Surround sound

Scotteh

Scotteh

Scotteh

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14 Sep 2011
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Posted a while ago about this, got a new TV and was too busy to deal with this, now I have time to back to this :P

Basically, I have Sky+HD (1TB box if that makes any difference), and xbox 360 with a LG 42LK450U TV

Looking for surround sound for these (preferably one that comes with bluray if it doesn't come with bluray then will need to support bluray input as well)

Any suggestions?

Not exactly sure on budget but few hundred. (say £300 but can go over it)

Thanks!
 
If you are looking for the best sound for your money then I would go down the AV reciever and speaker route.
For your budget you would pick up a new, lower end system,or why not go second hand?
For that kind of money you would put together an amp and speakers that would blow an all in one system into the middle of next week!!
 
All-in-one kits with a built-in BD player are the cheapest option and they'll give you a lot of toys such as streaming access and iPod docking. The trade-off is sound quality and flexibility. The amp & speakers are all bass and treble; there's not a lot going on in the midrange which is where most of the information actually is. The other thing to watch out for is a lack of extra inputs. You don't have to look to far in this forum for frustrated owners of all-in-one kits asking how to connect this or that when there's not enough inputs.

An AV amp and speaker package solves those problems: Sound quality is miles better, and the flexibility and connectivity is in a different league. Add a budget Blu-ray player and you'll have the makings of a very good home cinema system for not much more than an all-in-one.

Have a look at the Onkyo HTS5405 (£329) and HTS3505 (£349) AV amp & speaker kits for a one-manufacturer solution. Alternatively go for a mix-n-match system of Onkyo TXSR309 (£149) or Denon 1312 (£169) AV amp with the Yamaha NSP40 (£99) or Boston Soundware XS (£229) speaker packages depending on how far you can stretch your budget.

All of the above are entry-level systems, so you're not buying over-spec'd top end gear. But all of these will kick the arse of any all-in-one kit south of £600.
 
Which cables would I need to purchase as well for this?

for Bluray would it need an optical output for the sound or does HDMI deal with this?

Denon 1312
Boston Soundware XS SE
LG BD650

That all compatible? (bluray doesn't support optical output)

any idea if the speakers are wall mountable (i.e. have a hole in the back for a screw to be placed in)

Thanks!
 
HDMI covers it from BD to amp. As for the rest of the questions and any more general ones that might pop up why not have a chat with the people who are likely to take your money now that we have pointed you in the right direction.
 
Apart from the sub which is a phono to phono lead, if that's all you are likely to connect then yes.
 
Ouch! I wouldn't get those SureFix banana plugs. Get some Fisual or Nakamichi ones, which cost about £10 for 8, or there about.

Edit: Nakamichi's are 10 for £9 off the famous auction site. Excellent product. Personally I prefer the Fisual ones, which are £10 for 8. Both are excellent though, and a far better buy than paying £3 per plug.
 
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Easy as pie. They have little grub type screws which secure the wire in place.

The cable is a good choice. I use Van Damme myself. Only short runs though. If you'd rather cheaper cable, you can get clear sheathed OFC from the famous auction site. £5 for 10m. There are other varying lengths. It's good stuff, and there isn't any real noticeable audible difference compared to the Van Damme cable. The Van Damme cable has a nicer quality feel about it. Might depend on how and where you are laying the cable. It's dark colour is easier for me to hide, than lighter coloured cable. It's not too expensive really, unless you are doing long runs. £2pm is relatively cheap compared to a lot of other cables, QED for eg.
 
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I'd get some of the Cambridge Audio cable for about £1-£2pm. No point spending any more than that really.

As for subwoofer cable, the choice looks pretty limited. Cheapest being £20, from what I can see. It's not going to be any better a £10 or less cable really, as you are paying for the name. If you want to get the lot from RS, then you have no other choice really. Only comes in 7.5m length as well.

Banana plugs are pretty expensive too. Two for £5 is certainly not cheap. That's going to be en expensive job for all five satellite speakers. I wouldn't bother at that price. £50 is silly money for banana plugs. I'd just use the binding posts.
 
Other option which I didnt see suggested if you really cant stretch the budget, why not get a receiver and two floor standers which should be ok for £300 then once youve saved a little more you can add a sub/backs/centre as money allows. Also have a look on AVforums classifieds section, better value for money second hand.

Hawker
 
Scotteh said:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-cables/cambridge-audio/symphony-100/gale-symphony-100

2x 6m, 3x 2m of that

Don't I need banana plugs as back of the AV looks as if it requires that?

Also do I just use banana plugs for AV or do speakers need them as well?
Click to expand...

Both the speakers and the AV receiver will accept banana plugs. The binding posts on both speakers and AV receiver unscrew, then the wire is inserted, then you screw them down again. Banana plugs push into the centre of the binding posts, so you can you use either way to connect the cables.

Using banana plugs is less fiddly, but I really would get them elsewhere, if you do want to use them. You will need 20 in all for the five speakers, so that's £50 from RS, which is way too expensive for such things.
 
If i were to use banana plugs i'd just use them on the AV end, as once the speakers are mounted they won't be moved for a number of years.

For the Banana plugs is it just sort of, push the wire in and tighten the screw kind of thing?

Would the cable I linked be fine or should I spend a bit more for a better one?

Is there a difference between black/red cables (judging by the image of the cambridge audio symphony 100 theres nothing different, so if there is would this be indicated when it arrives, just making sure :p)

Thanks again.
 
Using banana plugs only at the AV receiver end of the cables makes sense, as that's where it will be most tricky to use the binding posts. I still think they are expensive, even for 10, but it's your choice. If it were me, I'd get 10 Nakamichi ones for £9 off the famous auction site.

The Symphony 100 or 150 cable is fine. Spending more won't necessarily buy a cable that sounds any better. The runs you have mentioned are not long enough for you to worry about getting thicker cable.

It looks like CA have used writing on one side of the cable. So, if you take it as black being writing side, then as long as you connect it that way at both speaker and receiver end, then it's plain sailing. :)
 
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