TV and Soundbar for £700

bignev72

bignev72

bignev72

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New TV and Sound for £750

I'm looking to buy a new TV and sound bar to replace an ageing 32" Toshiba!

My requirements are;

  • Ideally 50"
  • Thin bezel
  • I want to spend about £700 total.
  • Good clear sound on the soundbar. My hearing is a bit rubbish I struggle to make out dialgoue if there is lots of background noise.

I have an 8% discount with Curry's through work so this would potentially mean more money to spend here. That makes it £750ish before discount so I suppose it's no great difference.


I was looking at the LG 50LB650V but it seems that LG's don't support DTS sound. My manager has one and assures me that it's a great TV but the lack of DTS support worries me. I could get round this by getting a soundbar with multiple HDMI in and one out but seems like a lot of hassle tbh.

So give me some suggestions!
 
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The Sony KDL50W829 is a no brainer for the price it is now. They were throwing in a Sony HTCT60BT Sound Bar for free just before Xmas but that was when the telly was over £700. 8% discount puts it in at around £625 for the 2.
 
Hi Grimley.

I went into Curry's at lunch to have a quick look at the TV's. Funnily enough the KDL50W829 was one of the three that I liked. I also liked the PANASONIC 48AS640B and the SAMSUNG UE48H6400. I know these are both 48" so not strictly within my set parameters but they're near enough in size.

The picture on the Panasonic actually looked the best of the three but it's hard to know what display settings etc have been used when they were setup.

I also looked at home cinema systems. It seems you can get a Blu-Ray player and 5.1 sound for roughly the same price as a soundbar. This seems like a better route to take.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on the above?
 
bignev72 said:
I also looked at home cinema systems. It seems you can get a Blu-Ray player and 5.1 sound for roughly the same price as a soundbar. This seems like a better route to take.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on the above?
Click to expand...

Better in sound quality terms, perhaps, but soundbars are for people that don't want their living rooms cluttered with 5.1 speakers.

I myself have, but I can see how others might want a neat minimalist soundbar instead. Their selling point isn't really to compete with proper 5.1 on sound quality.

So you need to ask yourself what you want aesthetically too.
 
Participant said:
Better in sound quality terms, perhaps, but soundbars are for people that don't want their living rooms cluttered with 5.1 speakers.

I myself have, but I can see how others might want a neat minimalist soundbar instead. Their selling point isn't really to compete with proper 5.1 on sound quality.

So you need to ask yourself what you want aesthetically too.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with this. We've got a sound bar in our living room and ive got a 5.1 surround sound upstairs and the difference between the two is so noticeable. Neither are particularly expensive units but the 5.1 is so much clearer.
 
bignev72 said:
Hi Grimley.

I went into Curry's at lunch to have a quick look at the TV's. Funnily enough the KDL50W829 was one of the three that I liked. I also liked the PANASONIC 48AS640B and the SAMSUNG UE48H6400. I know these are both 48" so not strictly within my set parameters but they're near enough in size.

The picture on the Panasonic actually looked the best of the three but it's hard to know what display settings etc have been used when they were setup.

I also looked at home cinema systems. It seems you can get a Blu-Ray player and 5.1 sound for roughly the same price as a soundbar. This seems like a better route to take.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on the above?
Click to expand...

Knowing the Indian food place they've plugged it into their standard Source that their head office makes them play back on their tellies (unless one of the telly reps is in there showing something else) On the Panasonic, I'm aware that when you 1st turn it on, you can set it for a shop display or home use (I found that out when I tuned dad's new telly in at the weekend) No idea if the staff use those settings or if Samsung & Sony have that feature on their tellies (I would imagine so)

Bear in mind also, that the 5.1 Systems they sell on the whole are not designed to be upgraded, should you want to do that bit by bit later on. Upgradeable 5.1 separates are not their speciality.
 
I could setup 5.1 in my living room fairly easily. There is an obvious route which would pretty much hide the cables. It seems like that's the best option in terms of sound so it's a no brainer :)

I'm going to go and have another look in store but also going to consider reviews because you really are relying on how they set them up in the shop. I have always had in my head that Sony/Samsung make good TV's so I am leaning that way.
 
bignev72 said:
Hi Grimley.

I went into Curry's at lunch to have a quick look at the TV's. Funnily enough the KDL50W829 was one of the three that I liked. I also liked the PANASONIC 48AS640B and the SAMSUNG UE48H6400. I know these are both 48" so not strictly within my set parameters but they're near enough in size.

The picture on the Panasonic actually looked the best of the three but it's hard to know what display settings etc have been used when they were setup.

I also looked at home cinema systems. It seems you can get a Blu-Ray player and 5.1 sound for roughly the same price as a soundbar. This seems like a better route to take.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on the above?
Click to expand...

5.1 "Home Cinema in a Box" units (with the blue ray player, integrated amplifiers and speakers) are -as a rule- absolutely terrible. Like for like, I'd probably go for a soundbar. With a Home Cinema in a Box system, you're spreading your funds across more components.

5.1 is only worthwhile if you're doing it properly; in other words, with an AV receiver (or pre/pro combo) and some worthwhile speakers. If you think 5.1 is something you might like, struggle with the TV sound until you save up for an AV receiver and speakers.
 
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http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis...3_1427784679_0d9ae9637f477b8f430bb6034dc65573
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55JL9000 is a rebrand of the 55LB700V which has a built in soundbar and has a DTS Decoder. It's only £650 as well.
 
BlairH said:
5.1 "Home Cinema in a Box" units (with the blue ray player, integrated amplifiers and speakers) are -as a rule- absolutely terrible. Like for like, I'd probably go for a soundbar. With a Home Cinema in a Box system, you're spreading your funds across more components.

5.1 is only worthwhile if you're doing it properly; in other words, with an AV receiver (or pre/pro combo) and some worthwhile speakers. If you think 5.1 is something you might like, struggle with the TV sound until you save up for an AV receiver and speakers.
Click to expand...

The reviews are mainly positive for the systems i've been looking at.

Is this a case of these systems sounding "terrible" to an audiophile but are generally ok for the majority of people?
 
bignev72 said:
The reviews are mainly positive for the systems i've been looking at.

Is this a case of these systems sounding "terrible" to an audiophile but are generally ok for the majority of people?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile; I'm a firm believer that once you get to a certain point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. That said, I do believe that even the best "All in One" system sits well before that point.

Are there people who are happy with their "All in One" system? Sure; but do they have a reference system to compare it to as a point of comparison? You can always find better value in picking the components yourself. Think of it as building a PC vs buying one from a box-shifter retail outlet.

"All in One" systems are a compromise -a very severe compromise- in terms of quality and practicality. The sterling cost of the unit is spread across all of the components in the box, meaning that you're never going to find particularly good value. Once you buy it; you're pretty much stuck with it as nothing is upgradable.

You want better speakers? Tough! You're stuck with the ones that came in the box.

You want a better amplifier for those speakers? Tough! You're stuck with the one that's integrated in the blu-ray player.

Please read the following article from the Wire Cutter, which makes the point more eloquently than I:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the...oes-not-exist/
 
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BlairH said:
I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile; I'm a firm believer that once you get to a certain point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. That said, I do believe that even the best "All in One" system sits well before that point.

Are there people who are happy with their "All in One" system? Sure; but do they have a reference system to compare it to as a point of comparison? You can always find better value in picking the components yourself. Think of it as building a PC vs buying one from a box-shifter retail outlet.

"All in One" systems are a compromise -a very severe compromise- in terms of quality and practicality. The sterling cost of the unit is spread across all of the components in the box, meaning that you're never going to find particularly good value. Once you buy it; you're pretty much stuck with it as nothing is upgradable.

You want better speakers? Tough! You're stuck with the ones that came in the box.

You want a better amplifier for those speakers? Tough! You're stuck with the one that's integrated in the blu-ray player.

Please read the following article from the Wire Cutter, which makes the point more eloquently than I:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the...oes-not-exist/
Click to expand...


Ok.Easy solution to this then.

Spec me 5.1 seperates for roughly £200
 
bignev72 said:
Ok.Easy solution to this then.

Spec me 5.1 seperates for roughly £200
Click to expand...

Well see that's the thing, an "All in One" at £200 is going to be particularly dire. Your best bet is, as I've said either to;

(a) Bear with TV audio whilst you save for a budget AV receiver and speakers. You can get a Onkyo TXNR535 and JBL Cinema 510 speakers (5 and a subwoofer) for about £349 new; or
(b) Buy a soundbar or a soundbase
 
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