Sony makes a wide variety of receivers for almost any stereo or home theater audio application. Whether you watch surround sound movies or just listen to two-channel stereo music, there is likely a Sony receiver available in your price range. Sony receivers are generally built to last and have few problems. However, it is important to follow a few guidelines to maximize the sound potential of your receiver and prevent future problems.
Hooking Up Audio
When connecting audio to your Sony receiver, ensure you're using the latest technology in audio cables. Digital coaxial or SPDIF cables provide better quality than the older, red/white analog cables. Digital cables are also less prone to electronic interference. Ensure your cables are hooked firmly into the proper inputs. To avoid confusion, hook CD, DVD players and VCRs to their respective inputs on the back of the receiver. If there is more than one audio input, use the digital one if you have the proper cable. When connecting CD players to your receiver, experiment with analog (red/white) audio cables and digital (coaxial or SPDIF) cables. Depending on the quality of your CD player's digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the digital method may not necessarily sound better.
Connecting Vdeo
Video connections can be tricky with receivers. Most Sony receivers don't process video themselves, but act as a video switch that juggles video signals when you change inputs. For this reason, make sure your video cables are of the highest quality (HDMI is preffered) to avoid upconversion problems. Some Sony home theater receivers will upconvert the component video to the HDMI output, but this is not optimal for the best picture quality. If you need to use component video cables, select the component video output from the receiver to the TV instead of the HDMI output.
Speakers
Your Sony receiver will have multiple outputs for speakers. Whether you're connecting two, five or seven speakers, connect them according to their labeled plug on the back of the receiver. Consider using banana plugs instead of just stripping the speaker wire. These plugs are easy to install into speaker wire and plug directly into the speaker input, thereby ensuring a firm connection and minimizing any signal loss.
Speaker placement is also important. If you're installing two speakers, place them so they form a triangle between the listener and the speakers. If placing in a home theater setup, place the center speaker underneath the TV and the rear speakers behind the listener. Place the subwoofer anywhere in the room. If you place it in the corner, the wall angles will naturally enhance the bass.
Tags: component video, home theater, Sony receiver, audio cables, back receiver, cables Digital