Question on Audio Cables for Home Theater
 

I am replacing my old Bose 321 with new equipment and need some advice on cabling. I purchased a Yamaha Aventage receiver and will be setting up as a 7.2 system and will be using Definative Technology speakers.

My questions:

1) Subwoofers have an "LFE" input but the amplifier states to use "Audio Pin Cable". Are these the same thing? The connections appear to be rca type connectors but since the equipment has not yet been delivered, I'm relying on the manual. These are powered subwoofers so I don't think massive cables are required. Distance from receiver will be 6' and 25'.

2) Any suggestions on decent speaker cabling? I cannot spend thousands on cables but I also don't want bargain basement either. Other threads have trashed Monster but never says why.

3) This receiver has the ability to setup zones (i.e., play in TV room as well as other rooms). I plan on also plumbing speakers to the kitchen, garage, and backyard. On my old setup, I had an output from the main stereo to another stereo that supplied the additional 3 rooms. I'm wondering if I should still go this route due to distance. Anyone have experience with this?

Any advice would be appreciated. I have about a week to get prepared for setup.

If you are pushing a digital signal then it really does not matter all that much.

Monster gets trashed because they have slick marketing that misleads consumers into believing their $500.00 HDMI cable is vastly superior to the $10.00 no name cable sold by monoprice.

id probably just order everything from blue jeans cables. They are premium in the sense that they are well built and quality items. I don't believe cables have a sound, but Im not putting walmart made in china wires in my stereo that costs as much as a crappy car either.

As a multiple decade audiophile, I do not think you will be hearing any difference for properly functioning cables. I would not go for any boutique audiophile brands personally, though I have owned some in the past.

Most of my audio work has been pro sound and not home audiophile. The same physics apply though. If you are not running LF to your surround speakers, 14GA lamp cord up to 60' long is plenty overkill up to 300 watts of power. Its cheap and will last essentially forever.

Audio cables should have good build quality with decent connectors (no gold plating please). They run about $1-$2/ft, not $20/ft "premium quality" cable. The extra $19/ft covers their extensive marketing costs ;)

With line level outputs you can connect as many amplifiers as you wish to power extension speakers. Pay careful attention to matching speaker ohms to amplifiers capability and resist the temptation to run speaker wire longer than 60'. The closer the amp is to your speakers, the better.

Good luck with your theater project.

Cables are at the pinnacle of the snake-oil mountain in the "audiophile" world/market, and there is typically little justification for "premium" offerings.

Are you remotely handy with wire strippers and a soldering iron? If so, you might consider rolling your own.
Just grab a spool of Mogami 2549 and some Neutrik/Amphenol connectors and have at it. If you need digital/SPDIF runs, grab some 2964. YMMV.

Lots of help on this site if needed....AVS Forum | Home Theater Discussions And Reviews

Add tech flex and shrink tube and you basically have the look of most of the high end cables out there.

Run them through a mystery box full of silicone and electrical doodads and you can sell them for thousands!!

1. Subwoofer Out to LFE In on a subwoofer requires an single rca - rca cable.
2. For a receiver, a good quality 14 - 16 gauge stranded cable is fine.
3. The receiver probably has a L + R Zone 2 output. This would require a stereo rca - rca cable that would connect to a local amplifier in that other zone. You would have to have some sort of volume control there as well.

Ian

What model speakers? if they are the DT super towers you wont need the LFE hooked up to control the internal subwoofer, you can just set the control knob on the back and forget about it. Your receiver will determine the bass level sent to the speaker based upon the sound environment you choose.

How many LFE out does your receiver have? You should use the LFE to control your individual Subs not the towers.

Oops just re-read you question.

Yes, an RCA pin type connector will work, you get what you pay for and it makes a difference, running a 25' cable I would consider using the Rocketfish products they are entry level at best but have the gold plating and are built well.

Rocketfish

The speakers are Definitive Technologies XTR-50 for the front L/R, ProMonitor 1000 which are for Rear L/R, ProCinima 2000 for Center, and the subwoofers are Prosub1000 and Supercube 2000 - both subs will be controlled by the receiver and I will use the sub-out to LFE on the subs. The receiver has 2 sub-outs for individual F/R subs.

Since I have run out of money, I will install the ceiling reference speakers in a month or so and for now I will have a 5.2 setup. I'm getting excited to get this all installed and my receiver/speakers will be here on Monday. I am going to get all my wiring done this weekend.

Thanks to all for all the advice :)

Thank you. That is mostly my setup. Currently, I have a second receiver that controls the kitchen, garage, and backyard. I'm going to continue with this setup for now so all I need is the stereo rca cables that you mention - just a little longer than I currently have since I am relocating pieces.

I'm assuming 40' RCA is within the limits? I know that hdmi has limits on length.

I have a supercube 2000 as well, that thing throws out incredible deep rolling sound. You are going to love your system. Why a front and rear sub vs. left and right?

The best thing I have noticed about an upgraded theater system is how clear and accurate the sounds are especially dialogue.

The dual subwoofers may be overkill but I was simply attempting to replicate my existing setup (albeit not real surround system). My soon to be previous setup had a Bose 321 setup for the front speakers and a pair of Bose original cube/sub speakers (the rear speakers were powered by a separate receiver). My original Bose speakers were purchased in 1984 and are as good today as they were new (I'll be very happy with them in the garage). That said, I had a front sub and a rear sub and they fit into the room perfectly without being noticed due to furniture layout. I don't have the room for a dual front sub or left/right setup but I can accommodate front and rear. I will have to change the setup and experiment with front/rear vs left/right.

I'm glad to hear the supercube 2000 has good reviews. I like the fact that it is small but with 650w, it should be pretty powerful. The front sub is a pro-sub 1000 and is 300w. I will try switching them around but it will depend on astetics. The smaller of the two might work better in the front.

Well that, and being a trademark troll.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable_Products

yep - they even fought a putt putt golf location because they had Monster in their business name...

HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more! - Monoprice.com

Any other way is a waste of time and money...

Sadly the opposite is usually true with A/V cables! That said, there are valid reasons not to go "too cheap".
FYI, Rocketfish is just the "house" brand for Best Buy/Future Shop. Nothing special, but probably one of the highest margin items/brands for the company (Read: still overpriced for what you get, IMO).
SmileWavy

I think we agree and I agree you don't need to go high end but too cheap is bad. You do see where I typed rocket fish was entry level? 44$ for a 24"cable doesn't seem to bad to me. What would you recommend?

Yep, you should be fine, but I wouldn't want to go too much longer with unbalanced runs. Just use something with good shielding, and maybe look for something with low capacitance (anything under 20pF/ft. is good).
keep them away from other A/C wiring, light fixtures/switches, junction boxes, etc. as much as possible as well.

Also, I'd amend my previous DIY recommendation to just use your choice of decent 75Ω coax for any unbalanced RCA interconnects (Mogami 2546, Belden 9259, Canare 77S, etc.).
It's typically well shielded with low capacitance, which is well suited for the task. The additional benefit is that you can use it for digital (S/PDIF) runs as well.

Or, if you don't want to go the DIY route, there are plenty of cable "assemblers" that make interconnects using quality cable (Mogami/Belden/Canare). That way you know exactly what cable you are getting, and can reference the specs.
It is a better alternative to the unknown quanity/quality of most "premium" retail offerings IMO.

Here are a couple of reputable vendors with decent pricing. Both will make custom cables as well:

Pro Audio LA
Redco

Or you might check Monoprice as suggested, or some of the large online wholesale type companies like Mouser, Full Compas, Sweetwater, etc.
They might have decent deals on the OEM stuff from the aforementioned cable manufacturers.

SmileWavy