First ever seperates system - connection questions / suggestions welcome

[admin_exported]

I just bought myself a Pioneer 428 kuros plasma (along with a Sky HD box) and am very happy with it. Now I'm looking to complement it with a suitable DVD capable surround system. So looking to put together my first ever seperates system.

Based on numerous reviews, including those from What Hi-Fi, I'm considering the following components but am open to suggestions. My budget is on the lower end, but I'm ready to increase it a bit if justified.

• Q Acoustics 1010i speakers (RRP £500)
• Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver (RRP £400)
• Denon DVD-1940 DVD Player (RRP £250)

As this is my first seperates system, I need to understand the best way of connecting these components to my TV and Sky Box. Here's what I'm thinking - please let me know if I'm missing anything :

• SKY HD box -> TV via HMDI (for image)
• SKY HD box -> receiver via an optical cable (for sound)
• DVD -> TV via an HMDI cable (for image)
• DVD -> Receiver via an HMDI cable (for sound). Or should this be an optical cable?[/i]
• Receiver -> Speakers via speaker cable

Do the components come with the necessary cabling or do I have to buy that seperately? If fact, regardless of this, should I consider premium quality cabling anyway, such as high end HMDI cables (and if so any recommendations), or is this overkill given the price of my system?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

As a general guide for cabling it's 10% total separate cost to spend on your cabling. You will find many arguments about the difference in high end HDMI cables not being any better than those 60% cheaper here is an interesting read by an electrical engineer: www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=54425 The HDMI cable does carry sound if you didn't know and with the optical being plastic it doesn't suffer from RF/electrical interference unlike electrical cables emitting a low amount.
I would recommend using sliver twisted oxygen free copper speaker cable like QED silver anniversary.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="slopmonster"]The HDMI cable does carry sound if you didn't know and with the optical being plastic it doesn't suffer from RF/electrical interference unlike electrical cables emitting a low amount.[/quote]

So for "DVD -> Receiver" cable I have a choice between either HDMI or Optical as both carry sound. However, are you recommending that I should go for the optical cable over HDMI because it doesn't suffer from electrical interference?

 

[Anonymous]

HDMI can carry far more data than optical upto 10.2 Gbit/s at 340 Mpixel/s where optical is 125 Mbit/s meaning it can't carry HD DTS/Dolby audio. I'm not aware of a second update for optical as of yet. I personally like HDMI spec, but if the plug is like scart which always comes part way out of the socket then your better off with component and optical if your not using HD audio. I haven't got anything that needs HDMI so I can't be certain that's the case, your best to go into your local hi-fi shop and ask them about different cables which give you a more secure connection. I use an S-video monster cable which is very tight on the sockets, so maybe they have an HDMI cable like that too.