soundbar or 5.1 (posted by non expert so go easy guys)

[admin_exported]

Hi there i was wondering if i could get some advice off you guys. Iv always had a half decent system but had to move in with my girlfriend and when i was not aloud to bring my big floor standers/ reciever etc i decided to get a new system.

I have a sony 40w2000 , sky+ and a PS3 and was looking for a surround system (one box). I been looking at the yamaha YSP-40 which i am now having to doubt because she never got the tv stand that was big enough for it but id work something out or the Sony HTI-S100. Ideally im looking to spend the money not on another dvd player as ill use the playstation for that. Also ill be looking to play music out the speakers via my laptop (not looking to blast the roof off but hoping for good sound)

so

Sony HTI-S100 (399.99 @ play.com) or YSP-40 (499.99 @richer sounds though only in silver and not black )

thanks in advance guys

 

[Big Aura]

I think you know where this is going, but if you're being curtailed by a girlf, what does the future hold?!?!?

Sound bars are a good compromise for people who cannot manage lots of speakers and loathe the rubbish sound out of most TVs, but it's not a really suitable for music. Is it just the size of the speakers, or is amp size that's an issue too? If just the former, you could get some nice standmounters and a centre across the front, and pair with some small speakers for the rear?

What's your budget?

 

[Anonymous]

Apparently if i get a new system she is getting a pram for 900 quid! what a waste of bloody money if you ask me. I dint know why she keeps saying things like that and showing me little black and white kinda x ray pics of little aliens. I dont know whats going on with that but we will see.

anyway, im hoping to spend about 500 but will go up an extra couple of hundred if need be. Iv not got lots of room so floor standers wil have to be the thin ones you get. Rear ones will have to be satalite ones but an amp os no big deal as i have plenty of room in the tv unit for anouther couple of seperates if need be. Rear ones that are wireless would be perfect though.

 

[Big Aura]

http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=KEF-KHT2005.3-SIL for £499 (£599 in black) and http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=YAMA-DSPAX763-BLK (£289)

Total is £788, and it will sound pretty good. You could go cheaper and get a 1005.2 and a Sony 820 (within your £500 budget), but there's a real jump in quality here, especially if you're used to Hi-Fi floorstanders.

May not be best prices available, but pretty good. Small style speakers sound good and are pretty enough to (hopefully) be acceptable. If I were you, I'd tell some white lies on how much it cost...!