Home Cinema equipment recommendations please!

Kona*

Kona*

Kona*

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Joined
29 Dec 2003
Posts
2,039
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
Hey guys, I got a little bit of cash for Christmas (£200) and would like to spend it on some better home cinema equipment.

At the moment I play Blu-ray's through my PS3 with the sound going to an old Pioneer CD/Tape system and the video to my LG 42LH5000. The TV I love, I know it's only mid-ranged and not the newest of technology but it does the job for me and upgrading it to something substantially better would cost close to the £1k mark. Now, the audio I don't love so much, I got the hi-fi for free from a family member a year or two ago and while it's better than the LG's built in speakers it's far from earth shattering!

I've read a few threads on here and the general consensus is to go down the separate speakers/av receiver route rather than an all-in-one package as it's easier to upgrade in the future. I've had a look around and for £200 I can't get that much, possibly a 2.1 system but hey I can always add more later.

I've got my eye on the Sony STRDH510 receiver which I'll attach my PS3 and Sky HD to via HDMI (as the Sony does audio over HDMI, is that the right way to do it?) but I haven't really settled on any speakers yet so I'm after suggestions please :) Also, if the AV receiver isn't up to much could you guys point me in the direction of an alternative please?

Thanks :)

Craig
 
£200 budget to buy speakers and an AV Receiver? I would save up some more, or buy second hand. If you really want to get started at that budget I would pick up a basic digital AVR second hand (approx £60) and send your video direct to the TV via HDMI and route the sound via optical, and then spend the rest on speakers, maybe starting with a good set of bookshelves for the front.
Or...you could start off with a good AVR and buy the speakers later? Looks like the one you spec'd is a good price, but not sure it has all the featues you want.

I know I harped on about second hand there, but the bargains to be had second hand with AV gear is unbelievable sometimes. Especially when people don't realise what they have for sale aka some of the auctions on ebay.
 
At that price point your probably looking at

Sony STR-DH500 - £100 (510 is about £140)
Tannoy Mercury - £130 or Mordaunt Short £140
+ decent speaker cable (QED Silver Anniversary).

You're pretty much restricated in what you can get at that price point tbh. Having said that anything will be a massive improvement over tv speakers.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys :)

Where is a good place to check for 2nd hand AV equipment? I know eBay, but then again I'm not sure what is good and what is not! I'll also take a look at the speakers you recommended moody, thanks.

Also, how much difference does good quality speaker cable make? The QED Anniversary stuff is £6 p/m! I have estimated I'd need 16m in total so that's half of my budget on speaker cable alone, would I honestly notice that much difference compared to some £2.50/£3 p/m cable if I don't have really high-end speakers?

Last but not least, what do you guys think of the Onkyo HTS-3305? (linky here: http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/onkyo/hts3305/onky-hts3305-blk) I can get this for £250 and from the reviews I have read, the AVR is really quite good and the speakers are not half bad. I also have the advantage of being able to upgrade around the AVR as I get a bit more cash :)

Thanks again,

Craig
 
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Beware...The STR DH500 does have HDMI sockets, but they don't do anything. The amp doesn't have HD Audio decoding. Neither does the more expensive STRDH510.

For that reason I'd go with the Onkyo kit.

On speaker cable, let's be realistic. QED would be lovely but it's difficult to justify. In HiFi they say allow 10-20% of your budget on cables and interconnects. It's slightly different because they are cabling just two speakers rather than 5+ My advice is go for a roll of reasonable thickness OFC (oxygen free) copper cable. Avoid the stuff that's as thin as bell wire - it's rubbish. When you are spending £500+ on speakers and £500+ on an AV receiver then it's probably time for something more exotic. :)
 
Kona* said:
Also, how much difference does good quality speaker cable make? The QED Anniversary stuff is £6 p/m! I have estimated I'd need 16m in total so that's half of my budget on speaker cable alone, would I honestly notice that much difference compared to some £2.50/£3 p/m cable if I don't have really high-end speakers?
Click to expand...
I would just buy a 10metre roll of speaker cable that costs about £10 for a low end system....
Be crazy to spend a packet on high quailty speaker cable for a £200 to £300 AV setup

I would use something like this
"SLX Gold OFC Speaker Cable 2 x 79 Strand 20metres Only £16.98" http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...refview=search&ts=1293572048166&isSearch=true
 
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I'd agree about checking out the classifieds...if Kona* was looking for something better than budget entry-level gear. However, I think because new cheaper entry-level DD-HD/DTS-HD decoding amps have been launched it kind of skews what is available second hand. It would be a bit like arguing that £1000 laptop is worth squat because of the arrival of Netbooks.

With such a tight budget and new product coming out at cheaper prices I think the safer bet is a new kit like the Onkyo.
 
Thanks for the help guys, yesterday I made a decision and ordered the Onkyo HT-S5305B from the large river store. It should have been here today but Citylink picked it up too late and my local depot has a huge backlog so it might take an extra week to arrive! The store have already refunded the £10 postage I paid for next day delivery though :)

I'll let you all know what I think of it when it eventually arrives.

Cheers!
 
I have the R380 receiver and speakers as part of the S3305 bundle. Excellent package for the price. Watched Iron Man 2 on Bluray with the sound cranked up last night, and it was epic even for such small inexpensive speakers. Was very impressed with the bass also :D
 
Well it eventually arrived yesterday and after a good three hours of ripping up my living room carpet to run the rear speaker cables, I have it all set up! It was getting on a bit by the time I had it all set up so I couldn't crank the volume up (terraced house) but even on low (25-30 volume) it was very impressive. I watched The Expendables on Blu-Ray and while the story wasn't earth shatteringly good, the action more than made up for it :p

Now I have a question, what's the score with leaving all this plugged in 24/7? I've got it all surge protected and leave the receiver on standby and turn the sub off by the power button on the back - is this OK?

Also, is there a way to get my Sky+HD to output sound to the TV and to the AVR? The 5.1 system won't always be needed for when the missus is watching Homes Under The Hammer or such tripe :p I'd imagine I could connect the optical cable to the AVR and the HDMI cable from the Sky+HD box direct to the TV, when I want the 5.1 system on Sky I just turn the volume down on the TV and set the input to the optical input on the AVR? If that makes sense :o

Cheers,

Craig
 
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