How not to upgrade your home cinema system
11 January 2007, 12:54 PM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Tell em to piss off, I'm drinking!
Posts: 789
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How not to upgrade your home cinema system
Just thought I’ll share my experiences of upgrading my home cinema system (and kill some time). As I know reading about someone’s misfortune tends to brighten your own day up.
A couple of months ago the dvd player included in the sony dav550 system started playing up. I took it to a repairer and was told it would cost £100 to fix it, it had a dirty laser of something.
I didn’t fancy paying that out for an old system as I could buy a new dvd player for less, I didn’t really want to spend a lot on upgrading the full system at this time.
So I started searching for a new player, one with a 5.1 channel output, to replace the old one. (Some of you may already see my first problem).
I decided on a pioneer 696. When it arrived I can remember thinking its small and very light compared to the old one. (I was still unaware)
The plugs on the speaker cables of the sony system are strange so I cut them off and replaced them with standard phonos.
Plugged everything in then sat back ready to go through the speaker setup procedure, odd it doesn’t have one. (I was STILL unaware)
So I played a dvd and only then did I realise the sound wasn’t being amplified.
Bugger it hasn’t got a built in amp.
After a bit of time searching I bought a denon 1507. So I am now connecting the old 5.1 speakers to this amp, I had to cut off the phonos I soldered on, as you screw these in, anyway I got to the subwoofer and this is a phono output only it’s a pre amp output, bloody great I now need a new sub or an amp for the sub.
The missus is like “It would have been cheaper to have the old one repaired looking back, you could have even bought a whole system for less”, thanks love.
This is as far as I have got, I will run a non sub setup until I can afford a decent set of speakers.
A couple of months ago the dvd player included in the sony dav550 system started playing up. I took it to a repairer and was told it would cost £100 to fix it, it had a dirty laser of something.
I didn’t fancy paying that out for an old system as I could buy a new dvd player for less, I didn’t really want to spend a lot on upgrading the full system at this time.
So I started searching for a new player, one with a 5.1 channel output, to replace the old one. (Some of you may already see my first problem).
I decided on a pioneer 696. When it arrived I can remember thinking its small and very light compared to the old one. (I was still unaware)
The plugs on the speaker cables of the sony system are strange so I cut them off and replaced them with standard phonos.
Plugged everything in then sat back ready to go through the speaker setup procedure, odd it doesn’t have one. (I was STILL unaware)
So I played a dvd and only then did I realise the sound wasn’t being amplified.
Bugger it hasn’t got a built in amp.
After a bit of time searching I bought a denon 1507. So I am now connecting the old 5.1 speakers to this amp, I had to cut off the phonos I soldered on, as you screw these in, anyway I got to the subwoofer and this is a phono output only it’s a pre amp output, bloody great I now need a new sub or an amp for the sub.
The missus is like “It would have been cheaper to have the old one repaired looking back, you could have even bought a whole system for less”, thanks love.
This is as far as I have got, I will run a non sub setup until I can afford a decent set of speakers.
11 January 2007, 02:19 PM
#2
Scooby Regular
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ascended to the next level
Posts: 7,498
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oops 
Remember kids, phono plugs are line level, not amplified
Anyhoo, seperate DVD player and A/V reciever is the better way to go over combo units
Remember kids, phono plugs are line level, not amplified
Anyhoo, seperate DVD player and A/V reciever is the better way to go over combo units
11 January 2007, 02:40 PM
#3
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Tell em to piss off, I'm drinking!
Posts: 789
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anyhoo, seperate DVD player and A/V reciever is the better way to go over combo units
Thats what I kept telling the missus. I've got my eye on a set of Kef 1005's.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Brzoza
Engine Management and ECU Remapping
1
02 October 2015 05:26 PM