cinema surround for a grand

[audioidiot1]

hi all as my name suggests i,m an audio idiot. i would like a really good seperates system for surround sound but i have no idea what make a good system. help please

 

[matengawhat]

as astarting point what kit do you currently own? is sound for music or movies most important to you? how bigs your room?

 

[audioidiot1]

i currently own a 6 year old sony str-ksl5 withsony speakers that came as standard. i have blu-ray and i,m a film guy and i love bass,not really used for music

 

[matengawhat]

ok so you will be replacing everything but the blu-ray player - for a grand I would look at an amp and a sub sat system or small bookshelf setup depending on space

do you have skyhd/ps3/360 or anything else - how many hdmi sockets do you need etc

i would start with looking at amps from sony/yamaha/onkyo/denon and speaker packages from kef/Monitor audio/qaccoustics/wharfedales

 

[audioidiot1]

that sounds good. i have been reading about amps and they say you need to watch wot speakers you use(something about warm amps and neutral ones). wot is sub sat system??(i am an idiot) i dont have any other hd sources apart from b-ray.

wot would you recomend as a good system?

 

[matengawhat]

i'm not saying this is the best solution but a great starting point would come in at about £760 Sony STR DH800 or Sony STR DG820 & kef KHT 2005.3 would leave plenty for cables

yamaha dsp 763 and q accoustics 2000 coming in at about £950

a sub sat system some times called a style package means 5 small (style) speakers for the high frequences mainly which i would wall mount and a subwoofer for all the grunty stuff the bass as opposed to stand mounted speakers and a sub but that would depend on the size of the room

 

[audioidiot1]

i,m with you on the sub sat. i must be honest i would need wall mount speakers as little feet are on the go. size of room is 27 sq mtr but its L shaped.tv at big end.

with regards to cables i have been reading and some people say hd cables produce the same quality of sound,pic as more expensive ones.i,m using a monster hd just now

 

[matengawhat]

I meant more for speaker cable and subwoofer cables than hdmi, the one you have will be fine but you will need a 2nd hdmi cable, one from blu ray to amp and then amp for tv

this is good buy

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/11585689/KEF-KHT2005-3-Home-Theatre-Speaker-System/Product.html

 

[audioidiot1]

i know wot you ment mate,i know it says idiot but i,a not that thick hahaha.is there any recomendations in the speaker cables and sub cable you could give without spending crazy money. cheers

 

[matengawhat]

try chord and qed cables lots of choice and good for the money, but depends how much you need - spend more on the cable for the front 3 speakers and less for the rears - i always go for the same brand for all 5 but drop down one level for the rears

what's your blu-ray player?

for the money i would go for the yamaha amp mentioned above with the kef package linked to from play - chord carnival classic speakers cable for the front, leyline for the rears and a qed silver reference sub woofer cable - depending on legth should come in under a grand and would be a very nice sounding setup - try buying all from same place and ask for a deal

lots of good deal to be had - here a good starting point for seeing what you can get for your money - http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HOTDEALS.php?HD=HOMECINEMA

 

[audioidiot1]

thanks for that.is there a reason why you drop down a level for the rears. sounds rude lol

 

[matengawhat]

money - the fronts carry most of the important stuff so better to spend more there and compromise a little on the rears ambient background noises ect - i run a 7.1 system so for my 4 rears i have 36m+ of cable plus plugs so your talking a couple of hundred quid

my front speaker cable is £36m - so the rears arn't biwirable so would be £18m

 

[audioidiot1]

fair point,i never thought of that. you mention plugs,what are they for?your system sounds good? how do you know all this information?

 

[matengawhat]

banana plugs - to terminate speakers cables just makes it easier

many years of playing, swapping kit, kind of a hobby, misspent youth!!!

 

[audioidiot1]

you will be pleased to know that i have learned alot chating with you. this is maybe a silly question,but what retailers would you trust . is it better online or in the shop.i live miles away from any retailers so internet would be easier.is it possible to demo kit before you buy?

 

[matengawhat]

i would say go try and demo tto make sure your happy and try to build rapour with a dealer and do a deal if that not possible I don't think you can really go wrong at this level

online dealers i have used, trust and would def recommend Peter Tysons, Moorgate Acoustics & Creative Audio - never had a problem with any of them and all have provided very good service

 

[audioidiot1]

just been looking at creative audio and they have a denon avr-2310 with acoustic energy aego t5.1 with cable bundle for £1085. any good?

 

[matengawhat]

yeah thats a great buy - from memory the AE aego package was a 5star what hi fi products as well

 

[audioidiot1]

thats good then.they have the denon 1910 with same speakers at 850.would it be a good idea to do this 1 and spend more on the cables

 

[audioidiot1]

hi there to all, does anyone else have any idea,s on this subject please

 

[professorhat]

Tricky one to answer, I've heard the Denon 1910 and it's a great amp. I haven't heard the 2310, but I've read posts here from a number of people who've heard both and they all agreed the 2310 was worth the extra money. However, to be 100% sure, you ought to try and demo them first for yourself.

At the end of the day, the 2310 + speakers is over your budget, but if this is okay, it may well be worth it!

 

[lobby]

• • A few options to look at, does this budget include speaker cable as well.
  • Kef 2005.3 and Onkyo 607, Denon 1910
  • Over budget with the Kef 3005se
  • Monitor Audio Vectors and Yamaha RXV-765, 1065
  • Older MA Radius and Yamaha amp
  • Q Acoustics 1010i and Onkyo 607 , Denon 1910, Yamaha amp or Sony STR2400
  • Q Acoustics 2000 and same amps
  • Tannoy Arena-Lites and Onkyo 607 will need wall mounts and grilles
  • Quad-lites mk11 and Onkyo 6o7 slightly over budget.
  • For me i would spend that little bit extra and go for Either the Quads or Kef 3005se, and you can always add floorstanders later on to any of these packages. Hope this helps.

 

[audioidiot1]

thanks for your reply hat i have read that aswell i,m ok if i spend a bit more but not a stupid amount but i,m not sure an idiot like me would notice the difference in sound between the two.this could be my 2 dimensional thinking.cheers

 

[audioidiot1]

thanks for your reply lobby now my head is really bust i never thought this was going to be this difficult to sort .the budget does,nt have to include cables if its the rite set up. you mention the onkyo 607.they make lots of amps so why do you mention the 607?against the others. cheers

 

[lobby]

The reason i metioned the Onkyo 607 is because it partners certain speakers better especially the Kefs, and works really well with the Quads, ive got the Quad-lites and 606 and it's fantastic with a £550 sub included in the package which really ties the system together with great bass. Now i must admit that im not biased towards the Onkyo amps just more familiar with them. Yamaha work really well with the Monitor Audio's, so really it's upto you to try and get a demo with the different companies to see which you prefer. Also look at what sources your going to connect up, this will also have a bearing on which amp to choose ie 3 or 4 hdmi sockets. Smaller traditional speakers imho will always sound better than most sub/sats, and you will also get reasonable sound from cd's and Mp3, thats a factor as well some amps can connect Ipods and are better for music.