Home cinema to keep the gf happy (small speakers!)

[quibble8]

After some help, please. The girlfriend wants a soundbar ("oh, look, it's pretty and doesn't have any cables")!!

After some convincing, I've got her coming round to the idea of a proper surround system as a much better prospect but she doesn't want big ugly speakers (her words). So can you make some suggestions?

I've got about £1000 to play with (but could push it a little further if I could get her happy enough). The system would be used for tv, movies and music. WiFi, Bluetooth and other bells and whistles would be nice but not essential. Obviously, sound quality is high on my list but the less obtrusive I can make the system and speakers, the better.

Just after some ideas I can go and listen to (and she can look at!)

Thank you

 

[Son_of_SJ]

After some convincing, I've got her coming round to the idea of a proper surround system as a much better prospect but she doesn't want big ugly speakers (her words). So can you make some suggestions?

I have no girlfriend, so I can have as many speakers as I want!

I don't know about big ugly speakers, but you can have big beautiful speakers. This Eltax 5.0 set http://www.son-video.com/Rayons/HomeCinema/EnceintesAV/Eltax-Shine.html forms part of my kitchen system, and I know I'm biased, but I happen to think that the floorstanders in the Calvados finish are the most beautiful speakers that I've seen this side of two grand. This will cost about £505 to import from France, leaving you almost £500 for a subwoofer.

 

[Tonestar1]

Quibble,

Is your budget just for the speakers or do you need an amplifier too?

 

[quibble8]

Is your budget just for the speakers or do you need an amplifier too?

.. I'll need an amp too.

Son_of_SJ - while I like them, in my girlfriend's eyes big = ugly (at least when we're talking about speakers, av kit etc..)

 

[rs6mra]

Will you consider second hand equipment?

 

[Frank Harvey]

Onkyo TXNR626 and KEF KHT3005se comes to just over a thousand...

 

[John Duncan]

Home cinema to keep the gf happy

You're doing it wrong.

 

[stavvy]

I heard these q acoustic speakers at the Bristol show and was seriously impressed with the scale of sound given their small size:

http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/q7000i-home-cinema-system.htm

 

[spiny norman]

I have no girlfriend, so I can have as many speakers as I want!

You may be confusing cause and effect.

 

[John Duncan]

Apart from the obvious suspects in the small speaker department (Cambridge Minx, Q Acoustics 7000s), look also at the Sonos Playbar and a pair of Play:1s (notwithstanding the - solvable - connection limitations), or the genius Philips Fidelio HTL9100.

 

[chebby]

Monitor Audio's Radius range.

(Radius 45s, 90s, 200 etc.)

You might even find some excellent ex-demo deals that come in under £1000 (for 90s, 45s, centre and sub).

 

[KeithT]

Monitor Audio's Radius range.

(Radius 45s, 90s, 200 etc.)

You might even find some excellent ex-demo deals that come in under £1000 (for 90s, 45s, centre and sub).

Or Monitor Audio Mass.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Monitor Audio's Radius range.

(Radius 45s, 90s, 200 etc.)

You might even find some excellent ex-demo deals that come in under £1000 (for 90s, 45s, centre and sub).

I was going to mention the Radius range, but Quiblle mentioned about his £1k budget, and also said he needed an amp - I assumed within that stated budget. So Quibble, if your budget is £1k just for the speakers, then I also go along with Chebby's post for the outgoing Radius models.

 

[mr malarky]

Home cinema to keep the gf happy

You're doing it wrong.

Agreed, your speakers should be just large enough to push your girlfriend to the very brink of leaving you, but no larger.

This can be a tricky balancing act so here's a quick guide:

If your girlfriend continues to sit in the lounge, chatting happily about her day at work and generally being content with life, them your speakers are much, much too small.

If your girlfriend stomps into the lounge angrily complaining that you spend all your money on yourself and it's been years since the two of you had a nice holiday together (why can't you think of someone other than yourself for a change!?!), before pointing out she needs a new car and then crashing around in the kitchen for the rest of the evening and sulking when you come to bed, your speakers are probably about the right size.

If your girlfriend says nothing, just gets in the car and drives to her mothers before making a tearful phone call to tell you she's leaving you to go out with that nice man Geoff from the Accounts Department (he just understands her better...) then your speakers are too large - don't worry, if you got them from a reputable dealer you'll probably be able to exchange them.

Hope that helps??

Not a big fan of the Sonos option personally (not convinced by the sound quality on the playbar having heard it).

The Q accoustics are excellent for the money; Peter Tyson's offer the whole 5.1 package for £500 and with your remaining £500 they're doing the Yamaha RXV-675 or the Pioneer SC-2022 (£900 at launch, so a lot of amp for the money).

 

[goalhanger]

Hello quibble8 , Be careful bot to make the mistake I did . I needed to ( same situation as you with the wife) reduce amount of Hi-Fi in house to make room for Xmas tree, coffee table etc etc . So went to Rayleigh Hi-Fi and they tried to sell me Focal system ( nearly £2000 with amp) - wife had heart attack. Ended up with Yamaha RX-V667 and Boston Acoustics XS ( little squirts ) . Unfortunately I have come to realise they sound like little squirts with music and I need to do something about it .

I am therefore getting my Rega RS5s delivered today which will either live alongside the BAs or even replace them if I get a Rega centre speaker .The Yamaha will run them as Zone 2 . In the end you realise that if you want something you shouldn't compromise needlessly or you may regret it later.

Definately have an audition to make sure you can live with the music reproduction level of a 'cinema biased system .

Hope I havent rambled on too much and good luck .

Phil

 

[Deleted member 2457]

There are some good deals here:

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HOTDEALS.php?HD=HOMECINEMA

 

[Deleted member 2457]

There are some good deals here:

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HOTDEALS.php?HD=HOMECINEMA

Some more deals here:

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/c/packages_home-cinema-packages

But you are better on here buying in the shop - it is cheaper.

 

[Big Chris]

If your girlfriend continues to sit in the lounge, chatting happily about her day at work and generally being content with life, them your speakers are much, much too small.

If your girlfriend stomps into the lounge angrily complaining that you spend all your money on yourself and it's been years since the two of you had a nice holiday together (why can't you think of someone other than yourself for a change!?!), before pointing out she needs a new car and then crashing around in the kitchen for the rest of the evening and sulking when you come to bed, your speakers are probably about the right size.

If your girlfriend says nothing, just gets in the car and drives to her mothers before making a tearful phone call to tell you she's leaving you to go out with that nice man Geoff from the Accounts Department (he just understands her better...) then your speakers are too large - don't worry, if you got them from a reputable dealer you'll probably be able to exchange them.

This actually made me chuckle out loud. :clap:

With regards the Q Acoustics 7000 series. The new ones have an 'i' at the end. The previous - non i - version may well be the ones that are being discounted. Worth checking before purchase.

 

[goalhanger]

Those Focal Domes are the ones I listened to in Rayliegh Hi-Fi and very good too , but they were through a Denon. The salesman said he didnt think the Focals went well with the Yamaha.

But sound good with music they did.

You would need to make sure the 673 or 675 is good enough for them , I am not sure. I dont think my 667 will be good enough for the RS5s but for the time being its OK. But if I were buying new i would look as better quality AV amp.

But saying that they look like very good deals - well spotted

 

[Big Chris]

But sound good with music they did.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[goalhanger]

Oh no, you've sussed me out - good time was I having fooling you all

 

[Son_of_SJ]

I have no girlfriend, so I can have as many speakers as I want!

You may be confusing cause and effect.

Not at all spiny norman, I had no girlfriend long before I had many (currently 40) loudspeakers!! In fact from 1977 to 2005 I had only one pair of speakers (which I still have, they are the stereo ones in the parlour), and no girlfriend. In 2005 I bought another pair of speakers to use in the kitchen, but they are now in the spare bedroom. Still no girlfriend. The speakers, but not the long-term (as opposed to fleeting) girlfriends started to multiply only in summer 2008, when I bought my first surround sound system. So finally, though the number of loudspeakers has increased from two to 40 over the years, the number of girlfriends has remained constant, at zero!

 

[Son_of_SJ]

This actually made me chuckle out loud. :clap:

Me too, it was a terrific post from Mr Malarky. I just wonder however, whether he applied his own principles when he (a) spent a shedload of money to buy his Panasonic 60ZT65 television and (b) spent even more money to get that nice Mr Stephen Withers to calibrate it? What did his wife say then???

Home cinema to keep the gf happy

You're doing it wrong.

Most definitely, the OP is doing it wrong. Get the home cinema first, then the girlfriend. In that order. She then has to like your home cinema on the "Love me, love my home cinema" principle. If she won't do that, she's not the right woman for you anyway ......

Actually, though I've lots of speakers, they are spread over four rooms, and most people notice only, if at all, the (large) front stereo pair in each room.

 

[mr malarky]

This actually made me chuckle out loud. :clap:

Me too, it was a terrific post from Mr Malarky. I just wonder however, whether he applied his own principles when he (a) spent a shedload of money to buy his Panasonic 60ZT65 television and (b) spent even more money to get that nice Mr Stephen Withers to calibrate it? What did his wife say then???

Well, I'm not proud to admit this, but I may have lied ever so slightly about the cost of the TV, I told her I'd managed to find one for £3k and at that price it was too good a deal to pass up....

She was actually fine about the calibration (which surprised me!), seemed quite happy with the suggestion that if you've spent a lot of money on something you may as well pay a small amount more to get the very best out of it.

If we move house next year though and my wish to add another pair of surround speakers comes onto the agenda then you can certainly expect a stony silence to descend upon the household (she hated the 'front height' speakers at our last place, complaining that it was like "looking at a wall of speakers" - wasn't at all convinced by my reply of "and what's wrong with that?").

 

[quibble8]

]

Most definitely, the OP is doing it wrong. Get the home cinema first, then the girlfriend. In that order. She then has to like your home cinema on the "Love me, love my home cinema" principle.

Used that approach with the motorbike! If only I'd planned ahead all those years ago and sorted the system a while back....

Thanks for all the advice, though...