AV receiverand speakers

[tony888]

I'm looking to get an entry level (need to keep cost down ) AV receiver and 2/3 speakers to go along with it

I'll mainly be using it for watching movies, streaming music from mobile device and gaming when the ps4/Xbox1 comes out. Is this asking too much?

Because I'm new to all of this what brands should I avoid and would £300 to low of budget for what I'm asking for? Planning to go richersounds nearer to the move in date. Oh this also going in a 1 bed flat so maybe floorstanders speaker are out of the question.

Sorry for the noobness

 

[neodude]

I highly recommend the Onkyo TX-NR414. Amazing for the price. You would need 5 speakers and a subwoofer to get it at its best though. I use the ONKYO SKSHT528 set.

 

[anything I don't mind]

I recommend buying an entry level yamaha av receiver like the rxv373, you can even pick up a avr for £100 now, like this PIONEER VSX322 from richer sound.

Then try and pick up some second hand surround sound speakers for £200 or £150. I bought my wharfedale diamond 8, 5 speaker set for £100 from ebay. They came pre weighted with sand and included some high quality stands for th back speakers. Speakers last years like 15-20 years etc so bargains can be found second hand if you lucky.

But if thats too much hassle, just get a packaged surround sound system.

Like the YAMAHA YHT-199 for example. £250 from richer sound.

 

[lucid]

TBH, I'd avoid floorstanders with your budget. There just isn't enough money in a £150 pair of floorstanders for the manufacturer to make a strong and well braced cabinet. So what you gain in a little extra bass depth from the bigger box is outweighed by the loss in precision.

If you're going to buy in stages (which I do thing is a good idea) then you need to plan ahead. The front three speakers should be from a matching brand. If it's going to be a while before adding a centre, then buying bargain front L&R speakers now when there's no matching centre in the future will leave you a bit stuck. The centre really is the most important speaker for movies and gaming. Most of what you hear comes from the centre. The front L&R speakers are really just adding music and effects and a little to help with the steering of panning across the front.

The way I see it, your budget breaks down like this: £100 for an AV Receiver. A centre is a minimum of £99. That leaves less than £100 for front L&R speakers and sundries (cables, interconnects, speaker stands etc). The maths doesn't add up with making some large compromises on performance. What you'll end up with is either a system that doesn't sound that good, or that you have to upgrade sooner rather than later.

If it was me, I'd go with stereo speakers and an AV Receiver. When the AV Receiver is configured in 2.0 mode then the front stereo pair will handle the centre speaker duties, so you want some decent speakers for that.

I'd look at Dali Zensor 1 speakers (£199). Add a £100 AV Receiver. Scrape together an extra £30 for some speaker stands and ask Richers to chuck in the speaker cable.

If you're still wedded to the idea of floorstanders then have a listen to the Mission 33i (clearance @ £149). Be aware though, the Missions only go down to 48Hz. The much smaller Dali's nearly match that (53Hz) and will sound more accomplished in other areas.

Secondhand speakers is always an option, but because of age, choice, distance and a whole raft of other complications then I think s/h at this budget should only be entertained if you really know what you're buying.

 

[tony888]

Thanks for the suggestions. Would I not need bluetooth on the AV to support wireless streaming music from mobile devices (iphone/S4/tablet)? I probably can stretch my budget by another £100 if needed.

I'll will mostly likely stick with 2/3 speakers first and upgrade to 5 later

 

[tony888]

TBH, I'd avoid floorstanders with your budget. There just isn't enough money in a £150 pair of floorstanders for the manufacturer to make a strong and well braced cabinet. So what you gain in a little extra bass depth from the bigger box is outweighed by the loss in precision.

If you're going to buy in stages (which I do thing is a good idea) then you need to plan ahead. The front three speakers should be from a matching brand. If it's going to be a while before adding a centre, then buying bargain front L&R speakers now when there's no matching centre in the future will leave you a bit stuck. The centre really is the most important speaker for movies and gaming. Most of what you hear comes from the centre. The front L&R speakers are really just adding music and effects and a little to help with the steering of panning across the front.

The way I see it, your budget breaks down like this: £100 for an AV Receiver. A centre is a minimum of £99. That leaves less than £100 for front L&R speakers and sundries (cables, interconnects, speaker stands etc). The maths doesn't add up with making some large compromises on performance. What you'll end up with is either a system that doesn't sound that good, or that you have to upgrade sooner rather than later.

If it was me, I'd go with stereo speakers and an AV Receiver. When the AV Receiver is configured in 2.0 mode then the front stereo pair will handle the centre speaker duties, so you want some decent speakers for that.

I'd look at Dali Zensor 1 speakers (£199). Add a £100 AV Receiver. Scrape together an extra £30 for some speaker stands and ask Richers to chuck in the speaker cable.

If you're still wedded to the idea of floorstanders then have a listen to the Mission 33i (clearance @ £149). Be aware though, the Missions only go down to 48Hz. The much smaller Dali's nearly match that (53Hz) and will sound more accomplished in other areas.

Secondhand speakers is always an option, but because of age, choice, distance and a whole raft of other complications then I think s/h at this budget should only be entertained if you really know what you're buying.

Thanks for the tip. Might avoid floorstanders don't think I'll will have the room for them

 

[anything I don't mind]

The new range of yamaha have spotify streaming feature that syncs with your mobile devices, its pretty awesome, if you use spotify that is.

But if you connect the avr to a pc, you can use android foobar app to control the music from your tablet, that's what i do.

Have a look at the yamaha RX-V475 with its network functions and its spotify app.

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx-v475_g/?mode=model

But not cheap. £350

 

[neodude]

The Onkyo I mentioned has spotify built in and can be controlled by a mobile running the onkyo app. You need the receiver and mobile both connected to the same LAN.