choosing a new system

[richyandkat]

A while back I was thinking of getting the Bose acoustimass 6 speaker system but unfortunately a new boiler and house rewire robbed me of the funds to progress! Some may say this was a blessing in disguise! I'm now in the market again for my first proper home cinema set up and I want to get it right, my budget is, I'm afraid a bit lower than before so I'm hoping to get a speaker and amp sorted for around £700, less if possible. Has anyone got a set up currently they would recommend? I really need the speakers to be compact, She who must be obeyed has signed the home cinema consent form but has made it very clear that large floor standing speakers will not be tolerated! So my requirements are: Compact speaker package with sub, will be wall mounting rear speakers, fronts will probably sit next to TV. Receiver that will work well with speakers and also allow me to play music from spotify. Also hoping to add something like Sonos in the future so need that capability. To go in a room approximately 4mx4.5 Sub £700 Any advice or suggestions would be great, I'm pretty new to the home cinema game so please be gentle with me! 

 

[his dudeness]

take a look here any of them should be a good first systemhttp://www.richersounds.com/products/home-cinema/home-cinema-separates/home-cinema-separates-bundle-deals

 

[jonathanRD]

I think it depends on what you mean by compact speakers? Also, how/where do you intend to place them either side of your tv? If you are going to place them on say a tv stand or shelf either side of the tv (where is the centre going to go?) then you need speakers small enough to fit in that space - so look at some of the basic 5.1 systems with small satellite speakers. If on stands, then potentially you can accomodate 'better' and bigger speakers that will both give you a better HC experience and work better with music. But this then brings your budget into play. Is £700 all you want to spend without any further additions, then the Richer Sounds systems mentioned above are a good starting point. Your other option is to build the system in stages. Maybe just get the receiver, player and front left/right speakers first, and build up over a period of time - this requires patience, but will give you a better performing system and you will be less likely to want to upgrade after a year or two. I suppose it depends on how much enjoyment you think you are going to get from the system - if mostly watching tv - get a small satellite system, if your going to watch lots of blurays/dvd's and listen to music, the second option may suit.

I took the second option which took me 2 years to complete and I'm glad I did it that way.