Spec me a Home Cine PLEASE

Tom84

Tom84

Tom84

Soldato
Joined
22 Sep 2006
Posts
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Location
Chelmsford, Essex
Ok so a couple of months ago I splashed out on an incredibly sexy KDL40W2000 to replace my old 32" sammy and at the same time I also went and upgraded to Sky HD so now I'm looking to replace my current 5.1 setup which only supports 5.1 when watching DVD's and not my PS3/360/Standard TV.

Now because I'm now familiar with the loveliness that is HD TV I'm also looking to get a HD-DVD/BlueRay player but regarding this there's the obvious question of which format will prevail in the long term? I know more DVD's are released on BlueRay then they are on HD-DVD but I cant help but think that eventually it's the latter that's going to come out on top.

Soooooooo with all that in mind I'm looking for.......

  1. 1- A decent AV Amp
  2. 2- A decent set of 5.1 Speakers to go with it
  3. 3- A HD-DVD/BlueRay Player (maybe one that plays both?)

Now I haven't got a clue if a dual HD-DVD/BlueRay player even exists so I've got no expectancies over cost on that but ideally I'm working at around a £600 budget for the AV Amp and Speakers so hook me up with some shopping lists guys and girls :p

I look forward to your responses :)
 
Need to increase budget by a fair bit, that £600 is minimum I would spend on 5.1 alone, ideally £800. Plus £300 for av amp.
 
badbob said:
Need to increase budget by a fair bit, that £600 is minimum I would spend on 5.1 alone, ideally £800. Plus £300 for av amp.
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Well that's not the start I was hoping for :p

Seriously though I'm not a fanatic about the quality of the speakers as long as they make a sound I'm happy :p

Besides a set for £300 must be better than what I've got at the moment considering the entire of my current 5.1 setup I'm pretty sure cost me less than that - £250 to the best of my knowledge, dont think I spent more than that....)
 
You said "decent" for av amp and speakers. If you're aiming lower than it's "budget" The cheapest av amp/5.1 system is this (unless you go to Richer Sounds and buy Eltax rubbish)

Onkyo TX-SR505E Receiver
(RRP £250)

Best Buy
Award winner!
Q Acoustics 1000 speakers
(1010 5.1) (RRP £499)

35m 79 strand speaker cable (RRP £35)
10 gold plated 4mm plugs (RRP £10)
5m Subwoofer lead (RRP £15)
1m Digital optical lead (RRP £10)
1m Digital coaxial lead (RRP £10)
On-screen menu lead (RRP £10)

£670 inc vat.
Just be aware it's a mid-sized sat system, so won't do great stereo sound.
 
Ok 4 months on and I've still to invest in a new system but with a week off work this week I'm looking to spend some money :p

I'm currently looking at getting the following....

Cambridge Audio 340R (£270)
Q Acoustics 1050i 5.1 (£630)
Sony BDPS300 (£300)

Obviously goes much beyond my original priced budget but I've convinced myself to spend what it takes so I'm not left with the what if scenario.

So any opinions on the above? Anything that I should change?
 
I'd change the BR to a PS3, a dedicated player might be be professional, but the BR spec is changing all the time, so only a computer based BR player will have continued support.
 
Did you not post a previous thread that you already had a PS3? Use it, there is no need really for a standalone player when you can get the PS3 which is cheaper and future proof.
 
Nymins said:
Did you not post a previous thread that you already had a PS3? Use it, there is no need really for a standalone player when you can get the PS3 which is cheaper and future proof.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've already got the PS3, judging by what you and badbob have said I proberly will just use that if a standalone player really isn't worth the extra money.

Cheers lads :)
 
actually, an alternative is to buy Quad Lite 5.1

basically this was 1000 quid previously, they are very highly regarded and available around 499. Although colours are limited to rosewood and silver in most places i think
 
Hedge said:
I would ditch the Bluray idea, and i would buy an onkyo 605 amp. then i would join Avforums and buy the SVS powerbuy 5.1 setup. then get blown away :)
Click to expand...

Hedge said:
actually, an alternative is to buy Quad Lite 5.1

basically this was 1000 quid previously, they are very highly regarded and available around 499. Although colours are limited to rosewood and silver in most places i think
Click to expand...

I did Look at the onkyo amp but was just put of by what it looks like i.e. I think it's butt ugly :p

I am interested in the Quads though especially at the price...
 
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If you don't need HDMI switching on the Receiver then tehre is no better deal currently than the Cambridge Audio 540R V2 from Richer sounds (Hopefully not a competitor??). It is discontinued (V3 is out now with HDMI) so is now £199 which is an absolute bargain. You won't get a better sounding receiver anywhere near this price range.
Good looking, solid and sound fantastic.

The Quad Lites are very highly regarded. At a bargain price so long as you don't want them in black (impossible to find). For the money, i think that these with the 540R would be as good as you could ever hope for.

Other speaker options are perhaps one of the Mordaunt-Short speaker packages. 4x902i's (£300), a 905i centre (£120) and and 309i sub (£180 is the cheapest i have seen it)?? The speakers might even be found cheaper elsewhere. That would be another great sounding speaker package. If you want something smaller, they do a 5.1 Alumni package.
 
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Well my Cambridge Audio AV receiver arrived today as did my Sony BlueRay player (couldn't resist shelling out for one :o) just waiting for the Quad's to arrive before I can set it all up :p

Unfortunately though the Quad's proberly aint gonna get to me for another week or so :(
 
Tom84 said:
Well my Cambridge Audio AV receiver arrived today as did my Sony BlueRay player (couldn't resist shelling out for one :o) just waiting for the Quad's to arrive before I can set it all up :p

Unfortunately though the Quad's proberly aint gonna get to me for another week or so :(
Click to expand...

Oh man im so glad you took my advice on the quads, cant wait to hear your comments on them mate. Ive heard nothing but praise for them. The build quality is meant to be amazing (7 coats of laquer on all etc)
 
And on this subject, you think waiting a week is bad...

im sat here with an optoma hd65 projector infront of me....

and ive gotta wait 4-6 weeks for my SVS 5.1 setup to get shipped from the states.

Thats depressing!
 
Hedge said:
Oh man im so glad you took my advice on the quads, cant wait to hear your comments on them mate. Ive heard nothing but praise for them. The build quality is meant to be amazing (7 coats of laquer on all etc)
Click to expand...

At the reduced price I could hardly turn them down :p

I'd read good things about the Q Acoustics setup that I had originally earmarked but the common theme was value for money whereas with the Quad's RRP price being around the £1000 mark I'd expect them to be the better of the two with the added bonus of no difference in price. Also read good things about the Quads since you recommended them ;)
 
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