Home Cinema advice for a complete novice!

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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone with far greater experience than I would be able to offer some advice regarding my planned home cinema setup?

In the next month or so i plan on buying the following equipment:

- Panasonic TH37PX70 Plasma TV and wall bracket (£680.00)

- Onkyo TX-SR605 AV Receiver (£400.00)

- Samsung HD870 DVD Player (£47.00)

- Q Acoustics 1010 5.1 Speaker System (£450.00)

- Q Acoustics 1000ST Speaker Stands x 2 (£140.00)

- SKY+ Box (£100.00)

The plan is to have the TV mounted on a dry lined redundant chimney brest with the other components located within the redundant fireplace and all cables run through the wall void.

Could anyone let me know if the following setup sounds correct? I have never done anything like this before.

I plan to connect the AV receiver to the TV by a single HDMI cable (i also plan to run a spare HDMI Cable from the TV for future use).

The DVD player would then be connected directly to the receiver by HDMI and Digital Optical cable (for suround sound).

The SKY+ box would be connected via S Video to the receiver and again digital optical cable for surround sound.

I plan on using flat speaker cable to connect the speakers, this is so that i can run the cable under the carpets. I have been looking at two types: QED Qontour Ultra Flat and Merlin C4. Could anyone offer advice on which is better, or any other alternatives? I'm looking at paying no more than £2 per metre so cost is important in this instance.

As far as the speaker connectors go, would i be correct in thinking that i need to go for banana plugs? If so i will i need 20 of them? Any advice on the type i should be looking at would be appreciated.

A sub woofer cable would run from the receiver to the sub (i think 😱).

The only other cable that i belive may be required is an 'on screen menu' cable for the receiver menu to be displayed on the TV. Do i need this cable? I was rather hoping that everything would go through the single HDMI cable...

I hope at some point to get a Playstation 3 (which may well replace the DVD player) and possibly a Nintendo WII, but for the time being i have a budget of around £2000 so they will have to wait!!

Am i correct in thinking that the PS3 would be connected in the same way the DVD player is above and the WII by component cable and digital audio?

Any ideas or suggestions on the way i plan to set the equipment up, or the actual equipment i plan to use will be gratefully received. i plan on having a demo of the above equipment nearer to the time of purchase so that i can confirm that i like what i hear and see!!

Many thanks in advance

Richard

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, it all looks fine to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that Andrew. That makes me feel better - i was sure i'd managed to miss something out!

Could you tell me if i should have any preference for Merlin C4 or QED Qontour Flat Speaker cable? I'm not wholly convinced that expensive speaker cable makes that much difference to the quality of sound, but then i am tone deaf! ;o)

Also, do you know if i need an onscreen menu cable, or would the menu be put through the HDMI from the AV Receiver.

Oh and while i think about it, could you also receommend some (relatively) cheap banana plugs? I think i need 20, is this correct?

Many Thanks

Richard

 

[Andrew Everard]

I'd say Quntour would be more than adequate.

On the menu thing, I'll dig out a 605 manual and come back to you - I'm fairly confident it'll work on the HDMI. It certainly does on the 875.

EDIT Yes, the OSD is available via HDMI, but it seems only when viewing a source connected via HDMI.

 

[Anonymous]

Brilliant,

Thanks very much.

The reason i ask is i've been looking at a package for the speakers and the Receiver from Creative Audio. It's pretty good except it includes a menu lead and i'm not sure i'd need that. Also they include something like 10 banana plugs and i think i'd need more than that. I'll give them a call at some point to see if it's possible to customise their deal. Generally for anyone considering the Q acoustics and Onkyo 605 it seems like a pretty good deal.

 

[Hendy00]

Hi

Just like Richard, I'm a novice at HD and in the process of setting one up. I was getting tired of reading too many reviews on different forums when LO and Behold i read this. Almost exactly the same setup except that i'm going for the Pioneer DV 600AV-K dvd player. I already knew which TV and DVD i wanted, just weren't sure about the AV amp. It was between the Sony DA1200ES, DG910 or Onkyo 605. Amittedly i was leaning towards the 1200ES as it has Turntable inputs and , but after going into a few shops and made equiries, they all said that the 605 knock spots of both Sony's but has no inputs for turntables. None of them had the 605 in stock as yet and 1 is not even sure that they are going to get them in, but being in the business I would of thought they know which was a better buy. One thing they all said that stuck in my mind ,as I want to still use my turntable but have to use a pre amp to do so. They said that i be better of sticking with my amp (it has an AV output and can be used as an pre-amp) with turnable, Cd and Tape deck connected for processing and connect the pre-amp and speakers to the 605. I can select the Hi fi via the 605 aux selector letting my Hi fi and home cinema use the same speakers and i won't loose any quality of sound especially from the turntable.

Are they right about the sound quality or should i connect the Cd player and Tape deck straight to the 605? My existing amp is an Albarry PP1 ( Yes, quite dated but pure quality)

I still want to hear this setup before i part with my hard earned cash

Many thanks in advance

H

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the extra info Andrew. I have another question for you (last one i promise! 😱)

If i have the system connected as i have described, can i just have the sound from the SKY+ box just coming through the TV speakers?

My guess is probably not. At the very least the receiver would need to be switched on, but I'd probably have to have a phono lead directly from the SKY+ box to the TV would i not?

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="s0108787"]
If i have the system connected as i have described, can i just have the sound from the SKY+ box just coming through the TV speakers?

[/quote]

You could run a Scart directly to the TV, AFAICR, from the second output on the Sky+ box, and that would carry sound to the TV for watching when the receiver is off.

 

[Andrew Everard]

I'd shorten the signal paths and connect everything except the turntable to the Onkyo, using the Albarry purely as a phono preamp with a connection from its tape outputs to the receiver.

Otherwise your components are going through two sets of switching, which is probably best avoided.

 

[Hendy00]

Thanks Andrew. I Thought that was the correct way of setting it up
Good luck to you Richard. Hope it sounds as good as i hope mine to be.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks mate,

Best of luck to you too.

 

[Anonymous]

I have recently purchased a TH42PX70 and looking for a some surround sound speakers and i presume an amplifier to go with this. I had a look at the

It is currently set up with a Philips DVP5100/05 Divx DVD Player; Virgin Media + box and a PS3.

I like the look of the http://www.yamaha-uk.com/sound_projectors/?product_id=166 which I noticed Clare mentioned in another thread, but wondered if there is anything which does the same but a bit cheaper

I notice that the YSP-900 is a bit cheaper, but "aimed at 32 inch" tv's..... surely that does the same thing bit is probably a bit smaller...