Looking for some advice on a home cinema setup

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 18:38

hornetstinger said:
You said not interested in music.

If a home theatre system doesn't do music good then it's not good. Boom and all tizz, poor stereo imaging.

I would bet a small amp and speakers will sound better than those soundbars

£140 absolute bargain. I had the smaller ones 9.0 nice speamerd

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair), Walnut at AV.com

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair), Walnut at AV.com

www.av.com

Yeah true. Those speakers seem to be very well rated. So those are on the shortlist for sure! Making progress!

Thank you

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 18:39

hornetstinger said:
Don't waste your money on budget towers. They'll be cheap and nasty.

Good towers will cost. Better to go standmounts.

I'm using towers but they aren't cheap and those 230 are tiny compared ..hah

Yeah ideally I would like my setup to last as long as possible. It's an investment in a way I guess.

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 18:41

hornetstinger said:
Wimp amp.

WiiM Amp Streaming Amplifier, Space Grey at AV.com

WiiM Amp Streaming Amplifier, Space Grey at AV.com

www.av.com

That will power the speakers, has sub out and even has bass management and room EQ!

Plus has digital inputs arc and optical so just output audio from your TV into that.

Plus have one of the best streamers out there.

Sorry I think I didn't mention it before but the projector is currently connected to a FireStick so it would be connected to the amp with bluetooth. Does that make any difference or cause issues?

And I know that is a good model but is there anything around the £150-£200 mark? It would literally just need to be connected to the FireStick as the projector has basically replaced the TV now, we use it all the time.

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 18:43

Brumboy said:
Ok I think I understand now. Stupid question but those pair of speakers, do they deliver any bass at all? Would they be ok to use in the meantime before I get a sub?

And speaking of amps (please bare in mind I'm a complete novice with audio) I can connect the amp to a FireStick for example with bluetooth and there would be minimal audio delay?

That is a good deal, but that amp is £320 alone on another site, isn't that a bit overkill for my setup? If I can get a decent amp, 2 speakers and 1 sub for under £500 I would be very happy.

Those speakers go down to about 60hz. You will need a sub for movies. Buy that later or get own preference.

A poor quality sub can ruin a system . I'd recommend have no sub than a boom box.

Connect fire stick to your TV hdmi socket. Then the TV sends audio out into the wiim amp.

That wiim is pretty good value tbh. And good base system. Yeah a cheap mini d amp will be ok but doesn't have remote, hdmi arc input, bass management, streamer. Plus with subwoofer bass management it's all ready. Add a sub, enable sub out in the wiimp amp, it the diverts low bass from the speakrs to the sub.

Watch review of the wiim amp. If I needed a small system that's the amp I'd get .

I have a AV pre power 9.4.4 system fyi.

I think the wiim amp has BT support. But limiting in sound quality. Everything wireless... :/

I'm not sure how you would integrate projector into wiim amp.

Fire stick optical out into wiim amp?

Gray2233 · 12 Jun 2024 at 18:45

Brumboy said:
Ok I think I understand now. Stupid question but those pair of speakers, do they deliver any bass at all? Would they be ok to use in the meantime before I get a sub?

And speaking of amps (please bare in mind I'm a complete novice with audio) I can connect the amp to a FireStick for example with bluetooth and there would be minimal audio delay?

That is a good deal, but that amp is £320 alone on another site, isn't that a bit overkill for my setup? If I can get a decent amp, 2 speakers and 1 sub for under £500 I would be very happy.

They do, and you'll be able to add a subwoofer to them if needed.

That said, even without a dedicated sub, they'll still offer better lower end than cheaper soundbars with those wireless subs they tend to have.

If you really want the convenience of a soundbar, you might luck out on a sale on something along the lines of a Samsung Q930C.

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 18:52

Firestick doesn't have optical out.
So you would plug firestick into the projector HDMI input. Optical out from the projector, into the wiim amp.

Ignoring that issue for now, even if you bought a soundbar I don't know how you'd transmit audio from the projector into the soundbar (wirelessly)

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:08

Brummie? Not far, one hour

De Vere Cranage Estate

21st-century style complements rich heritage at this iconic Cheshire hotel.

www.devere.co.uk

Worth it, just to see, yeah high end kit and mostly stereo there, but hundreds of brands, and throwing you into deep end but worthwhile hearing a few systems, get an idea of sound signature you like so if you say "I like ear bleeding bright harsh sounding speakers" then a hifi shop hands you klipsch haha

Simmz · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:14

I actually know the seller of this Sennheiser Ambeo plus if you don't mind a trip to pick it up as he doesn't have the box anymore. However, it's a very good device and performs miles better than any other soundbar (bar the Max) if you just want standalone. It's also an absolute steal at this price.

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hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:15

Simmz said:
I actually know the seller of this Sennheiser Ambeo plus if you don't mind a trip to pick it up as he doesn't have the box anymore. However, it's a very good device and performs miles better than any other soundbar (bar the Max) if you just want standalone. It's also an absolute steal at this price.

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Yeah that's a good one. Not sure it has sub pre out though, it's wireless only?

Simmz · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:17

hornetstinger said:
Yeah that's a good one. Not sure it has sub pre out though, it's wireless only?

Yeah, it does. I used to have one myself paired with a Kef KC62. It's the mini that doesn't have the sub out port, Max and Plus both do.

Gray2233 · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:17

Simmz said:
I actually know the seller of this Sennheiser Ambeo plus if you don't mind a trip to pick it up as he doesn't have the box anymore. However, it's a very good device and performs miles better than any other soundbar (bar the Max) if you just want standalone. It's also an absolute steal at this price.

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Excellent option tbh.

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:18

wow bargain

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Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:36

hornetstinger said:
Those speakers go down to about 60hz. You will need a sub for movies. Buy that later or get own preference.

A poor quality sub can ruin a system . I'd recommend have no sub than a boom box.

Connect fire stick to your TV hdmi socket. Then the TV sends audio out into the wiim amp.

That wiim is pretty good value tbh. And good base system. Yeah a cheap mini d amp will be ok but doesn't have remote, hdmi arc input, bass management, streamer. Plus with subwoofer bass management it's all ready. Add a sub, enable sub out in the wiimp amp, it the diverts low bass from the speakrs to the sub.

Watch review of the wiim amp. If I needed a small system that's the amp I'd get .

I have a AV pre power 9.4.4 system fyi.

I think the wiim amp has BT support. But limiting in sound quality. Everything wireless... :/

I'm not sure how you would integrate projector into wiim amp.

Fire stick optical out into wiim amp?

Ok gotcha mate. Don't cheap out on a sub!

Yeah it seems like a great piece of kit, I just didn't expect to be looking at £300+ amps that's all, quite shocked! I thought I'd be spending £300 all in. Can I add 2 extra satellite speakers to this to make it a 5.1?

So BT has inferior sound quality to wired?

I have an update - just had a chat with the Mrs and now she said she doesn't mind having a 5.1 setup (which speakers mounted on the wall behind the sofa). So I guess this changes everything? Sorry lol

Gray2233 said:
They do, and you'll be able to add a subwoofer to them if needed.

That said, even without a dedicated sub, they'll still offer better lower end than cheaper soundbars with those wireless subs they tend to have.

If you really want the convenience of a soundbar, you might luck out on a sale on something along the lines of a Samsung Q930C.

That's good to know. So I could get a pair of speakers like those Diamond ones with an amp and use that as a decent starting point. Then assess from there.

I honestly like the idea of a soundbar but as I mentioned above the Mrs now wants a 5.1 setup (I thought she didn't want monitors stuck on the wall because it looks messy but she wants the home cinema experience too)

hornetstinger said:
Firestick doesn't have optical out.
So you would plug firestick into the projector HDMI input. Optical out from the projector, into the wiim amp.

Ignoring that issue for now, even if you bought a soundbar I don't know how you'd transmit audio from the projector into the soundbar (wirelessly)

Understood! Optical out is better than BT. At the moment I have a ghetto setup of connecting the FireStick to a bluetooth transmitter which is connected to the speakers. It does work to be fair but maybe not the most optimal.

hornetstinger said:
Brummie? Not far, one hour

De Vere Cranage Estate

21st-century style complements rich heritage at this iconic Cheshire hotel.

www.devere.co.uk

Worth it, just to see, yeah high end kit and mostly stereo there, but hundreds of brands, and throwing you into deep end but worthwhile hearing a few systems, get an idea of sound signature you like so if you say "I like ear bleeding bright harsh sounding speakers" then a hifi shop hands you klipsch haha

Yeah I live near Dudley so that may be interesting to go too thanks for linking that!

Simmz said:
I actually know the seller of this Sennheiser Ambeo plus if you don't mind a trip to pick it up as he doesn't have the box anymore. However, it's a very good device and performs miles better than any other soundbar (bar the Max) if you just want standalone. It's also an absolute steal at this price.

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Although a mega deal I'm not keen on travelling 4 hours sorry lol

hornetstinger said:
wow bargain

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Those look very smart!

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:41

Wiim amp is 2.1 . It's a DAC, streamer, amp in one . It won't support anything more than that.

If you want 3.1, 4.0, 4.1, 5.1 etc you'll need AVR.

AVR's have shot up in price a lot I remember budget AVR's used to be £150. Now they're £400 or so

Denon AVR-S660H (Black)

Shop for Denon AVR-S660H (Black) AV Receiver with Richer Sounds for expert advice and lowest prices guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

AVR's have HDMI inputs, outputs, multi channel amplifier, subwoofer(s) output, and support for more than 2.1 speakers, decoding for multi channel for movies, DTS X, atmos, Dolby and DTS HD etc.

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:44

Cinema hosted at ImgBB

Image Cinema hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

So excuse the crappy drawing, art is not my strongest skill..

The red dots are the speakers. Square box the sub.

Would that work? I could run the speaker cables to the rear speakers along the skirting board and use the cable covers. Then run it up the corner of the walls then out a few inches into the speakers which are mounted to the wall?

I have also seen 5.1 packages that have 2 speakers that are wireless so this could be another option?

I didn't expect the Mrs to be on board with this to be honest..

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:46

hornetstinger said:
Wiim amp is 2.1 . It's a DAC, streamer, amp in one . It won't support anything more than that.

If you want 3.1, 4.0, 4.1, 5.1 etc you'll need AVR.

AVR's have shot up in price a lot I remember budget AVR's used to be £150. Now they're £400 or so

Denon AVR-S660H (Black)

Shop for Denon AVR-S660H (Black) AV Receiver with Richer Sounds for expert advice and lowest prices guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

AVR's have HDMI inputs, outputs, multi channel amplifier, subwoofer(s) output, and support for more than 2.1 speakers, decoding for multi channel for movies, DTS X, atmos, Dolby and DTS HD etc.

Blimey! So even with the 5.1 packages I've seen I still need an AVR then? I didn't know that. I'm a noob lol

Wow a lot of features then. £400 though, that puts a setup at about £1000? Is there not a budget friendly option? Sheesh!

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:49

oh forget atmos at your budget. If you do want Atmos you'd need something like this

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 HCP 5.1.2 Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

www.av.com

to this

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 HCP 7.1.4 Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

www.av.com

And that is (good) budget system.

With a suitable AVR with the required number of amplification channels. It gets a bit complicated as some AVR's don't have enough channels so you would need a amplifier, or you just use 5.1.2 and use it re assigns the "7" to the heights.

Would be good idea to have a few demos, speaker , sub and AVR brands

hornetstinger · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:51

Brumboy said:
Blimey! So even with the 5.1 packages I've seen I still need an AVR then? I didn't know that. I'm a noob lol

Wow a lot of features then. £400 though, that puts a setup at about £1000? Is there not a budget friendly option? Sheesh!

Correct. Amplifier has the transisters, pre amp, inputs, outputs, HDMI in and out.

passive Speakers on their own are just dumb devices, you need an amplifier.

You could just get a cheap second hand AVR/5.1 for now, scour gumtree/facebook, I've seen some bargains that'll do...unless you need HDMI 2.1 VRR 120hz 4K...then that means you can't buy a older AVR..you'd need latest gen models.

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:54

hornetstinger said:
oh forget atmos at your budget. If you do want Atmos you'd need something like this

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 HCP 5.1.2 Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 HCP 5.1.2 Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

www.av.com

to this

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 HCP 7.1.4 Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 HCP 7.1.4 Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

www.av.com

And that is (good) budget system.

With a suitable AVR with the required number of amplification channels. It gets a bit complicated as some AVR's don't have enough channels so you would need a amplifier, or you just use 5.1.2 and use it re assigns the "7" to the heights.

Would be good idea to have a few demos, speaker , sub and AVR brands

Thank you, what about this one?:

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 5.1 Home Cinema Speaker Package, Black at AV.com

www.av.com

Then I'd need an AVR for that setup?

It's over double what I was expecting to spend. I think it's overkill to be honest. I didn't realise it was all so expensive, bit of a bummer really.

With my puny budget of £500 would I just have to settle for a 2.1 setup with an amp/avr and then expand it later?

Brumboy · 12 Jun 2024 at 19:56

hornetstinger said:
Correct. Amplifier has the transisters, pre amp, inputs, outputs, HDMI in and out.

passive Speakers on their own are just dumb devices, you need an amplifier.

You could just get a cheap second hand AVR/5.1 for now, scour gumtree/facebook, I've seen some bargains that'll do...unless you need HDMI 2.1 VRR 120hz 4K...then that means you can't buy a older AVR..you'd need latest gen models.

I have learned a lot, I honestly appreciate the time you're taking to explain things, it must be annoying having to explain simple things haha. Perhaps I should watch a video about audio equipment to increase my knowledge. Saves you typing out!

I have never bought anything 2nd hand, especially tech equipment. Is it ok to buy things from those places? I'd be worried about buying faulty equipment etc.

No the projector is 4k/60hz only. So no need for that.