Do i need to update receiver for new tv and cd player?

by ELIZABETH
(ROCHESTER, NY)

I have an older receiver - Panasonic sa-he 9...which works just great. I recently bought a new Samsung tv (32" flat screen) and sony cd player. The receiver wires used to be red - white - yellow...now i see the color codes are red - blue - green.

Do i have to buy a new receiver?

I have Bose speakers, but not surround sound...Obviously not sophisticated audiophile, but do want good quality. What do you recommend?

Thank you

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Hi

Yes, your Panasonic receiver is just showing it's age and doesn't support the newer connection types we find on modern AV devices.

The red/white/yellow connection is composite video (yellow) and analog stereo audio (red and white).

The red/blue/green is component video (no audio), which is higher quality video than composite. Many AV devices today do still support composite video and analog audio (yellow/red/white), but if your TV doesn't have these then you have a problem with your new Samsung TV.

If your Samsung TV has a digital optical output for audio, then you can connect this into your Panasonic for sound.

However, it may be much easier to update your receiver. You would then be able to connect your receiver to your TV via HDMI, which is often the best way to connect devices these days.

An entry-level receiver isn't too expensive these days, anything by the major brands will give you good quality video and audio. Consider Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or Denon (there are others). Check out our guide to AV receivers for an overview (linked below).

You can run stereo or surround speakers from an AV receiver. Surround is better for movies but if you mainly listen to music then stereo-only is just fine.

You may be able to connect your Bose speakers to the AV receiver - it depends on the type you have. Many Bose systems are designed to be self-contained and do not easily connect to equipment which isn't Bose. However if it is a speaker only system then you may be ok.

Most people who are into AV technology would tend to avoid Bose and find better value-for-money with an entry-level speaker package (stereo or surround). However, that is up to you.

Hope that helps.

Paul (Site Editor)

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