Home cinema complete revamp

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I would apreciate a little bit of help in updating my system-

28" philips CRT, old Technics 5`1 reciever, Panasonic Dvd575, Mission M73 front speakers, old Eltax centre speaker, 2 very small Sony speakers from an early 1 box 5.1 system, and lastly no sub.

My first priority is to replace my Tv with a 37 - 42" plasmer or lcd. I initially started looking at a Samsung Le40m87 which i can get for £699 at Comets. I like the styling and have read some good reviews and it seems like good value for a full 1080p screen (I like the idea of investing in the best technology that my budget will support, between £700 & £1000)

Having spoken to people and read various articles it seems that plasma screns at the same size in my budget out perform the 1080p lcd screens. The guy at comets told me i would be dissapointed with lcd screens without 100hz when watching sport and fast action (100hz models would be out of my budget and surely everyone that buys a non 100hz set cant be dissapointed) i also notice that you rarely mention 100hz capability in you magazine.

I can get a panasonic plasma, TH42PX70PED for £749 at richer sounds which also seems like good value, what are yout thoughts?

Next up i was going to wait for the new panasonic blueray DMP-BD50 as i have read that it will decode all sound formats on board which i can spit out through 6 channel into a Cambridge Audio 540r, you might find it odd that i have shortlisted this over the onkyo 605 with its hdmi audio but i have listened to one at a friends.

I like the sound,styling, build and its capability with stereo as will be using this system 50/50, do you know if cambridge have plans for hi def audio through hdmi in future models?

I might add a Azur 540 cd player at some stage or even a arcam diva cd that my mate is selling

Finally what speakers and sub would you partner with my trusty Missions and what cables would you use to hook it all up?

p.s the rears cant be huge or standmounts

Many thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Have you thought about the new 42PX80? You can get it from www.1staudiovisual.co.uk for £719.10. I think it has more connections and also more in the way of contrast ratio, which should theoretically mean a better picture. If you want the best or most recent technology, take a look at the PZ70 and PZ80, they are FullHD and still fall within your bugdet of £1000 if you shop around. Given your concern for getting the best technology, I am confused that you would pick the 540R. Have you heard the 605? I have one and I am very pleased with it. It could be that the £200 diffence in price has swayed you. In which case, how about the 505? I just feel that it would be a potential waste to have the HDMI connection available on your TV and then nothing on the reciever. I am not sure about compatability when it comes to mixing and matching speakers and subs, so I will leave that to someone else.

 

[Anonymous]

mate dont buy anything from comet go see ya local independent or failing that sevenoakes

 

[Anonymous]

My main attraction to the 540r is its capability with stereo, but i also love the styling and build quality, the price is definatly attactive. It does do hdmi switching just a shame it cant stream hd audio.

If i was going for a dedicated home cinema system i probably would go with the onkyo 605 (the £250 onkyo doesn't do hi def audio)

Comets seem to have some good deals on tv's, not as good as if you scratch around on the net a bi through. All my local independents lack choice and seem really pricey. I love sevenoaks but that seems quite pricey too.

 

[Anonymous]

Has anyone else got any thoughts particulary on the speaker front?

 

[Anonymous]

If your not to bothered about box speakers then the The £300 KEF KHT1005, £400 KEF KHT1005.2S or the £600.00 KEF KHT3005S

 

[Anonymous]

Im looking for centre, rears and a sub to pair up with my mission m73 floorstanders. Im guessing that sticking with mission partners would be best.

 

[Anonymous]

come on surely someone can help me out.

what are your thoughts clare?

 

[Anonymous]

i cant believe no one in here can recommend me a set of speakers to go with the system mentioned

 

[Anonymous]

Well if you have M73s at the front I'd think about 2 options. 1. sell em and go for one of Missions newer M series speaker packages.

M33i £379
M32i £399
M3i £699

Or keep the M73s and add mission's to the rest of the system

 

[professorhat]

If you're staying with your Mission fronts, then yes, you ideally want to stick to Missions for your rears and centre, or at the very least, just your centre. I haven't looked at any Mission speakers for about 5 years though so can't really recommend any I'm afraid. You really would be advised to see a local dealer - they can advise on what would match the system you are looking to build and, if you can get your existing kit in, you can then audition some speakers with them to see how it all sounds.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="professorhat"]If you're staying with your Mission fronts, then yes, you ideally want to stick to Missions for your rears and centre, or at the very least, just your centre. I haven't looked at any Mission speakers for about 5 years though so can't really recommend any I'm afraid. You really would be advised to see a local dealer - they can advise on what would match the system you are looking to build and, if you can get your existing kit in, you can then audition some speakers with them to see how it all sounds.[/quote]

I'd have to agree, Mission's aren't what they use to be. I'm using the Monitor Audio BR2 package and for the money it's friggin awesome.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for your replys, i agree missions dont seem to be what they were but these are good little speakers and sound good with stereo and cinema. Maybe i could look on ebay for a centre and bookshelfe surrounds from the same range, I think the range is about 8 years old.

How about a budget sub?

 

[professorhat]

Ebay is an option, the issue being obviously you can't hear before you buy so unless you're sure it will work, it may end up being a waste of money (unless you can shift it on afterwards I guess).

Sub-wise, what's a budget sub for you? There's the Wharfedale Diamond SW150 at £250 or the Quad L-ite at £550. These are worth auditioning but it obviously depends what you're going to be matching them with - hence my advice to use a dealer...

 

[Anonymous]

Again depending on budget Richer Sounds have Subs from £70.00 but I can't comment on their sound. If you see one you fancy I'd google it for some feedback

 

[rob_981]

Matt, I'm about to sell my Mission M3C1i centre speaker....or if you don't want a second hand one, I can at least vouch for it's quality. I've found it to be a very good centre speaker. I'm only selling it cos I've just bought the Jamos.