Which 2.1 speakers/sub

[admin_exported]

One good question and maybe one daft one:

Good Q: I am going to match a Cambridge Audio 650 with an Onkyo 608. 5.1 is not possible due to potential divorce issues, so need 2.1 system - not sure what speakers (and stands) to go for, and sub. I like B&W so is it worth stealing front left and right and sub from the B&W 685 system (assume I can do this without buying whole setup) or is there a better alternative?

Daft Q: Can I use speakers intended for a HI Fi set up in a Home Cinema set up or does this not work (magnetic shielding or am I making this up!?). If so, would these be better choices for the Cambridge/Onkyo set up?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

HiAny sugestions will be very helpful

 

[Anonymous]

Q1. Yes you can just buy the 2 x 685s and the sub if you wish and these are great speakers, although I understand the 608 is not the best in that price bracket in stereo mode for music. Other alternatives I would look into would be the MA RX2 or KEF Q300, with their respective subs. I would audition all if I where you and included the pioneer 920 and yamaha 667.

Q2. Yes you can use hifi speakers for AV setup, you could also just buy a good 2 channel amp with a subwoofer out, something like the Yamaha AS-500 (if you don't need the HDMI inputs) and again any of the above speakers would sound good, but again audition your options. If your mainly want it for movies keep In Mind that movies are authored with 5.1( or more)sub/sat systems in mind rather than HIFI speakers, but as your mixing the 5 channels into 2 this should not be of any concern.

Another option if you want surround sound but cant have rear speakers would be the new Yamaha sound bar in this months WHF that gets a good review and includes the speakers, amp and sub for £800.

Also remember that with either of the 2.1 options you will not get full hi resolution Audio as the channels are mixed into 2, but I beileve the sound bar does, although I have not heard one and I am not sure how good it will be with music.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for this Markjaspi, very helpful.

 

[manicm]

Consider a 3.1 i.e. 2 fronts, centre & sub. Dialog will be greatly enhanced by the centre speaker while still avoiding divorce.

Blu-rays are especially quiet in stereo mode.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been horsetrading with the wife all weekend and not getting very far. Also, the corner for the TV/speakers is a foot narrower than I wanted! Grrrrrrr.

Thanks Manicm. I have thought about a 3.1 but it never seems to get mentioned as something people opt for. How do you set up with the amp - play as 5.1 and let amp think it has rear speakers. Do you lose any effects with it attempting rear sounds rather than channelling everything into stereo?

I am struggling with placing the speakers. One may need to go on the side wall along the TV and have speaker turned 90 degrees to face the sofa. Not sure B&W MT1 wall mountings are that flexible in set up so the other option is Cambridge Audio Min20s (which appear to be super flexible in setup). The Min10s seems to have mixed reviews and cannot find home reviews on the Min20s - anyone got the Mins and can offer a view?

Thanks

 

[chrisup]

PaulF

I have an Onkyo 905 and I have the B&W 685 Theatre in Black but upgraded the sub to the ASW610. My wife loves the speakers and they sound incredible. I would recommend that you get the matching centre HTM62 as its crucial with the dialogue and it is important that the front three speakers integrate well ie B&W 685s and the HTM62. For subs the B&W ASW 608 and ASW 610 would complete your 3.1 system. You could add the B&W M1 satelite speakers for the rear surrounds as a wife friendly alternative.

Make sure you demo the proposed system with some movies before making your choice you could even take the wife as they can usually hear the difference between the speakers and a favourite cd with good vocals will help!

Magnetic shielding was a consideration with old CRT tvs and not modern LCDs or Plasmas.

Best wishes

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Today we watched Saving Private Ryan via my laptop and sound via our Avi 9.1s and sub wow no need for a center really great sound. We are now thinkig of moving the tv and keeping it between the Adms.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks both. I do not think I can get away with anything other than lifestyle speakers now. We inherited a Bose GS 3-2-1 DVD system in the lounge so any replacement should be an upgrade in sound (although to be fair, while Bose gets bad press, it sounds alright). That is why I think the Cambridge Min 20 may be the way to go. I do not live on the mainland so testing these before purchase is not an option for a long time, so am keen to hear others experiences of how they sound in the home...

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Markjaspi!

I've read some of your reviews on this page, I am very impresive, they are very detail and professional.

I got a idea and I really need your help please!

I am the first time to buy speakers and amp, I have no idea what kind of speakers that should buy to make the most of my butget spending of £800 for amp and speakers.

I love to hear music and watching movies as well. I intended to buy Q acoustics 2000 home cinema speaker, and peoneer VSX920, but my friend told me that, this system is just for movies, if I want to have a nice music I should buy 2.1 speakers, not 5.1

The Q 2000 has got some problem (amber light..) I am confusing now, should i go for it? Could you please give me some advice!

Thank you very much for your help

Tuan.

 

[Big Chris]

PaulF:

One good question and maybe one daft one:

Good Q: I am going to match a Cambridge Audio 650 with an Onkyo 608. 5.1 is not possible due to potential divorce issues, so need 2.1 system - not sure what speakers (and stands) to go for, and sub. I like B&W so is it worth stealing front left and right and sub from the B&W 685 system (assume I can do this without buying whole setup) or is there a better alternative?

Daft Q: Can I use speakers intended for a HI Fi set up in a Home Cinema set up or does this not work (magnetic shielding or am I making this up!?). If so, would these be better choices for the Cambridge/Onkyo set up?

Thanks

If movies/TV is more important than stereo performance (and since you're looking at A/V stuff, I'm guessing it is). What about a Surround bar Paul? (Nearly) all the benfits of a 5.1 system without the speakers dotted all over the room.

The Yamaha model first tested in the current issue looks like a good place to start.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Big Chris, yup, I have mulled over a sound bar and saw the recent review which was very positive. What is putting me off is that is seems a waste to pair the Cambridge Audio blu ray player with a sound bar. Maybe not being a very progressive thinker so any views out there on sound bars?

 

[Big Chris]

PaulF:

Hi Big Chris, yup, I have mulled over a sound bar and saw the recent review which was very positive. What is putting me off is that is seems a waste to pair the Cambridge Audio blu ray player with a sound bar. Maybe not being a very progressive thinker so any views out there on sound bars?

Then save yourself £300 and buy a Sony BDP-S370 instead.

 

[Anonymous]

dtuan:
Hi Markjaspi!

I've read some of your reviews on this page, I am very impresive, they are very detail and professional.

I got a idea and I really need your help please!

I am the first time to buy speakers and amp, I have no idea what kind of speakers that should buy to make the most of my butget spending of £800 for amp and speakers.

I love to hear music and watching movies as well. I intended to buy Q acoustics 2000 home cinema speaker, and peoneer VSX920, but my friend told me that, this system is just for movies, if I want to have a nice music I should buy 2.1 speakers, not 5.1

The Q 2000 has got some problem (amber light..) I am confusing now, should i go for it? Could you please give me some advice!

Thank you very much for your help

Tuan.

Hi Tuan,

It depends on whether you will be more interested in movies or music, if you go for an AVR you can always switch to stereo mode to listen to 2 channel music, but it will never sound as good for music as a similarly priced, 2 channel amp.

If you start off with a 2 channel amp, you would have to add an AVR with pre-outs at a later date to be able to benefit from not duplicating your front set of speakers.

If your looking at listening to music I would suggest you look at traditional speaker package setup like the Q-Acpustic 2000 pack, rather than style type packages.

I have not heard of any problems with the 2000 pack personally, and they are highly regarded by WHF and various other forum members. You may also want to look at the Tannoy MecuryF3 Custom 5.1 package available for £409 at superfi, with 2 floorstanders as this may give better musical reproduction in 2 channel mode. Also see if any of the dealers have any of the out going Monitor Audio BR range packages.

If you go down the AVR route the pioneer 920 sounds good in 2 channel mode (i used to own one) but the Yamaha 667 is for sale at Richersounds for £299 at the moment and is in my opinion just as good, if not better.

I would suggest you go down to a dealer and try out the various AVRs in 5.1 and possibly a 2 channel set up, something like the KEF Q300 with Yamaha AS-500, with a piece of music and a movie scene you are familiar with and see which you prefer.

 

[manicm]

PaulF:

I have been horsetrading with the wife all weekend and not getting very far. Also, the corner for the TV/speakers is a foot narrower than I wanted! Grrrrrrr.

Thanks Manicm. I have thought about a 3.1 but it never seems to get mentioned as something people opt for. How do you set up with the amp - play as 5.1 and let amp think it has rear speakers. Do you lose any effects with it attempting rear sounds rather than channelling everything into stereo?

I am struggling with placing the speakers. One may need to go on the side wall along the TV and have speaker turned 90 degrees to face the sofa. Not sure B&W MT1 wall mountings are that flexible in set up so the other option is Cambridge Audio Min20s (which appear to be super flexible in setup). The Min10s seems to have mixed reviews and cannot find home reviews on the Min20s - anyone got the Mins and can offer a view?

Thanks

No, the centre speaker/channel is for dialog. Dialog is low in the mix when watching movies in stereo, esp. Blu-rays and the centre channel helps greatly. All surround sound is coalesced to the fronts - so don't worry about the effects - you'll still hear them, just not from behind as in a 5.1 system.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Manicm.

Have the pleasure of saying I needed to go to the UK Tuesday/today at short notice and used it as an opportunity to jump into a taxi to go to Richer Sounds. I had a demo of the Min 20 and luvvvvvvveeeed it. Just sorting out whether to wall mount or use stand and will buy over the weekend. Will go for the 3.1 set up (thanks Manicm). Only heard the 200w sub so am thinking safe bet is 300w as mid range and will not be the size of a truck (aka 500w). Hooray

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Paul,

I would be really interested to find out what you ended up going for and how it sounds.

I'm in exactly the same position as you were. I've had to downsize the hi-fi and have already bought two Cambridge Audio Min 20 speakers along with the Min x200 sub. Whilst they sounds great for their size I was wondering whether an additional centre speaker (another Min 20) would make a difference.

Thanks
Stuart