Recommendations for surround sound speakers

[admin_exported]

I have recently bought a blu-ray player (Sharp BD-HP20H) and a flat screen HD television (Sharp Aquos 42 inch), and to complement them I want to buy some good surround sound speakers. I also have Sky HD and a Wii, so I'll need to be able to plug these into the spaekers too.

The problem is that nearly everywhere I look, speakers are being sold as a home cinema system with DVD players, and since Ive just bought a blueray player I only want the speakers alone.

Please could someone recommend a good speaker set for me? My budget can stretch to £1000 for this so I should be able to get something good.

Wireless rear speakers would be great, but beyond that Im not sure what to get.

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="prdowney"]The problem is that nearly everywhere I look, speakers are being sold as a home cinema system with DVD players, and since Ive just bought a blueray player I only want the speakers alone.[/quote]

You're obviously not looking in the right places! Any good hi-fi dealer will be able to offer you a wide variety of choices on just a speaker package and there are plenty out there for you to choose from. Your best bet is to visit several, tell them your budget, listen to their recommendations and then decide which one you like most.

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

My guess is the OP is looking in Currys or Comet like stores...

prdowney - have you got some way of powering the rear speakers? You don't mention what amp you have.

None of the equipment mentioned in your post can power rear speakers on their own, they need some sort of amplification.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="professorhat"]You're obviously not looking in the right places![/quote]

I dont doubt it! So far I have only been searching online. My problem is that I dont know where to look. Speaking to a Hi-Fi dealer is a good idea.

[quote user="Cofnchtr"]have you got some way of powering the rear speakers? You don't mention what amp you have. None of the equipment mentioned in your post can power rear speakers on their own, they need some sort of amplification.
[/quote]

I simply presumed that surround sound speakers would come with any necessary amplification units needed to make them work! I'll come clean here - Im an absolute beginner when it comes to audio equipment - this is why Im here on this forum asking for recommendations and advice.
All I know is that I would like to purchase surround sound speakers to go with my existing equipment. In total this is what I have:

- flat screen HD television
- blu-ray player
- Sky HD box
- Wii

My sound currently comes from the TV's speakers. I have been reading about Receivers - I understand a Receiver to be a unit that has multiple input and outputs for connecting all you audio/video equipment together.

Do I need to purchase a Receiver as well as the speakers?

For example, everytime I want to use the Wii to play a game, I dont want to have to be disconnecting wires and pluggin this and that in - I just want all of this equipment to pump the audio into my new speakers. Is this possible without a Receiver?

 

[professorhat]

Ah, no you will need receiver (which comprises of an amplifier, a tuner and the digital processors) which will process the sound output from your Blu-Ray player, SKY HD and Wii box to power all the speakers around the room. You have two choices here, either go for an all-in-one solution (though as you have found, these are few and far between without including DVD players), or go for a separate receiver and a speaker package. Either way, you will only have to hook everything up to your receiver once. Once this is done, you may have to change the settings on the Blu-Ray player, Sky HD and Wii to let them know they should now push sound out to your receiver, rather than your TV.

I still recommend going to a few proper hi-fi dealerships and listening to a few different systems for your budget. However, just to get you started, a WHF recommended setup for your budget would be an Onkyo TX-SR605 (£400) receiver and the Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 system (£500) speakers. Prices quoted are all RRP so you should be able to do better than that which leaves money for some decent speaker cable.

You haven't said what type of TV and Blu-Ray player you have so I can't tell how you can hook them up, but I would have thought the Onkyo can cope connection wise.

 

[Anonymous]

Much obliged mate, I appreciate the help! I am definately going to pop into a local Hi-Fi store for advice, and in the mean time will take a look at the items you mentioned.

By the way, I did say what the tv and player are - its a Sharp BD-HP20H player and the HD television is a Sharp Aquos 42 inch.

Cheers!

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

We were all beginners at one time!

A receiver or amplifier (receiver has a built in tuner, an amp doesn't) is required to get surround sound from your equipment.

Professorhat has already mentioned Onkyo as an option and this brand is currently the 'beez-kneez' but when you speak to your local hi-fi dealer (if you tell us where you are we may be able to recommend one) ask for a demonstration of their equipment with similar sources as you have. Ask their recommendations on which items they think go together well to produce the best sound for your money.

Do not buy on your first visit, take away all information (verbal or brochures) and think about your choices. You may be lucky enough to have several dealerships around you which can offer you different options from other brands. Your senses will tell you when you hear something is right for you. Get a copy of the current magazine and take advice from it along with the guide prices. You could even come back on here and tell us what you've been offered for our opinions.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

P.S. I forgot to mention - take along some of your favourite material whether that be CD's or DVD's or both. Give them a good audition - the shop may ask you to book an appointment but once you're in, their time is yours. Enjoy.

 

[professorhat]

So you did - must have missed that! Yup, all good advice above as well from Cofnchtr.

I assume your Sharp TV has at least one HDMI in socket (without the specific model number, I can't check)? In which case, you'll be fine as it will hook up like this to the Onkyo:

Blu-Ray player - HDMI cable to receiver for sound and picture
Sky HD - Optical connection to receiver for sound, HDMI connection to receiver for picture
Wii - Whatever connections yoh have into amp for sound and picture
TV - connect HDMI from receiver to TV to for all picture signals above

However, as Cofnchtr says, make sure to listen to other combinations and choose the sound you prefer. If you list your sources to the dealer, he will be able to ensure the receiver on offer has the correct inputs for all your sources without having to plug / unplug devices each time.

 

[Anonymous]

Excellent advice; thanks very much to the both of you.

I'm in the West Yorkshire region, and have already identified a Hi-Fi shop (http://www.huddersfieldhifi.co.uk/ ) in Huddersfield that sells home cinema equipment where I will pay a visit after work this week. I'll bring my Saving Private Ryan DVD (No BluRay discs yet!).

Yes the TV has two HDMI inputs at the back; it's this model here so I should be sorted for the connections:

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030217,49286421,00.htm

Interesting, I did not know I could connect an optical wire to my Sky HD box for the audio - I take it that this would be superior audio quality compared to everything just coming across the HDMI?

I will defiantly let you know here how it goes.

 

[professorhat]

Glad to be of help! My understanding on the Sky HD box is the HDMI connection does not send Dolby Digital / DTS information, only PCM 2.1 I think. When you get your surround system, this would mean any movies or other broadcasts shown in one of these formats would only come out of the front two speakers and the subwoofer. With the optical cable, it will send the Dolby Digital / DTS information to be decoded by your amp and you'll then get the "full" surround sound. Hopefully I have this right!

Also, for ideas on reference discs to take with you, check out this post which has some suggestions people made for me. Saving Private Ryan is a great one though!

 

[Anonymous]

Ah I see, I had read something similar about the SkyHD box using the optical audio cable, so thanks for explaining that one.

Cool, I see you also suggested Saving Private Ryan. I think its awesome opening sequance has yet to be matched.

So far the Onkyo TXSR605 Receiver (Black for me!) is looking excellant, I hope to find someplace that stocks it so I can play with it before buying.

Im still undecided on the surround sound speakers however. I do intend to look around instore but before I arrive I want to have a little more knowledge. You suggested the Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1, and from reviews in WhatHiFi and elsewhere I have no problem with the cost or quality. Also I think I am going to forget about wireless rear speakers - the surround speaker systems with these are just too far above my budget. I dont know how Im going to conceal the wires (no carpet, just wooden floor). Perhaps I need to look at mix-matching my speakers, but with my limited experiance thats a bit scary.

The Q Acoustics 1010i speakers are small (which suits me actually) but there are not any stands included. Like I say, Im a newbie with this stuff, so is it the done thing to stick your rear speakers up to about head level? I mean, otherwise they are sat on the floor behind the couch, right?

Also, would you suggest I need to purchase better quality cables than those that typically ship with the speakers? One online site is selling the speaker pack for £449.10 with "Includes Audio Pack - Basic (25m QED Micro and 4.6m Belkin PureAV Subwoofer cable)"

Phew...theres so much more to audio than I ever imagined. Thanks for the help.

 

[professorhat]

Hi there again!

Yup, getting cable to the speakers can be an issue - I also have a wooden floor with no carpet but, fortunately, with the layout of my room, I'm able to position the speakers near furniture which hide the cable i.e. cable runs from back of my amp, along the skirting board / wall disappears behind a DVD rack and then the speaker is slightly behind that not too close to the wall. The other option if you're looking at corners would be to run the wire up the wall in the corner, then down again the other side (if you get white wire which I'm pretty sure the QED Micro is, this shouldn't show up too much). Just make sure you have enough!

Your dealer should be able to advise you on stands, my guess is Q Acoustics will make one which fit the speaker? I'm not sure as I've not actually seen the model. If not, many other kinds of stands exist and your dealer can help you on this too (you definitely don't want them sitting on the floor!). You could also look possibly at wall mounting them if this is easier.

On cables, you can look at getting better cable - depending on how the speakers hook up to them, a better cable will improve the sound (assuming the speakers can take the larger cable - again your dealer can advise you on this). The QED Silver Micro is a pretty good cable though. Basically, look to spend about 10% of the total system on cables i.e. 10% of what your TV / receiver / speakers / Blu-Ray player / etc. etc. combined are worth should be spent on hooking all these items up if you really want to get the best out of the system. You can just use the free ones to get you going though if budget is tight and gradually upgrade cables as budget allows. This then really lets you see the difference it's making (and if it doesn't seem to be making a difference, get your money back!).

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys, I said I would report back what the hifi shop suggested I buy, so here it is:

Speakers - Kef KHT 1005
Receiver - Denon AVR 2308

He set them up for me and I must admit I loved them. He played the Star Wars films and the sound was awesome, and they look good too, especially the speakers being small and sleek. Im not sure yet about the price though, it seems I can get them much cheaper by searching the web.

Anyone have experiance with this reciever or the speakers?

 

[Anonymous]

I have the KEF KHT1005s hooked up to a Denon AVR1507 amp, and it's a great combination. The speakers cost me £300 last May from a local dealer, though I'm sure you can get them for less these days. They can be wall mounted using KEF brackets (they come in a pack of three - one for each rear speaker and one for the centre) while stands are available for the front speakers. The subwoofer's not the prettiest but I've got it hidden in the cupboard under the stairs, which is handily just beside our telly. I'm sure if you go with the KEFs you won't be disappointed. I've been reading these forums for a wee while and most folk seem to like them. That said, if your budget's a grand you might be able to get something better?

 

[Anonymous]

Just a quick note.

The Denon AVR 2308 doesnït decode the new HD sound formats, Dolby True HD/DTS HD.

If you decide to go to this amp, and want these new HD sound formats, your Blueray player must be able to decode internally the Dolby True HD soundtracks to PCM multichannel, to be send via HDMI to the amp.