one. And if it wasn't for the refurb sticker on the back the thing looks brand new. Where as the old one had numerous scratches on it.

So all in all I give Accesories4less a thumbs up. Sure it was a pain getting a lemon to begin with, but they got on the ball and got the replacement process moving quick and fairly simple. Didn't even have to pay shipping.

Glad to hear that. I felt bad about pointing you their way only to see you get burned. Let me know if you need help calibrating your setup. I actually just got through helping someone setup their fronts on the blu-ray forums. I'll post a link, it contains a few suggestions I frequently pass long and am too lazy to retype here, lol.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/home-theate...questions.html

[Stiker]

Just want to pop in saying that I ended up getting taking your advice as well Kare. I ended up going a step down on the Polks (mostly for personal sizing needs) and decided to go with a Polk sub as well. I decided to grab the Onkyo receiver you suggested on A4L as well.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my setup and I think it is something I can very easily build on in the future.

Thanks for pointing me in a good direction!

[Trelution]

Yeah thanks for all the tips and advice Kare. Just never knew what all I was missing with that dinky old HTIB set I had. Also thanks for that link I'm sure I'll be studying it here soon. Unfortunately I can't play arround moving things too much yet, still waiting on that wire and cables from Monoprice. (One time I really want/need a shipment from them is the one time where it takes forever! XD) I went on a slight spree that I'm sure my wallet will cry about later, but my ears are enjoying it so far.


Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR607
Fronts: Polk Monitor 40's
Center: Polk CS2 (And heed the size warnings. Thing is huge like xbox!)
Surrounds: Polk OWM3
Sub: Polk PSW505

[kareface]

Glad to hear it all worked out for both of you. Be careful tho, this stuff can be addicting. I have plans to drop another 10k this year on my home theater. I'm planing to finally install a door on the room (has to be custom made), pick up a parametric EQ, bass traps, sub risers, acoustical dampening panels, new receiver that I can also use as a preamp, amplifier, power conditioner, rebuild my HTPC with the newer atoms that are coming out & make it silent, new couch & a second subwoofer. (I've already ordered the sub and arrives on Monday /excitedface) I don't get addicted to everything, but I seem to take my hobbies a bit too serious, lol. I'm even scheduled this year to get my HAA (only level 1) and ISF certifications so I can be a licensed calibrator. Which also means I'm going to drop more money on calibration hardware. -_-;

At least I'm free of FFX... Oh god what have I done...