Advice

Robert

Robert

Robert

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Joined
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Possible looking at upgrading my TV (10 year old Panasonic cx680 50”) or my Yamaha ysp2500 soundbar (also ten years old)

Was looking at possibly going for an arc ultra + era 100 or a 55 c4/5 or g4.

Not sure which to do first…as I’m either hamstrung by the old hdmi on the tv, or slightly less old hdmi on the soundbar
 
I recently upgraded my 15 year old Toshiba 46" :D

Ended up getting a Samsung S90D 55", which I couldn't say no to - it was a bargain price of £699 which included (what I assume) is a pretty entry-level Samsung soundbar. I did consider the LG's as well - but probably a bit more swayed by sammy as I've got a bunch of Samsung devices and appliances already.
 
Robert said:
Possible looking at upgrading my TV (10 year old Panasonic cx680 50”) or my Yamaha ysp2500 soundbar (also ten years old)

Was looking at possibly going for an arc ultra + era 100 or a 55 c4/5 or g4.

Not sure which to do first…as I’m either hamstrung by the old hdmi on the tv, or slightly less old hdmi on the soundbar
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TV, then spend on dedicated audio system. Get AVR, 5 speakers and a sub
 
The LG OLEDs (mines a c2) actually have seriously impressive built in speakers if you take the time to set it up properly.

I was genuinely impressed with what they managed to do with the built in speakers.

Not as good as a full on seperate amp and speaker system but good enough to not need a soundbar.
 
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mattyfez said:
The LG OLEDs (mines a c2) actually have seriously impressive built in speakers if you take the time to set it up properly.

I was genuinely impressed with what they managed to do with the built in speakers.

Not as good as a full on seperate amp and speaker system but good enough to not need a soundbar.
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I wasn't impressed with the c9 speakers
Ok with volume and high frequency clarity
Very little mid bass
Bass was just distortion , I had to reduce bass for it not to sound terrible.

Pair of wharfedale diamond 9.0 sound immensely better
 
mattyfez said:
Are you comparing it to other TVs standard internal speakers, or are you comparing it to your multi-million pound hi-fi system? Apples and oranges :cry:
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To be fair, the Diamond 9.0's can be had for £50 a pair second hand or even on sale, although they're currently around the £80-90 mark in most places. Couple them with a mini-amp for £15-20 (which is more than capable of running them) and I'd say you'll get a better experience than 99% of onboard speaker solutions or entry level soundbars under the £200-300 range. You don't need a bulky AVR, the only real issue would be that you're limited to 2.0/2.1 and obviously would need space to put the speakers on either side of your TV.

I did something similar for a friend a year or two back who was sick of onboard but on a tight budget. Ended up with a £20 LEPY amp and a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BR1's second hand, I think all in it cost less than £80, even plugging them in via the TV's 3.5mm jack sounded considerably better than any of the soundbars he was looking at for around £200.
 
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Gray2233 said:
To be fair, the Diamond 9.0's can be had for £50 a pair second hand or even on sale, although they're currently around the £80-90 mark in most places. Couple them with a mini-amp for £15-20 (which is more than capable of running them) and I'd say you'll get a better experience than 99% of onboard speaker solutions or entry level soundbars under the £200-300 range. You don't need a bulky AVR, the only real issue would be that you're limited to 2.0/2.1 and obviously would need space to put the speakers on either side of your TV.

I did something similar for a friend a year or two back who was sick of onboard but on a tight budget. Ended up with a £20 LEPY amp and a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BR1's second hand, I think all in it cost less than £80, even plugging them in via the TV's 3.5mm jack sounded considerably better than any of the soundbars he was looking at for around £200.
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Yeah can get real bargains. Obviously not comparing the onboard TV sound with my 3 way, five driver floorstander with dedicated 300W per channel amplifiers and 9.3.4 AV pre power system. Would be stupid and unfair

Unfortunately the bass performance from the TV is so bad, it doesn't rattle the cabinet like some TV's but the bass that is there is just a load of distortion

A £150 Q Acoustics Q-TV2 soundbar was superior by massive difference. with the QTV but I find it very good considering the price, size and the space the subwoofer takes behind the TV. Much louder better clarity and bass performance was massively superior. A bit lacking in lower midrange, not sure if there is frequency gap between the subwoofer the side mount speakers. Regardless much much better than the TV sound
mattyfez said:
Apples and and oranges then :cry:
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Not really, no.

£50 little passive speakers that sound far better. Add a £25 T-amp and you're storted. Damn good actually. I used them for quite a while in the PC gaming system.
 
Whatever...

To get back on topic and answer the OPs question, buy a new TV first. You might be pleasantly surprised.

*Then* look at improved audio options if needed.
 
Just to say I have a very similar setup to the one suggested in the op, lg cs 55 with beam g2, sub and play ones , the room it's in is north facing and so light isn't an issue with the slightly dimmer cs and I love it. Lg oleds are impressive enough and a good start, but the Sonos setup is very also good, definitely adds to it. I love watching films on this setup, I would be mindful of the room size, arcs aren't cheap and can really fill a good sized room, I certainly find the beam g2 decent in my snug which is about 3.5 x 4.5m
 
mattyfez said:
To be fair you are a bit mental though, you were suggesting £1500 subwoofers to me in another thread :)
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Yes, but I'm not talking about £1500 subwoofers now.

The subwoofer in the Q-TV was MUCH better than the LG. Bass from the tiger scene in Saving Private Ryan was shaking the serving door in the wall.. I was laughing how bad the LG sound is. Actually damn impressive from the QTV2 and I'd be happy owning that for a bedroom system.

You can guess what volume level the LG OLED TV speakers are set to :cry:
 
My advice to the OP still stands - Buy a good TV first, then worry about your audio options if you find the TV audio lacking.

It would be backwards to do it the other way round.
 
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