New AV Gear

crosstown_bebel

crosstown_bebel

crosstown_bebel

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Joined
4 Nov 2007
Posts
38
Im currently about to undertake a massive step, for me, and move into some quality AV gear for my house

The set up ive been looking into for a while is


SPEC:
Pioneer Kuro PDP508XD
Monitor Audio BR5 5.1 Speaker system
Denon AVR2308 or Pioneer VSX-LX50 AV AMP
Pioneer Blue Ray DVD Player BDPLX70
It would all be custom installed with top quality cables and connectors.


I know there are a lot of clued up, helpfull-boffins on here and was wondering if they would recommend anything different /better, and what they think of this set up.


Mike, in bonnie scotland
 
Firstly, the tv is sensational and can be had for about 1600.

Im not clued up on the speakers or av amps, but check out onkyos.

Forget the blu-ray player, buy a PS3 instead and the official remote to go with it. It does an amazing job of blu-rays, is one if not the best dvd upscaler out there, plus the loading time is under a minute compared to blu-ray players that take nearly 5. Plus it does games, and is a lot easier to update than blu-ray players, and can be used to stream music and videos off a pc.

Forget about spending lots on cables, especially digital connection such as HDMI. Buy a cheap cable for under a fiver as there is no difference except how the outer sheethings are constructed, and the PQ will be the same with all.
For speaker cable check out 'vanne damme blue' as it is the best value cable out there,and buying anything over £3 a metre is foolish and won't bring about any massive gains. Put the money into better equipment

Im sure plenty of more knowledgable peeps will be in here shortly.
 
I am in the process of building a home cinema in my house and have been investigating kit in great details recently....

First thing is don't buy the Kuro PDP508XD right now as its about to be replaced by a new model in June which is suppose to be about 20% cheaper but with a better panel and the last one made in house by Pioneer so should hopefully be something special !

The Onkyo amps seem to be top of there game at the moment at all price points but demo the lot around your price point.

On the speaker front no one can decide on them bar yourself as different ears like different speakers, just demo all of them in your price range.

On the blu-ray front I personally use a HTPC however since none of the stand alone players support profile 2 I would get a PS3 or a Pansonic DMPBD30 which is still only profile 1.1 but cheap and offered better performance in reviews compared to the Pionner BDPLX70. That should tide you over until Arcam/Denon/Marantz/Pioneer release high end profile 2 players.

-Ad- advise on the speaker is spot on, unless you are running long lengths of HDMI cable no need to spend over £5-10.
 
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I'd be wary of Pioneer release dates and prices, they love to mislead rip off Europe. If only they weren't so good. :mad:
Good choice of display, poor choice of source - getting a BD player that doesn't have "PS3" on the side is a mistake as it's far better than the standalones and deos so much more. AV amp depends on the features you want really, in this sort of price range that's the only real difference and speakers are kind of a personal choice, just don't waste money on fancy cables.
 
Thanks guys for advice and imput. Regarding the PS3, i dont realy want an PS3 as have a XBOX 360, Obviously it dont play Blue ray. But im online with COD 4 on xbox live everyday!
plus,The PS3 hasnt any games i want to play either.
The pioneer blue ray i mentioned is amazing but im think you could get A similar blue ray player for less. Afrer all ive been quoted £800 for the blue ray(if i bought the wole set-up i mentioned) Its a lot of dosh.

Any other advice ?
recommendations etc



Mike
 
crosstown_bebel said:
Thanks guys for advice and imput. Regarding the PS3, i dont realy want an PS3 as have a XBOX 360, Obviously it dont play Blue ray. But im online with COD 4 on xbox live everyday!
plus,The PS3 hasnt any games i want to play either.
The pioneer blue ray i mentioned is amazing but im think you could get A similar blue ray player for less. Afrer all ive been quoted £800 for the blue ray(if i bought the wole set-up i mentioned) Its a lot of dosh.

Any other advice ?
recommendations etc



Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

The deal regarding the PS3 choice is nothing to do with it as a console, ignore it as a games machine if thats what worries you. Its physically, technically one of the best bluray players out there. Its a far better choice than any standalone units, due to its power, speed, and updateability.

ignore that you own an xbox, the ps3 will be a top bluray player for you. Dont sink money into a more expensive unit, that is ultimately a worse choice technically.

As for sound setup, I would be tempted to invest my money in a good SVS subwoofer, a kent cinema shop will sort you a deal. Sign up to the AVforums and read the powerbuys. They also do a good 5.0 setup to match the sub, at 400 they are by all accounts a great set (you would be looking at 785 for 5.1 with a good sub)

Another nice sub is a Bk monolith, the cabinet is pretty big on subs mind, so that might be a factor in your choice :)

With a stunning Kuro tv, pushing to say, £1000 for your 5.1 speakers, then say 400 for amp. You would feel that you have a beast of a setup :)
 
crosstown_bebel said:
The pioneer blue ray i mentioned is amazing but im think you could get A similar blue ray player for less. Afrer all ive been quoted £800 for the blue ray(if i bought the wole set-up i mentioned) Its a lot of dosh.
Click to expand...

So why dont you buy a PS3 for blu-ray and save yourself £500 ? - nobody is forcing you to play games on it :confused:
 
Aye thanks for reply. I never considerd the PS3 as a stand alone blue ray player.
I was thinking it was first a games machine with a blue ray bundled on to sell more, Bit like the crap HD DVD attempt from xbox 360. But if its a top notch blue ray player then fair play. will go have a look.
Thanks for speaker advice also :D

Very interesting.

dont mean to sound like a complete nOOb etc but what does profile 1.1 profile 2 etc mean ? as mentioned by dangerous dave
 
The profile is like a firmware update for blueray players. A ps3 can be updated to current profiles easily
 
crosstown_bebel said:
ok thanks i understand now. well a bit anyway...:D



How then does a blue ray like the pioneer i mentioned, and other Blue ray players keep up to date ? as the PS3 obviously must update when online
Click to expand...

You would have to search online for the latest firmware, download it, put it onto a disc then try to get it to update the player. Not easy.

Forget about the PS3 as a console as you clearly think we are trying to pull your beloved xbox away from you. It might die in the near future so you will then have a PS3 to fall back on :p (sorry had to say it :D).

Just get the official remote to go with the PS3 (£17.99), get the PS3 with the best deal around, then flog the 2 games making the PS3 cost being equivalent to £230-250, then spend the money saved on blu-rays. They really are worthwhile, and what will you care about in *** long run, bragging, feeling content at the pioneer blu-ray or being able to watch all these great films you have been able to buy over and over again :D

WOW that monitor audio setup is expensive, maybe have a look at this SVS setup that is on special power buy at avforums.com where there is a wealth of info about them:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313923
 
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I bought a PS3 just for Bluray, although its good, there are supposed to be better options avalable at that price point now. The new Panasoni in particular is supposed to be a stunner, and it has a LAN connection for updates, can be had for around £300 as well. The PS3 is good but it can be bettered.

As for the TV, the Kuro is an amzing TV, but you would be crazy to buy one now with the latest realease just around the corner, as mentioend, it will be there last in house panel and there are supposed to be pulling out all the stops.

With regards to the speaker choice, it is pretty good, although if it was my money I would buy RS1's all round and get a differant sub, either the BK XLS200 (around£299) or the BK Monolyth (£400) if you can stretch to it. That combo would produce sweeter Hi's and more controlled Low's then the BR5 5.1 package.
 
thanks for that. So many choices! I had a listen to the MA BR5, (SEVENOAKS HI FI) and it sounded brilliant.Amongst other packages i heard, i liked their sound best.crystal clear.
The guys were very helpful and no hard -sell crap either.
Ive been going back and forward to the shop for a month or so and nothings to much trouble there.although, obviously they want a sale.


Do you know when the last pioneer plasma is coming out? and how much is it?

In all honesty tho m8, i will never be able to keep up with AV Technology, no one will, and the pioneer screen i like will do me fine..... ALL THE SAME YOU GOT ME THINKING!
Compared to what ive got now, the pioneer is light years ahead, ive got a toshiba 33" CRT beast of a tv at mo, its done me 10 years without a fault. i got it for the 98 world cup !!

thank you very much for your advice, especially on the speakers and blue ray option.

Mike
 
Try and get a demo at Kent Home Cinema, if thats anywhere near you. Phone them up and ask if they have any Svs stuff available for demo (which i know they do to be honest)

Waiting for the latest pio might seem a good idea, but depending on its release, waiting for the next best thing could have you with nothing for ever :)

Hope you get a good system

Svs 5.1 system is what im getting soon. With a Pb12-nsd sub :)
 
Thanks for all advice and help lads.
Eventually plumped for the following AV gear.

Got the PDP508XD :)
Monitor Audio BR5's
Monitor Audio BRFX Rear (Pair of Atacama nexus stands)
Monitor Audio LCR Centre Spkr
REL T3 Sub
Onkyo TX-SR605 AV Receiver
Pioneer DMP-PD30 Blue Ray
Pureflow speaker cables etc
 
nice set up but you realise the Onkyo TX-SR606 is out in less than 2 weeks. I suppose it's not that much better though unless you need 4xHDMI.
 
Great choices except a waste on the blu-ray, PS3 is the only sensible choice atm imho, and with the LOAD of films to watch on it, which are the most important part.

Don't spend money on expensive cables, but it seems that this one is silver plated copper, not great tbh. Better to get some nice copper cable rather than gimmicky treated crap.

Still want pictures when it's all setup, and of course go to the pioneer owners forum at avforums for help in setting it up properly. Turn off all the noise processing crap, then read up on pure cinema settings, and other colour options. THey are amazing tvs.
 
crosstown_bebel said:
Thanks for all advice and help lads.
Eventually plumped for the following AV gear.

Got the PDP508XD :)
Monitor Audio BR5's
Monitor Audio BRFX Rear (Pair of Atacama nexus stands)
Monitor Audio LCR Centre Spkr
REL T3 Sub
Onkyo TX-SR605 AV Receiver
Pioneer DMP-PD30 Blue Ray
Pureflow speaker cables etc
Click to expand...

Well, you didnt take much advice on board lol :D - you still bought the soon to be replaced PDP508XD, the soon to be replaced Onkyo and you bought what will eventually be an inferior blu-ray player. Also, I think you mean Panasonic DMP-BD30 not Pioneer DMP-PD30 :D

Still a good setup though - enjoy.
 
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