Surround 5.1 up to £400

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I'm new to sound and to this forum.

First I would like to congrat you all for the great job here. From what I've read here so far, there are lot's of experts here willing to help and participate.

My sound experience so far has been with Logitech 2.1 speakers in PC and old JVC 5.1 surround DVD set.

Now I want a bit more in quality for my living room. Also want yo avoid set's that come with DVD or BluRay as I want to plug in my Xbox 360, Ipod, CD player, etc.

I got rid of my old JVC already (poor quality anyway).

My concerns:

--> low budget, of only £400

--> sound quality 1st, looks 2nd

--> easy to set up system

--> priority use with Xbox360 (games) and Sky HD

--> low usage on Music

I have seen this online store with some bundles, and at least some fit on my low budget, but don't know if they worth anything:

BundleDeals

I would be very pleased with some suggestions. Please keep in mind that I'm completely noob.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Regards

Didipot

 

[Anonymous]

Looking at the link you posted I'm assuming you're looking at smaller style speakers, quite a few of the speakers have poor centre speakers (especially the case with the Yamaha 285s). If you can stretch your budget to £520 you could have these mission cubes http://www.sightandsounduk.com/Mission-M-Cube.html which are in a different class altogether. If you've really got to stay on budget I'd go for the Boston Acoustics with a better amp (Denon 1911 £200). I haven't heard the JBLs.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot for your opinion

More than £400 it will be really impossible to me, but anyway I've checked the products you told me to learn a bit more about what's good

The amp really mathers that much? because the Boston Acoustic could be a choice for me but with a cheaper amp

p.s. - I googled the products you own I and I can see you are really in another level, where you have a projector and I can imagine the sound quality. So congrats for that, but to far for me for now

 

[Anonymous]

If you could up your budget to £450, I would suggest the Yamaha 467 and the Boston acoustics XS, both of which can be found at www.richersounds.com

 

[Anonymous]

If you could up your budget to £450, I would suggest the Yamaha 467 and the Boston acoustics XS, both of which can be found at www.richersounds.com

thanks for your advice.. They have that bundle at "homeav direct", and they sell it for £424.99, but the weirdest thing is that if you buy them separate from the exact same store you get a total of £378.99 and from what I read the bundle doesn't add nothing else, so it doesn't make sense.

I thank you for the advice and that way it stay's under budget. Or do you I should spend a little more and get a better amp? Because, from what I've heard from you I can't get better speakers with my budget, but maybe a better amp!

thanks again

 

[duaplex]

You are really looking at something like an Onkyo system from Comet or something similar. If the Budget is £400 I would focus on seperates and not buy an all in one system. Seperates will give you greater functionality and connectivity.

I would go for the Onkyo from Comet with the seperates. Its £459.56 but im sure you could source it cheaper elsewhere on the web. Still this is a good package and something i would be happy with. if all else fails stretch a little on your budget or wait until you can afford the extra.

However, as i said im sure you can find it cheaper too.

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Hi-Fi-Separates/buy-ONKYO-TX-SR608-B-Hi-Fi-Separate/636193

 

[Anonymous]

You are really looking at something like an Onkyo system

thanks a lot for your advice, but that's way out of my league as I just have £400 in total receiver + 5.1 speakers.. I guess for now I wont take full advantage of a good system because I'm really so noob.

I'm not used to any kind of good sound quality, just cheap systems and never heard a good system working either, so I guess I'll be more than happy with a low end product for now.

I just want to get started understanding what there's out there in terms of sound systems and in time hope to know a bit more.

I've been cheking good reviews on Harman Kardon HKTS 7, and they seem to be discountinued so maybe a bargain will come. Are they any good?

 

[Anonymous]

If you could up your budget to £450, I would suggest the Yamaha 467 and the Boston acoustics XS, both of which can be found at www.richersounds.com

This is what I would buy with this budget

Dont forget you need speaker cables if you buy seperates, cheap ones will do.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Didipot,

Sony 810 amp with the Boston Soundware, you won't beat it for the money. AVR1911 would be an improvement. Have you got a Sevenoaks or Richer near you?

 

[Anonymous]

If you could up your budget to £450, I would suggest the Yamaha 467 and the Boston acoustics XS, both of which can be found at www.richersounds.com

This is what I would buy with this budget

Dont forget you need speaker cables if you buy seperates, cheap ones will do.

Thanks a lot for your opinion, I can see than none of you prefer the Harman kardon over the Boston Acoustics XS, but some reviews say those Kardon are great for the money - 2005 reviews I must say lol -

I haven't got any cables and forgot that these products aren't like the ones I'm used to buy that come Ready-To-Work. I', such a noob that might be in trouble mounting the system

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Didipot,

Sony 810 amp with the Boston Soundware, you won't beat it for the money. AVR1911 would be an improvement. Have you got a Sevenoaks or Richer near you?

I tried to check prices for that Sony 810 but no match, the closest was Sony STRDH810, but if that's what you're saying it's basically the same price as Denon AVR1911.

I checked and have a Richer near me and a Sevenoaks not that far, but I think I can get better prices over the internet, don't you? Maybe I'll go there after purchase to know buy the cables

 

[duaplex]

This is why im saying buy a package from Onkyo, you dont need to worry about speakers wire as they are provided.

You will need to increase your budget if you go down any other route and i know this is not an option. Better yet go to a hifi shop and get them to include some cheap wire in the deal You dont need the greatest wire on earth at this level.

 

[Anonymous]

This is why im saying buy a package from Onkyo, you dont need to worry about speakers wire as they are provided. You will need to increase your budget if you go down any other route and i know this is not an option. Better yet go to a hifi shop and get them to include some cheap wire in the deal You dont need the greatest wire on earth at this level.

Thanks for the tip, but I can't understand what you mean by "package from Onkyo"! Is it a complete set with 5.1 speakers and amp? Or is it the amp and then I find some cheap speakers to connect to it?

Sorry for my dumb questions

 

[f1only]

Why not buy a 2nd hand amp & speakers?

 

[Anonymous]

Why not buy a 2nd hand amp & speakers?

Thanks for the tip, but I'm so new to this, that I'm pretty sure I'll struggle to decide what and where to buy and at what price!

I think I'll have to keep it as simple as possible for now and with time try to learn something about surround and then move forward.

 

[Anonymous]

This is why im saying buy a package from Onkyo, you dont need to worry about speakers wire as they are provided. You will need to increase your budget if you go down any other route and i know this is not an option. Better yet go to a hifi shop and get them to include some cheap wire in the deal You dont need the greatest wire on earth at this level.

Thanks for the tip, but I can't understand what you mean by "package from Onkyo"! Is it a complete set with 5.1 speakers and amp? Or is it the amp and then I find some cheap speakers to connect to it?

Sorry for my dumb questions

Yes it is a "All in One System" complete with everything you need (apart from HDMI cable) like this

However, you can not upgrade these because the speakers are designed only to work with the receiver and vice versa. So if you wanted to buy better speakers in the future you would have to ditch the whole system. This is what I did 3 times before realising that buying seperates is a much better option.

I now own a Denon 1910 & Kef 3005SE combo.

 

[f1only]

Well if it is new you want, then you could go for this or this, with these. Both amps are just £199.95 & good seperate amps. The speaker package for £179.95 a starter & will leave you £20 or so for wire. This way you always have the chance to upgrade the speakers at a later date. For ease of setup the Sony would probably be best.

 

[Anonymous]

This is why im saying buy a package from Onkyo, you dont need to worry about speakers wire as they are provided. You will need to increase your budget if you go down any other route and i know this is not an option. Better yet go to a hifi shop and get them to include some cheap wire in the deal You dont need the greatest wire on earth at this level.

Thanks for the tip, but I can't understand what you mean by "package from Onkyo"! Is it a complete set with 5.1 speakers and amp? Or is it the amp and then I find some cheap speakers to connect to it?

Sorry for my dumb questions

Yes it is a "All in One System" complete with everything you need (apart from HDMI cable) like this

However, you can not upgrade these because the speakers are designed only to work with the receiver and vice versa. So if you wanted to buy better speakers in the future you would have to ditch the whole system. This is what I did 3 times before realising that buying seperates is a much better option.

I now own a Denon 1910 & Kef 3005SE combo.

Thanks for the help, I've made some search and found some of those "all in one".

From what I've heard from all of you, I've come to 2 final decisions:

--> go for all in one, but pay less than £300 - I've seen DENON DHT-1311XP and Onkyo AVX-380 -

--> go for a separate option and spend around £450

Congrats for your system , those Kef I can imagine the sound quality

 

[Anonymous]

Well if it is new you want, then you could go for this or this, with these. Both amps are just £199.95 & good seperate amps. The speaker package for £179.95 a starter & will leave you £20 or so for wire. This way you always have the chance to upgrade the speakers at a later date. For ease of setup the Sony would probably be best.

Thanks a lot, I've checked those options and seem a nice way to go. If the amp is to stay and I can in the future upgrade , than the setup dificulties don't matter as I'm willing to take time to learn and do it properly.

Sorry to bother you, but only from Sound point of view (not upgrade), would I get more from Denon 1911 & tannoy sfx5.1 rather than Onkyo or Denon all in one?

p.s. - It's just a shame that tannoy black speakers are expensier than silver, they look much nicer.

 

[---lie---]

Hey, have you checked your local richer sounds clearance deals? You can find some great bargains, i also highly recommend the Jamo A102 5.1 speakers. If i were you i would not go for an all in one package. Also give some thought to if you need speaker stands, or wall brackets if you plan to wall mount them, these costs can add up if you’re not careful.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, have you checked your local richer sounds clearance deals? You can find some great bargains, i also highly recommend the Jamo A102 5.1 speakers. If i were you i would not go for an all in one package. Also give some thought to if you need speaker stands, or wall brackets if you plan to wall mount them, these costs can add up if you’re not careful.

Thanks. I've checked those richersounds clearances online, but the only I might look is YAMAHA RXV667, but to much money for me...

Since I don't know nothing about sound quality, when I look to all in one systyems they seem great looks, specially Denon.

Can you please tell me why not go with this solution? Because for me not being able to upgrade is not a problem, in the future I don't mind selling the complete set and look for something else.

p.s. - I saw you have ps3, that sound must be amazing to play games. I've got xbox 360

 

[f1only]

To be honest the Denon 1911 should sound better with the Tannoys than the Sony 810 IMO.

Do you need small speakers?

You could get a set of 2nd hand speakers off ebay, just make sure they are local to you & you can demo them 1st to check they are ok like the cones are not pushed in, tweeter or cabinet damage.

Something like this ok there is no sub. Some do come up with subwoofers like this.

Ok they are not necessarily the best speakers in the world, but they will get you started & being cheap you can upgrade later on when finances improve. This will give you more money for slightly better cable which should help with sound quality & HDMI leads.... or save the money for upgrades later as long as you get what you want out of it.

Soundwise the all in one units you have mentioned will be a compromise, thats not to say they are not worth a listen. The Denon 1911 amp would & should sound a lot better than either of those.

 

[Anonymous]

To be honest the Denon 1911 should sound better with the Tannoys than the Sony 810 IMO.

Do you need small speakers?

You could get a set of 2nd hand speakers off ebay, just make sure they are local to you & you can demo them 1st to check they are ok like the cones are not pushed in, tweeter or cabinet damage.

Something like this ok there is no sub. Some do come up with subwoofers like this.

Ok they are not necessarily the best speakers in the world, but they will get you started & being cheap you can upgrade later on when finances improve. This will give you more money for slightly better cable which should help with sound quality & HDMI leads.... or save the money for upgrades later as long as you get what you want out of it.

Soundwise the all in one units you have mentioned will be a compromise, thats not to say they are not worth a listen. The Denon 1911 amp would & should sound a lot better than either of those.

Thanks for your time and patience

Those on ebay are too large for me. I have a 20sqm living room (squared) and plan to place the backspeakers over a small balcony just below the windows (and behind the sofa). Used material I would get easely burned as I don't know nothing about how a speaker should sound!

I can see in your oppinion it's a bit waste of money to go for all in one. I understand what you are trying to tell me, but I guess I would be so easely amazed by anything that just does real 5.1

 

[---lie---]

Thanks it's great for blu-rays.

I wasn’t thinking about easy upgrade necessarily, i was only thinking about getting the biggest bang for your buck. Denon, and Onkyo all in ones are going to be the easy option, and if this is your first proper 5.1 then maybe easy is your first priority, in which case go for it. However they are primarily Amplifier manufactures there speakers are not going to be as good as the likes of Tannoy, Boston or Jamo. I would urge you before you make any purchase to go down to RS or any local HIFI dealer and demo some amps, and speakers, it will give you an idea of the differences. If i were in your position i would get the Jamo 5.1's, if in stock at your local RS only 150 for some seriously good speakers, which have won many What HIFI awards, that would leave you 200-250 for a receiver, a Denon 1911 would be great or so would the Sony STRDH810, with some cash left for cables.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks it's great for blu-rays.

I wasn’t thinking about easy upgrade necessarily, i was only thinking about getting the biggest bang for your buck. Denon, and Onkyo all in ones are going to be the easy option, and if this is your first proper 5.1 then maybe easy is your first priority, in which case go for it. However they are primarily Amplifier manufactures there speakers are not going to be as good as the likes of Tannoy, Boston or Jamo. I would urge you before you make any purchase to go down to RS or any local HIFI dealer and demo some amps, and speakers, it will give you an idea of the differences. If i were in your position i would get the Jamo 5.1's, if in stock at your local RS only 150 for some seriously good speakers, which have won many What HIFI awards, that would leave you 200-250 for a receiver, a Denon 1911 would be great or so would the Sony STRDH810, with some cash left for cables.

Again, thanks

I can see you all agree that sony 810 and Denon 1911 are both good entry level choices. So I'll go for Denon 1911, decision made.

As for the speakers I thank you for introducing those ones, as the price fits my pocket

About going to a store I would find it very usefull now that I have some ideas on what to pick

p.s. - I tought PS3 wasn't a good bluray player as during my search I've seen blurays over £500. Nice to know