£500 Surround sound system ideas wanted

[admin_exported]

Hi. I have a friend who is looking to take the plunge and get himself a surround sound set up. His budget is £500.

He has a PS3, SKY, and is soon to be getting the Toshiba HD-E1. He has a 46" Samsung HD TV. I dont know the model number but I know it is capable of displaying a 1080i image.

The main use will be for watching films.

Can anyone make any suggestions what he could go for on the information I have ?

I dont think he is too bothered about the latest Hi Def audio formats, but if it can be handled within the budget, then great

Thanks in advance.

 

[Andy Clough]

I'd point him towards the Jamo A102HCs5 speaker package (£250) and Onkyo TX-SR505 AV receiver (£250). If he wants larger, more traditional surround speakers, the QAcoustics 1010i 5.1 package is great, but it's £500 which will stretch his budget a bit. He might be able to pick up the older 1010 package (no 'i') at a discount though, as it's just been replaced with the new version.

 

[Andy Grange]

Andy, I have a similar question. I'll be moving in with my girlfriend in a couple of months, and we've agreed to get Sky HD to go with my 32" Toshiba LCD. At the moment the only thing that makes full use of the screen in my xbox 360, so I'm looking forward to getting Sky. It seems a good idea to get into surround sound to make full effect of Sky.

I'd earmarked the Sony DAV-IS10's, but was (probably rather foolishly) wondering whether I'll also need a seperate amp/receiver for this? Sorry, probably a stupid question but it's being asked by a bit of a novice in this area!!

If this is the case, I was thinking that in the next year or so I'd like to get a HD projector for the basement, so I guess the amp/receiver would have to take that into account too.

Thanks

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi Andy,

The DAV-IS10 includes amplification, so you'd be sorted going this route.

If you are thinking of the future, however, you should also consider the Jamo/Onkyo combo mentioned above, plus a DVD player like Samsung's DVD-HD870 - that separates system would be both sonically superior and obviously more upgradeable than the Sony, for around the same money.

Not nearly as cute or convenient, though...

 

[Andy Grange]

Clare

Cute and cuddly are buzzwords for my girlfriend; the main reason I'm looking down the DAV-IS10 is just how inconspicuous the speakers are!!

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your input. Would you believe the morning after I posted the request, he got a phone call from a lady from Boston Accoustics. His name has been drawn out of a 'hat' and has won their new 'soundbar'!

We both entered our names in the draw they had at the recent What HiFi show. It may not be surround sound, but he is willing to give it a try and see how it goes. Cant complain for nothing. If he is not happy, im sure ebay will help with the sale and contribute towards a more suitable set up for him.

Its nice to hear about someone you know winning stuff this way. I was always sceptical that these 'draws' were just an easy to get some personal details for marketing purposes.