top of the range home cinema

[jokerpaulonline]

I am after you expert advise. I am after getting a home cinema sound system. I want the best quality sound system i can get, as if I hear one better than the 1 i got then will not be happy with the one i got anymore.

I want 1 with just as good sound quality at a low volume as when got it loud. (cant be upsetting the neighbours)

dont want big and bulky speakers that take up half the room, want something small and compact without loosing the quality, the same goes for the amp.

I would like your opinon on what I could get, including what the best cables to get with the system and where the best place to get it from.

I am not to familar with what is out there at the mo, as the last main stero system i bought was about 15 years ago, which was a pioneer with surround sound and b&w speakers and can still hold its head high with performance compared to a lot of systems nowdays. so want something just as good in a cinema sound system.

Happy New Year to you all !!!

 

[Anonymous]

The process of evolution will set in and make some thing good even better. It happens with everything - the same will apply to your hi-fi or home cinema system.

Buy the best kit you can afford that pleases you visually and sonically and be happy with it.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

jokerpaulonline:
I am after you expert advise. I am after getting a home cinema sound system. I want the best quality sound system i can get, as if I hear one better than the 1 i got then will not be happy with the one i got anymore.

I want 1 with just as good sound quality at a low volume as when got it loud. (cant be upsetting the neighbours)

dont want big and bulky speakers that take up half the room, want something small and compact without loosing the quality, the same goes for the amp.

I would like your opinon on what I could get, including what the best cables to get with the system and where the best place to get it from.

I am not to familar with what is out there at the mo, as the last main stero system i bought was about 15 years ago, which was a pioneer with surround sound and b&w speakers and can still hold its head high with performance compared to a lot of systems nowdays. so want something just as good in a cinema sound system.

Happy New Year to you all !!!

If you want the best, you won't get it with small and compact. There is not a brilliant small system that's as good as a brilliant big one. You will have to accept sacrifices. If you go for a style system, you will have to spend a fortune to match a £2k full size system.

 

[JoelSim]

How much do you want to spend? When you say 'top of the range' do you mean £20k?

 

[Anonymous]

If its home cinema only / the most important thing then i would think the m&k range is a must on the audition list!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, it all depends on how top end you want to go!

I have the Tanny Revolution Signature speakers, they are a 5 star speaker and also very dainty compared with most floor standers.

I would get a beefy sub, a PV1 is highly rated and small for its power.

Amps are all going to be bigger than you want at the top end, you could look at a Yamaha Z11 maybe.

You would need to try these together to see how they go but at least their form factor should suit you

 

[aliEnRIK]

Your post is asking for polar opposites ~ you want the best system money can buy but small speakers!

If you want the best av system then denons pre and power amp are just about the best money can buy at this moment in time (Though your probably talking around 10k+ for it). But no one in their right mind would fit small monitor sized speakers to the amp

Anyways ~ the denons ~

http://www.denon.co.uk/site/frames_main.php?main=prod&ver=&MID=3&sub=1&action=detail&Pid=391
http://www.denon.co.uk/site/frames_main.php?main=prod&MID=3&sub=1&action=detail&Pid=343

 

[jokerpaulonline]

ok, as I said I am a bit out of touch what is out there, £10k & £20 Oucchhh!!!! the ones at that price, do they really sound that much better than a system costing £5k?

Right now i had a few coments I will say what is really on my mind, I know I have read it is over priced, but what I have been looking at is the bose lifestyle 48 system. (small compact system} Feel free to give your comments good or bad. what else is out there to compare with this system?

I would like to hear every little detail of the film I am watching, from a pin dropping to a full blown explosion.

My budget is about £4k tops.

If I was to buy seperates then with this budget in mind how much would i be looking at spending on each, amp, speakers then cables and please add if I have left anything out

 

[PJPro]

Well, these smallish speakers appear to be highly regarded by the mag.

 

[Frank Harvey]

The Bose system will be bettered by many alternatives at it's price. These systems ae for those that want to save space and get the smallest thing they can.

For your £4k budget, I'd pick up an MK M7 series package, Yamaha DSPZ7 and a budget Pioneer/Panasonic/Sony bluray player. These Bluray players look great even though they're relatively cheap in relation to the overall budget, the Yamaha is THE best AV under £2k, maybe more, and the MK's are about the best small speakers you'll get to keep within your budget. A system like this will far outperform what you already have.

MK produce high quality sub/sat speaker systems, based on their active studio monitors that are used in many big name recording/mastering studios throughout the world, including Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Many of the movies you watch are mastered on their speakers, including Star Wars and King Kong. Their ability to pick out tiny details in a busy soundtrack is unparallelled, and they will leave normal hi-fi based AV speaker packages standing with their ability to create a massive, believable soundstage within the confines of the average living room.

Pop into your local MK dealer and take a look at the range and you'll see how smal they are, and hear how amazing they can be when put into a balanced system.

MK make speaker systems purely designed to reproduce movie soundtracks from around £1,500, to £10,000 and beyond when talking about active systems.

 

[jokerpaulonline]

How much would I have to spend to get approx the same performance of the bose lifestyle 48. Just to give me an idea on how much extra i would be spending on this system to have something small and compact.

I have no idea where my local mk dealers are, have you got a link to there web site?

and if my budget is £4k then what propartion would i need to spend amp to speakers? would i need to spend more for the amp or speakers, what is the most inportant out of the 2?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

jokerpaulonline:
How much would I have to spend to get approx the same performance of the bose lifestyle 48. Just to give me an idea on how much extra i would be spending on this system to have something small and compact.

I have no idea where my local mk dealers are, have you got a link to there web site?

and if my budget is £4k then what propartion would i need to spend amp to speakers? would i need to spend more for the amp or speakers, what is the most inportant out of the 2?

You could get the Monitor Audio R90 AV12 for £795 and a receiver for £400 that would batter the Bose.

If you were spending £4k, and wanted small style speakers, I would spend about £2500 on speakers and £1500 on a receiver and the supplier should include cables if you spend that much.

 

[Anonymous]

If you were considering the Bose I'd much prefer this. I reckon it will better the sound a fair bit and look alot nicer aswell!

http://whathifi.com/Review/BandW-MT-30/

what hifi recommend pairing it with this...

http://whathifi.com/Review/Yamaha-DSP-AX863SE/

add this

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/6091

then spend the rest on blu ray discs!

 

[Gerrardasnails]

bobbyg81:
If you were considering the Bose I'd much prefer this. I reckon it will at better the sound a fair bit and look alot nicer aswell!

http://whathifi.com/Review/BandW-MT-30/

what hifi recommend pairing it with this...

http://whathifi.com/Review/Yamaha-DSP-AX863SE/

add this

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/6091

then spend the rest on blu ray discs!

A family friend went from an older Bose Lifestyle system for the B&Ws and a Denon amp and it is so much better.

 

[Anonymous]

Id love those b&ws. That sub is one of the nicest pieces of kit ive seen!

 

[Big Chris]

+1 for the B&W MT30s here (Not surprising really, been using it myself for 2 years to great effect).

Sounds great, discrete, stylish, and goes very loud if you want it to. Can be had for less than the £1575 if you're prepared to shop around and do some leg work.

They're available in Black, White & Silver. Only issue is they don't do the optional floorstands in White (Didn't bother me particularly. 5 of mine are wall mounted with the supplied brackets which are not the same as the chrome table top stands, despite many dealers telling me this is how they're wall mounted, and 2 are on a shelf using the chrome table top stands).

 

[Anonymous]

Gerrardasnails:jokerpaulonline:

How much would I have to spend to get approx the same performance of the bose lifestyle 48. Just to give me an idea on how much extra i would be spending on this system to have something small and compact.

I have no idea where my local mk dealers are, have you got a link to there web site?

and if my budget is £4k then what propartion would i need to spend amp to speakers? would i need to spend more for the amp or speakers, what is the most inportant out of the 2?

You could get the Monitor Audio R90 AV12 for £795 and a receiver for £400 that would batter the Bose. If you were spending £4k, and wanted small style speakers, I would spend about £2500 on speakers and £1500 on a receiver and the supplier should include cables if you spend that much.

I like the 'batter the Bose' line although I did wonder whether it was a typo of 'better the Bose' either way you are so right !

My mate had one (Lifestyle 48) which he swore by till he heard a decent sub/sat set up - 'you suddenly realise there is loads of mid range' he said.

 

[Frank Harvey]

jokerpaulonline: How much would I have to spend to get approx the same performance of the bose lifestyle 48. Just to give me an idea on how much extra i would be spending on this system to have something small and compact.

I have no idea where my local mk dealers are, have you got a link to there web site?

and if my budget is £4k then what propartion would i need to spend amp to speakers? would i need to spend more for the amp or speakers, what is the most inportant out of the 2?

You wouldn't need to spend much to match up to the Bose 48. As I've stated in my post, for £4k you can get a stinking system with what I've recommended, and for me, there's nothing around that would even come close.

Where are you based?

 

[Frank Harvey]

FrankHarveyHiFi:jokerpaulonline: How much would I have to spend to get approx the same performance of the bose lifestyle 48. Just to give me an idea on how much extra i would be spending on this system to have something small and compact.

I have no idea where my local mk dealers are, have you got a link to there web site?

and if my budget is £4k then what propartion would i need to spend amp to speakers? would i need to spend more for the amp or speakers, what is the most inportant out of the 2?

You wouldn't need to spend much to match up to the Bose 48. As I've stated in my post, for £4k you can get a stonking system with what I've recommended, and for me, there's nothing around that would even come close.

Where are you based?

 

[jokerpaulonline]

I am based in dagenham in essex

and I appericate all your comments and advice

I quite like the look of the b&w mt-30 speakers. Just need to find somewhere that I can go and listen to them now.

what are they like at picking up every detail at a low volume?

 

[Anonymous]

I have just finished watching Terminator Salvation on my Sony BDP-S760 through my new AVI Neutron 5 2.1 system. It retails for around £1300 plus the cost of the Sony Bluray player (although I got mine for a little less).
Its a very compact unit, obviously two small speakers and a sub approx 34x34x34cms.

What a system! Sounds absolutely fantastic! Everything is crystal clear, and the sub gives a good thump when required. I have heard some quite expensive systems (which didn't sound quite as good as I expected) - but for the money, in my opinion, I don't think mine could be bettered.

It's all a personal opinion, but go and listen to some - you may be surprised!

 

[Anonymous]

For small quality speakers I still think these are hard to beat:
http://stereos.about.com/od/reviewsandrecommendations/fr/FocalDome.htm

 

[Frank Harvey]

jokerpaulonline: I am based in dagenham in essex

and I appericate all your comments and advice

No problem, it's what I'm here for

I quite like the look of the b&w mt-30 speakers. Just need to find somewhere that I can go and listen to them now.

what are they like at picking up every detail at a low volume? High quality small speakers do usually tend to need a little more driving to bring them to life, and even though that's true of MK, you get much better detail at lower volumes then lifestyle speaker packages or those based on hi-fi speakers.

 

[jokerpaulonline]

I still have not found any m&k dealers, can u help, I am in dagenham, essex

and which m&k speakers would you reccomend?

 

[Frank Harvey]

Below is another thread I answered this evening - these are the speakers I'd recommend.

The best matching and best sounding combination I've ever heard for AV is the yamaha DSPZ7 with an MK 750thx package - everyone who has heard it at our showroom have been seriously impressed by it. The sheer scale they produce bely their relatively small cabinets, and the amount of forthright detail on offer is beyond any hi-fi speaker package.

The Z7 drives them perfectly. It just seems to be one of those synergy matches you only seem to normally get with hi-fi, and to hear it with AV is even more of a treat.

The DSPZ7 can be had for around £1,500, leaving £2,500 for the speakers. The LCR750thx fronts are about £1,200 for the front 3, the matching surrounds are £850, and the ideal matching sub is £995. Yes, this takes you a little over, but with the sales at the moment, it would bring it within budget.

Stunning system.

As for local dealers, I can't help you there as the UK distributor doesn't have a UK dealer database on their site because they also sell direct to the public (for the same price). But you're more than welcome to pop in and see us - obviously we'd make the visit worth while due to the circumstances.