Quote:
Originally Posted by Mayer
Another bump.
Question. I'm hooking up my receiver to all my speakers and components that came in the mail today. If I hook up all 3 components to the HDMI inputs on the receiver and then connect the receiver to the TV via HDMI, do I need any other type of audio cables (coaxle or optical?) in order to get surround sound? I was under the impression that HDMI included both Audio and Video in one cable.
Also, what gauge of speaker wire is suitable for a home theatre system? They sent 18 gauge with the speakers, but I'm not sure if it's enough of not. Two of the speaker wires need to run between 30 and 40 feet. Will 18 be enough or should I get some thicker stuff?
Thanks guys.
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Part A. No. If the only thing you have inputted to your receiver is HDMI sources, then you should not need anything other than a single HDMI cable outputted to your TV.
(Aside: My family has an
Onkyo HT-SR800 "home theater in a box" system, which includes a receiver that does not have the ability to output the component audio+video signal coming from our DVD player via HDMI out. This forces us to have separate outputs for component and HDMI, so we don't have the luxury of a single HDMI connector to our TV. Lucky you!)
Part B. 18 gauge would be the
minimum I'd go with for a run over 25 ft. You would do well to upgrade to 14, 15 or 16 gauge; technically, the "required" number for "zero loss" depends on the load resistance of the signal being passed from the receiver to the speaker. I know it's filled with technical jargon, but
here is a good article with a pertinent table for this very topic near the top - under "Maximum Wire Lengths For TWO CONDUCTOR Copper Wire". (Note: The resistance in your wire will probably be 4 or 8 ohm).
I know it's been said before on this forum, but if you do decide to upgrade the wire,
http://www.monoprice.com is your best bet for great quality at a great price. Get the good quality 2-conductor speaker wire at the gauge you decide on, and it'll last for years.
EDIT: Rathji's solution will also work for your first question. I find sticking with all HDMI simpler, but it's totally up to you!