first time home cinema ideas?

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

my first post and more than likely a typical first post sorry bout that :/ anyways

a friend of mine recently began building a home cinema which has really opened my eyes about home cinemas i did'nt know it was big business and people are really serious/into it the only experience i have ever had is looking threw argos catologue and seeing the usual 90quid BUSH all in one system which just look and sound awful.

so for the past 2-3 weeks ive been trawling the net and whathifi for ideas i already have a 42" 1080p tv + PS3 so basicly im just looking for the home cinema amp + 5.1 speakers setup i have set myself a budget £700-800 which isn't huge budget but im going from years of having nothing at all, at this moment i thinking of -

Onkyo TX-SR606 - http://whathifi.com/Review/Onkyo-TX-SR606/

Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 - http://whathifi.com/Review/Q-Acoustics-1010i-51/

i can pic up the two for £742 what you think? would i require anywhing else?

also would the speaker package come with speakers cables even if its just standard ones?

thanks look forward to your thoughts 🙂

 

[roger06]

Speakers don't come with cables - hi fi shops usually get you to spend your max budget on the kit - then remind you you need to spend loads more on wires... eBay is awash with cheap speaker cable sold by people upgrading and it's a pretty safe thing to buy second hand.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes should work very well, though you could also listen to the Yamaha DSP-AX763 and the Sony STR-DA2400ES.

No, the speakers won't come with cables, and you'll also need cables to connect your PS3 to the amp - an extra HDMI cable will do the job, so the signal goes PS3-->amp-->TV.

However, I'd do some haggling with a good dealer and see whether you can get suitable cable - five runs of speaker cable and a subwoofer cable either thrown in as part of the deal or at a sensible discount if you buy the whole lot from the one place.

 

[Big Aura]

and the rule for woodworking goes double for cables - measure twice, cut once.

 

[Anonymous]

You can get some free cabling with your amp and speaker package from here

Personally I bought my 1010i's from bluestreamav who also supply some cabling ( Qed performance sublink + 20m of Qed micro)

I'm just waiting for Richer Sounds to get a Yamaha DSP-AX763 in stock for £279 and I'm done..

(They'll also do the Onkyo for £300 if you talk them into it)

I'd get the Yamaha over the Onkyo, supposedly better for music aswell as movies..Good luck !

 

[bretty]

'creative audio' usually have goood combo deals with cables thrown in.

 

[bretty]

I've just had a look at 'creative audio'. They are doing an Onkyo TX-SR 606, with Q acoustics 1010i 5.1 speakers and a whole load of cables for £799.

 

[professorhat]

forbes:I'd get the Yamaha over the Onkyo, supposedly better for music as well as movies..Good luck !

Well, have a listen first before you decide. You may prefer the Onkyo.

 

[Anonymous]

firstly thanks for the links guys few different stores i aint came across, the yamaha was another one i was looking at i kinda lean towards the onkyo because the yamaha doesnt have upscaling function but is it really a must or could i live with out it?

also richer sounds have the Onkyo TXSR806 on sale which has alot of nice funstions too http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=ONKY-TXSR806-SIL

also i dont have the luxury of living in a detached house i live in a flat its on the ground floor so the sub will be fine but all that being well i do respect my neightbours above, im not gona be having the system on really high volume but enough so i can hear at a decent level little worried of anoying the neighbours you see that being a problem with this setup?

 

[Anonymous]

Re Onkyo TXSR806 : I'd have a read at a thread on http://www.avphorums.com/forums/onkyo-owners-forum/861460-onkyo-tx-sr806-blue-dots-black-1080p.html

NB replace the ph for an f in the above link (dont ask me but links to that site seem to be banned ??)

Professer Hat is right too, you should demo the 606 next to the Yamaha before buying really...

As for the upsacling thing I wondered about that too but was assured here by folks that know that

its not worth getting in a lather about .i.e. the TV will do any upscaling necessary and that the amps main function

should be concerned with audio not video, or words to that effect anyway..!

 

[Anonymous]

competitive prices here if you want the yamaha or denon 1909

http://www.hispek.com/P/YamahaQ-Acoustics-DSPAX763-1010IBPACK-Home-Cinema-Package-Black(5730).aspx

 

[Anonymous]

ok so about the upscaling business i have a ps3 which upscales so does my dvd player, i also have sky HD installed.

i basicly thought that if the amp doesnt have upscale function it would block the upscale functions of my ps3/dvd etc..

the yamaha has got alot better reviews everywhere and is cheaper than the onkyo too.

 

[Dave_]

adamg64:

ok so about the upscaling business i have a ps3 which upscales so does my dvd player, i also have sky HD installed.

i basicly thought that if the amp doesnt have upscale function it would block the upscale functions of my ps3/dvd etc..

the yamaha has got alot better reviews everywhere and is cheaper than the onkyo too.

Well as you've a ps3/sky hd/upscaling dvd then it doesn't matter if the amp doesn't upscale.

The amp wont block an upscaled signal if it doesn't upscale itself, it will just pass through the signal, so if you prefer the yammy i wouldn't let the fact it doesn't upscale put you off!