A complete home cinema system - your views please!

[admin_exported]

Hi all. I'm putting together a system for one of my bosses at work and have made the following recommendations. I wondered if you could all take a peek and tell me whether I should be looking at a different AMP at the prices mentioned. I'm saying this in full knowledge of the Amp test in this months mag that gave the crown to the Onkyo and denigrated the Denon 1708. Note, that I'm looking at a 1907 and haven't heard it. Have any of you! The amp is the focus of this posting really. So here goes! TV Panasonic TH37PX70 (Pedestal) - John Lewis with a 5 year guarantee £899 DVD Player Denon DVD1940 (Multiregion - Silver) - Superfi Camden £200 Amplifier Denon AVR-1907 (Silver) - HiFiBitz.co.uk £289 or Onkyo TX-SR605E (Silver) - Superfi Camden £399 Speakers KEF KHT3005 5.1 (Silver or Gloss Black) Superfi Camden £600 Speaker Cable 26m Van Damme Blue series 2.5mm - AVForums through me £60 HDMI Cable 1m QED Qunex HDMI-P - hificables.co.uk £45 Co-axial Cable 1m Mark Grant Coaxial Digital Cable - AVForums through me £15 Sub-Cable 4m Mark Grant - Canare LV77S - AVForums through me £27 Total Cost Denon route £2135 Onkyo route £2245 So is the Denon route worth going down or the Onkyo or should I suggest something different altogether?

 

[Anonymous]

Come on you lot, unappealing posting to read, I know, but which amp should he go for, or perhaps another one not mentioned?

 

[Anonymous]

Come on come on, I'm reduced to begging. This is soooo wrong ;-)

Amp choices at £300 - £400 real prices. Still the Onkyo?

 

[strobo]

I can't make like-for-like comparisons, but I have the Denon AVR-1707, and am pretty impressed with it. The '1909 is the same spec but with more watts.

One thing that might sway you Will is the lack of HDMI switching on the Denon. I'm an analogue fiend, so it didn't bother me, but even if the HDMI switching isn't to be used initially, the ability to plumb two-into-one at a later stage using the receiver might be useful... It's got to be better than some of the switching boxes I've seen. Bleurgh!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Too right. I'll suggest it, after all if you're starting from scratch you might as well do it right!

Onkyo it is.

 

[strobo]

My view exactly. Leave as many upgrade doors open as possible I say (or at least I do with regards to my PC - my own hi-fi is sadly a long way behind in this respect). That way when you get a dose of upgrade-itis, it doesn't cost so much. Or better still, you can do it more often.

 

[Anonymous]

You can tell from the kit that I own, that I'm well into upgrade-itus!

But this set-up is not for me, so it needs to work well, but that's all.

I need a new DVD player. Something that's amazing with CDs and DVDs. Unfortunately there only appear to be three player that would do my kit justice, being:

Marantz DV9600

Denon DVD3930

Arcam DV137 or 139

Sadly they're all out of my price range at the moment. So I'm holding off. Shame as my kit is worth the upgrade, I just can't afford it or decide which one to go for!

 

[strobo]

[quote user="Will Harris"]Sadly they're all out of my price range at the moment.[/quote]

Hehehe, I know that feeling. I'm starting low with the Home Cinema setup. The domestic harmony is the hardest bit, and I don't want to spend a lot only to have to move it all. It does leave me a nice steady upgrade path though, which is always a bonus.

I'd love to upgrade my bedroom setup, but much like the home cinema it's far from ideally located - until I decorate in a couple of weeks when things might change - or maybe not. Our house has lots of dog-legged walls, which makes hi-fi a bit of a nightmare., My main stumbling block is the fact I love the CD player to bits. Not just for the sound, but also for the fact the "random" option seems to read my mind. My room is next to the bathroom, and when getting ready for a night out, with the volume cranked up a bit, the random option always saves the best choon 'til last. It ain't hi-fi, but it always makes me smile.

It's bit like an old faithful mongrel. Far from perfect but jut as loveable.

 

[Anonymous]

Will,

I've heard and read some great things about the Onkyo 605 so I'd go for that one, for the price range the functionality is superb. This month's mag also has a great review of it. Someone has put up a post saying that they can get it for 350... needless to say I'm waiting to here where from!