Basic Home Cinema setup advise

[stevee1966]

Thinking of buying an AV amp - maybe Onkyo TX-NR515 (as it's pretty cheap and will do all i need and probably much more). Will be using with Sky+ HD box, Panasonic TX-P50ST50B tv, and Panasonic Blu-ray (can't remember model number but has both HDMI and 5.1 analogue outputs), and a 5.1 speaker set. I understand the basic cabling of HDMI running from the Sky box and Blu-ray player into the Onkyo, then HDMI cable from the Onkyo to my tv, plus speakers connected to the Onkyo to get a surround sound set-up.

My question is, with the above setup, is it possible just to listen to sound from tv speakers instead of the 5.1 surround ones. May seem a strange idea to use your tv speakers when you can have surround, but i know my wife is more than happy with just tv speakers and wants life to be as easy as possible (i've only just convinced her to watch HD channels - she doesn't like the extra detail of actors faces showing their lines, spots etc !!!).

So, to listen to just tv speakers, is it a case of just turning down the volume on the AV and increasing tv volume, as the HDMI cable from the onkyo to the tv is still carrying an audio channel. Apologies for my stupidity, but if i'm spending the money then i need to convince the wife that i'm not making life more complicated for her.

Thanks for any advise.

 

[hammill]

Yes, that should work - your amp will almost certainly have a mute buttton. I must admit that I think the quality of audio is just as important as the quality of the picture on many shows and hate visiting relatives who have good tvs and terrible sound, but if it keeps your wife happy so be it.

 

[stevee1966]

Yes, that should work - your amp will almost certainly have a mute buttton. I must admit that I think the quality of audio is just as important as the quality of the picture on many shows and hate visiting relatives who have good tvs and terrible sound, but if it keeps your wife happy so be it.

Just read the following about the Onkyo 515 which i think answers my own question :-

Save Power with Hybrid Standby
Hybrid Standby provides ‘HDMI through’ functionality while the receiver sleeps, so you don’t have to fully power up to watch a Blu-ray or play a game using just your TV’s sound. The receiver also maintains a local network connection when on Hybrid Standby mode, so you can switch the unit on at any time using the Onkyo Remote Apps for iPod touch/iPhone and Android phone.

 

[hammill]

Yes, that should work - your amp will almost certainly have a mute buttton. I must admit that I think the quality of audio is just as important as the quality of the picture on many shows and hate visiting relatives who have good tvs and terrible sound, but if it keeps your wife happy so be it.

Just read the following about the Onkyo 515 which i think answers my own question :-

Save Power with Hybrid Standby
Hybrid Standby provides ‘HDMI through’ functionality while the receiver sleeps, so you don’t have to fully power up to watch a Blu-ray or play a game using just your TV’s sound. The receiver also maintains a local network connection when on Hybrid Standby mode, so you can switch the unit on at any time using the Onkyo Remote Apps for iPod touch/iPhone and Android phone.

That looks ideal

 

[bigboss]

Choice of AV receiver largely depends on the speakers you have. Which speakers have you got or are considering to buy?

 

[stevee1966]

Choice of AV receiver largely depends on the speakers you have. Which speakers have you got or are considering to buy?

I've got a set of Tannoy EFX 5.1 speakers. They are a few years old but will do for now as i don't plan on replacing for a while (or at least, my finances won't allow it).

I've also got a pair of B+W 685's which I could utilise as left and right channel speakers in my 5.1 setup (though i assume this would itself cause problems due to the difference in size to the Tannoys). I currently use these with a Marantz PM7001/SA7001 combo for my hi-fi audio, but lack of space is making me consider just using my Panasonic Blu-ray (DMP-BD80, i think) connected to whichever AVR i purchase for my music (which will also enable me to play my various 5.1 mix cd's).

 

[stevee1966]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I was looking at the Onkyo 515 on the back of it's good reviews and low price (£230 in Richer Sounds). However i've just seen the Denon AVR-1513 going for £100.

Now i realise it's not going to have all of the features of the Onkyo (less inputs / outputs / no Spotify etc, but if all i need is a receiver which will pass audio/video from my blu-ray and sky box to my tv and 5.1 speakers, then surely it's a no brainer.

Anyone out there have any experience of this budget AV receiver from Denon, and can advise on it's picture and sound quality ?

thanks