TV and Soundbar for £700

bignev72 · 8 Apr 2015 at 11:59

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!

bignev72 · 8 Apr 2015 at 20:54

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 · 9 Apr 2015 at 21:48

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 · 10 Apr 2015 at 10:34

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.

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 · 10 Apr 2015 at 10:34

Scottland said:
Was about to recommend this also, the 49" version is only £499 too.

Good find that. You get 5 year warranties on TV's from John Lewis as well

bignev72 · 10 Apr 2015 at 13:33

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/

Ok.Easy solution to this then.

Spec me 5.1 seperates for roughly £200