Home theater AV receiver setup guide

How to hook it up and tweak it like a pro?

Getting ready

For a basic installation, you won’t need a lot of tools.

A wire cutter/stripper is essential. A flashlight may come in handy. And you may need a laptop or tablet to read the instructions or watch the how-to videos you'll find below.

Many receivers don’t come with printed manuals, just links to online documents. But most receivers do come with a short quick-start guide that covers the essential steps to get you up and running.

Before you roll up your sleeves to get started, read the quick-start guide and the tips below. Then make a plan and a shopping list. Your project will go a lot smoother if you have all the parts you need on hand before you begin.

Label your cables and speaker wires

Do you have Cable Labels or an alternative label-making plan? Labels make it easy to keep track of what goes where. Some day you may want to move or replace your receiver. That’s the day you’ll thank yourself for labeling the cables now.

Where will the receiver go?

Pick a spot that’s well ventilated. Make sure you’ll have easy access to the connections on the back of the receiver.

Where will the speakers go?

Do you know where all your speakers will go? If not, see our article on speaker placement for home theater.

How much speaker wire will you need?

Once you know where your speakers and your receiver are going, you can figure out how much speaker wire you’ll need. Use your tape measure to get a rough idea. Or use a long piece of string to simulate each wire run, then measure the strings.

Want to hide the rear speaker wires?

What’s the best way to run wires to the rear speakers? You have three main options, two of which are no sweat for DIY installers.

Speaker connections

Prepping the speaker wires can be a tedious job, but take your time and do it right. You need secure connections that will stay put for years.

Why you need speaker wire connectors

Connecting bare speaker wires to a receiver is a real pain. You’ll be making at least 10 connections in a crowded pack of input jacks. A single stray wire strand could cause a short circuit that shuts down your receiver.

Do yourself a favor and get a bunch of banana connectors (four per speaker wire). A 20-pack will dress both ends of each speaker wire in a 5.1 speaker system.

How to put the connectors on your speaker wires

Make sure you match the colors on the connectors (usually black and red) to the colors or markings on each side of your speaker wire. It’s important to be consistent so you maintain the proper polarity.

How to connect your speaker wires to the receiver

Make your speaker connections before you plug in your receiver’s AC power cord. If you need to re-do any of the connections, first turn off and unplug the receiver.

As you plug the speakers in, match the colors on the connectors to the colors on the speaker input terminals.

TV and component connections

Do you have all the AV cables you’ll need? Are you sure they’re the right length?

Don’t have easy access to the back of your cabinet? You’ll need to attach the cables before you slide the components into the cabinet. That means you’ll need longer cables to give yourself a few extra feet of slack.

Frequently used cables you may need

Connect your TV first

Many of today’s receivers have onscreen guides that walk you through the setup process. That’s why Step 1 is to connect the TV. Use HDMI output 1 or “Main” on the receiver and HDMI input 1 on the TV.

Are you using your TV's built-in video streaming apps or an antenna for over-the-air TV? Use the HDMI connections marked ARC (Audio Return Channel).

If you have an older TV or receiver that lacks ARC, connect an optical digital audio cable between your TV and receiver. Of course you’ll still need the HDMI connection for the video signal.

How to connect your powered subwoofer

This is pretty simple. Run a subwoofer cable from the subwoofer output on the receiver to the subwoofer’s LFE input. If you prefer a wireless connection, you can get a wireless connection kit.

Check out our subwoofer setup guide for tips on how to dial in the perfect bass for your taste.

Setup and finishing touches

After everything’s connected, it’s time to fine-tune your system and set it up to work the way you want. This is where it helps to read the manual.

The full manual may run well over 100 pages, but it’s worth reading at some point. At least skim through it once. You may be surprised to find some features and settings that enhance your enjoyment or spark some ideas for system expansion.

Speaker calibration

Most receivers come with auto-calibration to fine-tune the sound. Here’s how it works:

The receiver sends test tones to a microphone placed at your seating location. Then the receiver automatically adjusts the volume and timing of the sound coming from each speaker. You get perfectly balanced and time-aligned surround sound.

Network setup

Follow the network setup instructions specific to your receiver model. In most cases, it’s no more difficult than connecting your phone or laptop computer. If your receiver and Wi-Fi router support WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), all you have to do is push a couple of buttons.

Remote control and ease of use

Now that you’ve gotten your system all hooked up, it’s time to think about how you want to control it. Remote controls with dozens of buttons can be difficult. But now there are ways to make things much more user-friendly.

If your receiver offers a remote control app for your mobile device, check it out. Most people find the app easier to use than the handheld remote, especially in a dark room.

The app is a must if you use your receiver for multi-room audio and video. It lets you switch sources and control your streaming services from any room in the house.

Many receivers come with scene buttons – presets for a specific activity, like watching TV or listening to the radio. With one button press, you select the source and all the settings you need for the activity. Scene buttons make things super easy for the babysitter or anybody else who’s unfamiliar with your gear.

The new frontier in remote control is voice command technology from Amazon and Google. Who needs a handheld remote (or even a remote control app) when you can just tell Alexa what you want your receiver to do?

A universal remote takes the scene button concept to the next level. You can sequence commands to multiple components, including your TV, under a single button press or voice command.

A universal remote can also tie your smart lights, security cameras, and other home automation gadgets together with your home AV system. See our universal remote buying guide for more information.

Can you listen to the TV speakers when the receiver is turned off?

At times, you or your guests may just want to watch TV and not bother with the surround sound. You can do that if your receiver has a feature called HDMI standby pass-through. The signal from the cable box (or another source) goes through to the TV when the receiver is turned off.

If your receiver doesn’t have HDMI pass-through, you can get an HDMI splitter and run a second cable to another HDMI input on your TV. The downside is that you’ll have to switch the input selection on your TV each time you want go from surround sound to TV speakers or vice versa.

What is amp assignment?

Receivers with seven or more channels can be used in many different ways. You’ll use five channels for a basic surround sound system. How can you deploy the additional channels?

You’ll have to select the amp channel assignments that suit your needs. The manual will show you all of your options. For more information, read our articles about surround sound formats, multi-room audio setups, and bi-amping.

Try the DSP settings

Many receivers include digital signal processing effects. The idea is to simulate the acoustic properties of the different movie environments and live music venues. Some are fun and engaging. Others may sound strange to your ears.

For music listening, audiophiles tend to favor the “pure direct” 2-chanel mode that bypasses all signal processing. Other people like to be bathed in sound from all directions, even when listening to a straightforward stereo recording.

As long as you have these options at your fingertips, you might as well give them a try. If you find a setting you like, it’s easy to embed it in one of your scene button settings.

Compressed music enhancement

Lower quality digital music sources such as internet radio and streaming services can sound dull and lifeless. Many receivers have a special setting that makes these programs sound better. Again, this is a setting that can go into a scene button.

Dialog lift

Having trouble hearing what actors are saying when you watch a movie or TV show? See if your receiver has a special setting that allows you to boost or “lift” the level of the sounds in the human vocal range.

How to tame the wire mess behind the receiver

To keep the cables and wires behind your receiver from getting tangled up, use cable wraps or wire ties.

Home theater AV receiver setup guide

How to hook it up and tweak it like a pro?

​

Getting ready

For a basic installation, you won’t need a lot of tools.

A wire cutter/stripper is essential. A flashlight may come in handy. And you may need a laptop or tablet to read the instructions or watch the how-to videos you'll find below.

​

Many receivers don’t come with printed manuals, just links to online documents. But most receivers do come with a short quick-start guide that covers the essential steps to get you up and running.

​

Before you roll up your sleeves to get started, read the quick-start guide and the tips below. Then make a plan and a shopping list. Your project will go a lot smoother if you have all the parts you need on hand before you begin.

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Label your cables and speaker wires

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Do you have Cable Labels or an alternative label-making plan? Labels make it easy to keep track of what goes where. Some day you may want to move or replace your receiver. That’s the day you’ll thank yourself for labeling the cables now.

​

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​

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Where will the receiver go?

Pick a spot that’s well ventilated. Make sure you’ll have easy access to the connections on the back of the receiver.

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​

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Where will the speakers go?

Do you know where all your speakers will go? If not, see our article on speaker placement for home theater.

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​

​

​

​

​

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How much speaker wire will you need?

Once you know where your speakers and your receiver are going, you can figure out how much speaker wire you’ll need. Use your tape measure to get a rough idea. Or use a long piece of string to simulate each wire run, then measure the strings.

​

Want to hide the rear speaker wires?

What’s the best way to run wires to the rear speakers? You have three main options, two of which are no sweat for DIY installers.

Buy flat wire for under-the-carpet runs.

Use raceways (also known as cable tunnels) to hide wires without cutting into your walls.

Conceal wires behind your walls or baseboards.

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Speaker connections

Prepping the speaker wires can be a tedious job, but take your time and do it right. You need secure connections that will stay put for years.

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