Home cinema amp to match...

[Raniator]

Hi gang,

I'm on the lookout for a cinema amp to go with the following:

Sony 40Z5500 TV
Sony PS3
Sky+ HD

I'm not hugely clued on what's hot and what's not in the home cinema market these days, can anyone recommend an amp in the £300 - £400 bracket which would work the best with the kit listed above.

Obviously I want to make the most of the Audio from Sky HD and Blu-ray (HD audio? – like I say, I'm a little bit fuzzy when it comes to intricacies of home cinema – which is why I'm here!)

All thoughts very welcome, as always.

Thanks in advance.

 

[professorhat]

Do you have a set of speakers? If not, do they need to be included in the £300 - £400 price?

 

[Raniator]

Good point, sorry I should have pointed that out in the original post.

Yes, but I am going to replace them after I get an amp so £300 - £400 is purely for the amp.

 

[professorhat]

Well, I'd say the Sony STR-DH800 is the best at the lower end of your budget, but the Onkyo 607 and Sony STR-DA2400ES are available between £350 and £400 and should deliver a worthwhile improvement.

If you can, stretch an extra £30 - £50 though and try and get the Denon AVR-1910 - my friend has one and it really is a cracking amp!

 

[Big Aura]

yhup, the denon would be the best option in that range, but in reality, matching an amp to speakers is more important to matching to screen / player / source.

And Prof - I thought you were hibernating. Welcome back.

 

[professorhat]

Big Aura:And Prof - I thought you were hibernating. Welcome back.

Thanks - I came out of hibernation for the winter. Bit odd I know, but it's the way I roll

 

[Anonymous]

Hey your in very similer setup to me,

I am planning to buy same TV model as you for my PS3 but I'm happy with Freeview.

As for Home Cinema personally I have been looking at the Sony HT-SS360 receiver and speaker package, they have reviewed the older version of it on this site and on other sites it seems to get good reviews, £350 on Play.com.

Only thing I have noticed and you may have to check this before you buy is you need to use a "optical audio cable" with your Sky+ HD rather then HDMI cable as this slot gets used up by the PS3 (or something like) but optical is still 5.1 Dolby Digital quality, personally dont see point in 7.1 just more speakers cluttering up the place. Also all three devices would work with the one TV remote with BRAVIA SYNC or so the theory goes.

By the way, was you happy with the backlighting on your 40Z5500? Some including "Whathifi" have found it cloudy and not worthy of the Sony name and price?

 

[Raniator]

Yeah, I'm more than happy with the backlighting on my set... Can't see what the problem is, maybe I'm just lucky. I think some reviewers are too picky, tbh.

 

[Raniator]

Ok... So I am now the proud owner of a Sony STR-DH800

Was going to test it with my current speakers and then upgrade but can't because they connections are incompatible (long story... they have weird plugs, they came with a now ancient DVD/Amp combo).

So... I need some speakers sooner than I thought!

What would you guys recommend? Let's keep it under £400... oh, and I don't need a subwoofer 'cause I've got a Yamaha YST-SW225.

All thoughts appreciated.

Thanks.