Spec me a new 5.1 Surround sound system please

ScarySquirrel said:
Your perception of decent is probably completely different from another person's perception of decent. Their needs are also probably completely different. You seem to dish out advice based on your own needs, and not take into consideration what people are actually asking for.

I think my £280 5.1 system is better than decent, I think it is awesome. You would probably think it is rubbish.
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Nice one mate, you've just saved me a lot of money. Thats all i needed to here. As my Tele is Samsung i think ill buy the Samsung 5.1 kit...

The thing is i need to be able to plug my ps3 - HDMI, 360 - VGA red & white audio, Sky Box - HDMI and Wii - Component into the surround sound system.

Would i be best get a 5.1 kit like the Samsung or something and then a seperate AV receiver... for example the Samsung 720?
 
You would probably think it is ****.
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Yes, as would anybody else into audio. Much like you trying to tell BMW owners your clapped out Fiesta is brilliant. Ignorence is bliss, until your start to drive that BMW...

My level of quality is £1000 per item...you don't need to spend that much, despite what others are saying, just because a £100 HTIB is produced doesn't mean it's quality or should be bothered with. For £280 you could have got a stereo amp and stereo speakers. It WILL sound better than your HTIB, depsite not being 5.1. People don't understand this...

You seem to dish out advice based on your own needs, and not take into consideration what people are actually asking for.
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sigh...wrong. My own needs are av pre-amp and 10 poweramps going to £10K+ . Have I told the OP to do this? Nope. Again you are trying to put my own experience down by saying I'm elitist or snobbish, so elevates your own choice in the decision to buy your gear which wasen't the best choice you could have done with the cas-I'm still giving advice on BUDGET HIFI gear in his price range, not just HTIB junk that "does the job"

If people are asking positive confirmation what they're already going to buy, then why bother ask for advice? It's like saying "I'm buying a Bose, so any pros why I should buy it?" My opinion is people don't want others to offer competing advice, as it shows a) how stupid they are or b) there lack of experience in the field c) if competing advice, ignore and/or ridicule them. I've given advice to people interested in PC's, saying I can build a higher quality PC for a few hundred less than high street...and yet they go to high street and buy over proced low quality items because they think they know better. As they unpack it gloat to me hows it's better...and then it's unstable, BSOD, try and phone retailer and they're rubbish (told them after sales is rubbish) and then can't fix it themselves, I refuse to touch it....so left with a piece of junk.
 
The thing is i need to be able to plug my ps3 - HDMI, 360 - VGA red & white audio, Sky Box - HDMI and Wii - Component into the surround sound system.
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Check HTIB have enough inputs, usually I/O connectivity is pretty limited.
 
badbob said:
From the reactions here, it sounds people with PC 5.1 /HTIB don't like the idea that for a little more, you could have got something that you enjoy.
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Umm, I'v done the same thing as you (I asked what I should get as far as 5.1 goes and ended up with a CA300, and MS302's with a MS308), and think that you have gone far to far in what you have recommended.

badbob said:
And you can buy something decent for that...just not 5.1.Sorry but your arguements are failing.
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No, you've just made yourself look like an idiot, the guys has asked for 5.1, he wants 5.1, so your advice is just completely irrelevant. At the end of the day, the guy is going to be more than happy with either a more upmarket all in one box system or some better quality separate 5.1 kit, he clearly isn't going to want 2.0 for 5.1
 
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just because he doesn't think he wants 2.0, doesn't mean that people shouldn't advise him that he should perhaps go to a place like sevenoaks and demo a £300 2.0 solution and a £300 HTIB and then make up his mind whether he still wants 5.1 or not.

If I had my heart set on a 5.1 system but had never really listened to a proper hi-fi separates 2.0 system and went along and got demos of each and similarly priced, I'm pretty sure I'd be blown away by how much better I thought the 2.0 was.

OP, you really should at least listen to your options before you spend so much money.
 
From the reactions here, it sounds people with PC 5.1 /HTIB don't like the idea that for a little more, you could have got something that you enjoy. Same thing for PC's...dealt with idiots who bought a PC from retail shops and running into loads of problems. If they took my advice and bought quality gear wouldn't have the problem.
sigh...wrong. My own needs are av pre-amp and 10 poweramps going to £10K+ . Have I told the OP to do this? Nope. Again you are trying to put my own experience down by saying I'm elitist or snobbish, so elevates your own choice in the decision to buy your gear which wasen't the best choice you could have done with the cas-I'm still giving advice on BUDGET HIFI gear in his price range, not just HTIB junk that "does the job"
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it has nothing to do with my own choices, obviously. which, by the way, was the perfect choice for me. Thanks but your advice isnt needed.

as for not being snobbish? here's some quotes, enjoy:
- My level of quality is £1000 per item

- Does it matter? If something is brandished with a rating it should be that. Or marketed as 5x15W, 1X25W amp. Of course that doesn't look good. My amps aren't blown out of proprotion ie 2 x 3kW RMS on the spec page. - when talking about a set of pc speakers, you just had to slip that in :o

- I wouldn't spend less than this..: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360032880&n=Felt Felt DA 2008 - link to a £4.5 pushbike when willhub wanted to spend £100 to repair his current bike/

-£150 won't get you a "awesome" 5.1 system. Add a couple of 0's and it will. £200 will get you a budget Hi-Fi seperates (amp and speakers) second hand, or £400 for similar quality but new. If you want a "awesome" subwoofer need to at least £400, ideally £500+ I've had a SVS 20-39 PC Plus and that was a superb subwoofer, they're available for £600 new. Not got a PC Ultra 13. - when the op had a budget of £150:o

- Jealous? One component costs 27 times more than your entire audio system. - needed?

- badbob your quote on the price of a decent sub alone says otherwise. come on now you do it in every single thread that people ask for advice in. ive lost count of how many times you felt the need to mention your own subwoofer when it had no relevance in those threads. - thats a quote from ME, in that same thread last month telling you then that peopel have had enough of it.

If you want a serious subwoofer, checkout this.. http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-pb13ultra.cfm . Stuff like the Logitech and Aego don't come close - when the op had a budget of £50 for some pc speakers!!!
 
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I've got an old 5.1 yammy atm and I love it and I'm very much into Hi-Fi, yes I've heard a hell of allot better but I learn to appreciate what I have at the time, I just don't have the money to spend on what I really like, there are many people that are into Hi-Fi like there are many people that are into Art but they don't have million dollar paintings on their walls.

On the other end of the spectrum I've met sooooo many people in my life time that love music, really really love music, allot of these people are not bothered about expensive hi-fi, they are perfectly happy with a bog standard system with a big pair of speakers with some fat cones in them, and of course, lots of bass, if the system has fat bass it's good ;) :D, I miss those days, anyway, they are genuinely happy, seriously, I've even had mates in the past ring me up and tell me how amazing their £60 5.1 logitech speakers are, I'm not joking lol, and I'm happy for them, for many people this is enough,

my next door neighbour, they brought a crappy all-in-one from the high street, honestly you should have seen their faces, they were positively beaming while listening to their cd's on it, what am I gonna say to them, "oh excuse me but your hi-fi is crap, let me explain why you shouldn't be enjoying it" lol.
 
I live in a semi det house so i cant have the system to loud as i respect my neighbour's privacy. I jsut want to be able to hear what people are saying when i watch movies etc.

However... like i said i had a £40 logitech 5.1 kit for a couple of months until i decided to use it on my PC. It blew me away the quality of it. However the rear speakers will no longer stretch as i have had a lounge alteration. This was my main concern and reason for wanting wireless for rear.

I appreciate some of you are trying to help me with your knowledge for 5.1 and saying im better getting a 2.0 system for the time being.. but quite frankly i dont want one.

I WANT 5.1 <--- plain and simple.

My options are to spend £200 or £800... i would spend £20 - £80 if possible as long as i could plug my PS3 - HDMI, 360 - VGA (red and white connection), Wii - component and Sky HD - HDMI.... this is the spec i need.

I hope this clarifies what i am after? and as i said I'm not being ungrateful and i do appreciate everyones help but what i don't appreciate is someone giving me advice about 2.0 and then somebody else flaming them.

Hope this helps?
 
no, its quite right to want what you asked for. there's no point if you're not happy with suggestions.

on that not i have a suggestion. if you are happy with the logitechs you had (still have?) then all you really have to do is extend the wires on the rear speakers. that should cost you all of £10 or so i guess:) how about that?
 
james.miller said:
no, its quite right to want what you asked for. there's no point if you're not happy with suggestions.

on that not i have a suggestion. if you are happy with the logitechs you had (still have?) then all you really have to do is extend the wires on the rear speakers. that should cost you all of £10 or so i guess:) how about that?
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Thats a cracking idea but the only problem i had with the £40 ones was the fact that the cable wire is very thick so hard to hide and i can only connect my Xbox 360 to it and have to keep unplugging it to put my Wii in or Sky.

I ideally want to be able to have all plugged in at one time. If that means i have to buy a crappy 5.1 kit but an expensive AV receiver then so be it.

As my tele is Samsung and i do need to buy a receiver it would be the Onkyo 605 or the Samsung 702. But thats an expensive option.
 
go for z5500's

easy to setup, they sound awesome compared to anything else i've owned (used to buy say £100 2.1 creative sets)

one of my best pc buys tbh :)
 
my mates offered me a good nick z5500 for £60. It broke.... turns out it was a dodgy fuse but logitech sent him a new one out and didnt take the original lol.

Quids in for him.

Whats the input like on them for say having a PS3, Wii (my friend says not compatible), 360 and Sky HD?
 
james you haven't a leg to stand on, those above post links to nice gear is a joke, obviously...I'm not rubbishing £200 NAD amp + £200 stereo speakers, but I am rubbishing £100-£300 HTIB, they're crap and anyone with half hearing and eyes would notice it. That is not elitist, because if it were I'd rubbish mid end gear, or pretty much everything lower than mine. I've been round peoples homes and they try to brag how great the Sony DAV or a Aiwa midi system are with whole thing distorting, flapping...try to say best choice they made, and they have the bloody cheek to say it's better than mine (never heard mine) And then they don't like it when I tell them why there's is ****** and when they demo mine....some have left shaking.

I've owned various subs, not a large variety like others, but enough range to get a valid opinion (from PC subs all the way to £900)...you DO need to spend a few hundred quid on a subwoofer, if you can't afford it don't bother getting one as it'll make your system sound worse. Avoid things like Rel Quake, and get something like BK XLS200 as a minimum. Again that is NOT elitist that is my own experience talking- trying to get a low end sub integrated and sounding decent is near impossible, turning it off actually made the system sound better.

Rebelius advice is spot on, go and compare £300 HTIB versus £300 stereo. There's little point of sticking to a POS HTIB if you find similar priced stereo sounds better.

-£150 won't get you a "awesome" 5.1 system. A
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...so my advice is not allowed now? I'm telling it as it is, £150 will get the job done, but hardly with finesse...words like "awesome" shouldn't be used, because he probably thinks £150 is a lot of money and will buy something very nice. So why pretend, and not give out opinion like it is? Like saying a person wants "awesome" performance in Crysis with a £300 base unit. Not possible. I've dealt with people thinking that a £30 videocard will play latest games...so should I just agree with him (even though I know better) or tell him the truth? Are you the sort of person who doesn't like to learn something from somebody else, because it shows your stupidity?

If the OP just wants a £150-£300, just go into local high street and buy any tat HTIB system. No skin off my nose..

Your viewpoint of me as "snobbery" is no different to those with presitigious cars, or expensive clothes trying to give advice to others, yet it gets thrown in there face. I see it all the time...anyone with a bit more money or knowledge isn't liked. Typical English eh?

Out of interest badbob, what kit do you have?
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Kef Reference, Lexicon av pre-amp, Audiolab poweramps, SVS subwoofer. Pretty good stuff, but hardly the best. Not in the league of Naim, Chord, Bryston..I don't throw a fit if someone has better stuff.

jealousy, babbob? LOL. why would i be jealous? or is that need of yours to be superior showing its little head again?
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Funny how you try and turn it around thinking that I'm superior, do you have a personality compex? If someone showed me there £10000 gaming rig I wouldn't think they're "superior"
 
its your blatant disregard for the op's needs that is the problem, badbob. you still arent getting it are you?

Funny how you try and turn it around thinking that I'm superior, do you have a personality compex? If someone showed me there £10000 gaming rig I wouldn't think they're "superior"
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funny how you keep trying to dodge the issue and focus the argument on me. Im sorry, but what do i have to do with anything? and i never said i thought you were superior. i dont and you arent, not in any way. learn to read.

tbh much of your post is nothing but a shallow invitation to a full blown argument, which i will decline. however, you should KNOW full well that i will only advice within the ops budgets and requirements. you couldnt find any such post of mine where i've felt the need to advice massively over the op's budget or boast about my system when it has nothing to do with the topic of the thread. you cant find it because i dont do it, unlike yourself.

You are a snob, its as simple as that. and i've no interest in continuing this conversation.
 
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its your blatant disregard for the op's needs that is the problem, badbob. you still arent getting it are you?
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Want my advice? OP should buy a HTIB, they're crap but that's what he asked for.. happy? [sarcasm]
 
badbob said:
Want my advice? OP should buy a HTIB, they're crap but that's what he asked for.. happy? [sarcasm]
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No he didn't he asked whether the product with the spec (5.1) he was looking for in his price range (£200) could be bettered by another product with similar spec in the same price range.

Could you advise on a better product with the same or similar spec (5.1) in the same price range?

(again) If it was me I'd go for a sony 5.1 separates kit. Good value, good warranty, reasonable quality for the price and probably a better fit for a TV/living room setup than the PC gear.
 
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