First Time Buyer - Home Cinema Package

[admin_exported]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first foray into the world of home cinema and as such I wanted to ask some advice from some seasoned veterans! I have a total budget of a £1000.00 to purchase a home cinema system and have sourced the following items:

Sony STR DG820 - http://whathifi.com/Review/Sony-STR-DG820/Specs/

Richer Sounds £230.00 (http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=SONY-STRDG820-BLK)

Sony BDP – S550 - http://whathifi.com/Review/Sony-BDP-S550/

Richer Sounds £220.00 (http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=SONY-BDPS550-BLK)

Speakers – Qacoustics 1010i51 - http://whathifi.com/Review/Q-Acoustics-1010i-51/Specs/

SuperFI - £411.00 - http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3676

If there is anyone out there with a similar system, or anyone that could provide any feedback or advice that would be really appreciated!

All the best. JB

 

[ear]

For speakers you would be better served with tannoy f1. or Wharfedale diamonds 9.1

 

[cram]

Has your local Richer Sounds confirmed the items in stock? Both of the Sony's mentioned are difficult to get hold of at those prices.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi thanks for replying so soon , in relation to the speakers you have detailed how would these fit within a 5.1. surround sound setup? Apologies if i have missed something obvious or if i didnt specify it in my original post.

JB

 

[Anonymous]

Good point on the richer sounds front, I was working on the assumption that I could get them at that price. If it works out I have to pay a little more, I will hopefully still be on or around my budget.

Assuming the price is right, would they be a good choice?

JB

 

[Anonymous]

Telly ?

 

[Anonymous]

I'll have to check the exact model and post later, but it's a Panasonic 42", 1080i Hi Def. 2 Years Old.

Cheers

JB

 

[rob_981]

If you can't get hold of the BDP-S550, or if you just want to save some cash, you could go for the BDP-S350. I have it, and it's a cracking player. As far as I'm aware, the main difference is that the BDP-S550 can decode all HD audio onboard (including DTS HD MA, which the S350 can't), but since the amp can do this anyway, it's not so important to you.

 

[Anonymous]

Ahh ok, this is all still pretty new for me, so what your actualy saying is that the amp does all of the work.

How do you think the speakers would perform in that setup?

Cheers

JB

 

[True Blue]

In your budget dont forget to allow for speaker cables and a subwoofer lead. Reccomendation is about 10% of your system cost to go on cables. QED or Chord about £5 per metre should do the trick, subwoofer leads dependant on placement / length but a 5m one should be around £40. You will probably want to get banana plugs on the ends of the speaker wires as well (amp end) ten in total for 5.1.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

It's been a little while since I last posted, through hours of frustrating searches for the components I posted. Partial success has been acheived as I have managed to get hold of the Blu Ray and the speakers.

My main difficulty has been to get hold of the AMP, as there does seem to be a general UK Shortage for the Sony and Yamaha low / mid range AMPS as recommended on this site. One option that has been recommended to me is to pre-order the "Onkyo TX-SR 557" (Brand new model expected in one to two weeks - Price £400.00).

I thought to post to see if anyone else is having the same frustrations as me, and whether anyone has seen any early reviews for the "Onkyo TX-SR 557"?

Cheers

JB