May seem like a simple question, but how can I hook up my TV's speakers to the 990 through the output of a cable box so that I don't have to have all the amps and speakers running?

Could you use Zone 2?

Actually the zone 2 pathway is extremely useful. You must, however, recognize that only analog signals pass. Not a problem. If a player has digital use its analog outputs also.

Zone 2 outs are analog at line level bur also has volume control. You can feed an amplifier from zone 2 outs. I do. I have several uses for it, of which one is to drive an amp which drives headphones as a separate program while family watching tv or movie with sound thru 990.
HTH

Yeah, zone 2 is basically the only way to do this without going nuts. As I've often said, trying to allow the TV speakers to work as an option to running the main system in a home theater setup is far from an easy task - it can often become very complex to set up and use. If you run componsite and stereo analog from the cable box to the 990, you can then run composite and stereo analog from the zone 2 output to the TV and let the 990's second zone feed the TV.

Before reading your answers to my post I started using the AUX out for the analog audio input to my TV. The only drawback is I have to bypass the pass-through for audio control and use the TV for control of the audio. I assigned Video 1 to the TV which uses the DVR component input with the trigger off. I create and another DVR control, almost identical, but uses Video 4 with the trigger on and using the optical input instead of analog as with the Video 1. What benefits would using Zone 2 over this method get me?

MeanGene wrote:

What benefits would using Zone 2 over this method get me?

Answer: Simplicity

Yep, simplicity. You can control the source and volume independently of the main zone, even if the main zone is off. That avoids the biggest problem with trying to use a TV's speakers instead of a home theater receiver's speakers - controlling which speakers are being used.

Do you know of a way to trigger the secondary 12v trigger on the 990 through a remote?

Thru RCA splitters my zone 2 feeds:

(1)a DVD recorder (I sure hoe OUTLAW doesn't shed the analogs and composites),

(2) My preamp-to-headphone-amp to STAX phones

I could also punch it down to the 66-blocks at the telephone KSU if I wanted. Furthermore if you used a switcher after zone 2 you could decide to which output(s) (outputs if matrix) you would send the signals.
HTH

I have been using a 950 since 2002 and I just replace it with the 990. I changed over to Outlaw XLR cables and have only had a day or so to play with it. I am having some trouble getting it setup so that my wife won't have any trouble using it. I am trying the Zone 2 method, but I must be doing something wrong, cause it isn't simple. I think everything is set OK in the 990, it just getting the MX800 setup right. One thing I don't understand fully is the 12v trigger. When on it triggers the 12v when something starts using that source, but if you leave that source to go to another that has the trigger off it will tigger the 12v again. Is that how it is suppose to work??? This means that if you switch to any source that does not have the trigger enabled it will turn off all your amps or what ever you had turned on via the 12v trigger.