Hello all--

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a 755/950 combo to be accompanied by a set of Rocket speakers and an SVS 12 inch Sub. I already own a Toshiba 52HM84 DLP and a Panasonic S97S upscaling DVD player. I am using a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 HD DVR for my cable tuner and DVR.

Currently the DVD player is connected via the HDMI port on the DLP. Which works great. The DVR is connected via component with RCA's for the audio.

I am begging for help on what to buy to interconnect everything once I receive my pre/pro and amp. I am good to go on the speaker side as I prewired when I built the house. I would like to keep the DVD running through HDMI as this allows the DVD player to upscale whereas it will not do so via component.

My questions are:

Exactly what type of cables do I need to connect the pre/pro to the amp? Do these come with the set or do I need to purchase elsewhere? I see the diagram in the manual but no cable specs.

From the DVD player-the HDMI will do fine for the video but what type of cables do I use for the audio? And do I need seperate cables for surround sound as opposed to DVD-Audio?

Also, not really sure about the connection to the X-Box as this is on order also. I imagine there will be an adapter kit of some sort to hook that up via component.

I was going to buy my cables from either.

www.pacificcables.com
www.bluejeancables.com
or
from Outlaw.

Thanks in advance and

Cheers!

It sounds like you can leave the video wired exactly as it is until the X-Box arrives. If you wanted, you could run a composite or s-video cable from the 950's monitor out to the TV so you can see the OSD during setup, but it's not essential as the 950 provides all needed information on the display. With the X-Box on the way, though, you might consider using the 950's component switching for the DVR and X-Box. You can get an HD pack for the X-Box with ports for optical digital audio and component video. The pre/pro to the amp will be analog interconnects that are not included in the 950 or 770, available from either source you linked above or Outlaw (the PCA, a very well-made cable that I have a number of in my system); they are typically sold in pairs, although I think Outlaw offers a seven-pack of the shortest length. As for the S97, you'll want to connect the digital audio to the 950 for DVD-Video, and if you want to use DVD-Audio you'll need to also run a set of six analog audio cables from the S97 to the 950. The best value I've found on optical cables is Outlaw's PDO - for $20 you get a 1.8 meter cable that is very well made.

gonk--

You are everywhere dude! So since I will be running a 5.1 system I guess I need 5 PCA cables and I believe the sub connects via regular RCA cables(at least I hope so since I ran that in the wall to were I want the sub).

For the DVD-Video I will need to purchase either a coax or optical cable and same with the cable box. If I add I cd changer I guess that will be optical or cable too.

The X-Box has it's own set up which is secondary to the sound and DVD stuff.

Thanks, just want to make sure I have everything when everything starts to arrive.

Cheers!

Sounds like you've got it under control. As you guessed, with a 5.1 setup you'll need 5 PCA's from the 950 to the amp and an analog audio cable (RCA connectors) to the sub. Check the back of the cable box to see whether it has coax digital audio, optical, or both - the Scientific Atlanta boxes I've seen tend to have coaxial only, but the Pace HD box I have currently offers both. Enjoy!

Gonk I am still screwed up on this. I was just trying to place an order on the Outlaw website for 5 PCA cables and there is no 5 PCA cable bundle. Should I go with the 7 single cable bundle which would leave my 2 extra cables that I don't need or should I go with the 3 pair stack which would leave me with 1/2 pair that doesn't have a connection.

Also, the component cables seam a bit expensive. I realize that it is silver throughout but is it really worth it when you can buy component cables at a fraction of the price.

Thanks

The seven-set is only in the 0.5 meter length, if I remember correctly, which is a great length for many cases but can be too short in other cases. If you have a source that will be close to the 950 and connected via analog cables, get that one. Otherwise, I'd probably get the three pairs and have one extra.

Cable pricing is an oft-discussed issue, and everyone feels differently about it. I think the PSC's (as well as the PCA's, PDO's, and PSSV's) offer more quality for less money than some other often-suggested brands - I replaced several BetterCables Silver Serpent s-video cables with PSSV's a year or so ago - but I always recommend that you get what you and your wallet feel most comfortable with. I've got a couple sets of BlueJeans Cables component cables in my system currently, because when I put them in that was what my budget was more agreeable with.

I belive the pair stacks are just two individual cables. Someone who has purchased these might chime in, or you could ask Outlaw before purchasing. So with the 3 pairs you are saving a few dollars and will only have one extra cable. On the other hand, with the 7 pack you'll have two extra cables that you can use somewhere else in your system, such as replacing the the audio RCA's on your DVR. Or if you're going to use the DVD-Audio, I believe you need 6 cables with RCA plugs connecting the DVD player to the 950, so you'd be 1/3 of the way there...

It is more important that video and the coax digital cables are "75 ohm...for both composite and component video applications, but also for digital audio interconnections." But you don't need silver. When my 950 arrived I grabbed a spare RCA cable and I'm using that for the digital coax out from my DVD player. It's still sucessfully passing the digital signal.

Got all the appropriate cables(thanks for the help). Is it just me or do the PCA cables have an incredibly tight fit to the 950 and 755? I had 1 cable that just would not make a good connection to my surrounds. I really had to muscle it on there to get it to finally work. And when I have gone back there a couple of times to tweak, it has come lose and took me a few minutes to get it working again.

Is this normal? I expected them to slide on there easily since it is all the manufactured by the same company.

Did you loosen the locking barrels? The PCA's use a locking connector that should be loosened before sliding onto the jack and then tightened to hold it in place.

Gonk--

Sometimes I surprise myself with my own ignorance. No I did not loosen the barrels. I've done so now and of course that made a big difference.

Thanks again.