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Old 25-08-2008, 18:19
Baxtero
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About to purchase home cinema gear. Have done a lot of reading (i'm not clueless about it all but still a bit of a novice) on what route is best to go down and have dismissed an all in one box 5.1 surround sound kit and down to two options:

1. Separate amp and speakers, which by sounds of it is the best route to go performance wise but cabling etc won't please the other half.

2. Surround sound bar (Denon, Phillips, Yamaha).

Living room is 20x18 so not tiny but not massive either. I do want surround sound effect for movies and sport and until 2 or 3 days ago didn't realise such things as surround bars existed. They sound good in theory but what is the practice?

In particular i'd be grateful if anyone in the know can advise on how good surround sound bars are in comparison to going down the separates route and if they are decent kit, what are the best ones/best value to buy?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as it's frazzling my brain!

Thanks
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Old 25-08-2008, 18:56
sancheeez
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The only experience I have of the all in one speaker boxes is at a friends house .... and I can't remember who made his one. (But his TV is a Pioneer plasma so he doesn't buy rubbish)

It sounded pretty decent.

But .... not as good as properly positioned separate speakers.

If it were me, I'd go for a set of speakers ahead of a speakerbox.
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Old 25-08-2008, 18:59
Baxtero
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Just been reading a thread below this one about a lad buying an amp and speakers and everything I need to know on that seems to be on there so that much is great. Just slighly fascinated by the simplicity of the surround bar and obvious tidiness of it but it does seem to be the case it's never going to be as good as separate amp and speakers. Just wondering if it'd do me as by no means am I a total sound connisseur!

Cheers for the reply though.

Might be worth me going to Richer Sounds (i'm in Edinburgh) and having a chat with them
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Old 25-08-2008, 19:13
sancheeez
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lol .... must be upgrade time in Edinburgh!

The kit that mclarenf1 ended up buying is a very nice setup for the money. Richer Sounds are good value if you don't want to order online but the 6.1 set of Tannoys he got was a steal!
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Old 25-08-2008, 19:31
Baxtero
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Thinking I might just copy!!

In any of the forums i'm looking in there's never mention of wireless rear speakers - are they a bit of a no no quality wise or a lot rarer when talking about separates?
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Old 25-08-2008, 19:39
Deacon1972
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Even with wireless systems I believe the rears speakers still have to have wires from/to the powered IR transmitter, unless there are some that use batteries. Either way I don't think the quality is as good as a dedicated wired system.

All is not lost, there are various ways you can conceal the wiring, especially for the rear speakers. You can use super flat speaker cable that can easily be hidden under the carpet, or small trunking around the skirting board, then place the speakers on stands instead of fixing them on the wall/s, this way you won't have the trouble of concealing the cables in/on the wall/s.
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Old 25-08-2008, 19:52
Baxtero
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The Yamaha and Denon surround bars do sound like good bits of kit for what they do.....but that they'll never quite be as good as a proper system. So is the lack of cabling etc worth the slight trade off in quality.

That's what I can't quite decide on!

Arrrggghhh
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Old 27-08-2008, 21:37
apollocreed
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Can any of these surround sound bars be had for cheap enough money.Not interested in all the wires that come along with a am and speaker package.Thanks
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Old 27-08-2008, 22:09
wur86
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Can any of these surround sound bars be had for cheap enough money.Not interested in all the wires that come along with a am and speaker package.Thanks
Try the accoustic solution one from argos. the smaller the room the better the sound.
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Old 28-08-2008, 19:55
apollocreed
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You couldnt give me a link.Cant seem to find it.Cheers
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