MikeGinIllinois

In my main setup upstairs I have an HK AVR 7200, 2 Cornwalls, and two Synergys with Sony rears. Since I am crazy about HK AVR 7200's and 7300's I just bought another 7200 for use in my office. I now have four HK's in my house - 2 in use and 2 in reserve. Thank you, Ebay! Anyway, here is my question. When I hooked up this used 7200 with my Radio Shack subwoofer and refurbed Sony bookshelf speakers there was a refreshing uplift in quality, balance, and presence. However, the Sony's are not delivering the joy my Cornwalls do, of course. My buddy suggested replacing the Sony's with a pair of Heresy's. Has anyone used Heresy's with an HK AVR 7200 or 7300? Is it fair to characterize Heresy's as "baby" Cornwalls? How do you think Heresy's match with an HK amp? Could I lose my subwoofer if I got Heresys? Thanks much for any comments. Mike Gallery

Hi. I have a Harmon Kardan AVR-7200 that I use to power my Klipsch Cornwalls, surrounds, and rears. As you know it does not have an HDMI input. I also have a Samsung Blu-Ray player with 8 channel output. I run the 8 channel output via 8 cables to the 8 channel input on my AVR-7200 so I can enjoy TrueHD and other newer codecs. I run my HDMI video from the Samsung Blu-Ray directly to my Vizio flat screen. The problem is that my audio is out of sync with my video because I am running audio straight to the AVR-7200 and video straight to the TV. I can adjust the audio sync in the Samsung set up and have introduced a 200 ms delay (the maximum) into the audio but it's still not a "perfect" sync. I was wondering if I could resolve this by running the HDMI output from the Samsung into an HDMI to component converter like this one http://www.amazon.com/Portta-PETHRSP-Component-Converter-Supporting/dp/B00JVNUAEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430414766&sr=8-1&keywords=hdmi+to+component+cable+converter and then run those component cables directly into my AVR-7200. That way both video and audio would go straight to the AVR-7200. From there I would run component out to my Vizio flat screen. I know I could just buy a new amp but I really love my HK amp and would like to stick with it. Do you think my plan would work? Will my HK AVR-7200 accept 1080p signal in the component video input and send out 1080p to the tv? If it does work is component cable the same as the RCA cable I've been using for years for a composite connection? LIke this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Component-Video-Audio-Cable-5-RCA-HDTV-RGB-Gold-25FT-50FT-Cmple-/161445692436?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2596e9c414 Thank you for your comments. Mike Gallery

Hi, GPBusa, Thanks for that enlightening explanation. I didn't realize that the 5.1 track was built into the Bluray. I thought there was a magical downconversion going on. Now I know differently. Something had to give or all those Bluray discs wouldn't play on older equipment. I have been mixing up the terms "DVD" and "BluRay." After reading and learning about all this from the helpful people on this forum I went out to Best Buy and bought a Samsung BD-F7500/ZA. http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/BD-F7500/ZA If I had the money I would have bought an Oppo, but I'm not entirely sure that my system would sparkle that much with an Oppo vs. this $200.00 Samsung player. I got 3 boxes of Rocketfish composite cables (3 per set) and hooked up all 8 outputs to my HK 7200. At first I didn't realize that I would have to tune the BluRay player the way I tune the HK with its built-in On Screen Display so it sounded pretty bad. My buddy told me I must have lost the center channel. When I dug deeper into the Samsung menus I found the settings for my speakers. When I turned the Center off, thus redirecting that to the left and right, and turned the subwoofer off, thus feeding that to my left and rights, the whole thing fell into place. I adjusted the distances, too, for the speakers. I found that by telling the Samsung the left and right surrounds were 20 feet away it boosted their signals enough that it gave me the feel I like. I kinda like this combination of the Cornwalls and the HK 7200. I have a 7300 upstairs ready to go as a spare and I keep an eye open for anyone who is selling one. It might be that adding a center channel could help but these Cornwalls really perform, as I'm sure you know. For sure I don't think I want a subwoofer. The bass on the Cornwalls is just fine. Overall my two Cornwalls, two Klipsch Synergies, and Sony desktops in the rear fill up my fairly big living room pretty well. I could replace the rears with Synergies. I'm pretty much married to this HK/Cornwall combination. My buddy and I went to the audio show by O'Hare last year. There were several floors of turntables, amps, and other gear. http://www.axpona.com/ All in all I felt like my setup could have held its own in the "Good" category. In any case, it makes my ears happy. These were the speakers that broke my heart. http://scaena.com/press.html They were deluxe beyond imagining. I don't know who supplied the amps but these babies are sweet. I think they go for around $100,000. <-: If you have a suggestion for a center speaker from Klipsch I'd love to hear it. Thank you for taking the time to write and clarify things for me. Mike Gallery

I'm looking at an Oppo. They seem like really nice players. I'm sorry, but I don't know what timbre matching means. I just read that it pertains to the way sound travels from the front left through the center and then through the right. If that's the case I'm fine in that my two Cornwalls give me a center and subwoofer. I feel pretty happy with what I have. <-: If you have specific suggestions I welcome them, of course. Thank you!

I did some research with a friend and I now understand what I have to do. This great article describes it perfectly. http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/How_To_Set_up_a_Blu-ray_Player_Using_Multi-Channel_Analog_Outputs_And_Why.shtml We're going to shop out a moderately higher ended BluRay player with multi-channel outputs and give it a go. Our systems are almost duplicates. I have an HK AVR 7200 with two Cornwalls for fronts, two Synergy's for surrounds, and a couple of desktop Sony's for rears. We'll hook it up and see what we think! Mike

"I just hooked up an RCA and ran it from my Sony BluRay to my HK. When I play a DVD with the TrueHD 7.1 my HK sees it as Dolby Dig EX. Does TrueHD 7.1 = Dolby Dig Ex?" So is my HK doing an automatic "downconvert" from TrueHD 7.1 to Dolby Dig Ex? Or does the Sony ask my HK if it can handle TrueHD and, getting a "no" answer, automatically move me to Dolby Dig Ex? Thanks.

Gentleman, http://store.sony.com/streaming-blu-ray-disc-player-with-super-wi-fi-sup-sup--zid27-BDPS3200/cat-27-catid-All-Blu-ray-DVD-Players My BDP-S3200 (sorry for the earlier typo) is listed above. I'm just a little confused. 1. If I have a TrueHD 7.1 codec on a DVD will my HK AVR-7200 (or 7300 - I have both) be able to handle that codec and know what to do with it? I was thinking it's a new codec and might be too new for this older HK. 2. If you look at the back of my unit via the link above you'll see that I only have a single RCA digital out (PCM/DTS/DOLBY DIGITAL). Do I run a single RCA cable from that to one of my HK's Digital In Coaxial RCA inputs? Is that what you mean by "send the signal multichannel RCA to your HK"? 3. I just hooked up an RCA and ran it from my Sony BluRay to my HK. When I play a DVD with the TrueHD 7.1 my HK sees it as Dolby Dig EX. Does TrueHD 7.1 = Dolby Dig Ex? Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it. Mike Gallery

Hi. Thanks for your reply. It's a Sony BDP-83200. I notice that when I choose Dolby TrueHD in my DVD my HK AMP says Dolby DIG EX. If I choose a 2.0 soundtrack, like French, it says LOGIC 7 71 M. My amp shouldn't be able to play Dolby TrueHD, should it? So, the tv is "downconverting" True HD to Dolby Digital EX? Mike

I have a technical question, please. I have a Vizio 65" flat screen tv model M650VSE. In my configuration I run my BluRay player directly into the TV via an HDMI cable. I then run an optical cable to my amplifier, an HK AVR 7200, because my amplifier does not have an HDMI input. Suppose that I play a BluRay that has only Dolby TrueHD 7.1. What sound codec is sent through my optical cable to my amp? Of course, I can always play a DTS codec from another DVD. Again, what sound codec is sent through my optical cable to my amp? Does the TV necessarily reformat the Codec that it gets to something "lesser", say, simple stereo? Or, does it pass the data through to my amp? I wonder because I don't think my HK AVR 7200 should be able to play DOLBY TrueHD 7.1 but it does when I feed it signal through my configuration above? Thank you! Mike Gallery

I thought maybe this was something to do with records vs. CD's. ?? Maybe not. I like the TONE IN sound. Good suggestions, though.

On a Harman Kardon amp "tone out" means that the signal is sent to the speakers with no adjustment of bass or treble. If I have TONE OUT activated my bass and treble controls have no effect on the sound. With TONE IN turning up the bass turns up the bass and turning up treble turns up treble. Generally DVD's and CD's sound best with TONE OUT in effect because I'm not attempting to reengineer the sound of those modern media. With records, though, TONE OUT sounds flat and two dimensional. Mike

I don't know what "source direct" means. I've never heard the term. Mike

Hi. I got my Panasonic Model 500 turntable out of mothballs and it works great. It's plugged into my Harman Kardon AVR-7200 which feeds my 2 Cornwalls, 2 Synergies, and two rears. I have a couple of questions. 1. Does anyone know what the Model 500 cost new? About? 2. I do find that when I play my records with the HK on TONE OUT (without the ability to adjust bass and treble) my records sound "flat." I lose the tonal qualities of say, a vibraphone. Other instruments lose their brilliance. When I run it with TONE IN then I can adjust bass and treble and make it sound better. This is the opposite of what happens when I play DVD's or tv inputs. I wonder why that is? Thanks much. Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, IL

Thanks for your help. As it turns out the Panasonic turntable needs a couple of the little wires reconnected that run from the cartridge to the interior of the unit. I don't know why someone disconnected and reconnected them but they are super super small and I don't know how to strip these wires much less solder them. f you know a way to strip wires that are probably 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter I'd love to hear about it! If I could reconnect those wires I'd be good to go. I had it working until a wire or two came loose. Thanks. Mike

Hi. I've got a problem in that I have an HK AVR-7200 and a Panasonic 4 channel turntable model SL-800. The turntable must be from the 80's, I think. Just as an FYI - my speakers are two Cornwalls, two Synergies as surrounds, and two old Radio Shacks as rears. I can't figure out which input on the AVR-7200 to use for the turntable. When I try TAPE I get a buzzzzz. I get the same buzz from VID1. I assume all channels will buzz. There are four outputs on the Panasonic for 4 CH FRONTs and 4 CH REARs. I'm running cable from the R and L fronts only. I remember from the old days that a turntable requires a "special" input, maybe because of lower (higher?) voltage output from a turntable. I'm not sure how that works or if I remember correctly. Does anyone know if what I'm doing is even possible with an AVR 7200? I have an AVR 7300 as well. Thank you! Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, IL

This really looks nice. Really. Mike Gallery

Hi, Marvel. Here's a helpful article that I have read once. I'm sure you know all about this. I have to study it before I get back in this thread. [] http://www.modelsoundsinc.com/articles/WiringLoudspeakers/WiringLoudspeakers.pdf Mike

Hi, wuzzzer. Thanks for responding. Currently I have my speakers hooked up from the 3 outputs on the HK, i.e., Fronts, Surrounds, and Rear Surrounds. I drive all six from the HK with one pair of wire running to each speaker - the normal usual way you'd expect. It is doable, though, huh? It sounds like the series connection would be best. It'd be nuts to do this. <-: It would be my own Wall of Sound. Have you ever heard of anyone doing this? <-: Thanks. Mike Gallery

Hi. I have a question that more's for fun at this point than it is serious. But it could be! I've got an HK AVR 7200 which is powering two Cornwalls, two Synergy's, and two Radio Shacks. All's well. My buddy was over and wondered what it might be like if I got another pair of Cornwalls (my fronts) and stacked them on top of my existing Cornwalls. I keep thinking about that . . . [] Is it possible to run two left and two right Cornwalls off of one amp? How might that be wired? Positive to Cornwall #1, negative to Cornwall #2, and a straight wire connecting the remaining positive and negative terminals? Thanks for any input. I wonder if this crazy idea could work! Mike Gallery

I did call Klipsch and the nice guy is sending me a replacement woofer for free under the five year warranty. That was nice. Thanks. Mike Gallery

Hi, everyone. I have a pair of Klipsch Synergy B2 Bookshelf speakers. They're fairly new. One of them has a bass speaker that does not work. The high speaker is fine. The bass has no output. I looked inside and the leads are connected to the bass speaker. Is it a pretty simple matter to replace that speaker? Could it be the crossover? Or, is there someone who repairs these? Thanks for any comments. Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, IL

Yes, I'm real happy with the 7300. And, to boot, I just bought *another* HK. A fellow in Indiana put his 7200 out for sale. We had a nice talk about it, he assured me it was in excellent condition, and it's shipping out to me today. [] I'll either test it and keep it as a spare or, maybe, I'll use it as a pre-amp with my configuration. Mike!

The ground loop isolator resolved the problem just fine. [] According to the explanation on the back of the Radio Shack Ground Fault Isolator ($20.00) "multiple grounding points occur in a vehicle when an amplifier is mounted in the trunk and the main stereo is in the dash. These multiple grounding paints can let current flow through the shielding of the audio connection cables which results in noise." In my case there must be a different grounding point for the laptop and the amplifier, I guess? Can someone explain this? Thank you. Mike Gallery

I looked it up and found that it might be I need a ground loop isolator. I'm going to buy one at Radio Shack today. The problem occurs whether I have the laptop plugged into the power adaptor or running on batteries alone. I'll let you know if the ground loop isolator solves the probem. Thanks, miketn! Mike Gallery

Hi, everyone. I've got a Harman Kardon AVR 7300 in very good working order. I recently ordered a cable that has a 3.5 mm male on one end which I plug into my laptop's speaker output and, on the other end, two RCA males which I plugged into VID 2 on the HK. As soon as I plug the cable in my Cornwalls start to Hummmmmmm. It doesn't stop. I don't have this problem with the optical sound output from my DVD player or with my ROKU Internet TV unit. I have experienced this when I tried to plug in my VCR via a long run of RCA ended audio cable. Is there something about cheap RCA cables that picks up hum? Should RCA cables be "shielded?" I'm not sure what that means. Is this something to do with grounding? Thanks a lot! Mike Gallery Crystal Lake, IL