[peteburnshndbag]

Hi, wondering if anyone can help me with this as i havent a clue about electronics etc.

So, a friend of mine gave me what she called a home-cinema system. It consists of 5 small speakers and 1 huge speaker, which it says on the back is a powered sub-woofer.

I've been readin up about this and i'm now thinking that i'm missing the main receiver/amp part, which you hook up to the DVD player, no??

I'm just wondering if i can have a home cinema system with just a powered sub. and speakers, or do i need to buy a AV receiver too??

Thanks

Yes, you will need a receiver to plug all the speakers in.

The five speakers will connect via speaker wire to the dedicated speaker terminals, the sub will connect by a low level input, this is normally a single cable with RCA connections at each end, and should be connected to the pre output on the back of the receiver.

You can also connect the DVD player to the receiver to take advantage of the 5.1 surround sound, providing it has the correct connection(s), you will need either a digital coaxial or optical output. It goes without saying, the receiver will also need the appropriate inputs as well.

[Scorpio]

Some (cheaper) systems like Accoustic Solutions stuff from Argos actually have the 'amp/receiver' bit housed in the large speaker (sub) part of the system. The controls are also sometimes situated on this box although many have a remote as well.

You may have all you need already.

Rgds,
Scorp

[peteburnshndbag]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TommyW

Yes, you will need a receiver to plug all the speakers in.

The five speakers will connect via speaker wire to the dedicated speaker terminals, the sub will connect by a low level input, this is normally a single cable with RCA connections at each end, and should be connected to the pre output on the back of the receiver.

You can also connect the DVD player to the receiver to take advantage of the 5.1 surround sound, providing it has the correct connection(s), you will need either a digital coaxial or optical output. It goes without saying, the receiver will also need the appropriate inputs as well.

But the speaker terminals are already located on the back of the powered sub, so would this mean i dont need a receiver too??

[peteburnshndbag]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpio

Some (cheaper) systems like Accoustic Solutions stuff from Argos actually have the 'amp/receiver' bit housed in the large speaker (sub) part of the system. The controls are also sometimes situated on this box although many have a remote as well.

You may have all you need already.

Rgds,
Scorp

Yeah thx for replying, i'm thinking that maybe your right. Because this powered-sub has it's own power supply, all the speaker terminals on the back, then a single connection port which is probably to connect it to the DVD player??, and it also has a volume button, on/off switch and input selector button..

So, do you think maybe all i need to get is the cables to hook it all up??

[Mystic Eddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteburnshndbag

Yeah thx for replying, i'm thinking that maybe your right. Because this powered-sub has it's own power supply, all the speaker terminals on the back, then a single connection port which is probably to connect it to the DVD player??, and it also has a volume button, on/off switch and input selector button..

So, do you think maybe all i need to get is the cables to hook it all up??

To give you an answer now, yes, that's all that's needed and it (should) work.

[peteburnshndbag]

Thanks for the help guys

Yeah you'll be fine, the only issue with systems like this is that they usually do not have the Dolby decoding chip built-in, so you will need a DVD player with 5.1 output.

Some have it, some don't, and there is no general rule to say what will have it (price-wise).

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteburnshndbag

But the speaker terminals are already located on the back of the powered sub, so would this mean i dont need a receiver too??

The majority of powered subs have speaker terminals on the back, this is so you can connect the speakers via a high level connection.

I see you have mentioned some other connections that are on the back of the sub. Nothing unusual about the sub having it's own power supply, speaker terminals, a volume button, on/off switch, the majority of active subs have all this and more.

What does stand out is the mention of this single connection port and input selector, depending on what this port is, it does sound like a one of these connections that are found on these various all in one systems out there that link the DVD player to the sub. The input selector sounds like you can connect other components to the sub and you are able to pre-select them.

So it does now sound as if you have no need for a receiver, but need the component(s) that go with the speaker system, which would most likely be a DVD player, but one that will probably need to be compatible with this single connection port.

If the speaker package has been a part of an all in one system, it might be a little difficult trying to put the system back together without the original components.

What's the make/model of the speaker package?