Help on what to buy

[Sidthekid]

Hi,

I have just brought an all in one Blu ray home cinema system which I am going to take back because the sound has no guts, full blast sounds no louder than the tv.

Reading some of the posts on here I now think I will go the way of seperates to get the best sound possible. Could anyone please suggest a good surround sound system I can run my sky box through and use my PS3 (3D version) as the Blu ray player.

I am looking to spend about £300 to £400 pound for a good sounding system, maybe from Richer Sounds as I have a local one to me.

I really don't know much about av receivers etc. so all help appreciated.

 

[drichardb]

Which system did you buy originally?

 

[GSB]

I started with a panasonic one box dvd system and decided to investigate the seperates route as i was very unhappy with the sound when playing cd's.The differance between seperates and a one box system is chaulk&cheese,with the added advantage that a seperates system can be added too or upgraded.

My advice would be to visit a dealer such as richersounds,tell them your budget and let them demonstrate to you excactly what you can get for your money.

There appears to be some great package deals about,for both options

 

[Sidthekid]

The system I brought was a Pioneer BCS-222 which was recommended to me at Richer Sounds. I did ask for a good 2.1 or 5.1 system, something to boost my tv, I said I had a budget of about £400 and this is what he suggested. Very poor sound on it, I had it on full volume and the tv sounded louder at half volume! I at least want the neighbours to start banging when the volume is full blast.

I am going to take it back this Saturday on there 14day trial, can anybody suggest a good system they do for about £400, as I am bit worried they may try and flog me another system they just want to get rid of.

Cheers

 

[Big Chris]

Just to clarify. Does it sound quiet with Blu-Ray and/or TV?

If it's just TV volume that's lacking, it may be because your TV's audio out is variable, so unless the volume is ramped all the way up on the TV, you're gonna get reduced output from the home cinema at any volume.

Due to greater dynamic range, Blu-Rays are often a fair bit quieter than DVD.

If it's quiet with every source, then yeah, it's gonna need replacing.

If I were you, I'd have a gander at the Richer Sounds website. They normally have some good deals going, and you should be able to find a receiver and speaker package for near your budget.

 

[bretty]

Hey buddy,

I Bought the missus an LG home cinema in a box and it absolutely blew me away with how good it was for the money. Good with music, but superb with movies. Oh and it goes proper loud!

I posted more about it HERE

 

[Sidthekid]

Hi Big Chris, the sound was quite on both tv and Blu-ray on full whack.

I have just had a quick look on the Richer Sounds website (should be working oops!) and seen the Yamaha RXV373 & Cambridge Audio speakers deal, the yamaha has a good review on this website also. Would this be better? and could I connect my PS3 to it and use it as a Bluray player till I save some more money?

I will also have a look at the LG system thanks.

 

[Big Chris]

http://www.richersounds.com/package/system-savers/home-cinema-system-deals/pah01858

Only thing you'll need is speaker cable and an HDMI cable (assuming you already have one from PS3 to TV).

 

[Sidthekid]

Thanks Big Chris,

Been looking again and also like the look of the Pioneer VSX527 & Boston speakers:

http://www.richersounds.com/package/system-savers/home-cinema-system-deals/pah011077

as it has something called Front Stage Surround Advance system where I can put the speakers all at the front to stop some surround sound nagging from the missus about cable everywhere. Then I can just bring them out when watching films, but I am not sure on what are the best makes? Would you suggest the Yamaha or the Pioneer as I would hate too miss out on a better system for the sake of fifty quid.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Big Chris]

Tricky because the Yamaha is the current award winner at that price and the Pioneer has a 3 star rating saying it "lacks punch". Then again the Boston speakers are held in higher regard (and look nicer) than the Tannoys......

If you had to push me to choose, I'd probably enquire on the price for the Yamaha amp with the Boston speakers.:?

 

[Sidthekid]

Thanks Big Chris for all your advice.

I think I will get the Yamaha packaged with the Cambridge Audio speakers and get the Sony BDPS490 Bluray player as an added bonus.

They both have 5 star reviews on this website so hopefully I can't go wrong.

One quick embarrassing newbie question, I have an old dvd surround sound which this is replacing, can I use the speaker cable from them if it doesn't come with any?

Cheers

 

[Big Chris]

You can, but whether you should is another matter. Most one-box home cinema systems tend to use the thinnest cable possible to keep costs down. Not the best thing to use unless you really have no choice.