£500 budget challenge

[drichardb]

Hope everyone had a good christmas..

Like me your probably fed up of turkey and stuffing sarnies so here's something else to get your teeth stuck into!

I'm moving house in the new year and feel like treating myself to a new 5.1 setup for my pc room.

I've been using Logitech's Z5500 system with my PC/Sony 350 Blu Ray player for approx 4 yrs and whilst it does a reasonable job with films it doesnt float my boat with the PC these days.

I've been looking around for weeks but cant push myself to commit to anything as there is far too much choice around (hyperfi's ebay site threw up more options than my brain could cope with!)

Clues in the title - £500 to spend (new or refurb, i dont mind) - can anyone give me some firm recommendations?

Thanks in advance

Richard

 

[Anonymous]

I've used the Logitech Z5500 Speakers with my Yamaha 667 and the result is that it doesnt make that much difference other than sound is thrown about the room much better.

For £500 i think you'd no benefit much from a new 7.1 AV Receiver without changing the speakers. I replaced the front with Monitor Audio BX2 and the difference is like night and day the difference in tone, detail is just leagues above what the z5500 8yr old sat speakers can do

The Yamaha is a great amp for £350 from Best Buy and then you can buy a active subwoofer such as the Radiance ones from ebay for £200 or a SW150 from various hifi retailers.

then when you have the money upgrade the Front 3 speakers to something like the BX Range or Q Acoustics if on lower budget

 

[drichardb]

Hmmmm, an idea is forming...

I've got a pair of B&W DM601S3's sitting in attic (my old amp and cd player died a few years back and never got round to replacing them!).

If I used the satellites from the Z5500 system and my B&W speakers I could turn it into a 7.1 system. All I would need is a sub and amp.

Anyone got any thoughts on that possibility?

 

[steve_1979]

Hi Richard. I also used to own some Z5500's but got rid of them because they sounded loud and boomy rather than tight and punchy. Here's some photos my new 5.1 PC set up which costs £492 and sounds fantastic! It's a massive improvement over the Logitech speakers in every way.

£200 Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 speakers: www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packages/q-acoustics/1010i-5.1/qaco-1010i-5.1-pack

£100 Yamaha RX-365 receiver (sold out on Amazon but mine is for sale for £100 if your interested): www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-RXV365BL-5-1-AV-Receiver/dp/B002BFEOCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292782430&sr=8-1

£110 4 x 80cm speaker stands: www.chaseavdirect.co.uk/ccp6/prod--B-Tech-BT608-B-Loudspeaker-Floor-Stand-Black.html

£21 3 x Shielded 3.5mm jack to phono cables (you will need 3 of these to get 5.1 surround sound): www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/5957

£8 Digital optical cable (for better sound quality when listening to music in 2.1 stereo): www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/6251

£50 25 metres of speaker cable: www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-cables/cambridge-audio/symphony-400/gale-symphony-400

£3 Shielded sub woofer cable: www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-AV-Subwoofer-double-shielded/dp/B0007YBFB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=computers&qid=1292778961&sr=8-1

 

[idc]

That is brilliant steve_1979.

 

[Anonymous]

drichardb:
Hmmmm, an idea is forming...

I've got a pair of B&W DM601S3's sitting in attic (my old amp and cd player died a few years back and never got round to replacing them!).

If I used the satellites from the Z5500 system and my B&W speakers I could turn it into a 7.1 system. All I would need is a sub and amp.

Anyone got any thoughts on that possibility?

You'd notice a difference in tone and sound quality if you used 5 little speakers with 2 larger speakers, but without testing you never know.

I still have the Logitech as my Surrounds and they work well with BX fronts

 

[drichardb]

Hi Steve,

The pictures you posted provided some of the encouragement I needed to get this ball rolling!

TBH I wish I had done this sooner as the prices Richer Sounds have been charging for Q Acoustics are rediculously low. Its a shame that they only have 2 sets left and both are in London. Makes it a bit difficult for me living in Cardiff!

As far as amps go, I was hoping to get something with Dolby/DTS HD decoding to go with my Blu-Ray player. Hyperfi are selling the Onkyo TX-SR607 for £249.99 on their ebay store. Is this a safe bet (I appreciate it's a B-Stock) or would I be better off getting a more current amp like the Onkyo TX-SR508 or Sony STRDH810?

In the sub department I should be able to get a Wharfdale SW150 from superfi for £150 in the new year.

 

[steve_1979]

I think that Richer Sounds only charged £6 for the speaker delivery.

As for the receiver - if your going to use the 3.5mm jack outputs from your PC to get 5.1 sound you will need a receiver that has multi-channel analog inputs which limits your choice and rules out both the Onkyo and Sony receivers. I've just orded myself a new Yamaha RX-V667 receiver which has multi-channel inputs and costs £280 in silver or £300 in black.

Depending on your PC's spec you might be lucky and be able to get 5.1 sound from it using an optical cable or HDMI cable. Most PC's only have 5.1 sound via the analog 3.5mm jacks though.

 

[drichardb]

The Q Acoustics are only available in store so that option is now a dead duck

I fitted an ASUS D2X sound card approx 2 yrs ago which has optical and co-axial digital outputs. The card can encode its own dolby digital/dts stream or run in pcm mode to allow a receiver to do the work (which is how I intend to run it).

 

[strapped for cash]

You could try to get hold of a B&W LCR60 centre speaker (I see them for sale all the time on ebay). I still use one of these with 601 series 3 standmounts for the front three channels in my system. You could also look at older AVRs; or even the Onkyo 608, which can be bought for £350 right now. Add a pair of Q Acoustics QAV rear speakers (£50 at superfi) and you've then run out of dough. That said, you'd have a great system, to which you could look to add a sub at a later date...

 

[drichardb]

can't say i'm entirely comfortable with not having a sub - probably because I quickly realised that the sub on the Z5500's does pretty much all the bass work!!

though I will say the idea of replacing the centre channel does sound like a good idea...

 

[steve_1979]

What about this combo for £500?

£200 Tannoy SFX 5.1 speakers: www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packages/tannoy/sfx5.1/tann-sfx5.1-blk

£250 Sony STRD810 receiver: www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/sony/strdh810/sony-strdh810

£50 25 metres of speaker cable: www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-cables/cambridge-audio/symphony-400/gale-symphony-400

 

[steve_1979]

Or if your budget can stretch to £589 this would be much better.

£289 Boston Acoustics 5.1 speakers: www.sightandsounduk.com/Boston-Acoustics-SoundwareXS.html

£250 Sony STRD810 receiver: www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/sony/strdh810/sony-strdh810

£50 25 metres of speaker cable: www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-cables/cambridge-audio/symphony-400/gale-symphony-400

 

[Anonymous]

If you want a full new system then the one above should offer an increase in performance. You honestly dont need to spend the £50 on cable though until you have the spare cash as the Z5500 cable offers no difference in performance than some £2/m cable i bought once i replaced the fronts with Monitor Audio BX2 so best of saving the £50 and going closer to budget.

Speakers are very large portion on the caracteristics of the final sound and quality of your system. I personally dont think that the Q Acoustics 1010i would offer that much of an upgrade on your Logitech Z5500 speakers and your money would be better spent on upgrade the Fronts.

Monitor Audio BX2 Fronts and BX Centre would cost about £225 + £135 = £360 Delivered and Newcastle Hifi Bundle 10m of QED Silver Anniversary XT which is worth about £50 Best buy also have the Yamaha 667 for about £250. Now i know this is £610 and you wouldnt have a subwoofer but the cabinet size of the BX2 Fronts means they already offer enough bass not to require a woofer until you decide to upgrade.

you could continue to use the Z5500 Sats as the Surrounds and then when cash allows upgrade those for the BXFX which would taker the system well beyond what the above combination ever could.

I'd try and audition anything before you buy as i've heard the Q Acoustics and I personally own the 2000c and i dont think its sound produced is any better than that of the Z5500 Centre Speaker. due to the size of the Bostons I also tihkn it would be a waste of £300 and they wouldnt be noticeably different to the Logitech Speakers

 

[steve_1979]

I agree with Craig. The Tannoys and Boston Acoustics are very small satalites and probley wouldn't offer much improvement over your current Z5500's. You'd be better off getting some 'proper' sized speakers like the Monitor Audios or somthing similar. You can always add a sub and rears later as funds become available.

Thats what I did with my setup. I bought the best speakers I could afford at the time and everything else was done on the cheap. Since then I've upgraded the front speaker cables, better interconnects, added a mains conditioner and finally a new receiver.

 

[drichardb]

Hi Craig,

I had ruled out the Bostons for that very reason so good to know I was on the right track there.

How do the BX2's compare to my B&W 601S3's? Also would the BX Centre integrate well or would something else be needed?

It's not the end of the world if I dont have multi channel analogue inputs for audio, a nice to have rather than must have. With that in mind the Pioneer VSX920 is available until the end of Jan with a £100 voucher from Pioneer. Paired with my B&W's and a new centre speaker what could I expect from the sound?

 

[steve_1979]

Here's a fantastic value Tannoy F1 speaker system for just £370. I bet they sound better than the Q Acoustics 1010i system too. You could partner them with a budget receiver for the time being and upgrade it later when you get a bit of extra spare cash.

www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/7317

 

[Anonymous]

drichardb:
Hi Craig,

I had ruled out the Bostons for that very reason so good to know I was on the right track there.

How do the BX2's compare to my B&W 601S3's? Also would the BX Centre integrate well or would something else be needed?

Im not quite sure as their completely different brands.

An option could be to buy the B&W Centre Speaker for like £400 then when you have the cash buy the B&W 615 Stereo Speakers and stick the 601s as the rears/surrounds.

I think it would be a better idea though to purchase a mid range amp such as Pioneer or Yamaha as long as its below £300.

but then it becomes an expensive system to build?

when i got rid of my Logitech (well thought about it) the idea was to buy Q Acoustic 2000 series speakers and let the Logitech drive them but after a lot of reading up i thought id be more satisfied with a more expensive setup than a budget one.

you could try running the B&W on the logitech and see how they sound in comparison for movies. 8ohms is what Logitech are so im sure B&W can be driven off the Z5500

 

[drichardb]

The original idea was to replace the whole thing in one go but I'm warming to the idea of a gradual build so overall cost is a bit more flexible.
I've tried the B&W's with the logitech but unfortunately the amp is not setup to send much bass to the fronts. Think i need to do some serious saving!

 

[Anonymous]

petertyson and a few other HiFi retailers offer 24 and 10 month payment plans

 

[Anonymous]

I just stumbled upon this thread and thought I might share something similar.

I have been using the Z5500 speakers for over three years now and I love the sound quality it can reproduce. Now you must understand that I am not an audiophile but have moderate experience with 5.1 speaker systems/packages. So I have been upgrading my PC slowly piece by piece and thought I would upgrade the surround system currently in place. When reading the following please keep in mind that I purchased the Z5500 package from amazon in 2008 for exactly £178.73 including delivery to my home address.

I started off by heading to Richer Sounds, a local audio/av shop and was advised to buy the following;
Denon AVR 1713 - £260
Tannoy SFX 5.1 - £200

I was told the above would be "more than enough" for someone like me who has a basic PC setup and it is also future proof as speakers can be replaced and the system can be used as a home cinema system. I went ahead and purchased the latter for around £460 but was extremely disappointed with the sound quality - The bass produced was just not enough and felt overall the entire system was much less powerful than the existing system I had in place (Z5500).

The next day I made my way back to Richer Sounds and explained the entire situation and was then advised for better sound quality I should purchase bookshelf speakers for both the front and back with an active subwoofer. Again, I am not an audiophile but went ahead with the advice I received therefore purchased the following;

Denon AVR 1713 - £260 (The same one I brought the first time, just adding it here so you can see the total cost for each build)
Cambridge Audio S30 x 2 Pairs - £259.90
Cambridge Audio S90 - £149.95

So this time around I spent around £670 and thought there is no way I could be disappointed, I mean surely for this sort of price the system must be at least three times as powerful and better sounding than the Z5500? Sadly not.. I plugged up the Cambridge Audio S30's into the Denon AV receiver and hoped for the best - Although the highs and mids sound incredible the subwoofer was still letting the entire system down! If I put the volume any higher than 75db the subwoofer would just start capping and dropping out. Needless to say I refunded this system and gave everything back to Richer Sounds.

I then spent a few days researching some good home cinema packages which led me to the next purchase, a Panasonic SC-BTT590EBK for £330 from amazon. The Panasonic looked promising with 1000 watts (peak) of power but the subwoofer just kept letting the entire system down therefore I started to give up on trying to find something that would beat the Z5500.. Does it exist?

I am currently using the Logitech Z906 from amazon for £229.90 which is reasonably priced considering how much I paid for the Z5500 four years ago. This system is a lot better than all the other setups I talked about but STILL does not beat the Z5500. A few differences I have observed between the Z906 and the Z5500 are;

The remote has been made too simple.

The control pod has been downgraded.
The subwoofer is a LOT smaller than the Z5500 and does not pack the same punch.
Z906 does NOT come with wall mounts.

Bottom line is I am disappointed with this system, granted not as much as the others I have tried but still disappointed.

Simply put, the Z5500 still kicks ass and I am yet to find something that can replace it. I understand that watts are not everything but after testing £600 systems I do not agree with this statement entirely - I believe the wattage is a good basis to start searching from. Personally I do not see myself as a "basshead" but after this whole experience I'm starting to think otherwise..

If anyone can advise on a kick ass system, feel free to leave a comment.