So I am moving into a new place and want to do the following:
Have a wall mounted tv with an external speaker system
Have my computer also be hooked up to said stereo system
Hope to be able to hook my phone or record player to said system
TV can connect to my computer in some way so i can play media from my computer (video on tv, audio through speakers)
I was just gonna pick up a 4k tv at like walmart. And wall mount it. It would be cool if I could get stands or wall mounts for some of the speakers. I was hoping for at least 5.1
How can I make all this work? And how would the cabling work?
I have a 980 ti with what I am pretty sure is 1 DVI and 3 displayport, and 1 hdmi. I am currently using the hdmi and dvi for my monitors
I am new to this arena, so i need all of the specifics and a couple price ranges.
TV is like 900. Wall mount is like 70.
I was thinking for the rest of it, one price range at 300, one at 600, one at 900
Please explain all of the reasons for equipment and how to set it up too.
You're going to need a receiver. If you get a bluetooth one then that handles the "connect my phone" part. The receiver is basically to switch inputs and power your speakers. You're going to hook the HDMI on your GPU into it and hook the receiver's output into the TV. Your speakers will be wired into the receiver and can be placed wherever you want.
I'm not going to give any prices or recommendations because I don't know what they cost or what to recommend. Go talk to the guys at Best Buy. They will be more than happy to help you. If one of them tries to sell your shit you don't want then talk to someone else. Not all of them are annoying.
Could you do this with DLNA via TV Wifi or a Chromecast?
You will need a receiver as already stated to power your speakers and manage audio/video switching. Home speakers are not independently powered so you need an amp to power them. That is the main reason you need it.
On the low end they start at about $250. Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer and Onkyo are all good brands that have equipment and that price range. You may have difficulties find one that can do 4k video switching at that price. Features like Bluetooth and a phono preamp (you need this for a turntable) will need be up cost.
You can get a separate phono preamp but that is generally more expensive than getting one built in.
Speakers: the monoprice 5.1 system is passable. Pioneer has a 5.1 setup at around $500 if you go with only bookshelfs. (smaller speakers).
You will need HDMI cables to send a/v signals. About $5 on amazon or monoprice. Do not buy "expensive" HDMI is digital so it works or it doesn't. You will need speaker wire to connect, the speakers to the reciever generic 12 Gauge wire will work.
The setup will be around $900ish with cables. This is an entry level Home theater. It only goes up from here and is addictive.
Do not buy a a full home theater in a box. They are not upgrable, have limited I/O and sound like ass.
On getting music from you phone to your sound system if you can't find a receiver in you price range that has Bluetooth, a Chromecast would work.
If you can listen to the equipment before you buy it. Sound is subjective. Most audio stores will let you dem equipment before buying.
If I were you I would do some research into 4k TVs and also look at some larger 4k monitors, since they may be better quality for similar size. A TV should be a long term investment, so going for the cheapest option (Walmart) is not ideal.
For home theatre, HDMI is the standard. Your computer would need to use the HDMI connection to connect to the receiver, you could then connect your HDMI monitor to one of the receiver's outs. HDMI is also the best way to transmit sound to a stereo/home theatre system from your PC.
First you need an av receiver. I recommend looking at Yamaha, but there are several great manufacturers out there. Look for a 5.1 av receiver. You will want at least 2 HDMI OUTPUTS (one for a monitor and one for your TV. Entry level receivers are $300ish, but I am not sure how many have more than one HDMI output. You may go into the $400-500 range.
As for speakers, it is always recommended to spend as much of your budget as possible on these. Speakers don't go obsolete, so they should be a one time purchase, and not something to upgrade in a few years. $900 is a good start for a 5.1 system. audioholics.com is a good forum to get advice on good speakers, and their Youtube channel has good tutorial videos and how tos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF9cWy6zaWsgdAy-kv2q4VQ
When shopping for speakers keep in mind their power requirements and look at the power output on the receiver. Generally you should be good, but receiver manufacturers have been on a roll of cutting down power output to save manufacturing costs, so they can pay licences for the latest proprietary features.
As for connecting your phone:
You can hook it up using an HDMI cable as well if your phone supports it. Other than that look for a receiver with bluetooth capability.
I found this receiver that's a pretty good price its 7.2 which you may never need but it comes with 4k display bluetooth and wifi. There probably are cheaper options Iv'e just heard good things about this company.
Like Lord_Tao said don't buy cheep speakers buy speakers that will last if it means you will have to start out at a 2.1 system and upgrade do it, if it means you are getting better quality speakers. It is a good idea with a significant investment like speakers that you go to a store and audition a few sets before you make any dicions.
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It doesnt have to be bluetooth. An aux cord would work just fine.
I know nothing of TV, have never owned one. I will need some help picking.
Am I missing anything? Should I get better speakers and tone down the receiver?
The Energy Take classic are an interesting case:
Monoprice straight up ripped off the design with their 10565 'premium' speakers: http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=10565
Cnet reveiwed both sets and find them identical: http://www.cnet.com/products/monoprice-10565/
When I was looking for speakers to put on my computer desk for gaming the Monoprice are what I chose after doing my research. I am happy with them, but I wish I had spent even more on a better set.
*Note if you go get the Monoprice speakers, don't get confused and buy their crappy 5.1 set which usually sells for $100. Make sure it is model #10565.
For speaker wire, simple but good manufacturing quality is the way to go. None of the fancy snake oil out there. It is all about the CONDUCTIVITY of the wire. Thicker gauge wire = more conductivity.
There is a chart about what minimum gauge to use for what length of cable runs to avoid loss of sound quality, but generally you can't go wrong with 12 or 14 gauge. It usually isn't that much more than 16 or 18 even if it is overkill for smaller runs. http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/speaker-cable-gauge
bluejeanscable.com is a good place to buy speaker cable as well as no nonsense high quality HDMI cables.
It would make it easier to get your cables terminated (banana plugs depending on what your speakers and amplifier can receive) to make connecting things easier.
As for an AUX cable. an aux cable would work, but AV receivers generally only have left/right channel RCA inputs. So an aux cable would be fine, but you would need an RCA Y adapter ($5 or so). I assume the AUX cable you may have ends in a 3.5mm male headphone like jack so you would need a "female 3.5mm to two male rca" adapter.
The receiver will have a selection for which input and output to select so no worries there. Simply use the remote control.
I clicked your TV link but I get more or less a blank page.
LG 50" 4K Smart Ultra HDTV - 50UH5500
What do you think of the receiver and speakers I picked?
those monoprice speakers look pretty good
I haven't done much research on TVs lately, but taking a few steps in it is cringe worthy. Fake higher refresh rates, 'smart' tvs (they spy and you and bake in ads in some cases). I think the technology in tvs is behind that of computer monitors. Take a look at some of the 40inch 4K monitors Wendell has recommended. Some people might have other recommendations too. Just be sure of their performance over HDMI. HDMI is obsolete, but is still the gold standard in home theatre equipment.
Your speakers and receiver are fine. You may be able to find a receiver to suit your needs for $100 less, but its not like you are wasting money. You can always 'grow into' the extra features of a receiver as you upgrade your home theatre.