Options
Surround Sound System
spiidey
Posts: 16,296 Forum Member
✭✭
I'm looking to invest in a surround sound system for the living room.
Currently got a 42" Pioneer Plasma, Sky+ HD box, a number of other devices (e.g. Wii, PS2, 2 DVD players, VCR). planning on upgrading to Sky 3D when it comes out (don't think this will be relevant for sound, but thought it best to state it just incase).
Budget is approx £200-£300.
A number of queries:-
1. Is it worth it at this price, or should I consider going higher?
2. If so, recommendations?
3. Future-proofing?
4. What techo-stats should I rank highest (i.e. place most priority on) when choosing a system?
Currently got a 42" Pioneer Plasma, Sky+ HD box, a number of other devices (e.g. Wii, PS2, 2 DVD players, VCR). planning on upgrading to Sky 3D when it comes out (don't think this will be relevant for sound, but thought it best to state it just incase).
Budget is approx £200-£300.
A number of queries:-
1. Is it worth it at this price, or should I consider going higher?
2. If so, recommendations?
3. Future-proofing?
4. What techo-stats should I rank highest (i.e. place most priority on) when choosing a system?
0
Comments
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TX-SR308-SoundWare-XS-Creative-Audio/dp/B001IU8OQ8/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&m=A2R6EIOWIO5OLU&s=generic&qid=1273755492&sr=1-14
I would suggest that something of this order will blow any 300 quid all in one into the weeds sound wise. Which is something to consider given you have invested in a pretty decent TV to partner it.
I bought my own system from these guys and had no problems at all (well apart from humping all the boxes upstairs to my flat
All in one is dead end garbage. Future proof for the deaf;)
Not the greatest sound in the world but it's loud enough, surround enough and when I upgrade it's going to be cheap.
I have a sub somewhere but it's broken - rumbles badly on standby so I disconnected it!
I wanted audio decoding from hdmi, but did not necessary require decoding of the HD audio formats.
I went for a pioneer vx519 amp (was £159 on amazon), one of the few budget amps that decode the multi channel audio via hdmi (looks great too). Matched it with
some q accoustics speakers from richer sounds, although the wharfedale sounded equally good at the demo (both budget speakers) . I still do not have a center or subwoofer, but the 4 q accoustics sound fantastic compared to most of the all in one systems i listened to.
All together so far i am still under £300.
This is what i did, it may not necessary suite you, i am no audiophile but i do like to research things a lot before parting with my money. All things considered i am very happy with my choice.
JEEZ:)
1. By "all-in-one", does that mean a surround sound system with a DVD player built into it? (i.e. it has both audio and visual in/outs)?
2. By amp, does that mean just a piece of kit that deals with audio only?
AV (audio video) amplifiers have inputs for both audio and video. The better ones have upscalers that can convert analogue video (composite, s-video, component) and output at up to 1080p over a single hdmi connection to the TV. The amplifiier handles all the switching so provided you have one with enough inputs you connect everthing to the AV amp with just the one cable to the TV. Better ones have multizone capability, you can send her indoors Corrie to the Kitchen from a Freeview pvr and watch footie in HD in the lounge on the big screen at the same time.:D.
On my amp there are 3 zones with the third zone audio only, so her indoors can watch corrie,, I can watch footie and my grandson can listen to hard rock on radio headphones using the CD player. :cool:
All in one systems are normally built around a dvd player and at best usually have only 1 external audio input so apart from the comprimised sound are very inflexible
The input situation is the obvious drawback, but the TV can handle multiple inputs anyway.
I have to say however, that I have upgraded to a Yamaha AV amp/receiver and a set of QA speakers and find the setup absolutely superb, cost me £700, but well worth it.
Pioneer amp (£149):-
http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/archive/VSX-519V-K/index.html
can get that for £149 at Comet right now (I think, the amp in the local Comet store was labelled VSX-519V but didn't have the "K" on the end - does that mean it is not in fact the model I've provided the link to?)
===========
Q Acoustic Speakers (£199):-
http://www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packages/q-acoustics/1010i-5.1/qaco-1010i-5.1-pack#
For this model, do the speakers come with 2 front, 2 rear, a centre and a subwoofer (from the description I think they do but I honestly cannot tell!)
===========
So all in this would cost £349, a bit above my original budget but I have a nice little bit of Xmas money to spend
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If I was to go with the above combo:-
1. How would you rate this?
2. What else would I need (cables, etc) and roughly how much would that cost?
3. Will this receive/output everything I would use to connect it to, and in the best audio format (I currently have Sky HD and Blu-Ray player; will it cope with all audio formats [not sure what the "highest-end" audio format is right now - is it 5.1? 7.1?])
4. To what extent am I futureproofed?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003H9NHXS/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1YFRB7VWX691PQ1RK565&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
for 300 quid.
Thanks for the link. How does it compare performance/audio wise with the Pioneer/QA amp/speakers?
Sorry but I don't know anything about the performance of your two options. They seem like a decent choice at the price though.
The Pioneer is a lovely sounding amp...but... it's lacking one vital feature. It doesn't do HD audio decoding. So there's no direct compatibility with the better quality audio tracks from Blu-ray... Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
You could invest in a Blu-ray player that does the decoding and outputs the sound on 6 phono cables or as a multichannel signal on HDMI. We call this a 5.1 input. That's not a good solution though. Blu-ray players rarely have the ability to set speaker distances like the amp does, so the sound timing will be out of sync.
The Onkyo has all the HD audio bells & whistles. It's also 3D compatible should you decide to go 3D in the future.
Pioneer make nice amps. It's just they came out with this model just at the wrong time and they caught a cold. This is why it is being sold off a bit cheaper.
The Q Acoustics 1010i package is 6 speakers: A centre, 4 surrounds and a sub. It has been around for a while. Launched in 2007.. but at £550, so the RS price of £200 is very good value. I doubt you'd find much that sounds substantially better without spending the rest of the original £500.
If you can scrape together the extra cash needed then the Onkyo TXSR308 amp combined with the Q Acoustics 1010i would be a nice system. Can't say about 3D with that amp though. Don't forget to set aside some extra cash for cables (spkr wire, sub cable, interconnects)
If that's too much of a stretch then the Onkyo HT-S5305 ticks all your boxes including 3D compatibility and HD Audio decoding.
Ok, that rules out the Pioneer amp for me as it clearly isn't futureproofed.
Ok, that also rules out any Blu-Ray DVD all-in-one system as I definitely want the ability to set speaker distances to ensure the sound is synced correctly.
Thanks. So the HT-S5305B is fully future-proofed?
When I called on the 31st they were no longer available, so given that they retail at £500-ish normally, they're now well outwith my budget so I can discount those as an option.
That amp looks nice. Any suggestions on what speaker set to get to go with it, that would bring the overall price in somewhere around the £350 mark (and how would those speakers compare with the speakers in the HT-S5305B AV Receiver package)?
Also need clarification on the following:-
1. How does the TXSR308 amp compare with the amp on the HT-S5305B AV Receiver package (I assume it is actually an amp in this package)?
2. How do Onkyo as a brand sit? Quality of product? Quality of sound? Are they good for reliability? After-sales care?
3. More specifically about sound, how do the models suggested (the TXSR308 and the HT-S5305B) sit in terms of quality of sound? What am I "missing" by not going for a more expensive product - is it loudness of sound, quality, or design? Something else?
4. More generally about the products themselves, what do the higher end models provide (e.g. the £1,000+ systems) that the models in the c. £300 range (such as the 2 Onkyo models) do not?
5. When you say that you aren't sure about 3D and the TXSR308 amp, doesn't the first line of the description on Richer Sounds website for that model cover that:-
Apologies for asking so many queries, this is a big investment for me now that I have a mortgage and I don't want to pick up the wrong product.
I'd hope that the Cantons and Jamos would sound a little better. Richers have a reputation for taking clearance lines, so there's a good chance that products were sold at a much higher price at launch. This means you are getting build and performance from a higher price level. The Cantons were £350 at launch in 2008. The Jamos £300 at launch in 2007.
It's pretty much identical.
Quality - equal to Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer, Sony etc. What stands in Onkyo's favour is sheer value. If you want the same features from another brand then you'll spend more money. I've supplied a lot of Onkyo product. Reliability has been excellent, but you should really ask your dealer what their view is.
Let's be honest here, despite what your budget is these are all still very much the entry level of the AV Receiver world, so don't get carried away thinking you're getting Rolls Royce quality for Kia money. These aren't the last word in movie and music performance. For something approaching that you will have to spend twenty or thirty times your budget. However, all the gear discussed in this thread can be considered giving class leading performance. It will all be head and shoulders above anything you'll get from an all-in-one kit at double or triple the price. IMO you can't get better sound quality without either spending more or sacrificing some features.
Bigger speakers - especially the centre - will give deeper richer more realistic voices. Bigger better quality subs will produce more bass, more cleanly. Beefier amps will control those speakers with greater authority so make dynamics bigger, give larger scale and run at higher volumes without running out of steam. You'll also get video processing features such as cross conversion (all video inputs go out on HDMI), scaling (converting lower resolutions to 1080i or 1080p), and smarter deinterlacing.
If you split your £1000 budget in two then £500 gets you the cross conversion, scaling, deinterlacing and a bit more power in the amps. For speakers, £500 is going to improve things, but won't make a night & day difference unless you buy second-hand.
Well I'm not the person taking your money and making a profit, so it's up to you to do some of your own homework
Loads of options there to digest, and I think I'll take your advice and head into RS in Edinburgh and have a listen to the individual systems before committing.
Hopefully! one last query. I have a Sky+ HD box, DVD player (Component out, or Scart), Wii (Component out), and PS2 (SCART out, I think). Not sure about optical/coaxial audios on each these.
How will these be connected through the amp? E.g. for the Sky+HD box:-
i. HMDI into Amp for Sky+HD Box, with HMDI out to TV (and I bin the detachable TV speakers?) or
ii. HDMI from Sky+HD box to TV, with optical out from Sky+HD box to Amp?
Any issues with either of these, or loss in audio/sync?
Sky gives basic stereo audio over HDMI, so you need the optical cable for the Sky box to get Dolby Digital. You can have both running though. I've just installed a system where we use HDMI audio direct for the TV for casual viewing, and optical to an Onkyo 808 for watching Sky in surround sound. Works perfectly.
PS2 - I've never hooked one up, but it looks like there's an AV multi socket which you can get various cables for. This includes a component + stereo audio cable. This might be a good choice. It also looks like there's support for an optical cable.
So, depending on the digital audio output from the DVD player (optical or coax) and what audio cables/sockets you have for the PS2, then you have at least two optical connections (Sky + either PS2 or DVD) or all three in total. If it's all three then you might decide to relegate the PS2 to a stereo phono connection; or you could by an optical to coax converter box (£20 or so) and make use of the spare coax socket on the amp.
For picture you'll be using HDMI (Sky and later Blu-Ray) and Component Video to the amp and from the amp to the TV.
Sky+HD - HDMI for picture, Optical for sound
DVD player - Component for picture, Optical or Coax for sound
Wii - Component for picture, stereo phono for sound
PS2 - RGB Scart direct to TV / Component to amp for picture, Optical to the AV amp for sound or stereo phonos for sound
You shouldn't lose audio sync with any of these connections. However, Sky's AV sync does vary a little from channel to channel. There's not a lot you can do about it. Its just sloppy broadcasting.
Match with any 5.1/6.1/7.1 speaker set (which must have an active subwoofer) that you think sounds good with it.
There are two schools of thought about loudspeakers. That is:-
a) Good speakers sound good, period
b) The source is everything.
My preference, using a computer analogy is "GIGO" garbage in, garbage out. In other words, a great set of speakers are pointless if you're going to drive them with an 64Kb/s MP3.
Source is King. What would you rather have - Val Doonican (incomplete without a wooly jumper) or Nat King Cole (the coolest cat in the jungle)? Santana or Sultana?
Agreed but make sure you pick a reasonable quality speaker wire to connect the two together or you will not get the best out of the setup.
www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/sony/strdh810/sony-strdh810
It's a fantastic piece of kit and well future proofed. It also upscales video to 1080p which for the price is a nice feature. The sound has been awesome on all of the blurays I have used and it also allows you to assign audio signals to hdmi - essential for your sky as they don't transmit dolby 5.1 via hdmi.
I bought some Tannoy speakers to go with it on the recommendation of the guys at the shop. They gave me a demo and it was fantasic:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packages/tannoy/sfx5.1/tann-sfx5.1-blk
Good luck with your purchase!