Please dont laugh!!

[admin_exported]

Dont laugh but my home cinema set up comprises the following: Mission 702e front speakers, Ditton centre speaker and 2 Mission 73 rear speakers powered by a sony DAV S550 with the sony std speaker cables due to the connections at the rear sony. The sony subwoofer is still connected! I also have a Sony BDP S373 Player a humax 9200T freeview recorder and an X box 360. I have had the sony DAV S550 since new many moons ago and even though it was 5 stars at the time from what hifi i have always thought there was something lacking with it. I have a new sony TV KDL 40-EX503 so i am looking for a suitable amplifier possibly Sony or Onkyo or what can you recommend?

 

[The_Lhc]

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Sorry, I mean, what's your budget?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your sympathy!!!

I think about £500. Would i hear the benefit by spending more?

 

[The_Lhc]

And, if you can manage it, try to find (secondhand probably) a centre speaker that matches your front speakers, having a centre from a different manufacturer is going to sound a little odd.

 

[Big Aura]

your amp is definately the weakest link - I imagine it's really struggling to drive those speakers. One think, assume your sub is the one that came with your sony DAV unit? It will be a passive sub. You'll need an active one to go with a new amp. I'd look about for a 19** range, a Sony 8** range either discontinued lines (so bargains to be had) and possibly an ex-demo sub from a retailer (Sevenoaks have a large range of these - Subs don't tend to be run-ragged so much).

That should keep you within your price range. Take a look on ebay too, you could get some secondhand gems for amps/subs there too.

EDIT- those are floorstanders? Perhaps look at a Denon 2310/2311?

 

[Anonymous]

Was the 19** range Denon? and the Sony the 800 or 810 or 820 models?

I see that wharfedale SUB150 has 5 stars would that go with most amps?

 

[Anonymous]

Forgot to add, What about Onkyo amps?

 

[Deliriumbassist]

Onkyo 509 and a Wharfedale SW150 would be a good shout at the budget. The 609 is a step up, but that's your budget on the amp alone. I've always liked an Onkyo/Mission combo myself. Denon and Mission (well, MX range) is a bit too warm for my tastes.

 

[f1only]

I would have to agree with most of the above posts, a Wharfdale SW150 active subwoofer is around £150 new or less, get a matching centre speaker to go with you other Mission 702e's off ebay for around £50 or so, leaving approxiamately £300 for an A/V amp. This would include end of lines AV Amps from last years models & a couple of this years, a small list of possibilities to research below for you, all available for £300 or less:-

Denon 2310

Pioneer 920

Onkyo 608 or 509 ( IMO i would go for the 608 if your choice ended between these two)

Yamaha 667 or 767

Sony 820

Check out Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks, Superfi & others for end of line clearance bargains. This page on What HiFi has a good list of dealers to start off with Clicky

Regards ..

 

[Anonymous]

I bought a mission centre speaker so now all the speakers are Mission.

After playing a few blue rays i must say i think it all sounds really good.

I know that i am using an oid sony surround machine and sony standard speaker cable to power my missions and an old sony woofer but will spending money on a new amp and speaker cable and a new subwoofer really make that much difference?

 

[Big Aura]

a new amp will make a huge difference. your DAV unit was designed to run small speakers, and you've connected floorstanders to it. Think trying to pull a 40 foot trailer with a rickshaw! There are bargains out there. I sold my old Denon 1909 on eBay for £150 last week - look for something similar (although for the size of your speakers I'd look for a more powerful amp - something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Denon-AVR-2310-7-channel-surround-receiver-ex-cond-/230697527496?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_HomeCinemaSystems&hash=item35b6a4e8c8 (although I'm not vouching for the vendor).

 

[bigboss]

You'll definitely hear an improvement with a better AV receiver & subwoofer. I can't comment on speaker cables as I have no personal experience.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree the gains with something like this 2310 will be massive.

 

[Big Aura]

I'd be inclined to get an amp, and do without a sub (run as 5.0) until you're able to spend another 200 or so (as your Sony sub (being passive) won't work with an AV amp). Speaker cables - get some £1 a metre copper ones from Richer Sounds. Perhaps Cambridge Symphony 200 for fronts, and Cambridge Symphony 100 for rears.

 

[Big Aura]

stupid emoticons - 5.0.

 

[CnoEvil]

Good advice given above. Change the amp first, followed by the Sub (check out BK). Finally use a good copper cable like Chord Carnival Silver Screen or Wireworld Stream 16/2

 

[Anonymous]

I hadn't thought about not having a sub. I could unplug the sony passive one and see what the bass is currently like! i will try this.

Also i have some QED silver special 25th anniversay edition speaker cable that could connect the two front and centre speakers.

Would i hear much of a difference in sound if i bought a Sony strdh820 when compared to an Onkyo TXNR609? as i could buy the sony and the wharfedale sub for the price of the Onkyo.

 

[Anonymous]

You would still hear an improvement with the 820, but if you could stretch the 609 is definately worth the extra cash IMO.

 

[kevin7.1]

I hadn't thought about not having a sub. I could unplug the sony passive one and see what the bass is currently like! i will try this.

If you get a dedicated AV receiver with a pre out for the decoded subwoofer low frequency effects (LFE). You can basically tell the receiver that there is no subwoofer present. It then decodes the LFE and sends them to the two front speakers instead. So i am not sure that you would be giving yourself a fair idea of what running 5.0 with a dedicated receiver would actually sound like by simply unplugging the sub on your current setup. It could just remove the LFE from your set up altogether making it sound worse. It is a viable option to upgrade in steps with 5.0 first as this way as none of the sound track is missing its just delivered in a different way.

Also i have some QED silver special 25th anniversay edition speaker cable that could connect the two front and centre speakers.

I have this cable for my fronts and a basic qed cable for my rears and centre. It works for me and integrates well i think. However some would say this cable is a bit on the bright side which i can understand.

Would i hear much of a difference in sound if i bought a Sony strdh820 when compared to an Onkyo TXNR609? as i could buy the sony and the wharfedale sub for the price of the Onkyo.

I would go for the 609 personally One of the reasons it won product of the year is the sound quality i think it the general concensus is it punches above its weight. Also the features and connectivity are superb for the price point. Running this with a 5.0 setup would be a vast improvement on your current kit you will get more from your speakers. Then when you can get a subwoofer the improvements gained would give you a setup superior to the 820. I happily ran 5.0 with my sony 1200 es until i could bag a second hand sub.

 

[Anonymous]

THanks for the replies.

I did unplug the sub and as you said it did sound as there was no bass, Funny that! i now uderstand your comment about how to run with a 5.0 setup.

As for the cable i have always thought that as i had it on my NAD C319/C270 and Kef Q35 with Arcam 8SE CD PLayer (which is no longer) and i always thaought it lacked some Bass!