DS Forums

 
 

Speaker recommendation


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 04-01-2006, 10:25
Ion
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wokingham/Crowthorne
Posts: 17

Hi All,

We have recently moved house. Lounge is 5.5m long, 3.5m wide, though we have the TV area at one end (in an area 3m long, 3.5m wide - TV & sofa on the 3m part).

My AV amp is a thompson DPL2000 (DTS/DD/ProLogic etc, 100W RMS per channel).
I am currently using the speakers that came with an old Aiwa surround hifi. The front speakers are very capable, but the rears are FUBAR'd.

For the sake of tidynes I am looking at the packages of 5 small speakers and a sub.
Would this do the amp justice, or am I better off replacing just the rears (& poss centre).

Budget not fantastic, and surround only used for DVD/movies.

TIA
Chris
Ion is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 04-01-2006, 11:00
RobSaints
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 15
If you just want something 'nice' then there are loads of package deals around. Richer Sounds is a good place to start to be honest, as they offer packages of Centre, Fronts, Rears and Sub for quite a few manufacturers.

Spend as much as you can afford or justify to ensure it keeps you happy well into the future And try to avoid the packages that offer you five identicle speakers as a surround sound setup. A speaker can't be great at being a centre, a front and a rear! Get speakers that were designed to do the job and you'll be doing well

If you are quite keen on the idea of home cinema and want something 'very nice' then I would suggest buying each bit individually. Start with the centre speaker, as most of your dialogue comes from here and it will have a massive effect on the sound.
Then change your front speakers.
Then your rears.
Then add a sub.

Try to keep things matching if you can, as manufactures often design their kit to work best with other items in the same range. Mixing and matching can work well, if you know what to look for

(edit) Do this upgrade route over time and you'll be able to spread the cost out a bit
RobSaints is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2006, 13:32
Astaroth
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London
Posts: 3,421
The front 3 speakers really do need to match each other to get a cohesive (sp) sound - if you mix and match the tonal differences between brands/ models can ruin the experience as sounds pan from left->centre->right.

Without a budget it is hard to recommend anything. (and saying it is "only" for DVD? - it is the time when you most need decent surround system - games/ tv are really secondary)

Richer Sounds (generally) sell end of line products (with the exception of Cambridge Audio) and so tend to be fairly cheap - whilst speakers are for ever being released the difference between the "latest" and "last years model" is a lot less than it is for other elements of a home cinema.

Missions "M" ranges are very good - the M3 series is the current setup but the M7 it replaced is still sold in several places and little difference - if you get floor standers you really need to make sure you get the "i" (improved) versions - for stand mounts it is less important.

The only sub/ sat systems I would consider getting are probably £700+ and have the disadvantage of having to be purchased as a set so you cant collect them over time as and when finances allow.
Astaroth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2006, 14:12
Glawster2002
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
Posts: 10,410
Originally Posted by Astaroth
Missions "M" ranges are very good - the M3 series is the current setup but the M7 it replaced is still sold in several places and little difference - if you get floor standers you really need to make sure you get the "i" (improved) versions - for stand mounts it is less important.

The only sub/ sat systems I would consider getting are probably £700+ and have the disadvantage of having to be purchased as a set so you cant collect them over time as and when finances allow.
Mission speakers were very good, althoughI've been told by my local hi-fi dealer that they've ceased trading. I've got a pair of Mission 732s that still sound reasonable - although I'm replacing them tomorrow with Monitor Audio Silver RS8s!

Most manufacturers do offer their speaker packages as individual items, or pairs, but that would be for their high-end systems, which probably isn't what you're after!!

For something more reasonable I'd certainly suggest Richer Sounds as a good place to start.
Glawster2002 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2006, 14:30
Astaroth
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London
Posts: 3,421
Mission called in the administrators of their own accord (I never saw any press releases to say if it was due to financial difficulties or inability to get board agreement or such) but they are trading again now.

Richer Sounds is a good place to get end of line products (which is their specialitiy) but the one draw back is if you decide to get a system in parts then they may no longer have the matching equipment X months later when you are ready to buy the next bit.
Astaroth is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 16:42.