Home cinema / Hi-fi setups

[glade]

We've just bought an LCD tv and now want some surround sound.

I'd never heard a surround sound system before so went along to a shop who have a special room all set up.

It's amazing- we watched a few films; by far the best was a bit from pearl harbour where we could hear bullets ricocheting around us. The way the sound filled the room with music was brilliant too.

Am looking at a Cambridge amp and Kef audio speakers. (to go with old Sony DVD player & Sony LCD tv)

What have you got? Any reccomendation?

[Dave The Rave]

How much do you want to spent?

[glade]

How much do you want to spent?

Don't laugh... Not a lot!

I did want to spend ?250 on a 1 box system, but after hearing the separates I think ?600 might be justifiable.


Just need an amp and 5.1 speakers. Preferably with HDMI switching, or minimum 2 optical inputs & digital coax input.

[metalmonkey]

This kind of thing is down budget, I out of touch now with the most recent tech advances however from experince;

You want quaility over loudness, I always find it hard to decscribe what is good sound, I used to sound record for TV shows so go for a clear sounds. Which means no distortions in the audio. To me it was always a feeling of what it felt like and wheter or not I would call for another take. It something that annyos me if something that doesn't sound right or shot poorly, but for its a feeling and look, hard to teach or describe.

Look at the RMS (route metre squred I belive) output of the system thats you power output in terms of watts music/sound power, not PMPO (i think its called) casue thats balls. Also remeber it will sound different at home than in the store, the harmoics of the room will be different. Infact it varies on location, material in the room ect.

Go for the best you can afford, is what I would suggest, may be research all the system you like and go from there. Also remember to hussle to the sales guy, if you don't like the price tell them to stick it. I have done that in the past, after all they want your hard earned in todays market they would be dumb to turn business.

[amnesia]

As said above - rms (root mean square) values are much more useful than PMPO (peak music power output...or something)

A good start point for research could be www.avforums.com (http://www.avforums.com). Its a mine of useful information but don't get caught up in the audiophile BS.

We have an Acoustic Solutions system in the bedroom, which is not bad - but the ?300 Panny 850 system that replaced it downstairs kicks its ass in every respect.

There is no doubt that a ?600 system would be better...but twice as good? Also, if you are going to spend serious money on the system, your room has to be arranged around it or you won't get the benefits of it.

[Bluepete]

I'm lucky enough to have the space for a cinema room seperate to the living room. That has the usual big speakers, big amp etc, all of which take up a lot of space.

In the living room, the LCD TV is hooked up to a JVC all in one unit with four tall, slim speakers for the corners and a small centre under the TV. It's all very neat, takes up next to no space and above all, sounds really good 'cos it's all designed to work together. The sub integrates perfectly with the speakers, it's plenty loud enough and is neat and compact. This company (http://www.soundandvisiononline.com/moreinfo/index.asp?product_id=16104) are very good, I'v had loads of kit from them over the years, superb service etc.

There are also loads of magazines on the subject, go to WH Smith and have a look, reviews of kit are usually mentioned on the cover.

AV amps are generally big things, and don't look good under the TV.

There are some really good looking all in one systems out there,

[neillfergie]

From experience a mid level integrated system from a good brand will sound better in a normal room than a very flash separate system, bear with me on this, basically an integrated system will have nice matched amp and speakers and will generally be simple to set up from the box with only a few minor adjustments to get it working. A good separate system will take a lot more time and effort to set up properly (not to mention a good deal of knowledge) though ultimately will sound better.:D

basically it will cost much more for the system and you might need to pay a professional to fit and set it up properly, any salesman who tells you differently is trying to get more money outta you.

Ive been at a few peoples houses where they spent a fortune on the best kit but never thought about getting a pro setup so it sounds pretty average.[-(

ps. having 9 remotes gets annoying after a while too, unless you gaffer tape them together into a megatron!!!:smt103

[glade]

I do like the ideA of just getting a 1 box solution, but how do you judge the quality. The bloke in the shop was very dismissive of them

[Dave The Rave]

Go to the shop with your own DVD and listen to it on as many different systems as you can. We took LOR disc with us and listened to the same chapter on few systems. Ended up with Pioneer and never looked back. It was not cheap comparing to others but sounded great. So we remembered the number and searched the internet. Got it considerably cheaper doing so. Shop around, read some reviews in magazines and on the net (WHICH is a good site) and decide on one or two favourites. Than shop on the net for the best price. Good hunting!

[andywilson460]

Also think about how much you will really use it.

I have a full 7.1 system - Monitor Audio Left and Rights with Kefs Eggs, powered by a decent Yamaha amp, (you will need to think about optical connections to DVD etc).

It is beautifully sounding, but due to the fact I am currently in a flat (having moved from a house) I simply can't use it to it's full potential without destroying all the goodwill with my neighbours.

I think I paid about ?1800 for speakers and amp --- just depends on what you are really looking for - be careful though, as guys on the avforums will tell you it can become addictive and also incredibly expensive very quickly.

As was said before - always take your favourite movies and CDs with you. I bought my amp and speakers for Music and SurroundSound, so I can switch between 7.1 and simply Left and Right for music. -- Really think about what you will use the speakers for.

Richersounds is a reasonable place to start, but read up on the avforums and What Hifi first

[tigersaw]

One thing I've noticed recently that never gets a mention is audio/video sync. With LCD displays there is a small video delay for processing overhead, but compensated by intenally delaying the audio to the speakers. However, using an external sound system defeats this delibereate delay, and causes a minor lipsysnc issue, which most people ignore, but nevertheless is annoying. Some systems allow you to re-introduce this delay, some dont.
My personal choice for sound systems is yamaha, they seem to have taken this seriously, and they make some class bits of kit.
For my lounge I'm trying to avoid wires and speakers everywhere, looking at getting one of the one box jobbies - those with 22 odd speakers in. Not as good as a proper system, but a simple and acceptable compromise. Currently using a £40 mordant short (?) pc system plugged into the tv line out.. very cheap and cheerfull but fills the room with quality sound, just lacks the surround element.

[Dan_UK]

Personally I'd avoid any 1 box solution. They never really have the sound quality of a good 5.1 speaker setup with seperate DVD and processor etc...

Also it makes upgrading stuff harder... with separates you can upgrade things bit by bit, e.g DVD player to Blu-ray etc....

How much space have you got too?? Generally bigger speakers offer better sound, i.e. floor standers...

Something like - http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?origin=gbase31.2&prodID=B57319

Then with a yamaha process with what money you got left.

And as a generally rule you should spend 10-15% of your budget on cabling.

[glade]

Haven't got too much space. I was impressed that the small Kef Eggs made such a good sound!

Fortunately I work for a wire & cable manufacturer so can source some good wire!!

Seems to be a case of listen to as much as possible, and do a lot of research.

[Camel]

Another vote for Richersounds, they have always been very good to deal with.

I have one of these in the cupboard, not being used:
http://www.homecinemachoice.com/reviews/wvreviews/Amplifiers/Sony/SonySTR-DE475.php

You could make me an offer, not really wanting that much. Problem is postage - might as well be selling a huge rock!

[andywilson460]

You could do a lot worse than the Kef Eggs. There were some great deals available a couple of months ago as they were upgraded to the new glossy black ones. If you can bag some older silver ones you might get them cheaper

[Viney]

I do like the ideA of just getting a 1 box solution, but how do you judge the quality. The bloke in the shop was very dismissive of them
They always will be. He wants to sell you lots of stuff.

I like my audio (Although the bank manager doesnt) but i have a one box system, well ts seperate to the DVD player. Its a little sony system, and to be honest, its pretty damn good.

I watched a programme a few years back that done blind tests on these things. They had a cheap sub ?200 system (1box), a midrange 1 box system (?400ish) and a top of the line TagMclaeren ?30k system, and the pannel judged the midrange as being the best. At the end of the day these systems do the job. So take you budget and get the best you can afford, and for the love of god, stay clear form richer sounds, they are more hassle than they are worth!! I have never got a working piece of equipment from them and nor has 3 of my mates. Always trouble.

[neillfergie]

Its a tough one to call this, the separated will always have the edge on sound quality and are more flexible in the long term but they can be a real pain to set up in the first place :confused: To be totally honest its your own preference i have friends who spend hours getting the sound just so but personally have always found a good one box solution to be best for most folks, pioneer and denon make some pretty nice kit that sound as good as all but the very best of separates.

ps, i work in sales and if you get an honest sales person they will tell you similar otherwise you will spend a fortune on kit you might not ever need.

pps. +2 on richer sounds, great place to get honest advice (dont work there in case your wondering:))

[coombest]

I personally wouldn't listen too hard to any advice from Richer Sounds!!

Most of the products they try their hardest to sell - belong in some way to Richer Sounds!!!

They own the rights to Cambridge Audio and many others they stock!
They also have a habit of buying non-UK products and selling them here (grey/parallel importing)... All very well but the UK product from most manufacturers is subtly (or very) different fromother models - especially so with Yamaha! It also causes issues with waranties.

They're fine if you know exactly what you want or listen carefully and don't listen too hard to their advice and are happy with cheap prices & cheap service... I bought bits of my first system there but soon moved onwards & upwards!

I now own a business selling & installing Home Cinema, Home Automation & Multiroom audio, so you may say I'm biased - fair play - everyone's entitled to their opinion... I just make a living from my experience & opnion!

As ever - if an offer looks too good to be true - it probably is!

Separate systems are indeed better - many reasons for this and several of which have been mentioned.
Spend as much as you can afford on the products that you think are best for the money not just different! Bear in mind how long films are and how much time you'l get to listen to anything in a dem room - it might sound very clear in the dem room but after 70 minutes of a film (or near the end of your second film, even!), it might get harsh or wearing on you!
Also bear in mind that things sound different in different rooms as well as in different positions in the same room!
Any system will also sound much better with professional setup.

HTH