Spec me a new 5.1 Surround sound system please

Arcam Alpha 9 amp retailed for £500 new. Using it for L/R, with the Yamaha av amp for centre & rears. Still because it now cost £100 it's classed as "budget" ;-) Pair that with a £100 second hand standmount/bookshelf and no £200 5.1 PC system comes close for sound quality. Also have front panel headphone stage, input and output switching, volume control, and speaker switching.

The Arcam Alpha 10 was £800, DAVE board (DD/DTS) module could be added which I think also included a third channel power amp stage, then you add a 10P to get 5 channels of amplification.
 
badbob said:
Arcam Alpha 9 amp retailed for £500 new. Using it for L/R, with the Yamaha av amp for centre & rears. Still because it now cost £100 it's classed as "budget" ;-) Pair that with a £100 second hand standmount/bookshelf and no £200 5.1 PC system comes close for sound quality. Also have front panel headphone stage, input and output switching, volume control, and speaker switching.

The Arcam Alpha 10 was £800, DAVE board (DD/DTS) module could be added which I think also included a third channel power amp stage, then you add a 10P to get 5 channels of amplification.
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Allot of people are not after that level of sound "quality". I see what your saying and im with you in that it is what I have done with my system, but it is clearly not something that this guy wants if hes worried about wires on his floor etc etc.

Therefor my previous posts outlines some much better amp/speaker packages for the money, however, it seems to have been ignored :rolleyes:
 
willd58 said:
As long as you can afford it, go for it, very good speakers and amp there supposedly, not heard them myself.
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I cant afford it, but hey a little thing called finance allows people to afford expensive things and gives you good credit rating if you keep up the repayments.
 
badbob said:
I would...in a whole league above Creative speakers.
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i wouldnt. no audio over hdmi. i would at least get something that can extract audio over hdmi. if you're looking at packages, i wouldnt go lower than a 605.

get it if you want but ultimately i think you'll find you'll be wanting to upgrade again very quickly. especially when you start finding out you need a separate connection for audio from your hdmi devices, that its not compatible with HD audio over hdmi, that it wont play sacd over hdmi (if thats your thing)...
 
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Jihad said:
If you think the £50 setup sounds awesome then I'd go for something in your price range, not credit. I'm sure a sub £200 kit will make you more than happy.
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Has he heard anything else better though? A peasant would think a Yugo is a lovely car...
 
who cares? your elitest snobbery is frankly annoying me now. go back to yuor audio forums if you dont like what we have to say here.

you need to understand that people have different objectives. not everybody needs the best *everything*.
 
james.miller said:
who cares? your elitest snobbery is frankly annoying me now. go back to yuor audio forums if you dont like what we have to say here.

you need to understand that people have different objectives. not everybody needs the best *everything*.
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Have I recommended Bryston? If I was elitist I would snub everything under four figures. But I'm not , that is not snobbery, my own experience with audio gear is letting me give advice on what is a sweet spot of audio. You don't need to close to £1000 per item. HE CAN BUY A GOOD system with his budget, just not 5.1.

Why bother to post a thread, if he's going to ignore audio experts and buy a POS anyway? People who say "I've got 5500 and sound superb" really doesn't mean anything, if they've not heard anything else. I thought my FPS 2000 sounded great.

From the reactions here, it sounds people with PC 5.1 /HTIB don't like the idea that for a little more, you could have got something that you enjoy. Same thing for PC's...dealt with idiots who bought a PC from retail shops and running into loads of problems. If they took my advice and bought quality gear wouldn't have the problem.

Guess people just think always right, stubborn and arrogant?
 
badbob said:
Guess people know i think im always right, stubborn and arrogant?
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corrected and yes, i agree. badbob, there is very little you wont snub under 4 figures. how many times have you sid buy £600 amp, spend no less than £400 on a sub, speakers to match ect, and all when the guy has a £250 budget. everybody who knows your posts will agree with this.

From the reactions here, it sounds people with PC 5.1 /HTIB don't like the idea that for a little more, you could have got something that you enjoy. Same thing for PC's...dealt with idiots who bought a PC from retail shops and running into loads of problems. If they took my advice and bought quality gear wouldn't have the problem.
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oh please. you still arent getting it. i cant be bothered with this anymore, ive get mopre important things to do:)
 
I have never had a surround sound system before I got mine.

I bit the bullet and got a £280 Sony surround system, nice and easy all in one package, easy to set up, and it sounds awesome. I love it.

Yes, spending £1000 would give me better sound, you get what you pay for afterall, but this £280 system fits my needs. It gives me surround sound, and in my opinion, damn good surround sound. I am sure it would fit the needs of most people who don't want crappy sound from their TV speakers.
 
People just don't like taking advice either...a bloke at work think he's right by not getting the car service, think he's saving money by not checking cam belt...wrong. People don't like admitting other people are smarter or with more experience, so they go ahead and doing what they're doing anyway.

there is very little you wont snub under 4 figures.
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wow. Now imaging things? I highly rate my B&W 601's, and far better than PC speakers. Which were crap. And how much do those cost? Erm not 4 figures. My front speakers are four figures.

spend no less than £400 on a sub
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From my experience, you need to spend a fair bit more than £100 to get a good one. 12" sealed BK XLS 200 or similar, as a minimum. Anything under that and I wouldn't bother. Not that's being elitist...because my sub is miles better than a XLS 200. If I were elitist I'd say you have to spend £3000 on a subwoofer.


and all when the guy has a £250 budget
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And you can buy something decent for that...just not 5.1.Sorry but your arguements are failing. Is it perhaps because "my system is better than yours" - jealously?
 
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badbob said:
And you can buy something decent for that...just not 5.1.Sorry but your arguements are failing.
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Your perception of decent is probably completely different from another person's perception of decent. Their needs are also probably completely different. You seem to dish out advice based on your own needs, and not take into consideration what people are actually asking for.

I think my £280 5.1 system is better than decent, I think it is awesome. You would probably think it is rubbish.
 
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