Home Cinema Setup - Second Hand Guidance?

dlockers

dlockers

dlockers

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Hi folks,

I have limited budget but a decent space to progressively add to. Inspired by the hc Vs. Sonos I'm tempted to try and assemble a basic 2.1 system with nice floor standing speakers and receiver for under 300 quid?

I had a quick scan of marketplace and eBay and I'm already lost; other than the fact stuff is available.

What are thoughts for secondhand bargains and what I should be searching for? I presume HC is distinct from HiFi and I get the sense a lot of my results are hifi ATM.

Basically watch James Bond movies and a few other cult classics. Not trying to push my boundaries in immersiveness; just good quality sound. I'm happy with a Sonos beam and sub in the living room but that was 800 quid brought new over 5 years.

Thanks
 
dlockers said:
Hi folks,

I have limited budget but a decent space to progressively add to. Inspired by the hc Vs. Sonos I'm tempted to try and assemble a basic 2.1 system with nice floor standing speakers and receiver for under 300 quid?

I had a quick scan of marketplace and eBay and I'm already lost; other than the fact stuff is available.

What are thoughts for secondhand bargains and what I should be searching for? I presume HC is distinct from HiFi and I get the sense a lot of my results are hifi ATM.

Basically watch James Bond movies and a few other cult classics. Not trying to push my boundaries in immersiveness; just good quality sound. I'm happy with a Sonos beam and sub in the living room but that was 800 quid brought new over 5 years.

Thanks
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That is a really tight budget, just asking too much tbh. I wouldn't get floorstanders on that budget, go standmounts.

Something like Whafedale Diamond 9.1, and a older AVR 1080p (as long as you're aware of the issues, bypass the AVR for video, use the AVR for audio decoding) that can work well enough for large saving)
 
action site number

286030982094
176457432719

two examples, so doable for your budget, add some speakers stands, cable etc

Just be aware of 1080p only routing etc but if you have a BD player that has dual HDMI out, you could use 4K HDMI out to TV, and second HDMI out to AVR. Bit of a work around but that will work, and save you money on a older 1080p AVR.

Don't get older AVR if you plan on multiple 4K sources, but for one it's workable
 
dlockers said:
Really? Best sticking with Sonos then?
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Nah. It's doable. Those two, plus add Whafedale SW-150 that's another £100, so just about possible on your budget.

for 4K AVR you're looking for a bit more, that's more recent. ie

156366737421

Bit risky buying second hand AVR also unless you buy one from a friend or someone reputable on avforums etc, generally they're reliable but if it does go faulty it wouldn't be economical to repair
 
What sources are you using? If you’re on DVD, then there’ll be a lot more to choose from second hand on a tight budget. It’s not really the audio parts that become obsolete in high end receivers, it’s the video and audio processing that does. It’s easy to forget just how good DTS / DD 5.1 can sound on a great setup.
 
tom_nieto said:
What sources are you using? If you’re on DVD, then there’ll be a lot more to choose from second hand on a tight budget. It’s not really the audio parts that become obsolete in high end receivers, it’s the video and audio processing that does. It’s easy to forget just how good DTS / DD 5.1 can sound on a great setup.
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Yeah dts core is very good full bitrate 1.5 mb sec that's why I went years before upgrading
 
tom_nieto said:
What sources are you using? If you’re on DVD, then there’ll be a lot more to choose from second hand on a tight budget. It’s not really the audio parts that become obsolete in high end receivers, it’s the video and audio processing that does. It’s easy to forget just how good DTS / DD 5.1 can sound on a great setup.
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Just Plex/maybe Apple TV.

I was planning on optical out to the TV as that's how I did this 20 years ago with an old Onkyo unit.
 
dlockers said:
Just Plex/maybe Apple TV.

I was planning on optical out to the TV as that's how I did this 20 years ago with an old Onkyo unit.
Click to expand...

Then you can 1080p avr save a lot of money spend bigger portion on the speakers.

If your TV has optical put supports DTS out the connect everything to TV then optical put from TV into avr
 
I don't think you'd need to go to AVR for this. You could look for an amplifier with optical/HDMI arc input that can power speakers and a sub. For example, an S.M.S.L A50 can do this for around £90 new.

S.M.S.L A50 Pro

a 1080p AVR seems like a waste, better to upgrade later to a better AVR down the line when you want to go 5.1.
 
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eurokage said:
I don't think you'd need to go to AVR for this. You could look for an amplifier with optical/HDMI arc input that can power speakers and a sub. For example, an S.M.S.L A50 can do this for around £90 new.

S.M.S.L A50 Pro

a 1080p AVR seems like a waste, better to upgrade later to a better AVR down the line when you want to go 5.1.
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I've found DTS/DD decoding then downmixing (even back down to stereo or 2.1) offers better sound quality than two PCM from the source (for movies) Just more impact/dynamic range.

Also without decoding, you lose the .1 LFE soundtrack.

Plus with a AVR he has option of going 4.1, that would increase movie atmosphere a lot.

Don't forget room EQ, time alignment, levels- with AVR. Also a functional UPNP player.

That SMSL seems decent, offering quite a lot of features in a package, and for the price, high/low pass, EQ etc. Unsure of the power output, looks a bit low. perhaps best suited to desktop use, where you're close to the speakers and therefore hardly needing any power.
 
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I would look at second hand Yamaha floor standing speakers, something like NS-F160 or NS-F150, should get those around £150 mark maybe.

Then I would get a second hand Yamaha AV receiver that's once been good but lost lots of it's money.

Then connect whatever source you have available to drive it. Don't get the sub at first, add it on later when you have spare cash. This is best you will do for £300.

On Facebook there is the 'UK HiFi exchange' group, loads of stuff appears on their cheaper than eBay keep checking that, this is where I advertise stuff also.
 
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JasonM said:
I would look at second hand Yamaha floor standing speakers, something like NS-F160 or NS-F150, should get those around £150 mark maybe.

Then I would get a second hand Yamaha AV receiver that's once been good but lost lots of it's money.

Then connect whatever source you have available to drive it. Don't get the sub at first, add it on later when you have spare cash. This is best you will do for £300.

On Facebook there is the 'UK HiFi exchange' group, loads of stuff appears on their cheaper than eBay keep checking that, this is where I advertise stuff also.
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Helpful thanks -- I was a bit worried HiFi was distinct to Home Cinema. Is it broadly the same/reads across?
 
dlockers said:
Helpful thanks -- I was a bit worried HiFi was distinct to Home Cinema. Is it broadly the same/reads across?
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Home cinema is not really my area, I just watch TV/films via my stereo system from a HTPC. That said HiFi and home cinema has loads of overlap. I do own a 2.1 system but it's boxed up and not in use.

I mentioned the Yamaha speakers as I know there good for movies / films, Yamaha made them for home cinema but they will work as stereo music speakers also.

There are plenty of bargains out there if buying second hand, it's sometimes better to take your time, and often the gear your after will appear.
 
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dlockers said:
Helpful thanks -- I was a bit worried HiFi was distinct to Home Cinema. Is it broadly the same/reads across?
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Yes and no. THX style speakers , say M&K, KEF TDM THX are aimed at home cinema, 80hz crossover, different dispersion patterns etc.
Also some "hifi" speakers don't have the dynamics / output of a cinema speaker.

Generlisation there.

But generally a standard speaker can be used for both.
 
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dlockers said:
I've also found some Kef Q35's for cheap. Is there a way to compare with each other?
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I had those a bit ago, and several models on that range. They're ok but I didn't like the poly driver. Treble is quite hard on the ears. I would recommend paper cone.

The plastic cone can age and crack, probably getting to that time now so I'd look elseware
 
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As far as buying second hand, I bought my whole 5.1 setup from 3 different people about 7-8 years ago and it's still all working fine, other than the sub.

Most people are happy to let you test it there if they're close by.

I wouldn't worry too much, but I'd certainly pick them up yourself if possible, so you can test and look them over.
 
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