Setup & troubleshooting

Accept the split first: speakers are long-term assets, electronics are period pieces. Everything sensible about future-proofing follows from that one sentence.

Wireless surrounds and subs are good where wiring is truly impossible, and wired remains the reliable choice where wiring is merely inconvenient. That is our rule, and it has not needed revising.

Check the AVR's spec page for the HDMI generation and features on its inputs, and check how many of the ports actually carry them. That second half is where most gaming disappointments start.

Four conditions, all required, and the system will fail silently if any one of them is missing. That silence is why this is one of our most common WhatsApp questions.

Almost always a ground loop: two connected devices sitting at slightly different ground potentials, and the difference riding into the sub through the signal cable as a low hum. The sub is usually the messenger, not the culprit.

What matters, in order: correct gauge for the run length, decent copper, solid terminations, and sensible routing. After those four, audible returns diminish very quickly, and I would rather you spent the difference on the system.

You need eARC if your sources or apps run through the TV itself and you want the AVR to receive the best version of the sound. You do not if every source plugs directly into the AVR, which then feeds the TV. Work out which wiring you have and the answer falls out.

Usually it is a settings or placement problem, not a hardware one, so nothing to buy yet.