Cheap ( but decent ) home theatre advice please

[admin_exported]

Hi everyone , im eagerly awaiting my new TV and Blu-ray player as ive posted in a couple of other threads ( Sony 46W4500 and Sony 350 blu-ray ) .

I have decided to take the plunge and buy a new surround system as well , however im on a very tight budget sadly , i did ask previously about wireless versions but then i reckoned that if i spent the same money on a wired version id get better sound.

So , i dont need a Blu-ray / DvD player , only the surround speakers and receiver/amp thingymabob !

What do people recommend as the best 'bang for buck' in the poor mans category 400 pounds total give or take , its not much for good sound i know , i was drooling at the likes of speakers along the lines of the Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 and Wharfdale Diamond 9 set but realistically i just cant afford them and a seperate amp

Thanks for any and all advice , i live in a rural area and we dont have any specialist stores so i cant just pop in and listen to stuff ( nearest sound stores are 140+ miles away ) so its difficult as i will essentially be purchasing over the net without ever having heard the product .

 

[ear]

Yamaha packs are not expensive.but maybe it would be better if you could buy an amp and 1 pair os speakers.and then upgrade to 5.1

 

[gregvet]

Unfortunately, as your sony S350 does not have analogue outs and cannot decode all the HD audio formats, you need an amp that can do the decoding. I would suggest you look at the Sony DG820 amp as it handles all audio formats that you need, and is only £230, leaving enough for the Jamo 102HCS5 if you can find the extra £50. Alternatively you could consider starting with the five satelites/centre speakers from one of the budget speaker packages, adding a sub when you can afford it. Donr forget speaker cables etc too!

ÿNot easy for £400 I am afraid.ÿ

 

[Messiah]

Well you could get this (review) and run them with this (review) or if you can stretch that budget a little then this (review) (This will give you HD sound)

Should give you a nice system!

EDIT - pretty much the same as mentioned in the post above!

 

[professorhat]

The Onkyo 506 can't accept audio over HDMI, you need the Onkyo 576 (review) to go with those Jamo speakers. Fortunately as you can see, it's the same price so is still within budget. Unfortunately, your Sony S350 can't decode DTS HD Master Audio on board so you would only get standard DTS with these soundtracks. I think this is your best option within budget though.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for the advice guys , this is the problem when a newbie like me comes along and wants to buy some goodies , i had no idea about the requirements to get the full potential from the audio on blu-ray discs etc , im very glad i posted now !

Ok , im going to bite the bullet and get an amp ordered, then i guess i can assemble a package of speakers one step at a time.

The Sony DG820 that you mentioned looks pretty good , would it be the best choice of those 3 or is the Onkyo a better bet do you think ?

Moving onto speaker cable , my wife does not like cables on show at all, however our living room has a solid floor so popping them under the carpet is not an option ,nor do i want to start removing skirting boards , what would i be looking at in the way of very hard to see but decent speaker cable , i can see now im going to simply have to stretch the budget a bit to get everything , so it doesnt have to be cheap nasty cable , just not the rolls royce of cables either , thanks so much for your help guys , im very glad i discovered this site , your a friendly helpfull bunch of people in this community , thanks again.

 

[professorhat]

QED Micro is an excellent cable for just this purpose.

The Sony would definitely be a great amp at that budget level, though I think you should try and hear the system before partnering it with the Jamo speakers above - both are described by WHF as being a bit on the bright side meaning the combination might be a bit tiring in the long run. Other speakers you could consider are the KEF KHT 1005.2 package which is also up for a bit more than your original budget, but might partner better with the Sony.

 

[Anonymous]

I was in the same situation as yourself, having spent my cash on my Pioneer LX508. I was also looking at the Q-Acoustics 1010i Panasonic DMPBD55 and Onkyo 975, but after the TV it didn't leave me much left to purchase other kit and had to 'budget' like yourself .

I ended up with a Panasonic DMP-BD35, Onkyo 606 and Jamo A102HCS (£180) system all connected with QED HDMI Performance (1m and a 5m) and QED Micro for the speakers, don't forget decent cabling mate.

Now I'm no expert and am new to the AV scene myself, but the JAMO speakers are blinding for the money, plus they look good hung on the little brackets provided and are very discret. To be honset I am so pleased I'm glad I didn't push that extra to get the Q-acoustics as I couldn't tell much of a differance (I said I'm only a beginner folks). Also I live in a terraced house I can't turn the system up too loud anyway.

A word of caution. I'm sure I've seen some rumors (on this forum) of compatability issues with the Sony and Jamo speakers.

Anyway Good Luck.

 

[Anonymous]

I was in a similar position to you, and in the end I decided on the Qacoustics 1010is. I couldn't afford the whole lot either, so I bought a pair to get me started, then added speakers later on (thus spreading the cost). It seems to me that you have a superb TV, plus a bluray player- so you owe it to your system to have decent a decent speaker package.

I have the Onkyo 576 (which I certainly recommend), however if I were you I'd plump for the Sony amp. It has rave reviews (better than the Onkyo), is dirt cheap, decodes HD audio and is well partnered with the 1010is. You can easily get the amp and a pair of 1010is for under £400.

As an added bonus with the Sony, you may be able to use a single remote to control the amp and bluray player!

 

[Anonymous]

I just want to say thanks to everyone for their very helpful advice .

I have now placed an order for the following pieces of kit :-

1 x Sony STRDG820 amplifier / receiver

1 x KEF KHT1005.2 Home cinema system

I also ordered the QED Silver Micro cable so hopefully it will be subtle enough that it doesn't annoy the wife too much , thanks again for all your help , i ended up blowing my budget out the water by a couple of hundred quid by the time you count speaker cable and plugs , but im quietly hoping i wont regret it at all .

My TV and Blu-ray player is scheduled to arrive today , i wont hold my breath though , lots of snow here !

George.