Hey guys. Long time lurker here.
Have just purchased a new projector setup and speakers and receiver from harvey's (stop throwing things !). Was working to a budget and got fed up talking to the hifi shops in CChurch where they
insisted that I had to spend $5000 on speakers etc. Just couldn't afford that at this time..Also helped with Harveys 50 months interest free payback terms.
I've got a few questions prior to buying the extras that I hope you can help with.
What I bought
Receiver - Yamaha RX -V765 - 4 HDMIs in and 1 out
Speakers - Wharfedale 5.1 Diamond 10 Speaker Pack
Epson TW3500 Projector.
What (and where) is a good place to purchase speaker cable and how much should i be looking at per metre given the components above. The cheapest I found in shop was $10/metre but I'm thinking thats a bit high. It was 10 guage copper stranded wire. The 'branded' stuff was comically priced.
HDMI cables - I've got a mix of el cheapo stuff for the current LCD and one solitary monster cable that was a gift.Never saw any difference when I switched them around. However given the longer run I'm probably looking at an HDMI cable from receiver to projector of approx 6 to 7 metres which I'll need to buy. Any concerns from the knowledge bank if I only spend $50 to $70 or should I be looking to spend more. I've heard that longer run cables do need to be of a better / certain quality otherwise things happen to the image.
HDMI splitter or Switch ? - The new theatre room sits back to back with our current living / family room so I was planning on feeding it from the current Sky / DVD setup and feeding cables through the wall. The new receiver is almost straight through the wall from current setup. Am I better buying a splitter to split the HD signal from sky box into the receiver and current LCD or should I be looking at a switch. I was told that the splitters are temperamental at best and often need reset / powered on and off. I presume the switch means we watch in one room or the other but not both together?
Finally..I'm planning on hiding most of the speaker cable behind the gib so I'll be cutting into it. Regarding the exit point. I was planning on fixing wallplates with black / red speaker posts but was also advised against this and told to exit the speaker cable directly out of the wallplate and connect straight to the back of each speaker, thus avoiding extra connections. Once again, any tips or pointers gratefully recieved. Would a wall plate have a negative effect on the sound given the budget of components I purchased.
Thanks again for any help. Feel free to ask questions that I may not have covered.
Ged