Surround sound system (and home cinema) advice for newbie with €1000

ucdier

Hello ,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I’m looking for some advice on a surround sound system. My story is as follows.
I’ve done some researching (the lurking ) and think I would like a surround sound system comprising an avr and speakers (with big floorstanders etc). My TV room is large at 15ft width x 16ft length x 12ft height (approx 4.6m x 5m x 3.7m height – I’ve attached a picture). My budget is about €1000 - €1500 I’d say. What are the main specs that should I be looking for in this range? I would want the sound system mainly for TV but also for music.
Also, a lot of people say that you should demo your system before you buy – is that possible in Dublin? The only decent sound store in Ireland seems to be in the north – richersounds. Will travel to the UK be required? If so, any recommendations on best places to go in the UK would be most welcome. Also, would you advice buying online?
Also (although I guess this may be the wrong place for this part of the posting), I’m looking at getting a new TV. I would be using the TV for Sky HD and playing movies (although yet to buy a blu-ray player – again any recommendations most welcome). The current TV room is very bright – which LEDs looked best suited to – but from what I’ve read it looks to me like plasmas are best value for money. Things I want it for are just TV programmes, sport and movies. I do have an xbox360 but is rarely used. My budget for TV would be about €1000. Ideally I would like something in 50” – 60” size. (A decent step up from my 4 year old 32” Samsung HD ready tv). Are there any particular specs I should be looking for in a TV that I will be using in Ireland (I’ve read somewhere that PMEG-4 / VHF tuner are required for Ireland)?
Are stores willing do deals on entire home cinemas? Ideally I would like the sound system in next couple of weeks (as I’ve been looking at them on/off for coming up to a year now). However, if I decided to get a TV, would there be big discounts available for getting the whole kit and caboodle together (sound system, TV, blu-ray player)?
Really appreciate any advice on the above. Newbie doesn’t quite cover it!

ucdier

sorry, forgot pic

now attached (hopefully)

eddiem74

I would expect a deal/discount if buying all that together.

Richesounds would be my recommendation, so you could make a post in their forum stating your budget for each, and see what they come back with.

Here are some examples from their UK site.

I would probably recommend looking at a Panasonic Plasma TV, Denon Amp, and Monitor Audio Speakers.

SmithySeller

My own personal choice is a B&W 685 Theatre with 10" Sub over the MA Bronze anyday. Silver is a different story. RS could set you up with MA but not B&W to my knowledge, although could be wrong. I have paired this with a Denon 1910, and although I am very pleased, the 2310 would be a better fit, but is nearly twice the price, and I just couldn't afford it at the time. I have one of the latest 46" LED TV's by Samsung, again Im very happy with it, but a good Plasma in my opinion, i.e. Latest Samsung or Panasonic or even better a Pioneer (expensive) would also be good, and yes they provide good bang for your buck! The best advice though is to buy traditional speakers, like ones mentioned above (and you can substitute the floor standers in) over lifestyle, i.e. Kef, MA Radius etc. Whilst they are good in small rooms they simply do not perform like traditional speakers. Good luck with the shopping!!

PS. I've bought a lot of equipment off RS and do recommend them. Needless to say I did not buy my B&W gear off them, I bought that in a different shop in Belfast and did a lot of haggling to get the price down. Dont discard buying down South either!!

C14N

I’ve done some researching (the lurking ) and think I would like a surround sound system comprising an avr and speakers (with big floorstanders etc). My TV room is large at 15ft width x 16ft length x 12ft height (approx 4.6m x 5m x 3.7m height – I’ve attached a picture). My budget is about €1000 - €1500 I’d say. What are the main specs that should I be looking for in this range? I would want the sound system mainly for TV but also for music.

First off, welcome to the boards.:) Don't look at specs too much for home cinema stuff. It's generally not important (unlike with computers). I'll answer about a recommended system a little on. Do you mean that as a total budget (AVR and speakers) or just for the speakers?

Also, a lot of people say that you should demo your system before you buy – is that possible in Dublin? The only decent sound store in Ireland seems to be in the north – richersounds. Will travel to the UK be required? If so, any recommendations on best places to go in the UK would be most welcome. Also, would you advice buying online?

You certainly can demo in Dublin. I have done so a few times myself. There are 3 main places I tried although I'm sure there are more throughout Ireland if you're willing to travel.

Cloney Audio are a Blackrock based shop. They generally deal in higher end stuff but they might be able to fit something to your budget. I was in there recently and they promise to match any UK prices (didn't test them on that though) and the guys in there really know their stuff. Even if you don't expect to buy, it's worth taking a peek in. Trying stuff out is free after all and you can learn a lot in a visit. They mostly seem to deal with B&W and if I was you I would give them a buzz and ask to demo the 685 home theatre. It's €1500 for the speakers and stands (amp would probably be another €500) and they aren't floorstanding but you'll get plenty of volume all the same. It's worth giving them a try to see if it'll suit.

Sevenoaks Sound and Vision are also based in Dublin and I've found these guys good to deal with also. Once again you can go in for a demo and if you call them up beforehand you can test exactly what you want. They mostly deal with Monitor Audio but they do KEF and B&W too. If you were going here you should try a Monitor Audio Bronze setup, a Silver setup (although they would probably be outside of your budget) and some of the smaller KEF eggs. Smithy was right when he said they wouldn't be as good but they're a bit cheaper and if someone in the house is concerned with the interior design they might be easier to get.

Alliance Electric on Georges Street is the last shop. This is more of a general electronics shop but it's family run so you get great customer service and they know more about this sort of thing than in your standard Harvey Norman or Currys. I tried out some Jamo speakers here which are a bit cheaper but great for the price. Ask to give them a go. They were only €1000 for the speakers and then add another €300-500 for an amp but they were proper full sized ones and not to be snuffed at.

Also (although I guess this may be the wrong place for this part of the posting), I’m looking at getting a new TV. I would be using the TV for Sky HD and playing movies (although yet to buy a blu-ray player – again any recommendations most welcome). The current TV room is very bright – which LEDs looked best suited to – but from what I’ve read it looks to me like plasmas are best value for money. Things I want it for are just TV programmes, sport and movies. I do have an xbox360 but is rarely used. My budget for TV would be about €1000. Ideally I would like something in 50” – 60” size. (A decent step up from my 4 year old 32” Samsung HD ready tv). Are there any particular specs I should be looking for in a TV that I will be using in Ireland (I’ve read somewhere that PMEG-4 / VHF tuner are required for Ireland)?
Are stores willing do deals on entire home cinemas? Ideally I would like the sound system in next couple of weeks (as I’ve been looking at them on/off for coming up to a year now). However, if I decided to get a TV, would there be big discounts available for getting the whole kit and caboodle together (sound system, TV, blu-ray player)?

Yes, shops will definitely give you a good discount for buying a lot together. They need the business, especially in times like this. Make sure to haggle.

I wouldn't expect a good 50"+ TV for €1000. You should aim a little smaller or stretch the budget a bit. I notice that Alliance do have an excellent Sony 46" for €1200 down from €1800. That's a great deal if you can stretch the budget a little. Otherwise, look for around 42" which is still a good size.

Not many specs on TVs apart from resolution, response time and contrast. Make sure to go Full HD rather than just HD ready. Anything under 10ms response time is perfectly fine and generally greater than 10,000:1 contrast ratio is good. Don't look on these alone though, make sure to check some reviews before buying. And don't worry too much about the ridiculously high Hz. They don't matter very much.

Good brands are Panasonic, Sony and Samsung. LEDs are fairly new and thus expensive so you might want to skip them for now. Plasma is still good technology but less companies are making them. Panasonic are the only ones I know of and you won't find it on anything smaller than 46". Generally TVs are moving toward LCD which used to have some drawbacks but these days those have been mostly addressed. Don't get too hung up on which one you're going for.

If you have Sky then you don't need to worry about an M-PEG tuner either.

In terms of Bluray players, I have a PS3 which is a popular option due to it's price and other abilities (will be 3D compatible, does music and pictures, internet, games etc) but if you aren't bothered about those then you would probably get higher quality from a same priced dedicated player. I'm not sure what's good but this Whathifi guide looks fairly handy. If you go with a PS3, make sure to get the Slim as the older models don't support DTS-HD Master Audio.

big_moe

C14N wrote: »

Alliance Electric on Georges Street is the last shop. This is more of a general electronics shop but it's family run so you get great customer service and they know more about this sort of thing than in your standard Harvey Norman or Currys. I tried out some Jamo speakers here which are a bit cheaper but great for the price. Ask to give them a go. They were only €1000 for the speakers and then add another €300-500 for an amp but they were proper full sized ones and not to be snuffed at.

unfortunately not mate. i used to work there, we closed down about 2 months ago

C14N

big_moe wrote: »

unfortunately not mate. i used to work there, we closed down about 2 months ago

Oh man that's a shame. Ye were a great bunch of guys and I'd much rather buy my telly somewhere like that than a massive shop. I'm sorry to hear about that.

Gsxr600

Hi.
I would highly recommend mentioned by SmithySeller denon 1910 paired with B&W speakers.
Denon has the dts hd master audio, just connect ps3 or any blu ray player and enjoy hd audio. Amazing.
My setup 1910 + front cdm1, rear dm601, center lcr6 s2 sounds great.

Good luck
Gsxr600

C14N

Gsxr600 wrote: »

Hi.
I would highly recommend mentioned by SmithySeller denon 1910 paired with B&W speakers.
Denon has the dts hd master audio, just connect ps3 or any blu ray player and enjoy hd audio. Amazing.
My setup 1910 + front cdm1, rear dm601, center lcr6 s2 sounds great.

Good luck
Gsxr600

I'm waiting for the new Denon 1911 to buy. Seems like a no brainer since it's out in July. Better to wait just a few weeks for the newer one:)

ucdier

Hi all,

Many thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated! Been away for a couple weeks so getting back onto it now.

I'll reply in detail a bit later on, but going to visit cloney audio and seven oaks, and also posted on RS (here).

Thanks again for all the advice!
ucdier

By the way - defo going for a panasonic tv. Reviews sound great. Has anyone actually seen the V20 beside the G20? Wonder if it's worth the difference. Don't want to pay 500 blips more to be able to look at internet through TV.

Tea 1000

C14N wrote: »

I'm waiting for the new Denon 1911 to buy. Seems like a no brainer since it's out in July. Better to wait just a few weeks for the newer one:)

See what the price and new features are like first. It's likely to be over €100 more expensive, and most likely won't be worth that over the already excellent 1910.

C14N

ucdier wrote: »

Hi all,

Many thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated! Been away for a couple weeks so getting back onto it now.

I'll reply in detail a bit later on, but going to visit cloney audio and seven oaks, and also posted on RS (here).

Thanks again for all the advice!
ucdier

By the way - defo going for a panasonic tv. Reviews sound great. Has anyone actually seen the V20 beside the G20? Wonder if it's worth the difference. Don't want to pay 500 blips more to be able to look at internet through TV.

I've heard the picture is better but never actually seen it. If you're on a budget then the G20 is still a superb TV and you won't be disappointed at all (I have seen this one).

Tea 1000 wrote: »

See what the price and new features are like first. It's likely to be over €100 more expensive, and most likely won't be worth that over the already excellent 1910.

Nope, same price as the 1910 was. Although any remaining 1910s will probably now drop in price. Stocks will likely be short though.

Finway

Hey there,
In the middle of putting together a HD home cinema system myself so I'm reading with great interest the advice on the surround sound setup. I also miss Richer Sounds from the Quays, I bought my last setup from them and they provided the best kit around with staff who knew what they were doing...
I've just gotten the TV part of the setup at the moment and I would advise against getting a plasma if you can afford it at all. They're power-munching creatures LED LCD TVs consume far less energy with picture that's equal to your plasma (especially backlit LED) and only 3cm thick. I'm not going to go into the specifications here, that's what Google is for, but I got a Samsung LED 55" Full HD TV from komplett.ie for €1979. They don't deliver so you have to pick it up from Blanchardstown but you also don't have a delivery charge.

Now all I need is an upscaling BluRay player, amp, woofer and speakers....

C14N

Finway wrote: »

I've just gotten the TV part of the setup at the moment and I would advise against getting a plasma if you can afford it at all. They're power-munching creatures LED LCD TVs consume far less energy with picture that's equal to your plasma (especially backlit LED) and only 3cm thick. I'm not going to go into the specifications here, that's what Google is for, but I got a Samsung LED 55" Full HD TV from komplett.ie for €1979. They don't deliver so you have to pick it up from Blanchardstown but you also don't have a delivery charge.

The differences between the type of TV are narrowing rapidly these days. Samsung 55" LED TV power consumption is 250w average (according to Samsung's site), compared to 245w for Panasonic 50" V20 and 252w for Panasonic 50" 3D TV. The LED seems a little more efficient per inch but it's a very small difference really and not much of a make-or-break part of buying the TV.

drnmalone

hey man in an av installer and used to specialise in home cinema,
first im assuming you live in dublin ??
second what brands have your attention
and what type of speakers do you want {floor standing ,book shelf. cubes, ceiling.

i reckon a budget of e1500 is adequte for a beginner system.
to start off amp whise i would recommend denon, pioneer,marantz or yamaha. stay away from sony menus not user friendly.

for speakers i would go either wharfdale, mission or yamaha
and dont for get a good powered sub any of the above do good packages or pick and mix.

if you have any questions just ask

as for the tv you might get a 50" for your budget deffo not anything bigger

Steveirl2010

drnmalone wrote: »

hey man in an av installer and used to specialise in home cinema,
first im assuming you live in dublin ??
second what brands have your attention
and what type of speakers do you want {floor standing ,book shelf. cubes, ceiling.

i reckon a budget of e1500 is adequte for a beginner system.
to start off amp whise i would recommend denon, pioneer,marantz or yamaha. stay away from sony menus not user friendly.

for speakers i would go either wharfdale, mission or yamaha
and dont for get a good powered sub any of the above do good packages or pick and mix.

if you have any questions just ask

as for the tv you might get a 50" for your budget deffo not anything bigger

i want to get the Philips home Cinema think its about 269 euro ?
any good?

drnmalone

some of the philips systems are very good but in my experience the are over priced i would look into similar LG or Samsung systems as you get a bit more features and more power for your money

Steveirl2010

drnmalone wrote: »

some of the philips systems are very good but in my experience the are over priced i would look into similar LG or Samsung systems as you get a bit more features and more power for your money

Thanks a lot for the reply.
Yeah I like the Samsung home cinema.
What i really want is a Home Cinema with a built in Blue Ray dvd player for under €300

Im in Dublin, how about you, Harvey Normans might be a good place to look?

drnmalone

Steveirl2010 wrote: »

Thanks a lot for the reply.
Yeah I like the Samsung home cinema.
What i really want is a Home Cinema with a built in Blue Ray dvd player for under €300

Im in Dublin, how about you, Harvey Normans might be a good place to look?

im in limerick i personally would`nt go to harvey normans as they are very expensive currys or soundstore peats or any high St hifi & tv dealer would be good.
€300 mite not be enough for what you are lookin for but i could be wrong try the above i would leave harvey norman as a last resort.

Steveirl2010

drnmalone wrote: »

im in limerick i personally would`nt go to harvey normans as they are very expensive currys or soundstore peats or any high St hifi & tv dealer would be good.
€300 mite not be enough for what you are lookin for but i could be wrong try the above i would leave harvey norman as a last resort.

cheers for that.
I was in Arnotts the electronic department at the w/e as i have a €200 one for all voucher that can be used in there so it would only cost me an extra €169

I think they have Sony and Philips too.
Maybe im best off waiting for the Jan Sale but then again its very hard to wait that long.

dharn

you would be better off spending your 300 on drink most of those home cinema ina box systems are absolut rubbish if you are not interested or commited enough to spend more you would be as well of to just listen to your movies or dvds in stereo

drnmalone

dharn wrote: »

you would be better off spending your 300 on drink most of those home cinema ina box systems are absolut rubbish if you are not interested or commited enough to spend more you would be as well of to just listen to your movies or dvds in stereo

that a bit severe dont ya think???:rolleyes:
i have both type of systems in my house an out of the box one and a seperates system and granted some of the out of a box one are ****e but for around €300 they arent bad not every one is able to afford a seperate system nor might they have the space i live in the country so i dont have to worry bout upsettin the neighbours other people might not have that luxury so if they dont an out of the box is normally fine and not to loud
:)

dharn

did not mean to sound severe, also did not realise that it was for a second system ! what does your main system comprise of ,you must be well in to home cinema if your second system uses a projector i just like to see real enthusiasts posting, and this may be a bit elitist but people who buy out of the box 300 euro yokes from argos dont really have an interest in hi- fi

Steveirl2010

Hi All,

Im back, i bought the 5.1 Panasonic home Cinema in DID at the w/e for €269 DVD player, Ipod stand built into it, speakers front and back, sub woofer and remote control

The new version of the home cinema i bought was €469 as it has a blue ray dvd player built into it.

I also bought the HDMI cable for €39.99 for the home cinema system.
I did'nt think it was worth paying an extra €200 for the same spec system with the blue ray player as the extra feature.

The Playstation 3 still is the best blue ray player on the market.
I coould get a PS3 for 200 and connect that to it.

Anyway bit of a problem I have UPC, Hisense LCD TV about 1 year old.

The home cinema works perfectly with a dvd movie.
All speakers work fine.

Its when i try setup the TV i.e UPC with the home cinema i can hear sound but no picture when set to AV on the home cinema setup screen

I have the HDMI cable going from the TV to the Home Cinema system and the Scart going from UPC box to the home cinema system.

Any thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks
Steve

drnmalone

Steveirl2010 wrote: »

Hi All,

Im back, i bought the 5.1 Panasonic home Cinema in DID at the w/e for €269 DVD player, Ipod stand built into it, speakers front and back, sub woofer and remote control

The new version of the home cinema i bought was €469 as it has a blue ray dvd player built into it.

I also bought the HDMI cable for €39.99 for the home cinema system.
I did'nt think it was worth paying an extra €200 for the same spec system with the blue ray player as the extra feature.

The Playstation 3 still is the best blue ray player on the market.
I coould get a PS3 for 200 and connect that to it.

Anyway bit of a problem I have UPC, Hisense LCD TV about 1 year old.

The home cinema works perfectly with a dvd movie.
All speakers work fine.

Its when i try setup the TV i.e UPC with the home cinema i can hear sound but no picture when set to AV on the home cinema setup screen

I have the HDMI cable going from the TV to the Home Cinema system and the Scart going from UPC box to the home cinema system.

Any thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks
Steve

sounds cool so let me be clear the dvd work fine with the hdmi cable but the upc box doesnt ??

Steveirl2010

drnmalone wrote: »

sounds cool so let me be clear the dvd work fine with the hdmi cable but the upc box doesnt ??

the dvd player which is the Home Cinema as the Home Cinema came with built in dvd player works fine with the hdmi cable yes.

I assume the dvd player works off the HDMI cable

HDMI from Home Cinema to TV ( sound and speakers fine )

Scart from Home Cinema to UPC box (chorus/Ntl) no picture from TV on AV but i get sound from speakers.