AV Reciever and Speakers for TV budget £600

[Iiao]

Having realised my flat screent TV was rubbish at sound, I added some powered PC speakers and it much imporived, I then purchased a sound bar + sub which was most disappointing. I now want to go down the route of AV reciver and speakers, although I only want two speakers.

The Yamaha RX-577 looks good (like the WI-FI feature), speakers i have no idea, overall i am trying to achieve better sound from my TV, predominantly I watch streamed TV Shows.

I look forward to your adive and opinions.

 

[bigboss]

I would recommend you go for a 3.1 speaker system instead of just 2. The centre speaker and subwoofer are the most important components of a home cinema system which will make a massive difference to sound.

 

[jonathanRD]

At the very least get a matching centre speaker to go with your front left/right speakers. For tv shows with lots of speech it's a must. You can always add a sub and rear speakers later if needed or you get the bug!

 

[Iiao]

My TV sits on a cabinet so not much room for a center speaker, but I must say improved dialogue is half the reason for my upgrade. I'll need to see what would fit.

Any suggesions on speakers makes and models?

 

[jonathanRD]

When I was looking for speakers to go with a receiver I looked at Q Accoustics and Monitor Audio - eventually going for the MA Bronze series. Since then Dali introduced the Zensor series ( 1 & 3) which have been very popular.

You need to work out where the speakers are going to be placed, and if you need to include stands in your budget. The Q Accoustics can be wall mounted, but you will need to look at the dimensions of any center speaker to see whether you can accomodate one. Can you support the tv on a shelf on the cabinet with the center speaker placed underneath the shelf (on the cabinet)?

For some ideas look on the richer sounds website, but if it was me on your budget I would look at the Q Accoustics - either the new 3010 model or the outgoing 2010i's. See if you can go and demo them and others.....

 

[Iiao]

Asthetics needs to play a part to keep the wife happy, maybe a Q Acoustics q7000ci would fit underneath if I can remove the stand completly, Wife may let me wall mount it behind/above TV, and possibly a pair of Q Acoustics 3020.

Thoughts

 

[Thompsonuxb]

If you already have a sub go with stereo speakers and av amp and adjust the amp accordingly.

If you get the speakers correctly positioned the vocals will be centred - the MA bronze series are a good option.

 

[richardw42]

If your 2 speakers are less than 5-6 feet apart, you might not need a centre speaker. The AVR will sort this out for you when you run it's set up.

 

[Iiao]

Thanks for the help so far, if I want to start with 2 speakers and add later then, would it be a good idea to go for some floor stand rather bookshelf, would they possibly add some bass until get around to a sub?

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[jonathanRD]

Asthetics needs to play a part to keep the wife happy, maybe a Q Acoustics q7000ci would fit underneath if I can remove the stand completly, Wife may let me wall mount it behind/above TV, and possibly a pair of Q Acoustics 3020.

Thoughts

If it was me I would choose either the 3020's with the matching 3000 series centre or go for the centre and front left & right 7000 series - ie don't mix & match the series models.

I heard the new 3020's at the Bristol Show this year and they sounded very good (albiet with a much more expensive amplifier than you would normally use). The 7000 series are a 'style' product and the fronts would work fine fixed to the wall. The 3000 series whilst still good for movies will also be good with music but the fronts really need to be on hifi stands to get the most from them.

 

[Leeps]

Just popping in my opinion in the mix: from experience, not only is having a dedicated centre channel important, but if you want it to actually work, then so is its location.

Speech is often a mixture of treble and midrange. Treble is very directional. If you buy a lovely AV receiver and a nice centre channel speaker, but site it in such a position that the sound is directed to your knees, or is located inside a cabinet, then it still won't sound very good.

But siting a centre channel is a common problem. In most people's living rooms it needs to be located pretty much in the middle of the TV! If it really has to be below the TV, try using the angled Auralex mopads which help to separate the sound from the cabinet, but also help angle the speaker upwards so its directed more to your ears. Alternatively look at speakers that you can wall-mount.

If aesthetics are a major consideration, then a subwoofer/satellite speaker system might suit you better as smaller satellite speakers may be easier for you to locate or wall-mount. Some (like the Monitor Audio Radius range) can be purchased individually as funds and space permit.

 

[bigboss]

Yes, I'm a strong believer that a home cinema system should have a dedicated centre speaker and a subwoofer.

With regards to placement, centre speaker isn't as unforgiving as that. In my older house, the centre speaker was placed above the TV, close to the ceiling and still sounded great! A demo will help.

 

[jonathanRD]

Thanks for the help so far, if I want to start with 2 speakers and add later then, would it be a good idea to go for some floor stand rather bookshelf, would they possibly add some bass until get around to a sub?

Sorry for all the questions.

I think you need to decide what you want to end up with eventually. Will your room accomodate floor standers? Generally for the money, bookshelf speakers will offer you a little more clarity/quality than a similar priced floorstander. Watching a movie, a £315 BK XXLS200 sub or the £435 BK XXLS400 sub will put a smile on your face in a way that many £500 - £1000 floorstanders wont get close to matching.

Take your time to have a look around at AV speaker packages and what you think you can accomodate in your room, and within your budget. I took ages to decide what I was going to get based on what I could afford at the time, and then purchased the items in stages. It took me 18 months, starting with the front 3 speakers, then the rears and then the sub. I've got floorstanders but they form part of a separate hifi set up in the same room. I wouldn't be without a sub now.