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[Dragona Akehi]

I have a PS2 and a GameCube and am obviously interested in the 5.1/Dolby Pro Logic II capable of them. I'm able to get this receiver (JVC RX-60425) for a very very good deal. I've needed a component/SVHS switcher for awhile now, but for a little bit more, this unit do that and would let me enjoy 5.1 sound. The problem is that it doesn't come with speakers.

Now, the back of the system doesn't have the "banana" plug style outputs, but rather stripped wire. What I want to know is if Altec Lansing's speakers (251 or VS3151) will work with this receiver. Or something along the lines of that price range. I simply can't afford 500$ USD speaker sets, which seem to be the norm or even higher if you buy a Home Theatre set.

I don't want to buy a bundle because I don't want an extra DVD player, in addition to costing too much. If anyone can help me out I'd appreciate it.

PS: Do I need a special cord for the GC to take advantage of PLII? From what I understand there isn't any available...

 

[Ferrarisimo]

You don't need a special plug for the GameCube's DPLII. Just plug the regular RCA stereo plugs into your receiver, and it should decode it just fine.

As for speakers, Froogle yourself a set of SKS-HT520 by Onkyo. They are amazing bang-for-the-buck 6.1 speakers (without a DVD or receiver) that can be had for under $300.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

300$ USD is still quite a bit pricey for me. Unfortunately. :\

 

[Korranator]

First off the amp you choose is a 100 watts x 5 min. RMS, into 8 ohms

251 are rated at 70 watts and 4 ohms, which would get damaged by the amp, assuming the amp could even drive a 4 ohms speaker.

VS3151 are rated at 50 watts and 8 ohms, which would also get damaged by the amp.

What you need is a speaker setup that can handle 100 watts or better, and have a capacity of 8 ohms.

 

[Ferrarisimo]

It looks like the Altec Lansings you linked only have a 3.5mm stereo connector. I just glanced through the PDF, so I don't know for sure.

You should also look into a speaker wire-to-stereo connector adapter, if such a thing exists.

 

[Korranator]

Just cut the connectors off and hardwire them.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

First off the amp you choose is a 100 watts x 5 min. RMS, into 8 ohms

251 are rated at 70 watts and 4 ohms, which would get damaged by the amp, assuming the amp could even drive a 4 ohms speaker.

VS3151 are rated at 50 watts and 8 ohms, which would also get damaged by the amp.

What you need is a speaker setup that can handle 100 watts or better, and have a capacity of 8 ohms.

See THIS is what I need to know, because I've never been in the market for these type of items before.

So you're saying that the receiver will DAMAGE those speakers? That isn't good. I suppose a better question would be then: Is it worth buying this receiver in the meantime and get the speakers later? Or should I just wait on the whole thing and get a higher end receiver?

The only reason I'm so interested in the model is because, as I said, I can get a very very good deal, and the fact I need a Switcher of some sort. Paying a teensy bit more for the ability to play 5.1 seemed like a good idea.

 

[Crazymoogle]

So you're saying that the receiver will DAMAGE those speakers? That isn't good. I suppose a better question would be then: Is it worth buying this receiver in the meantime and get the speakers later? Or should I just wait on the whole thing and get a higher end receiver?

Don't fuck with the ohms value, that's for sure. At best, the speakers won't work. At worst, they die.

Unfortunately 4 ohm receivers are pretty high end and hence expensive, so it really depends...wtf, those are pretty shitty little PC speakers. Buy the receiver (or an equivalent, I think you can get ones like it for even cheaper than the MSRP at that website) and go pick up some cheap-ass, home theater only speakers. A cheap 5.1, 8ohm speaker set (with sats that aren't smaller than a CD) shouldn't be that expensive to find. More than the receiver? Sure. But less than $500 USD. Hell, my entire first home theater kit was the equivalent of $300 USD.

[Edit: removed rewiring idea entirely until I can back it up by claiming it works on my setup...]

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Unfortunately around here it seems that 500$ USD 5.1 speakers only set is the reality I live in. I'll do more looking, that's for sure. I can't really buy online. Could you give some suggestions on what brand/model I should be looking for that should be that cheap and yet, not entirely shitty?

100W and 8ohm minimum? At least I know that much. I'm glad I didn't buy speakers yet.

Edit: Also the receiver I'm linking to is something I can get for far far less than what's posted at that site. Hence the hemming and hawing.

Thanks for all the input so far, I appreciate it.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Unfortunately around here it seems that 500$ USD 5.1 speakers only set is the reality I live in. I'll do more looking, that's for sure. I can't really buy online. Could you give some suggestions on what brand/model I should be looking for that should be that cheap and yet, not entirely shitty?

100W and 8ohm minimum? At least I know that much. I'm glad I didn't buy speakers yet.

100W/8ohm is great and to be honest I wish I had that, but I get away with sats rated at 30~80W and 6 ohm (as I recall my receiver can handle that, though). Audio quality could be a lot better, but 5.1 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TV speakers. My sub is a powered 150W block.

(looks online for a few minutes)

WTF, looks like Home theater packages have really tanked over the past five years. Most would rather have a DVD player than decent speakers. I own game controllers bigger than some of those sats. Hell, one of my RCA sats is the size of three (current generation) RCA sats put together.

Personal experience says to look at Kenwood products, but honestly I would suggest reading and asking about this at hometheaterforum.com. State your pricerange and ask about good deals for certain store chains or that can ship to you.

If there is one single piece of buyers advice I can give you: Don't fuck around. Research the hell out of anything you buy. When it comes to home theater there are NO easy answers, no cheap and powerful solutions.

Buying because the deal in the paper sounded nice is generally considered a "scam".

 

[Crazymoogle]

Edit: Also the receiver I'm linking to is something I can get for far far less than what's posted at that site. Hence the hemming and hawing.

What number are you looking at? $100? $150?

Because at those prices it would make a lot of sense to buy it and then go pick yourself up two standing speakers of dubious quality and low price from a local store. If you like them, buy more. If you don't, well, it's only a pair.

I need to check and see if I can do that rerouting job...[Edit: rerouting is a possibility but basically nullifies the whole switch idea, so forget that]

 

[Ferrarisimo]

Unfortunately around here it seems that 500$ USD 5.1 speakers only set is the reality I live in. I'll do more looking, that's for sure. I can't really buy online. Could you give some suggestions on what brand/model I should be looking for that should be that cheap and yet, not entirely shitty?

Why can't you buy online? Like I said, research that Onkyo set on CNet and avsforum.com. For the price, there is not a better set of 6.1 speakers that you can buy.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

What number are you looking at? $100? $150?

Because at those prices it would make a lot of sense to buy it and then go pick yourself up two standing speakers of dubious quality and low price from a local store. If you like them, buy more. If you don't, well, it's only a pair.

I need to check and see if I can do that rerouting job...[Edit: rerouting is a possibility but basically nullifies the whole switch idea, so forget that]

About 140$ USD perhaps a little less. I figure that this is better than buying a Gaming switcher like the Pelican one I've heard of online. One thing I never thought of was just buying a bunch of speakers. From what I understand what you're saying, it doesn't really matter if I buy a whole set, just any speakers to hook it up to it. That's good enough.

Why can't you buy online? Like I said, research that Onkyo set on CNet and avsforum.com. For the price, there is not a better set of 6.1 speakers that you can buy.

Buying online is simply not an option for me. I'd be really happy to get those speakers but they're too expensive. Right now. When I have that kind of money I'll be definately sure to pick those up. Thanks. (Although if I have that receiver is 5.1 only, I suppose I'll just have one speaker as a back up.)

 

[Crazymoogle]

About 140$ USD perhaps a little less. I figure that this is better than buying a Gaming switcher like the Pelican one I've heard of online. One thing I never thought of was just buying a bunch of speakers. From what I understand what you're saying, it doesn't really matter if I buy a whole set, just any speakers to hook it up to it. That's good enough.

Basically, you've got the right idea. The only reason why you might consider a switcher would be if the receiver doesn't have enougn inputs for you. IE: since almost no receiver in the realm of humanly affordable has more than 3 component in's, if you needed 4+ (let's see, Gamecube, Xbox, PS2, DVD, whatever) then a switcher would be a fine idea. You really don't want to skimp on quality with those, though.

Yes, even though the receiver is "5.1", you would be fine with 2 speakers. A third one would be recommended for a center channel (which is part of the dolby surround spec, and lacking one can make DVDs sound a bit unbalanced), but you can basically start with one and add as you go. (Note: 1 is not actually recommended. Most receivers can't downmix to 1 speaker)

Most decent receivers also have a headphone port, and speaker audio cuts out while the port is in use. 5.1 audio is dynamically mixed down for the headphones, so even if it doesn't sound like "5.1", it does sound good.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Sounds good. Thanks for the help. I'll probably pick that model up sometime next week. And start hunting for speaker deals.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Heh, it almost looks like I'm saying the receiver will mix to the channels.

The receiver doesn't care what speakers are plugged in. If the 5 speakers and a sub are plugged in, great. If not, no big deal. It's not going to be an electrical hazard or anything.

That being said, if you suddenly buy a rear left speaker and plug it in, voila, you have a rear left. Not a single speaker that handles all of the rear sounds - anything that needs to hit the rear-right is just plain 'missing'.

If you're playing a game of "collect 'em all!" consider this order:

1. Front Left and Front Right
2. Center Channel
3. Rear Left and Rear Right
4. Subwoofer
5. Rear Center (if its a 6.1 setup)

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Thanks for the advice again. It's really sad that I have no idea about the requirements and whatnot. But then again, I didn't get a TV capable of anything above RF until last year.