Contemplating new speakers

well spent the evening searching through a few forums and still have no answer , the problem with freecycle is virtually nothing will be near Cornwall let alone within the county,Im sort of looking for a solution that allows me to use my ps3 as a 5.1 output with dts and all other encoding involved and my pc, with the pre mentioned budget.As far as iim aware the z5500 fits this if not i would appreciate any suggestions on complete products as from simply searching most "surround sound set up " threads on another forum most people start off at £250 for the reciever :(
 
no one can suggest a good amp + speaker package then :( , i was looking at the ONKYO HT-S3305B but at £229 it is nearly £50 over my budget , can anyone suggest a speaker/amp package that is the next step down, the cheaper the better. I have to get small satellite speakers as i dont have the room for book shelve ones.
 
Like I say looking for a package is going to cost more than finding all the parts individually. Pretty much any hifi speakers will work with pretty much any hifi amp or AVR.
 
TBH, I think getting a 5.1 system for £180, even 2nd hand, is going to be hard, unless you are willing to travel, or wait for bargains to appear. Bargains can be had, but usually, when post is offered, people will pay more. Buying the whole lot where post is offered will more than likely cost more than your budget. The postage on individual sets of speakers, AV receiver, subwoofer, will be quite significant in the end. Unless you can travel to get a local pick up bargain, an AV receiver might end up costing you £100. Paying that much leaves you little hope of getting the rest for the remainder of your budget. You might find one for a great price, but you may have to be patient.

Would be worth checking out AV Forums, see what's available on there.
 
Unfortunately due to lack of transportation travel is quite impossible , and as much as i like a bargain its rather likely that something else will claim the money i have saved for speakers should i put it on the back burner.

these are certain possibility i have been considering as an alternative to the Z5500:
Samsung HT-C453
SAMSUNG HTC550
i would really like the onkyo s5300 or the HTX22HTX but they are unfortunately out of my budget :(
 
still looking for a reply to my last post :P on the bright side budget is now ~£220 extra hours at work finally pay off. Ive been suggested to have a look at the yamaha dsp-a595 but google doesn't provide much info on it and i have no idea whether yamaha make good amps.
 
Yamaha and Onkyo make the best budget amps, you'll find most people start out with one of these 2 brands and a lot keep with them.
 
Well, you say that as if you are going to buy one or the other? Speakers wont work without an amp, and the amp is no use without speakers.
 
no it was more along the lines of i have £230 to spend but theres a lot of choice on the bay and i was wondering which would be the best item to invest the most money in :)
 
I'd personally spend around £100 on the AVR, and £130 on speakers, if you keep your eyes peeled you might even find an AVR cheaper. Like I said before Yamaha and Onkyo are the best budget stuff, you could have a look at new prices and try and find them on the bay, alternatively look for whatever amps fit in your specs and buy what you can.

What you need to ask yourself is:
How many channels will you need (5.1 for now, but possibly 7.1 or 9.2 in the future?)
What are you going to be putting in? TV, MP3, PC, Console, etc. You need to find something which has enough inputs for them all.
What inputs do you require? HDMI, composite, etc. Make sure you have enough of what you need.

After that in the budget range there really isn't much to separate them. One thing I can't stress enough though is, if you have the chance, get one with both a remote and a setup microphone, balancing speakers can be a real headache but using a setup mic makes it all automated. Loverly ;)

Speaker wise I'm really not the best person to ask, I've chosen to go the route of retro stereo speakers + a centre but as you've said you can't have big speakers this isn't really a great option for you.
 
thankyou for your insight into speaker set ups it is very usefull :), i hadnt ever heard of balancing speakers before XD i will have a look around and see whats available ;)

have these options at the moment:

ONKYO HTX22HDX for £229 and could then buy the 5.1 add on speakers later on.
 
Last edited:
The reason you balance speakers is, if you sit with the rears just behind your and the front channels 4 or 5 meters away there is a perceptible volume difference, likewise if you use different types of speakers they all have different perceivable volumes, using the balancing you can get them all to sound the same volume where you will be sitting. Using a microphone makes it a lot easier than playing a test tone and adjusting the volume per speaker, believe me my AVR doesn't have the setup mic and is tedious as Hell to set up...
 
Unfortunately it seems the microphone based balancing will be way out of my price range , as tempting as it is i must keep to my £250 limit and not squander my uni savings on the speakers. With your experience can anyone suggest a good amp and speakers for this price, not really bothered whether its second hand tho the warranty on new products is prefered. Can pick up a z5500 for £120 otherwise.
 
ive hopefully found the right set up and would apprecitate any warnings , helpful comments you may have in it:

ONKYO HT-S3305 Home Cinema System £229
 
Sexy amp: check
Remote: check
Plenty of speakers: check
Upgradable: check
HDMI: check
DTS: check
Small speakers and a sub: check

And last but not least, in budget: check

Can't see anything wrong with it for you to be fair, it has everything you should be going for at this budget which is to be upgradable and the connections you require.
 
Hum unfortunately the shop i purchased it from has a notorious reputation for selling vapourware and rather disappointingly it turned out true in this case, back to the drawing board.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom