First home cinema system - some help please!

[admin_exported]

Hi

I'm putting together my first home cinema system. I've already got:

- Sky HD box

- Pioneer PDP 4280XD panel

The key things I'm thinking about now getting:

- Panasonic BDMP BD30 Blu Ray player

- Onkyo TX SR605 receiver

- B&W 685 speakers

I'm also thinking about:

- Apple TV to drag video content from my PC to my TV

1) Does this sound like the makings of a good system?

2) Because of my room shape etc I'm only intending to get stereo speakers - the B&W 685s - is the Onkyo happy driving stereo speakers rather than surround?

3) Does the Panasonic Blu Ray player also play audio CDs well or should I be looking for a separate CD player as well?

Any help/views greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Craig

 

[Anonymous]

Everything sounds good (especially the telly), one thing i would consider however is ... If you are only going for stereo, with no intention of upgrading, the SR605 has loads of features that you will be paying for, but not using. If you spent the same money on a normal stereo amplifier, you will get better sound for your money. If you intend to upgrade with more speakers later, then wait for the SR606 to come out as it has more in the way of connectivity. In the meantime, the Onkyo will be happy outputting in stereo. What interconnects are you going to be using? This question may open the floodgates to the non-believers but..... interconnects and speaker wire can have a big influence on the final sound you get from your system.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks. Yep - am loving the TV.

I may upgrade to 5.1 or 7.1 at some point so am trying to future-proof by going for a receiver rather than a stereo amp. I also assumed a stereo amp wouldn't be able to do the HDMI switching, whereas the receiver will?

Have just been reading about the 606 and agree with you re waiting on that one. What about the new 506 - any thoughts on that one? What's the main things the 6-series gives you over the 5-series?

Interconnect-wise, was planning Van Den Hul HDMI cables and QED Silver Anniversary speaker cables.

 

[Anonymous]

The 6 series can support HD audio over HDMI, the 505 cannot. I have a 605, as you can see from my sign off, and I have no complaints. I don't know how much is changed on the 606, you may want WHSAV to test one before you commit to buy, just incase Onkyo have taken their eye off the ball and have ruined an award winner. The Onkyos will do the HDMI switching, but you have to go for the 875 or NR905 if you want decent upscaling on SD sources.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, thanks. Would rather wait for the 606 then. Not planning to buy for a couple of months yet so hopefully it'll get a test before then. Thing that attracted me to the 606 rather than the 605 is the number of HDMI inputs (4 vs 2) for a bit of future-proofing. 875 and 905 a bit out of my league.

You think going for the B&W 685s as stereo speakers gives me decent options to add to them to upgrade to 5.1 or 7.1 later?

Interconnects I mentioned sound ok?

Would you recommend the iPod dock that you've got?

 

[Anonymous]

i wouldnt write off a denon or yamaha either as these competitors havent been reviewed by whf [come on denon and yama sort out some testers]. both are extremely good makes with a long background in this industry. but having owned both i think denon is musically better [although things change]. the best thing to do is do some research on them and demo them after that [and the onk] you may prefer one of the others as personal preference is key, there is no real right or wrong just what your ears are happiest with ;-)

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Darkside. Any particular Denon (I'm a fan having had a great micro system for years - DM30) or Yamaha models in mind that would compete with the Onkyo 6-series?

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="craig thornton"]
You think going for the B&W 685s as stereo speakers gives me decent options to add to them to upgrade to 5.1 or 7.1 later?
[/quote]

Simple answer on this one is "Yes"! I've built a home theatre set up around the 685s (mostly for home theatre rather than music to be honest, though I still think they are great musically with my Denon amp). This review gives you an idea of WHF think of them!

However, I would definitely demo them before buying. I've seen several posts on this forum of people who don't like the sound produced from the 685s. Sound is a very subjective thing obviously, so it's best to make sure you're not one of them before buying!

EDIT - oh and if you do go for them, the QED cable you mention works with them perfectly IMO. Also, Clare Newsome from WHF advised me they really work best on decent heavy stands such as the Partington Dreadnoughts or, for a bit cheaper, mass loaded Atacama Aurora 6 stands.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="craig thornton"]
Thanks Darkside. Any particular Denon (I'm a fan having had a great micro system for years - DM30) or Yamaha models in mind that would compete with the Onkyo 6-series?
[/quote]

not sure as i haven't kept up to date on the amp scene but take a look at some if ur using them for hdmi switching make sure they're hdmi 1.3 compatible to get the best fo everything i guess use the onks 6 specs to guage a similar model, and then of course demo, demo,demo.
checkout the latest "page" above go back a few days and thers a review on the 685 home theatre package
[685 left and right, 686 rears 6 series frnt and not sure about the sub

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks all.

Anyone got a view on how well the Panasonic BD30 handles music? Would like to do without a separate CD player if I can get away with it.

Having seen another thread on here, I think I'll pass on the Apple TV for the moment. It does seem there's a gap in the market for a really good media streamer, unless anyone knows of one that they'd recommend? I've got the house kitted out with cat5 cables but not really getting any use out of that yet.