Upgrades and more Upgrades LOL

nicknack35 · 29 Jun 2015 at 19:54

Hey all bit of advice would be great if possible please. We recently bought a Samsung 40" for our bedroom and got rid of the LG 42" plasma which is only 720p we have moved that to the conservatory and decided to use that as a monitor and getting a NUC. Now we are toying to change that TV or just rig it up with a NUC and get a nice sound system for it or change the tv first and get stereo set up later any advice be great LOLOL Thanks

rids57 · 29 Jun 2015 at 21:46

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!!!!!!!

This is Sound City, wee don't do TVs

ps. isn't it a bad idea to use a plasma TV as a monitor due to burn in with all the static pixels on screen?

Marsman · 29 Jun 2015 at 21:51

I'm not even sure what the actual question is. Should you buy a sound system? :confused:

nicknack35 · 29 Jun 2015 at 21:59

Sorry the question really is change the tv or keep it and get a NUC tiny pc and a decent stereo set up and change the tv at a later date lol

rids57 · 29 Jun 2015 at 22:04

surely you are the only one who can answer that as you are the only one who knows what you want to do with it :confused:

nicknack35 · 29 Jun 2015 at 22:05

i spoke to richer sounds the other day and he advised me on getting the http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-receivers/yamaha/as301/yama-as301-blk which looks great in silver im thinking of popping in sometime this week and having a demo with the Q Acoustics 2010i

Marsman · 29 Jun 2015 at 22:51

Well I don't know what you should do in regards to the TV, I think that's something only you can decide. However, the sound system, I think surely an AV receiver is not needed if you are only going to connect stereo speakers to it.

I suppose it ultimately depends on what connections you need though.

If you've got a TV and something like a NUC, then connect that or whatever media player to the TV, then optical out from the media player or NUC to maybe something like a Denon DM39 or Monitor Audio A100. Both have optical inputs.

Of course though, if the NUC doesn't have optical output and the TV doesn't either, then HDMI will be the only possibility, so makes sense why you've been recommended one. i just thought it's a huge thing to have just to connect 2 speakers and a media player.

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 18:16

The amp i posted has optical out and connect 2 speakers to it and the nuc would be connected via HDMI

rids57 · 30 Jun 2015 at 18:42

Yes but you could get a Topping VX1 25W mini-Amp/Dac for £80 and just connect it via USB and connect the speakers to that.

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 18:48

what speakers could i get for that amp and is it any good?

rids57 · 30 Jun 2015 at 18:52

It's very good for the money and you can get whatever passive speakers you want rated over 25W

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 18:59

See the set up i would want is to watch tv through the speakers also. Aswell been able to stream music from the NUC

Marsman · 30 Jun 2015 at 19:35

A Topping VX1 is good inexpensive small solution, but no way to control the volume though without physically turning the volume knob. It's really a better choice for desktop where the volume knob can be easily reached. For use with a media TV setup, I'd imagine something with remote control is more preferable.

What TV is it, or what audio outputs does it have? Can get a better idea of how you can connect an audio device to it.

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 19:45

The tv is a few years old now i know it has optical

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 19:46

Its an old LG 42"

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 19:56

See our set upstairs with our HTPC set up with the Ruarks there connected via MF v90 DAC which we use via usb for films and music from the pc and switch to optical to use the speakers for tv

nicknack35 · 30 Jun 2015 at 20:28

Am i not right in thinking if i got an amp with optical to the tv and speakers to the amp (of course) then the NUC to HDMI. That i would get sound from tv and the NUC when streaming or playing any content from the NUC?

Marsman · 30 Jun 2015 at 23:51

Yes you can do that. The TV will send audio from whatever input is displaying on the screen out via the optical to a connected amp.

Doing it like that will allow you to get something a bit more simple and smaller than getting an AV receiver and connecting the NUC to it via HDMI, then the AV receiver to the TV.

Using the optical output on the TV means the TV will have to be on though and displaying the input from the NUC. If you get an AV receiver, then that would allow you to turn the TV off or have a different channel on, while still get sound from the NUC, as that would be going direct to the AV receiver, rather than through the TV.

Depends on how you want to do it really. If you've got the room for an AV receiver, then there's no reason why you shouldn't go for one.

If you don't mind having to have the TV on, then there are smaller options with optical input. Denon DM39, Monitor Audio A100, or Marantz MCR510 looks quite nice for £200. Doesn't have Bluetooth, but has network, wi-fi and DLNA compatibility.

nicknack35 · 1 Jul 2015 at 23:12

Thanks for your input gents. Marsman what would you go for amp wise and speakers?

Marsman · 2 Jul 2015 at 01:47

Personally, I wouldn't want an AV receiver. I'd only go for one of those if I had the intention to add various other devices or upgrade to 5.1 at some point. For stereo and connecting one device, I'd prefer to stick with something smaller.

I'd probably go for Monitor Audio A100 or Marantz MCR510. Denon DM39 is a decent option if you want to spend less, but the wi-fi capability of both A100 and MCR510 adds more connectivity for maybe a phone or tablet via network. DM39 only has optical, as well as analogue which they all have.

Cambridge Audio One, is another option. On it's own for £350, it's too expensive for what it is really, but Richer Sounds have it in a deal with Cambridge Audio speakers included for no extra cost. That's a pretty good deal, but the included speakers have no real reviews, so no idea how they compare to others.

For smaller speakers I'd probably go for Q Acoustics 3010. Larger, possibly Monitor Audio BX2. Best to have a listen to some in Richer Sounds though, as the speakers have the largest impact on the sound, and preferences vary from person to person.