High quality 2 channel Hi-Fi or 5.1 AV system - how do you choose?

[admin_exported]

I will be setting up a system at home at some near future. My question is for people who don't have the space/can't afford to spend a few grand on a top-notch 2-channel Hi-Fi system AND an excellent 5.1 AV system at the same time. How do you go about the choice? (I am new to the world of hi-fi separates…)

Option 1 would be to get a small hi-fi system (all-in-one for a bedroom) and go crazy on a high-quality 5.1 or 7.1 AV system… but will AV receivers with good speakers match a true hi-fi amp sound quality? (such as Onkyo 606 with Monitor Bronze range 5.1 setup)

Option 2 would be to get a modest 5.1 av system with small speakers but get a high-quality hi-fi setup and run them separately.

Option 3 would be to try to combine the two in some fashion - get both an AV receiver and a Hi-Fi amplifier, wire digital output into the Amp and supplement the L and R from the Hi-Fi with rears and sub from the AV receiver. But is this overkill?

Curious as to how you go about this…considering space and budget limitations. As there are many other configurations - would like to hear your suggestions.

 

[KayJay85]

I am sorta considering the same options chain so i am interested in seeing what responses you get.

 

[John Duncan]

Well it depends on the balance of music/movie playing. I would go with option 3 since I lean more towards music, and would be quite happy adding a s/h 50 quid receiver for occasional movie use to supplement a top notch stereo setup.

I'm bolstered in this view by having always found surround sound a bit underwhelming, and being 90% as happy listening in top quality stereo.

So, which is more important to you - music or film?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

chainrock:
I will be setting up a system at home at some near future. My question is for people who don't have the space/can't afford to spend a few grand on a top-notch 2-channel Hi-Fi system AND an excellent 5.1 AV system at the same time. How do you go about the choice? (I am new to the world of hi-fi separates.)

Option 1 would be to get a small hi-fi system (all-in-one for a bedroom) and go crazy on a high-quality 5.1 or 7.1 AV system. but will AV receivers with good speakers match a true hi-fi amp sound quality? (such as Onkyo 606 with Monitor Bronze range 5.1 setup)

Option 2 would be to get a modest 5.1 av system with small speakers but get a high-quality hi-fi setup and run them separately.

Option 3 would be to try to combine the two in some fashion - get both an AV receiver and a Hi-Fi amplifier, wire digital output into the Amp and supplement the L and R from the Hi-Fi with rears and sub from the AV receiver. But is this overkill?

Curious as to how you go about this.considering space and budget limitations. As there are many other configurations - would like to hear your suggestions.

Depends on what is most important to you. If you are like me and it's fairly equal, option 3 is recommended.

 

[John Duncan]

(jinx)

 

[professorhat]

If you ultimately want the best of both worlds, unless you have a load of cash, I would build the system up slowly from scratch. One way to do this would be to buy a good hi-fi setup (though ensure you get some speakers which are part of a range which can be made into a full AV system e.g. the B&W 685 Home Theatre setup - there are plenty out there). To start off with, you can run your AV setup through the stereo amp which will still be a big improvement over the TV speakers.

Once you have this, as budget allows, you can then add an AV receiver (ensuring it has front pre-outs to allow you to connect up the stereo amp) and the rest of the speakers from that range. With music, your CD player (or whatever music source you have) and front speakers can be connected to the stereo amp ensuring music performance is the same. The stereo amp is then connected to the AV receiver via the receiver's front pre-outs and then your Blu-Ray / DVD player is connected to the AV receiver - this then gives you a fantastic movie performance without compromising your music setup.

You can of course have two completely separate systems, perhaps using a style speaker package for movies - it all depends on your budget and priorities.

EDIT - well we're all agreed then!ÿ

ÿ

 

[aliEnRIK]

Best of both worlds would be a cheapie av amp from richer sounds conencted to a decent stereo amp for the left and right channels

Ive had this setup for about 10 years but recently bought a p1000 arcam multichannel power amp which sounds better (And way more powerful) then my Arcam A85 stereo amp

To put it into context. My dad has the pioneer ax10 (I think thats the model number) which when it came out was 2500 quid and considered the best av amp on the market. Its stereo performance wasnt as good as my Arcam A85 (800 quid or so when it was new)

 

[professorhat]

Surely best of both worlds would be a decent AV amp connected to a decent stereo amp for the left and right

 

[Anonymous]

My advice: walk over to your bookcase and count the number of CDs/LPs you have, then count the number of DVDs you have (factoring in rentals) and adjust your budget accordingly.

I did this and found I had about 300CDs and 10 DVDs so it was quite easy for me......

The other thing I recommend is going to a dealer and experiencing firstly a great hi-fi then a great home cinema system. That might help you sort out your priorities.

jules.

 

[Anonymous]

Really appreciate the responses.

Music is at the end of the day more important to me. I may watch 2-3 movies in a month, but listen to music practically every day. As I see, almost everyone suggests option 3 - running L and F from an average av receiver to proper 2-channel hi-fi amp.

In that case, I think this builds the case for getting a pair of good floor standers. It's a shame I already spent £400+, had I thought this up in advance I would have skipped the micro system...

 

[Anonymous]

Unless you spend a fortune, a 5.1 or 7.1 system will be compromised. I've found a good stereo system with BIG speakers placed either side of the TV can give excellent results with DVD. You need a high-quality DVD player that does a competent stereo downmix, so you don't "lose" the dialogue. Properly set up, you'll get an excellent soundstage that will more than compenstae for the lack of surround sound.

 

[John Duncan]

Yah, but selling on you'd probably only lose a hundred quid. And you can get some Tannoy F4s for £120 for starters.....

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting dilemna, and one that I was in before Christmas once I had made up my mind about upgrading our 26" tv for something of a "proper" size and had my blu-ray player ordered in time for crimbo too. For a long time I was set on the 5.1 HT setup. I thought it was the best of both worlds. However our living room (being a long rectangle with a door in the middle) wouldn't have easily accommodated a full array of speakers with long runs of speaker cables. Not sure the g/f would have been too pleased either. And there also was a large fish tank to consider (ie no boomy bass or overly loud volume levels allowed).

So in the end, it had to be a stereo setup. Not perfect (yet). But I couldn't have dreamt of anything better for the cash outlay to be honest. Of course I am missing out on a sub, but I may just add one at a later stage. Plus we are really enjoying listening to all our CDs again, which makes both me and my g/f very happy as it turns out she's not that keen on watching films other than at the w/e (we both work long hours).

Consider your priorities and also the practical side of your future setup (long/short runs, number of speakers around the room, etc.)... then enjoy! (both the buying process and the listening).

 

[drummerman]

KayJay85:
I am sorta considering the same options chain so i am interested in seeing what responses you get.

As someone else mentioned here, 2 channel stereo (2.1) is more important to me than HT, especially as the Cinema system I like to have would cost around £8000, which I can't afford at the moment and most of the usual suspects mentioned here dont do it for me musically. Then there's the other issue of aesthetics and practicality in a 6 x 5m room. I therefore decided to partner my Kuro with piano black AVI's ADM9.1 with sub and add a good quality, small all-in-one cinema system such as Nad or Panasonic with the smallest possible speakers which I will hide/blend into the room as good as I can for movies. I got a real problem with huge boxes and miles of cables in a living room. I'd love to build the tv into the wall and install some electrially operated partition too but that is unfortunately not practical.

 

[Anonymous]

Bin Clankem - how big is BIG? 2.5-3 way 120-150W floorstanders?

You guys bring a good point, which I will dub Option 4: Just live with a high quality 2.1 setup: London apartments I am afraid may not handle much more... there is space, or lack thereof, and then there are neighbors...

 

[aliEnRIK]

professorhat:
Surely best of both worlds would be a decent AV amp connected to a decent stereo amp for the left and right

yes, but the OP stated cheapie stuff which just isnt going to happen with an AV amp