Novice Selection - What do think of it Please

[admin_exported]

Hi All

As complete novices on this subject my wife and I have finally decided to go the Home Cinema route - we have initially come up with the following:-

Denon AVR 1911 - 3D compatiable A/V Amp (Told this will be 449 pound)

B&W MT 25 - Surround 5.1 System (Told this will be 974 pound)

Panasonic DMR BD300 - 3D Blu Ray (Told this will be 399 pound)

Panasonic DMR EX768 DVD / HDD Player / Recorder (Already owned)

Panasonic TX P50VT20 - 50 inch 3D TV with built in FreeSat HD & Freeview HD (Told this will be 2400 pound)

Sky+ HD (Already owned)

We have between 4,500 and 5,000 pounds as a budget.

Any thoughts on the above or alternative suggestions / ideas from more experienced and knowledgeable users of this site would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

S23

 

[strapped for cash]

Sounds good in principle; and seems you're committed to going the 3D route, which of course ups your required budget. Remember, there's very little 3D content at the moment, but if you're sold on the idea, and want to ensure you're completely future-proof, I wouldn't quibble with you.

Might be worth looking at Samsumg's 3D ready TVs as well, as they have been extremely well reviewed. As you're going for a sub/sat speaker set-up, I assume aesthetics are important to you, and Samsung's TVs are perhaps a more appealing proposition in this respect as well.

I'd also hang on for reviews of many of the latest-gen "3D ready" receivers.

As always, auditions are paramount; so you should find a helpful dealer who will let you test all this kit in action (preferably with a few other options for the purposes of comparison) before parting with your cash. Don't assume that all well reviewed components will work brilliantly together. Careful system matching is important; and you may find not everything on your list produces a sound or image that suits your tastes.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi strapped for Cash

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

This is where the "novice" bit comes in by the bucket load.

We are not comitted to the 3D route as like you say there is not a great deal of material out there. The Panasonic set I give in the original thread has been given the badge of "reference level" for both 2D & 3D performances and spoken about in the same breath as the Kuros by HDTV review - which I remember reading loads about when I could not afford them !

We have at the moment a Samsung 40 inch HD ready TV (less than 3 years old) and we quite like that - however we bought a 32 inch Panny HD TV for the conservatory last year and I am quite blown away by the picture when fed off my "Panasonic HC in one box system" - again novice thoughts ..."well thats good so buy a big Panasonic for the lounge"

Not sure what you mean by "sub/sat speaker set up so aesthetics are important" can you expand on that?

The selection I have indicated is a system which has been put together by my local specialist dealer near where I live on The Wirral. (Same outlet I bought the 32" + HC in a box from)

I have not auditioned anything at the moment as I am out of UK on business but he is going to set up for me when I get home in 4 weeks time.

In the meantime I thought I would ask on here for any thoughts / ideas from people like your self - this way I have a fair amount of time to research before finally getting home and doing the audtioning

Can you give a selection you would "look at and audition"

Thanks once again for your input - look forward to any further input

 

[strapped for cash]

Well, it sounds like the key to your decisions is how committed you are to going the 3D route. If these were all suggested by your dealer, I would suggest that they are pushing 3D (i.e more expensive) products. It's ultimately your decision, though, and I wouldn't want to influence you either way on whether 3D is worthwhile.

That said, if you're not too bothered about 3D, this greatly expands your options. For starters, the Sony BDPS370 will save you money and, according to the WHF review, is more than the equal of many more expensive Blu Ray players (looks like a budget player though).

A sub/sat package uses compact satellite speakers and a subwoofer. The advantage is that they (usually) look very nice and take up less space in your living room. Compact satellite's won't offer the same scale and dynamics of conventional "big-box" speakers, and the sub functions not only to provide very deep bass, but also to compensate for this deficiency. This is not to suggest the MT-25 package is bad by any standards. In fact, very far from it.

Again, audition different speaker packages (including those with larger speakers if you can accomodate them) and try to decide where you stand in terms of looks vs. performance. Other packages to consider: KEF KHT3005SE-K2 (for a sub/sat package); B&W 685 Theatre or Monitor Audio Bronze BR2 (for larger speakers). All roughly around the budget of the MT-25.

You will find some posters on the forum prefer plasma to LCD/LED televisions. I wouldn't be swayed too much by the claimed merits or drawbacks of the different technologies. Again, you decide, try out the Panasonic with a range of material and see what you think.

It's the age old problem on this (or any other) forum. People post requesting advice on which products are best for them, and the answer always boils down to this: draw up a shortlist of well reviewed products and check them out in action to see how you like them. My own preferences will not necessarily be the same as yours.

Your original list seems like a good place to start, but as I suggest, think carefully about whether you want/need 3D...

 

[TKratz]

Hi S23

I think you have done a nice job pulling together a list for a potential system.
I agree with most of the points by Strapped for Cash also. Testing is paramount when buying a new system, especially when dealing with sound, as this is very individuel.

I have a few additional points to consider, and a few comments and questions to your suggestions.

There is no doubt the B&W is an excellent package for movies. My question is, do you intend to use the system for music also? Because if you do this speaker package will come out a bit lightweight.

So far I haven't seen any reveiws of the Denon 1911, and therefore can't say anything about how it performs. But you can hope Denon keeps up the good work from the extraordinary predecessor 1910.
One thing you could consider though if you decide to stick to the Panasonic BD300 player is to actually go for the Denon 1910 or another non-3D compatible player. BD300 has twin HDMI outputs, which means your receiver doesn't have to be 3D compatible to get HD sound, as the picture in this case can be transmitted directly to screen.

And mentioning the screen... There will be very different opinions on this. I personally think the Panasonic 50VT20 is the best 50 inch TV you can buy (unless you are lucky to get a Pioneer LX5090 or KRP-500), 3D or non 3D. WhatHifi hasn't reveiwed this TV yet, but look around on the net and you will see what I mean.
Other possibilities could be one of the top range plasmas from either Samsung or LG.

The Panasonic BD300 is good, as long as you do not intend to use it as CD player.

When setting up a complete system from scratch I really understand why you like it to be fully up to date. This includes 3D, and although there isn't much content to enjoy at this point, this could change during the coming years. As always it is very hard to predict - particularly about the future!

Good luck with your project.