Confession: I've been enjoying my AppleTV2 for a year or so, and listening to the sound from my Netflix streams, Apple Store purchases, and iTunes library through the tinny speakers that came with my LG Plasma TV.
I finally made the leap, and installed a nice Sony Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound A/V receiver.
The good news: The sound is awesome. TV shows, everything from sports and movies, to This American Life podcasts and my custom Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs playlist come to life.
The bad news: Getting it all working together was something of challenge. Organizing and hiding all the wires in a way that is a) efficient, b) safe, and c) workable - remains part of an ongoing process. I still haven't managed to get my Remote Control count down to an acceptable number.
Lessons:
The Instruction Manuals that come with most consumer electronics are horrible. True: They are written in grammatical English. They just don't make much actual sense. True also: Sony electronics don't use the same control protocols as LG electronics. And even the deepest Google searches couldn't locate the right programming codes.
When organizing wires keep POWER cables separate from DATA cables. Get your multi-outlet extension cord off the floor (I mounted mine on a custom made MDF panel behind the plasma screen.) Don't break out the plastic wire ties until you've got everything just right. Dust never sleeps.
Monoprice is your friend. They sell every cable, in every length, in multiple colors. Measure twice - order once.
Learn the difference between 12 AWG and 16 AWG speaker wire. Know the difference between your banana plugs. Being handy with a wire stripper, a soldering iron, shrink tubing, and a continuity tester help too.
When installing cables, leave some slack in the system. Recognize that you might, at some point, want to try turning that component around to see the back. Learn to keep a hand mirror and a flashlight handy in case you ignore the foregoing.
LABEL your cables and your ports. That way, if you die in a horrible industrial accident, your heirs will be able to figure out that the cable labelled "15" goes into the DVD and Receiver ports labelled "15"
Download and burn a Test Tone CD. Nothing impresses the homies so much as showing a clean identical 250 Hz sine wave on your iPad running Oscope when played through every one of your cheap, mail order speakers.
I finally made the leap, and installed a nice Sony Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound A/V receiver.
The good news: The sound is awesome. TV shows, everything from sports and movies, to This American Life podcasts and my custom Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs playlist come to life.
The bad news: Getting it all working together was something of challenge. Organizing and hiding all the wires in a way that is a) efficient, b) safe, and c) workable - remains part of an ongoing process. I still haven't managed to get my Remote Control count down to an acceptable number.
Lessons:
The Instruction Manuals that come with most consumer electronics are horrible. True: They are written in grammatical English. They just don't make much actual sense. True also: Sony electronics don't use the same control protocols as LG electronics. And even the deepest Google searches couldn't locate the right programming codes.
When organizing wires keep POWER cables separate from DATA cables. Get your multi-outlet extension cord off the floor (I mounted mine on a custom made MDF panel behind the plasma screen.) Don't break out the plastic wire ties until you've got everything just right. Dust never sleeps.
Monoprice is your friend. They sell every cable, in every length, in multiple colors. Measure twice - order once.
Learn the difference between 12 AWG and 16 AWG speaker wire. Know the difference between your banana plugs. Being handy with a wire stripper, a soldering iron, shrink tubing, and a continuity tester help too.
When installing cables, leave some slack in the system. Recognize that you might, at some point, want to try turning that component around to see the back. Learn to keep a hand mirror and a flashlight handy in case you ignore the foregoing.
LABEL your cables and your ports. That way, if you die in a horrible industrial accident, your heirs will be able to figure out that the cable labelled "15" goes into the DVD and Receiver ports labelled "15"
Download and burn a Test Tone CD. Nothing impresses the homies so much as showing a clean identical 250 Hz sine wave on your iPad running Oscope when played through every one of your cheap, mail order speakers.
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