[RMac]

This is my first go at speakers.  I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
 
I recently received a pair of Klipsch KSB 3.1 speakers from a friend for $30.  (looking online, they go on ebay for over $150... I'd say my friend needs to take better care of her things.  LOL).
 
Here are the specs from the website

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

 

Frequency Response:	45Hz-20kHz(+-)3dB
SENSITIVITY:	94dB @ 1watt/1meter
POWER HANDLING:	100 watts maximum continuous (400 watts peak)
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE:	8 ohms
TWEETER:	K-94-S 1" (2.54cm) Silk dome compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN:	90(o)x40(o) Tractrix(r) Horn
WOOFER:	K-1042-SV 8" (20.32cm) Poly cone
ENCLOSURE MATERIAL:	Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF)
ENCLOSURE TYPE:	Bass reflex via front-mounted port
WEIGHT:	16 lbs. (7.3kg)
DIMENSIONS:	17" (43.2cm) x 9.25" (23.5cm) x 9.375" (23.8cm)

 

 
Anyways, I want a receiver that'll interface with my HDTV and my laptop.  I'm not sure what the best route I need to take here.  Budget under $350 or so.   I DO have a Fiio E17 and a Objective O2/ODAC combo (all in one) so I don't have a "standalone" DAC but I'm sure there's a way to just send the audio out and bypass the amp from either of these?  If they are needed.  I was also thinking maybe the audio can just be sent from my laptop's HDMI port.  Any advice, I'd appreciate

 

[cel4145]

That Klipsch set looks like a good way to start out.

For music, you could try the E17 plugged into the receiver because it might be better than the internal DAC on the receiver (you would need the FiiO L7). Hard to say which would be best. But you could certainly try HDMI out from your laptop first.

For TV, you might want the multichannel audio output from your TV. Does your TV have optical output?

The Harman/Kardon AVR 1650 is on special for the holiday weekend at Newegg.

 

[RMac]

Quote:

That Klipsch set looks like a good way to start out.

For music, you could try the E17 plugged into the receiver because it might be better than the internal DAC on the receiver (you would need the FiiO L7). Hard to say which would be best. But you could certainly try HDMI out from your laptop first.

For TV, you might want the multichannel audio output from your TV. Does your TV have optical output?

The Harman/Kardon AVR 1650 is on special for the holiday weekend at Newegg.

 
Thanks for the advice!  My TV indeed has optical output; would that be the best way to go?
 
I think I might take a stab at this receiver, seems like a great bang for the buck and looks classy as well!

 

[RMac]

Okay, I bought the receiver.  Now, the question is, what wire do I use?  On the back of each speakers there are two sockets, one is black and one is red.  Does this correspond to red and black wire or what?  Rumor has it, it is all the same wire.

 

[cel4145]

I demoed the HK1600 at home (not the 1650). When connected with my ODAC directly to it, I found the sound from it equivalent to the HK 3390 stereo receiver, which is very popular for music only applications. The 3390 just had a little more output. What I like about the HKs is that they seem to add just a touch of warmth. I didn't like the budget Yamaha I tried. Sounded a little thin. The DAC in the 1600 was decent for an entry level receiver (better than motherboard audio), but it's hard to beat the ODAC

If you have cable run directly to your TV, you can run the optical to the receiver. If you have a cable box with HDMI output, I would run it from the cable box to the receiver, then to the TV. Then hook your laptop up via HDMI and you can use the receiver to switch between the two.

Don't buy expensive HDMI cables from BestBuy, etc. Monoprice Premium HDMI cables are very good. HDMI cables are like USB. They tend to work or not at all.

 

[RMac]

thanks for all your help so far, cel4145. 
 
As far as hooking the speakers to the receiver, any wire recommendations?  (as far as gauge is concerned) and should i use banana clips?  where you plug inthe speakers in the back, the connectors are kind of angled up.

 

[cel4145]

You'll have to find out if the receiver takes banana clips. Not all entry level receivers do. Banana clips are not required, though. Just for convenience.

If you scroll down this page, there are recommendations on speaker wire gauge (look for the table a good ways down): http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Monoprice.com has good prices on speaker wire and banana plugs. No reason to spend more

It can help to get a cheap wire stripper like this



Usually you can find them for $10 or so at a hardware store.