Please Help - Which is a good cinema system?

[admin_exported]

Hello,

I am absolutely clueless when it comes to audio devices and I was wondering what sort of system I should be looking for with the following setup?

1080 HDTV with 3 HDMI ports

SkyHD

PS3

Xbox360

I am looking for something that isnt massively expensive, but will give me great gaming and movie experience. I dont know if the PS3 Blu ray is a factor?

Someone said the JVC G.A.T.E system but dont know much about it?

Many thanks

 

[professorhat]

What's your room size and budget? Also, do you need small style speakers or are you happy for boxier more traditional speakers? I'm assuming you want 5.1 as well?

 

[Anonymous]

18ft x 10ft approx. budget well as cheap as I can in the current climate say around £200-300 range.

Small style, long style or box style, is there any difference in quality of sound or is it purely aesthetics? Ideally as hidden as possible or the missus will grumble

 

[Big Aura]

there's very little that will sound good for that price. You can get a 5.1 all in the box with/without DVD player for £300 or so that will sound okay... If you can't stretch beyond £300, then I'd probably say take a look at something like a sound-bar. One box that sits below your screen and replicates a surround system with a bit of punch.

I've heard one of these once, and was rather impressed for the money http://www.digitalempireonline.co.uk/model.asp?Detail=Yes&ModelID=2280 (and the wife was very keen, rather than filling the room with "ugly boxes"; we compromised and I bought pretty boxes

).

 

[Anonymous]

I saw some of those single speaker things but I thought how can you hear things like "the pod race in star wars" with the sound going all the way around you?

I was also pointed in this direction by someone http://www.jvchdworld.co.uk/hd_media_hub/

but I am a little confused if I need all that? and I saw something somewhere that said you need some extras to get the PS3 to work properly through it. I would have presumed before seeing all this stuff that you can plug some speakers into your tv, how little I know....

Without getting ridiculous how much should I be looking to spend on a cinema/game speaker setup?

 

[Big Aura]

I've never seen a JVC product that floated my boat.

On the sound-bar, when I was auditioning my speakers, the guy in the shop had one on for about 30 seconds beforehand and it seemed okay, but I wasn't concentrating properly on it.

If you want to do a other-half-friendly set-up, probably look for http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=SONY-STRDG820-BLK and http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=KEF-KHT1005.

I have those speakers for my iPod dock in the bedroom and they're not bad, but lacking in base (which the sub should resolve).

 

[d4v3pum4]

As you have a bluray player capable of LPCM audio over HDMI, I would look for an AV receiver/package that can handle it. It will be as futureproof as you can get with that budget. Basically this means your PS3 decodes the HD audio and outputs this as LPCM. The Yamaha AV63+ or Sony HT-SF1300 or Sony HT-DDGW800 would be my picks on this budget. You might be able to scrape separates together if you opted for Sony's 820 amp plus the Yamaha speakers from the AV63 package and some cables.

 

[professorhat]

What about this? Pretty close to your budget. It doesn't offer the HD audio formats for Blu-Rays but you won't get that for £300. I'm not sure you'll get much better for the money...

 

[Big Aura]

the prof has come up with a bargain, get that.

 

[Anonymous]

JAMO A102 for £210.00 or a Mordaunt Short Carnival for £215.21 (inclusive of free postage, 40 metres of speaker cable and sub-woofer cable) ? Both well within budget.

I have the JAMO myself and it's very discreet, stylish and sounds very good for the money. The MS I saw advertised on E-Bay (Item No: 270336001293). Looks really nice but nobody on this forum knows anything about it, unfortunately.

 

[Liam19]

Can I suggest another system very similar to the one posted by the Prof - this is what I currently own (as a student on a limited budget!) http://www.soundandvision.co.uk/accessories/reciever-packages/onkyo-ht-s5105-black.

For £300 I can't fault its sound. While I have no delusions about the fact I could have more wisely opted for a HD audio-capable receiver (a la Sony 820) and then saved up for a better speaker package later, the Onk package seemed like the best (and cheapest) option at the time. Listening to Dolby (or preferably DTS) via an optical cable from my PS3, the sound has more than enough punch for my needs.

If you can't widen the purse strings a little more, assuming you are not an audiophile I can't see you being disappointed with this.

 

[bballtom]

If you want to something really gfriend friendly go for the Sony DAV-IS50 . Don't think it will sound quite as good as some of the systems mentioned here but it's all in one and has very small speakers. Got a good review on here too, with a bit of research I think you can find it for £300

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for all the suggestions, plenty to digest and try and make sense of. The TV that this is for has arrived and the basic sound that comes with is terrible!

Dont know if it has any bearing but its a Samsung PS50A556S (PS50A557) Plasma Screen.

I think the PS3/Blu ray and optical cable bit is muddying the waters. From what I have gathered from above the important bits are:

1) that the 'amp'? bit has 3 HDMI inputs

2) That it can carry 1080p through it?

3) Something about blu ray?

4) High W = good?

The longer I leave it the more budget I will potentially have, but seeing all these wonder HD images with such poor sound is becoming demoralising.

Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

I have gone for the ONKYO TXSR506 & TANNOY SFX5.1/7.1 HOME CINEMA SYSTEM SIZZLER that the prof has recommended. Thanks very much for all your help What Hi-Fi

 

[Anonymous]

Well I ordered this in February from Superfi and its now April 3rd and no sign of being told when it will be in stock. I think I have been patient enough, getting on 2 months.

Can you recommend anything else, same price arena and spec?