Advice needed for audio setup

herr_brush

herr_brush

herr_brush

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6 Jan 2007
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118
OK I need a bit of help with this as its a first for me. I've just built a new PC for the study and am thinking of wiring up a surround system with speakers mounted in corners of the room. If all goes well I'll do something similar for the TV in the main room.

For the study, I'm thinking of getting the Z-5500
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-021-LG&tool=3

I have an Asus P5Q-E mobo - will the onboard sound be good enough or should I upgrade? The PC will be used mostly for gaming but also a bit of movies/music.

For the main room I would get an amp and maybe some Bose speakers:
http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-en...rs/virtually-invisible-speakers/AM5/index.jsp

Does anyone have any recommendations for the a mid-range amp? I'd be plugging the Freeview box and DVD/Blueray into it.

Thanks!
 
I would consider a different set of speakers as opposed to the BOSE ones.

Unless you're getting them at some unbelievable price, you can get much better things for the money that they cost, and would look much nicer as well.

Not saying that they are terrible, just that the money can be spent far better elsewhere; the BOSE thing is mostly marketing: £300 clock radio anyone? :P
 
Can you recommend something or even a brand? My speaker knowledge is thin. The reason I though Bose was that my dad has a two satellite and sub setup and the sound is amazing. I'd probably prefer surround but only if it wasn't way more expensive.
 
What is your total budget for the Amp/speaker setup?
And do you have any space constraints when it comes to placing kit?

For the Main room setup do you plan on using it mostly for movies or listening to music?
 
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The budget is flexible but ideally it would be less than £500 for the lot. If there was something really nice for more I'd consider it. As for space, there is room to hide a mid sized sub and I'd like fairly small satellites to mount around the room. I'd run the cables through the ceiling to the amp which would go under the tv.
 
Since you will be using mostly for movies, with some music the you would probably want a system built around accomplished hi-fi speakers so you can good results from both tasks. There are plenty of systems like this, you may want to consider these:

- Mission Cinema M33i home cinema speaker package
- Wharfedale Diamond 9 HCP home cinema speaker package
- Q acoustics 1010i Home cinema

The Q acoustics would be the ones you want if you are looking to have a more compact setup. They have been given huge praise from almost every publication.

Since the BOSE speakers you are considering cost around £400, these are some speakers I would suggest as alternatives.

As for Amplifiers, since you are looking at the 5.1 systems you will need an AV receiver. A Yamaha RXV363 (£150) would be a good start, but to get the most out of the speakers you would need to start upping the budget a wee bit.

So, and example would be the Mission M33's (£371) with the Yamaha Amp (£150) for a total of £521. If you need to go below this budget then you either need to downgrade the speakers to something else, or start looking on the 'Bay for second hand Amplifiers.


As always, I would say visit your local hi-fi specialist if you have one in your area. Have a listen to some kit, and make some comparisons.
 
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