Surround speakers for ipod, tv, and computer?

Question

i want a good speaker system for my tv. i also want one for my ipod and my computer but i dont want a dozen different systems. is there any speaker system that i can connect to my tv and my computer and my ipod at the sametime without having to keep changing wires around when i want to use somthing else?

Answer 1

The short answer is "not anything good."  There are a few systems out there which advertise themselves as being all-in-one, but in reality, they aren't surround sound sets, but rather surround stereo sets.  Many of them only have one set of R.C.A. stereo inputs and that right there would be a no go.

These bargain systems are made from seemingly every company on the planet from Panasonic, Sony, Philips, L.G., Samsung, etc.  The only one of the aformentioned that gives you the ability to do Dolby Digital surround sound is the L.G. set and it only has one input.

There are other sets that are made from companies that stick with sound as their main forte.  These are the ones that are made by Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer to an extent.  These sets give you all of the connectivity you would like, but there is a catch; none of these sets come with any type of special iPod dock.  You could use a simple mini-pin to stereo R.C.A. adapter to plug into the receiver itself, but if you are looking for remote control ability on the iPod, well then you aren't going to get it.

You can get third party iPod docks if remote control ability is a necessity, but they will not work off of the factory remote from the receiver.  Instead you will be using a cheap remote control that comes with it from the dock manufacturer.  The official Apple one retails for $49.99 and comes with component video connectivity for H.D.T.V. sets.  However, you now will have a remote for an iPod dock in addition to a remote for all your other components.

The best option would be to get yourself a high quality receiver and buy speakers separately.  A Denon AVR-1708 costs $499.98.  You'd then have to buy their proprietary iPod dock to work it with the remote which goes for $129.98 but is a better connection.  That's $629.96 and you still haven't acquired speakers.  The only receivers that actually come with the iPod connections are the Pioneer Elites, and they start at the same price.

If you aren't looking to go with high fidelity components, the other way that you can set this up is by obtaining a simple Internet programmed universal remote control.  The cheapest available is the Harmony 550 which is something I use for the customers all the time.  It retails for $99.99 and just simply connects to the computer through U.S.B.  You then go and select which components you have and then program it.  A word of advice, however, don't use the disk that comes with it.  Instead, go to the website and download the software directly.  This way you can be assured that you have the latest software and it will program properly.

After getting the remote, you can simply buy a boxed home theater system from the likes of Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, or Pioneer that does support the Dolby Digital capability and purchase the iPod dock and your television set, D.V.D. player, receiver, iPod, and cable box will still all be controlled through a single remote control.

Answer 2

First, get a good surround system for T.V. with a headphone-sized input on the front. Then get a remote for the iPod if you want one and a cable (3.5 mm I think) to connect it. Now to connect the computer, find out if it has digital audio out via a coax cable. It should look like an RCA jack only orange. If it does, simply buy a coax cable to connect it (make sure it's coax audio and not coax like the TV cable). If it doesn't, you can get a sound card that has this output off of www.newegg.com for fairly cheap. You could also buy a cable that goes from 3.5 mm for your computer and then splits into stereo RCA to go into the sound system. So basically, just buy a good sound system and then find the correct cables to make it work.