looking to buy new tv + extras

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after watching a mates 42" plasma in action with amplifier and high def cables I was gobsmacked.

it swung me in favour right away to get my own kit.

trouble is my budget isnt as big as his and I dont know where to start?!?

right what Im looking for.

A Plasma TV which will be mounted on a wall in my bedroom- approx 3/4 metres away so I believed 42" is about right. will be going on plasterboard wall so I think speakers either side (mounted) is an option, though I would look at ones on stands.

Room is odd shaped so I dont think I can get the full surround :(

What Im looknig for from the set up is The best crystal clear picture for which movies will be played alot and also x-box 360 and ps3 connected up. (love a high quality picture)

as for amp I dont know where to start or what specs.

I hope by giving a breif description of what Im after you pros can point me in the right direction for kit.

I know I have to take into account the price of tv/speakers/amp/cables. I would say most important is TV first and I can buy the rest shortly afterwards.

My budget is around £3,000-£3,500

any help appreciated
 

Andrew Everard

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[quote user="durbin"]

will be going on plasterboard wall so I think speakers either side (mounted) is an option, though I would look at ones on stands.

[/quote]

I'm sure others will come up with more advice, but I have to say just one thing - don't try to mount your plasma screen on a plasterboard wall!

Most 42in plasmas weigh something in the region of 30+kg, plus whatever weight the mounting kit adds, and if you try to mount this straight onto plasterboard the TV will just rip the mounts out of the wall and crash to the ground.

The only way you'll get away with this is to take the plasterboard off and fix in extra stub timbers at the position where you want the mountings to fit, refit the board and then screw directly into the studs.

Mind you, doing this will also allow you to hide all your cabling, so it's not all bad news...

See this site for some more guidance.
 

Andy Clough

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Quite agree, wouldn't want your shiny new TV to come crashing down off the wall!

As for which model to buy, we'd recommend a Full HD set to work with your PS3's Blu-ray drive. One of our current favourites is the Sony KDL-40W2000 (£1400) which was our Product of the Year 2006. Yes, I know it's LCD not plasma, but it beats most of the plasmas we've seen. A new model is on the way, so you might want to wait for that or see if you can get a good discount on the current one.

If you're heart's set on a plasma, then consider the Philips 42PF9631D (£1750). It's a bit more expensive than the Sony, but the picture quality is excellent. The Panasonic TH-42PX70B is excellent value at £1200, although HD-Ready, not Full HD.

For surround sound duties, the Denon AVR-1507 (£250) makes a great budget buy, or you could go for the even better Sony STR-DA1200ES which was £400, but is now available for nearer £300 if you shop around.

Speakers? A compact sub/sat system might suit you best as you could mount the speakers on wall brackets, so consider the likes of the KEF KHT1005 (£300) or KEF KHT 2005.2 (£600) speaker packages. If you can stretch your budget further, the B&W MT20 system (£975) is brilliant, as is the Acoustic Energy Aego T package at £800. We've awarded all of them 5 stars.

If full-blown 5.1 surround sound won't fit in the room, then you might want to look at the Yamaha YSP-1100 or 900 (£900 or £600) soundbars, that produce pseudo surround from a single speaker bar that can be mounted under the TV. They're neat and surprisingly effective.
 
A

Anonymous

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yeah was going to put in more wood to the studs anyway-sorry should of made myself more clear.

Is the Sony KDL-40W2000 (£1400) better picture quality than the Philips 42PF9631D (£1750). I dont want to snub on money for the TV? also what are the pro/cons of these 2 Tv's when compared?

do you have any suggestions for cables? like which ones to go for?

with the B&W MT20 system (£975) how many speakers do you get?

Ive uploaded some pictures of the room so hopefully you can get an idea of the dilema Im facing as not all the walls are square.
finisheddoor.jpg
o

This is opposite the wall where the Tv will be.

wallll.jpg


any help appreciated
Where is the best place to mount speakers as two of the walls slope? of would it be better two have them on stands next to the tv?
 

Andy Clough

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Yes, ultimately would say the Sony is better than the Philips as the Sony was our Product of the Year in 2006, beating all its rivals. We've also just tested the Samsung LE40M86BD LCD screen (£1300, but available from Dixons online for £916), also Full HD, so you might want to find out how it performs in the next issue of WHFSV (on sale next week July 26).

Re speaker cables, QED Silver Anniversary XT at £5.50/m is a top budget buy.

The B&W MT20 system comes with five (small) speakers and a subwoofer. As with all the speaker recommendations, they're small enough to be wall mounted, which is probably the best solution here.

Assuming the TV goes on the wall next to the door, the front left and right speakers should go either side of the TV, either on floor stands or mounted on brackets on the wall alongside the screen. The centre speaker will need to go under the screen, so you could wall-mount that on a bracket too.

As for the rear speakers (if you want them), you should place them around 1m above ear-height when you're sitting in your listening position, so I see no problem with wall-mounting them on the flat wall opposite the TV. The advantage of most wall brackets is that they allow you to swivel the speakers slightly to get the best position. Hope that helps!
 
A

Anonymous

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you said 'A new model is on the way' regarding the sony LCD. Have you got a date for this reslease as Id be willing to wait to get the latest TV (if its any good)

Ive taken your advise in and you've been a great help- I dont supposeyou know of any electronic shops around or near bristol that have demo rooms?

another thing I havent ask about is what DVD player would be best to go with that set up? I know I have the PS3 but have heard that top nick dvd players are better (dont know whether this is true)

Also what sort of amp would I need to run the speaker system you recommend?

thanks once again- your advise is much needed

Durbin
 

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