How do you wire up your Sony AV amp?

[Evade]

Hi I was just wondering how the rest of you people wire up your AV gear. After 12 months of owning a Sony 930 I've decided to get it all properly wired up. But it seems I have 2 choices in the way I do it, either I wire the majority of my gear straight into the amp, VCR, Ondigital, various consoles, but then I'm left with the problem of every time I want to watch one of these sources I'm going to have to power up the amp for sound. The other way is scart box city, seeing as my TV only has 2 scarts, 1 RGB enabled (which I use at the moment for my DVD player). But then it seems I'm back to running scart leads to a box and separate stereo leads to the amp. Any feedback with regard to your wiring up methods would be gratefully taken on board. :)

[Greenstead]

And at the moment you plug and unplug things?
IF you want a workable answer you really need to say exactly what devices you want to wire up and what scart and audio outputs they have.

Its worth doing 'cos you only wire it all once (well..till you get it right). But you want to switch on and watch/listen every day - so make it easy to use. If you get it wired well you may be able to get the right source sound from the telly without the amp on, unless you feel like amp quality and volume .

Does this mean lost of cables - yes. I would try to avoid scart boxes unless essential - but for games addicts.. oh well.

List em out:
TV - scart1 (RGB), scart2 (S video), coax in (uhf)
DVD - ?
VCR - ?
Sat Box - ?
Console 1 - ?
etc.

[Evade]

Greenstead thanks for the reply, when I get home tonite I'll make a comprehensive list out all my gear and what cables run where.:)

[jester]

I have all my sources connected to my 1070.

idTV / VCR / DVD / Turntable

With outputs back to the TV and the video projector. (video)

VCR connected using a Scart to six phonos (in/out) plus an s-video link.

Seems the simplest and most efficient way using the amp as an AV control Centre which is what it is supposed to do (?)

[Greenstead]

Well I agree the amp provides switching for all the sound sources and it should be wired to do that when needed.

But often I don't want to bother using the amp e.g. if I want to sit down and watch CNN on satellite or a recorded re-run on VCR I just want to turn the telly on and use the TV stereo sound. In fact I tend to only use the amp for 5.1 sound from DVD or good quality stereo on recent films...so I think I appreciate the desire to also be able to get all the source sounds thro the telly without the amp.
:o

Jester - VCR to six phonos on your amp?? I dunno the 1070 or your VCR. My VCR only supports stereo. And you're switching your video thro the amp too? I don't switch video thro my amp - only sound.
I'll tell you all my connections if you tell me yours.

:confused:

[nickeng]

I run mine by routing all devices to my amp a Pioneer, and also using the second scart lead or phono sockets to then feed signals to a switching box (that handles 6 switches). From there I run to TV.

This way I can watch DVD, 2 Videos, Sat, LD via the amp for the sound or DVD, 2 Videos, Sat via the switch box and no amp (ideal for neighbours, the news etc, woman dvds :) ).

Where I had no second scart I split the single one to provide two scart connections (an old Tandy scart boxs 1 scart connector to 2 outs).

This works for me.

I do not allways want the amp on, cabling is a bit of a mess but works nicely now.


I take sound back from the TV straight into the amp to get the sound from the TV (where required IE not routing sound from a video) but mainly from video game machines.



:rolleyes: But then you know all this dont you Evade, you have seen it..

[nickeng]

Originally posted by Greenstead


Jester - VCR to six phonos on your amp?? I dunno the 1070 or your VCR.
:confused:

I use 6 as well that way you can record audio to VCR or if like me u have two VCRs connected to the amp you can record via the amp to the other (sound and video)

...

[jester]

Greenstead, like nickeng said. Its nice and versatile.

[Evade]

Well guys I'm back, with a list of my gear and how I have got it wired up at the moment

Sony TV: 2 Scart sockets, 1 RGB enabled + SVHS
Samsung 709 DVD: 1 scart + coaxial + 2 phono
Panasonic VCR: 2 Scarts + 2 phono
Phillips On Digital: 2 Scarts + 2 phono
Sony CD: 2 phono
Sony 930 Amp

And lets not forget the PS1, Sega Saturn, N64 and Dreamcast

At the moment I'm using a (naff) 3 way manual switching scart box with 4 phono outputs on it. The Ondig box is connected to the VCR via a scart lead which in turn is connected to the scart box. The DVD player is connected to AV1 on my TV (for RGB purposes) and by coaxial cable to my amp. The CD player runs a (bell wire) phono lead to the CD input on my amp.
Game console wise the Dreamcast runs to the scart box and the N64 to AV3 on the front of the TV (not too fussed about the other 2 consoles at the mo). The scart box is in turn connected to AV2 on the TV.

Well that’s it, pretty shabby to say the least, always having to compromise. For example to run the N64 through the amp I had to plug the scart box into AV2 for the TV to output the sound to the scart box which in turn outputted to the amp via the phonos on the scart box, which in turn meant I lost the RGB picture from my Dreamcast because it was now running through AV2 and not the RGB enabled AV1, which has the DVD player running through it ……………… LOL geez is any of this making sense ??

Ahem anyhow that is my dilemma, I agree with Greenstead about wanting a neat flexible set up system, some kind of solution which gives me the option to listen to the VCR through my TV as well as the Amp if I so desire. Also a solution where I'm not forever having to get up and switch this scart box to enable that scart box to output my desired AV signal.
:( :rolleyes: :D


PS Yes I have seen it Nickeng :rolleyes: ;)

[soberion]

For starters, with that amount of equipment, I can't see any way of avoiding a scart box of some kind.

My setup is as follows.

Video
DVD, Sky socket 1 and PS2 all connect to an RGB enabled Scart box. Scart box to RGB scart on TV. This lets me watch Any of these sources in RGB.
Sky socket 2 goes to VCR. This lets me record Sky even if I'm doing something else (DVD or PS2).
VCR connects to AV2 on TV (RGB not needed here).

Audio
Optical connection for PS2 to AV amp.
Co-ax connection for DVD to AV amp.
Phono connections for VCR, Sky and CD to AV amp.

This means I can use the amp for any source, but the scart leads still carry the signal thorough the box to the TV, so I can use the TV speakers if desired (which I don't ;) )

<a href="http://members.tripod.co.uk/soberion/myav.html"target="_blank">See here for my equipment (ooer)</a>

[Greenstead]

Wow ! Is there anywhere to sit?

:eek:

I don't have the same kit as you so I am assuming a few things here.
First I would sort out the DVD/VCR/Digbox so you can watch/listen using either the TV or AMP for sound. That would be my priority.

One fly in your ointment is the DVD with only a single scart. With this limitation I would take Digbox AV1 to VCR AV1. VCR AV2 to TV AV2. Also Digbox UHF out to VCR UHF in. VCR UHF out to TV UHF in. DVD to TV and AMP - as you have it now. Obviously (maybe not) VCR stero phonos to AMP, Digbox stereo phonos to AMP.
That should do the job. This should also let you watch DVD whilst recording from the Digbox. Also watch terrestial while recording Sat or vice versa. All without leaving your seat. (Its not the only solution - my kit will work this way - yours might not).

An improvement - get a better DVD player with two scarts... (Slobber said he is selling his Sony 725) ...take VCR AV2 to DVD AV2. This frees up AV2 on the telly for games inputs. That what I do. :D

In the meantime its compromise time.
I would be prepared to compromise and plug games consoles as needed into the TV front panel AV3 - your AV3 is what ??. (I dunno what connections you get from Dreamcast and N64). What about the TV stereo phonos to AMP AUX(You have got two phono out on the back of the telly?). Then you have to swap connections between consoles and the telly and the sound comes out of AUX on the AMP. If you have to use switch boxes I would do it on the games stuff. We're in wild guessing country here.

Thats enough for now. I need a lie down.
:o

[nickeng]

Originally posted by Evade
Also a solution where I'm not forever having to get up and switch this scart box to enable that scart box to output my desired AV signal.
:( :rolleyes: :D


My switch box is a remote control one and i have programmed it to respond to the source selections on the Amp, that way I dont have to get up. Just have to remember to make sure I set it to VCR when I turn off. That way when i dont use the amp, the VCR and SAT automatically work and the DVD is also wired via the SVideo socket strap to AV2 on the TV..

Joy !

The only problem is that the switch box is 4 phono and 2 scart..

(But if you check all the american mags/site the switch boxes there are all phono so i dont think not having full scart matters to much. It does have svideo for all inputs also..)

I had enough old leads to wire it up though..

£33+vat+delivery. WWW.HI-saT.co.uk if i rememebr right...




Will a VCR output to Svideo with a scart to svideo/2 audio phono lead anyone?

If so I could convert all to this...

then its better/as good as scart anyway..

:cool:

[nickeng]

Switch box site is:

http://www.hisat.com/shop/system/index.html


scroll down to AV 6 distribution device..

[soberion]

Nickeng, Do you know if the Scarts are RGB enabled on your switch box?

[nickeng]

Originally posted by soberion
Nickeng, Do you know if the Scarts are RGB enabled on your switch box?


Not sure no bothered to test!

Have all my Dreamcasts etc on AV1 on TV with is..

Dont remember seeing anything in the manual other than they are in and out capable so they may be fully wired...