Best Home Cinema package for around £5,000?

[Muzza]

Hi

I am looking for advice on a new TV and sound system in a room of about 14 feet by 12 feet. I would like to watch TV, movies and listen to music (streamed from PC) and I have a budget of around £5,000. I would like it to look good too and from on there I am thinking the following:

TV = Samsung UE46D7000 -£1,700

Speakers = B&W MT-30 - £1,600

Amp = Onkyo TX-NR808 - £1,000

I am new to this, would that go well together and is that all I need?

Thanks

Duncan

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Duncan,

Difficult to say without seeing a plan of your room. Your best bet would be to find a local dealer who can look at a room plan for you (or pop over). My personal choice would be plasma over LCD. TXNR808 is due to be replaced by 809 by the end of the month.

 

[hammill]

. TXNR808 is due to be replaced by 809 by the end of the month.

So use the money you save when the 808 price is reduced to make way for the 809 to buy MA RX6s

 

[Muzza]

Many thanks, the room is pretty much a square with a sofa in the middle so hopefully should be ok for the TV / sound?

 

[duaplex]

Thats £4300 are you spending the additional £700 on wires and stands? (seems an awful lot for this system) I would say spend less on TV and more on AV. Get the LX73 instead of the Onkyo to run the MT-30. Or if you really want that TV then try to stretch a little on the AV, believe me its worth it!

Hope that helps

 

[Muzza]

thanks! I am happy to spend the full £5,000 so can go for better AV. Are the speakers a good choice?

 

[Anonymous]

If your looking at style speakers I would suggest looking at the Monitor Audio Apex with the LX-73 a truly awesome combination, certainly a step up from the 808 with the MT30 IMO.

 

[ric71]

I would def agree with markjaspi on that one!!! Apex and the Pioneer rock for both movies and music. It would be a huge step up in performance and I feel you would really appreciate the difference.

Check out the Apex owners thread

 

[duaplex]

Depends what you are after really, the LX73 will power the Apex beautifully and if you want to opt for style speakers then they are the ones to go for above all of the current crop. If however you are not concerned and dont mind a floor standing speakers, then you need to look at the CM range, KEF range and MA RX. These are full standing speakers and will blow the socks off any style speaker.

Your speaker choice is good, but do listen to the ones above too. Then you can decide what you prefer. Its all about personal preference and what you are prepared to live with.

If you get Floor standing then you should consider the LX83 to power them as you will no doubt bi-amp and bi-wire your fronts.

 

[ric71]

Floor standers are not necessarily going to blow the Apex away!! That is just one persons opinion.Yes a good floor standing speaker will blow away a style speaker but the Apex are unique in their class and I would consider them to be mini monitors that have style. They are a sub sat system that can hold their own against most in the price range.No they do not sound like floor standers but more like stand mounted speakers. They are fast, rhythmic and pin point accurate. If you run them with a high end amp they perform even better!

 

[duaplex]

Ran them both on the LX83 there is no way the Apex matches the CM8 or the KEF Q900. Its not just an opinion its fact, they dont have the advantage of 3 speakers + one tweeter and a big box. With detail you could tell the CM8 and the KEF Q900 bought out a lot more as they had the additional speakers.

I tried the Apex in two different stores as i really badly wanted to fall in love with them. Sure movies are mastered on sub sat and i hear that all the time. But vs teh KEF or CM series they do not compete.

 

[ric71]

I agree that the CM8's are a fuller and more complete sounding speaker with fantastic bass on their own for straight stereo.Put a pair of CM8's against a pair of Apex and the CM's will out perform the Apex every time.Now pair the Apex package with a couple of properly set up and eq'd quality subs and listen in multichannel and it may well be a different story. The two types of speaker have cometeley different sounds. I do not listen to stereo only multi channel music and for me only a sub sat system works. Don't get me wrong the CM's are awsome but don't tick the boxes for my needs.Personally I would love a set of Revel speakers but could never afford them!!

 

[rs6mra]

Should you decide to stick with the MT-30 package, then it would be well worth considering the Denon 3310/3311.

 

[duaplex]

I agree that the CM8's are a fuller and more complete sounding speaker with fantastic bass on their own for straight stereo.Put a pair of CM8's against a pair of Apex and the CM's will out perform the Apex every time.Now pair the Apex package with a couple of properly set up and eq'd quality subs and listen in multichannel and it may well be a different story. The two types of speaker have cometeley different sounds. I do not listen to stereo only multi channel music and for me only a sub sat system works. Don't get me wrong the CM's are awsome but don't tick the boxes for my needs.Personally I would love a set of Revel speakers but could never afford them!!

Sounds interesting I am going to try and listen to that! The Revels yes we can only dream Well perhaps one day!

 

[ric71]

one day!!

 

[ric71]

Would def agree with that. The Denon 3310/11 is fantastic. A 4310 even!!

I am about to put my 3310 on ebay only because I am upgrading as I like the Pioneer detail and can no longer justify the Anthem any more as the Pioneer has been so greatly reduced in price!

 

[ric71]

Thats the Pioneer LX83 I meant to say.

 

[duaplex]

Yes the 3310 is a great AV, I heard that paired with MK speakers (mind you these were £900 per speaker) that produced some very good sound, especially with Dark Knight and the opening bank robber scene.

 

[duaplex]

I was very close to getting a denon 4311 myself but then the pioneer lx83 is something else. Still I love Denon they are very good AV's.

I dont think you can go wrong really

 

[ric71]

how dou you find the lx 83 with music?

 

[duaplex]

The LX83 is good with Music, I have many Albums on FLAC that I listen to though it and i can hear detail and clarity. However the AVR400 or any Arcam beats it in this field. The Arcam AVR500 and 400 that i had on demo clearly won when it came to 2 channel sound. The attention to detail in Music was incredible and you could hear the difference.

If you love AV then LX83 all day long, if you are more interested in Music then AVR400

 

[Frank Harvey]

Agreed.

 

[ric71]

LX 83 or AVR 400 for multi channel music listening as a priority. Never stereo!! Using Apex.

The Pioneer is such a good price!!

Any thoughts gentlemen

 

[Frank Harvey]

2 channel or multi-channel, the Arcam will be a better choice. But that's not to say the LX83 is a slouch - the audio quality of my LX83 is held back by my AV speakers...

 

[ric71]

Sorry to Duncan for jumping on in this thread.
No interest in 3D either. What are your views on an Arcam AVR 500 just over £1100 brand new? Will only be used for multi channel music and movies through sky with the odd blu ray here and there.

Can put the extra cash towards a better blu ray player ie Cambridge Audio 650.

Thanks