I got a Harman Kardon DVD-37 and Harman Kardon AVR-340 as an early gift. The problem is I still have my pair of 12 year-old KLH speakers, a seven year old JVC CRT, a 2 year-old Sony VCR and a PS2.

I obviously need new speakers and a new TV but what can I do about wiring the current components together right now while I get some money together. Will this even be possible?

I am also looking at 42" TV of some sort but that seems covered here pretty thoroughly. I checked AVSforums but I cannot filter through all the uber-geekdom there.

I also need to get some recommendations for some decent speakers. I think I will go with a 5.1 speaker set-up but I need to stay as inexpensive as possible hopefully, if possible, under $1000.

Any tips would be appreciated...

 

There is no reason why you wouldn't be able to hook up your current gear to the AVR. It will run just fine with only 2 speakers. Obviously you won't get any surround sound. BTW, that AVR and DVD are nice pieces.

 

Try to find a review on the SVSsound SB-01 system @ www.svsound.com

I haven't seen any. Maybe on avsforum. Their subs kick ass, I'm interested to know if their whole systems are good. It's in your price range.

 

The 340 should accept the DVD inputs w/o problem. Your CRT should at least have an S-video input, if not then a composite input. Speakers are speakers, no worries there. You should be able to get by OK until you upgrade the rest of your system.

 

Get the Samsung DLP 42 or 46". Then HDMI to the receiver, component to the DVD. IMO, you don't need $1000 for audio, put $500 into the TV or upgrade to a HD-DVR and put the VCR in the closet. The Samsung will have a Video 3 output on the side so you can hook up your PS2.

In the meantime, you'll have great sound potential with all your stuff.

 

Good ideas... I'll try and hook up my system today.

Does it matter that the new receiver doesn't have HDMI and the DVD player does?

I have been looking at the Samsung DLPs as well. Seems like they do the job just fine especially when compared to the downsides of LCDs and Plasmas. Do I even need to worry about 1080p? I keep hearing most people don't notice the difference between 720p and 1080p on TVs below 46".

 

I have the same problem of lack of HDMI on the receiver. I have an AVR 335.

What you can do is plug the DVD directly into the TV. Get a TV that has at least 2 HDMI connectors so that you can plug in your cable box too. Then use a Harmony remote (or something similar) to make all the required changes on the AVR, DVD player, and TV with the press of one button.

For now, if your current TV has an S-Video plug, take the S-Video from the DVD and plug it into the AVR. Then take an S-Video from the AVR to the TV.

 

Sounds good doopstr. Thanks.

Those SVSsound SB-01 speakers sound perfect for me too, do they only sell them direct?

 

As far as I know they only sell direct. I bought one of their cylinder subs in the Spring. I bought the "small" one which stands a little more than 2.5ft tall. It was packed extremely well. Took about a week to ship. They didn't bill my CC until about a week after I had the sub in my house. I thought I had a free sub for a while there.

Do try to find reviews. I bought mine based on reviews I found online. People are amazed when they hear it in my house.

 

Another option that may be hard for you to find is the Jamo A340PDD3. I install them quite often, sometimes coupled with a H/K AVR 340. They sell retail anywhere ranging from $400 to $700 for a complete 5.1 surround system. The speakers come with little table stands and wall mounting brackets. They come in black, white, or silver, and the sub is very powerful. Actually, it hits a lot harder then a lot of stand alone subs we sell. They are very crisp and very good quality. A lot of people just have not heard of Jamo in the states, they are a big manufacturer of speakers in europe.

Make sure you keep your cabinet well vented. Do not put any equipment on top fo the receiver. We had a lot of failures with the AVR 340, typically due to heat issues. Also, the remote is a programmable remote, you can have it control the whole system. Just make sure to program the volume punch through, so you don't have to press the AVR button just to control the volume.

 

Oh, another thing. I am not sure on this though. On the DVD 27, you had to go into the menu to enable the component outputs. So you had to plug in the composite, go into the setup menu on the dvd, and set it for component, then unplug the composite (or leave it plugged in if you want) and then plug int he component. Was a stupid setting to have as a default I think, as the other models didn't have the issue. With the DVD 37, you may have the same thing, only with HDMI. It may still be a problem with component if you choose to use components. I work more with Marantz equipment now, so I have not had the chance to use a DVD 37 yet.

 

Looks like I wrote this up in the right place.

The Jamos are certainly in my price range but it looks like they are only available via e-bay and some sites I have never heard of.

So it's safe to say the H/K stuff is pretty good, then?

 

H/K is good. Like I said, just make sure that the receiver has proper ventalation. I could get you the Jamo's, but you would have to pay for the shipping, which I am sure is not the cheapest. Although it would be cheaper then $1000 total for sure. I think my cost on them is even under $400 honestly.

 

So how much would the shipping be? And is there a U.S. alternative?

 

H/K has a stellar reputation. Its a nice pickup.

As far as subs go, I've read very good reviews of the Onix Rocket ULW-10 and the Hsu Research STF-1

 

You also might be interested in recommendations from Audioholics: http://www.audioholics.com/showcase/...uide/index.php

 

I was looking for that site, thanks.

 

Too funny - yes the DVD-37 defaults to composite so you have to go change the setting with a composite cable - of course I still can't get a DVD to show on the CRT, just the soundtrack - - must an AVR setting I haven't discovered.

 

I've got the Hsu STF-3 (the STF-1's big, big brother) and love it. I don't get to use even a 1/4 of it's potential b/c of the WAF (Sorta like having a Porcshe but never going over 30 in it), but it is a great piece of equipment for the $$$