Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - Can I use old receiver and speakers for home theater?

I have an old JVC receiver (pre 1982) which only has screw-on speaker connections on the back (not the plug in kind). My speakers are the kind where you shove the speaker wire in and crimp it down. Is there any way I can use this set up for home theater purposes with a new DVD player? I have not yet purchased a DVD player, but am considering the JVC XV-N40BK. I have a newer model JVC tv with about 9 plug ins on the back (not HDTV.)

I don't see why not. Your question is not clear as to whether you already have the speakers and the receiver. If you are getting a new DVD player as long as its output is compatible with the receiver's (connector type and output voltage/impedance etc) you should be fine.

If your speakers are also new I would check the input impedance and make sure that the receiver is capable of driving the speaker. That would be more of an issue than the connector type.

If you're receiver has RCA audio inputs you can run the Left/Right stereo output of the dvd player into it. That will function just fine.

The connections on the back of the speakers/receiver are irrelevant. Run the wire from one to the other, and make it stay put. Ensure that the +'s and -'s match.

You would then run the video output from the dvd player to the tv. Hopefully this would be svideo or component.

Your main limitation with that receiver is the lack of Dolby Digital. Movies with Dolby Digital are 10-100x better than stereo. You would need 5 speakers, a sub, and a Dolby Digital receiver to take advantage of that. You're looking at a minimum of about $300 for that.

The dvd player you are looking at is a good unit. I'd recommend it.

I really do want the Dolby sound, especially with my new DVD player. I am considering now purchasing the Sony HTDDW750 HTIB system. It is on sale here at Circuit City for $249. My living room is not large. One bedroom apartment size and style. What do you think?

I don't like the low end Sony systems. The speakers are very small, light and cheap.

Onkyo makes a much better affordable home theater system. You can check out their factory reconditioned systems here:

http://www.shoponkyo.com/catalog.cfm?id=3

The HT-S760 is a _very_ good setup for the money. I'd do that if possible. You can get it from Circuit City (if you want to buy local) for $500.

A cheaper way to do it would be to buy the speakers from that system for $199 here: http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com/products/product_detail.asp?Inventory=2686&Show=D And then pick up one of the $150-200 receivers that Circuit City sells. You'd be at about $400 that way, and the $150 upgrade would be well worth it.

While the price sounds good, you really limit yourself with a home theater in a box. In a couple of years, you will find yourself wanting to upgrade. The onkyo is a good system. Another option is to get the Onkyo 501 for $300 and add the speakers. I have the 601 myself and heartily recommend it. Any of these onkyos will last 10-15 years before you even think about an upgrade. You can always upgrade the speakers as your budget allows, but start with a quality receiver.

One example - if you decide to get into SACD or DVD-A you will need a receiver that can take the 6 analog inputs.
Another example - letting the A/V receiver handle the video switching with the audio switching. If you aren't using them already, you will soon use s-video, or even component cables for the video for improved picture quality. The sony cannot handle those.

Thanks for the info. I see I need to think about this a bit more.

I don't think a HTIB has to be a bad choice, just that some of them are. The Onkyo systems are some of the only less expensive (under $500) systems that audio buffs would actually say sound ok. Anything less than that is almost a waste of money, and saving up a little more before buying is a good idea.

The HTIB systems that start to get up near $1000 I don't really like because you are spending a considerable amount of money on average gear. Some of the Yamaha systems in this range are ok, but not much else.

If I had $1000 to spend with the potential to spend more down the road, I would get a $200 receiver and an $800/pair set of bookshelves. From there I would spend as much as possible on a sub ($500-1000), and lastly the matching center and rears. A receiver upgrade would come after that. Not cheap, but with the right components, you have a system that would give you excellent sound for years.

So anything less than $300 I would try to stay away from, and at $500+ I'd start looking into buying separate. The $300-500 mark is probably the sweet spot for HTIB.