Advice on AV purchase

DamoKen

Hi guys, first post to this forum and a bit of a newbie to AV's so please be gentle

Looking for an AV and wall mounted speakers to compliment my current setup. All viewing is done through a modified old xbox so format would be divx in the main although I'm planning on building a new HTPC in the near future with a bit more grunt to handle newer formats and avail of HDMI connectivity.

So basically don't use blue-ray/dvd's at all (option could still be there with new HTPC).

Living room is not huge, L shaped with plasma on the wall over the fireplace, dimensions would be roughly 12ft*14ft with another 6ft*6ft approx at the lower end where I'd be placing the left rear speaker if that makes any sense?

Anyway would love a few recommendations for something suited to these dimensions. Mostly used for surround sound on divx but would also be used for peripherals like ipod etc. Noticed on the new yamaha's a mention of bluetooth so if it was possible to stream from a bluetooth device elsewhere (i.e out in the garden) that would be sweet!

Price wise I don't want to go crazy so including delivery to Dublin would probably be looking in the region of €500.

All recommendations and advice appreciated!

Lastly bought a Pioneer Home Theatre system a couple of years ago and only discovered when it was too late (bought on Adverts.ie) that rear speakers would only play when it was off a dvd played through the player itself so full surround sound no matter the source is essential
Thanks

Richersounds.ie: Dave

Hi Damo.

Thanks for the post and welcome to the forum. We are always gentle.:rolleyes:

If i'm getting your post and not having a Thursday morning head melt, then I take it that the rear speakers are going to be approx 20ft from the front speakers.

Is this right ?

With the budget in mind, you are going to be looking at a surround sound receiver (which won't suffer from the same Pioneer syndrome as before) and a 5.1 speaker package.

The only issue that I would have is that if you go for small little satellite speakers in a room that size, they may be a little lost.

So, here's a few ideas :

Denon AVR1311 - HD audio receiver with HDMI inputs and is on a great offer at the minute at £199.95.

Tannoy SFX 5.1 speaker package - £199.95. Small satellite speakers that are well made and come with a decent subwoofer.

You will also need some speaker cable - Gale Symphony 100 at 99p per metre - I would guess 30m.

Subwoofer cable - 1.5m for £9.99 or 3m for £12.99.

Total - 540 Euro including delivery.

The other speakers to look at would be the Monitor Audio Vector package. This is a bit more expensive and I could work you out a system price on this, but in a larger room this would cope much better.

Let me know what you think and sorry for the late reply.

ATB


Dave

Richersounds.ie: John

DamoKen wrote: »

if it was possible to stream from a bluetooth device elsewhere (i.e out in the garden) that would be sweet!

Damo - just noticed this bit - I use the QED Uplay bluetooth add-on myself which I find really excellent - howver the range is typical bluetooth - ie about 30 feet clear air, but the audio quality is really excellent (I use mine with an Opus 500 system) we sell it at £59.95 and I would not be without it!

ATB,

John Mc & Crew

DamoKen

Hi guys, cheers for the replies! Just sent an email to Sales@richersounds.ie marked for your attention with a floor plan of my living room as can't remember how to attach in a pm

Anyway don't think I explained the size of the room too well in my first mail so hopefully Dave this will give you a better idea. It's not a large room by any means so might the floor plan change your recommendation, at least where speakers are concerned?

As for speaker cables, I'm just finished renovating the room with cabling already in place for each individual speaker so that won't be necessary.

Haven't had a proper chance to look at the Denon AVR1311 yet, previously only looked at the Yamaha RXV367 and RXV567. How would you compare it against the lower priced Yamaha or similarly priced Onkyo?

Also as I said I'm pretty new to the world of AV's so just wondering would there be a big difference feature and sound wise between the entry level models and the next level RXV567, AVR-1611 and TX-SR508?

@John cheers for the heads up on the QED Uplay bluetooth. Was thinking I might go with a wireless link up through a HTPC via a Galaxy Pad or something similar but nice to know the option is there to extend my existing receiver without having to break the bank!

DamoKen

Hi guys, just wondering did you get the diagram I mailed you last week?

Also one additional requirement on the receiver I forgot to mention. During renovations I put some speaker cable through the walls into the kitchen, was thinking of hooking up an extra two speakers there.

So just wondering if I can chain them to a 5.1 system? i.e is there an option to switch zones? Or play all 6 wall speakers at once (might knock the wall between the kitchen and living room at some stage this year)

Cheers

DamoKen

Anyone?

Just to add to my previous question on differences between the entry level and next range models, I was looking at this thread with interest -> http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056190045

In particular the Yamaha RXV667 Receiver. From what I've read on the differences between this and the 657 this model should allow me to specify different output zones for audio, i.e garden, kitchen etc as well as allow for hdmi upscaling from a component source. As I currently use a modified xbox to stream movies this would be a really useful feature.

Would this be correct or would the lower priced models allow for the same?

Just unsure on the speakers as the room is not quite as big as you thought. At the same time I don't want to upgrade on the receiver only to be let down by the speakers.

Would there be a big difference between the tannoy, boston next up and then the Monitor Audio?

Cheers guys

Richersounds.ie: John

DamoKen wrote: »

Anyone?

Just to add to my previous question on differences between the entry level and next range models, I was looking at this thread with interest -> http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056190045

In particular the Yamaha RXV667 Receiver. From what I've read on the differences between this and the 657 this model should allow me to specify different output zones for audio, i.e garden, kitchen etc as well as allow for hdmi upscaling from a component source. As I currently use a modified xbox to stream movies this would be a really useful feature.

Would this be correct or would the lower priced models allow for the same?

Just unsure on the speakers as the room is not quite as big as you thought. At the same time I don't want to upgrade on the receiver only to be let down by the speakers.

Would there be a big difference between the tannoy, boston next up and then the Monitor Audio?

Cheers guys

Damo,

Amazing just working on it when you posted - apologies for the delay- I'll pop up ideas in the next 15 mins,

J

Richersounds.ie: John

DamoKen wrote: »

Hi guys, just wondering did you get the diagram I mailed you last week?

Also one additional requirement on the receiver I forgot to mention. During renovations I put some speaker cable through the walls into the kitchen, was thinking of hooking up an extra two speakers there.

So just wondering if I can chain them to a 5.1 system? i.e is there an option to switch zones? Or play all 6 wall speakers at once (might knock the wall between the kitchen and living room at some stage this year)

Cheers

Dear Damo,

apologies for the delay getting back to you:

Both the AVR1911 & the RXV667 have a powered second zone that allows you to use 5.1 in the main zone & also have a second zone playing in stereo (either the same source or a different source) at the same time.

This will allow you to have a 5.1 system playing AND an additional pair of stereo speakers playing at the same time - edit (looking at your recent mail if you wanted Kitchen & Garden - ie 3 zones - you would either have to install a speaker switch on the Zone 2 outputs, which is OKay but not really ideal or look towards a receiver which will support 3 zones (2 zones of AV and 3 zones of audio) however this step-up in price will be pretty significant and I can see the original €500 budget disappearing in the rear view mirror.:o.

On the bluetooth Uplay issue again - I love mine and use it frequently and I'm amazed at the audio quality bluetooth can actually deliver, but be careful with the range - it really is just a one room device, but it's so convenient to be able to stream music via a decent budget device into ANY receiver that I think it's an indespensable device for any decent system.

On the speaker front - the 3 options you have outlined - the Tannoy SFX 5.1 / Boston 5.1 and the Vector 5.1 are all excellent in their respective price ranges.

The Tannoy is only available as a 5.1 system and we cannot get additional satellites - so if you wanted to add matching satellites for a second room - you would have to get something else, the Boston satellites are available at a pretty reasonable price £89.95/pair (and we have them in stock) in either
white or black including brackets and despite being tiny actually sound quite decent on their own - however again the Vectors are also available as pairs at a Boardie price of £109.95/pair again in black or white and as they are 'proper' twin drive unit full range speakers - they really do sound significantly better - however the brackets are an additional cost with the Vectors.

Sorry for the rambling response - I have tried to cover most bases but drop me a line if you have any queries or if I can assist in any way,

Apologies again for the delay!

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew

DamoKen

No worries John, and cheers for the detailed reply!

Ok so, firstly budget. Had a bit of a rethink and decided if I was going to blow around 500 I'd be willing to push the boat out a bit more if doing so was worthwhile both in terms of features, extendibility and sound.

So to start at the bottom up. When you say the Vectors sound significantly better I take it we're not just talking in terms of volume? Compared to the Boston's what would be the major differences between the two both in terms of movies and music?

Think the Tannoy are out if I can't extend so as far as speakers are concerned it's down to the Boston or Vector.

On zone output, thought a bit more about it since I sent my last mail. I've more or less decided that within the next few months I'll be knocking the wall between the kitchen and living room (once I've finished building a utility room ) so as both the AVR1911 & the RXV667 are 7.1 I could consider the additional speakers in the kitchen part of zone 1. The garden would then be the only other zone so reckon two zones without the need for a switch should be fine.

So basically think at this point comes down to prices and your recommendation between either the AVR1911 & the RXV667 coupled with either the boston or vectors. Reasons for your preference between them would be greatly appreciated too

I also like the sound of that bluetooth addon, (sucker for gadgets) so if you could throw that into the quote as well that would be great.

As I said previously I'm already wired for the speakers so don't need any additional cables and I've got a few spare HDMI's hanging around, plus a set of universal brackets I bought a whiles back if I went with the vectors.

Cheers

Richersounds.ie: John

DamoKen wrote: »

No worries John, and cheers for the detailed reply!

My Pleasure & apologies (again, again) for the delay.

DamoKen wrote: »

Ok so, firstly budget. Had a bit of a rethink and decided if I was going to blow around 500 I'd be willing to push the boat out a bit more if doing so was worthwhile both in terms of features, extendibility and sound.

It worked hehehe

DamoKen wrote: »

So to start at the bottom up. When you say the Vectors sound significantly better I take it we're not just talking in terms of volume? Compared to the Boston's what would be the major differences between the two both in terms of movies and music?

Completely different to be honest - the Boston ARE excellent however the Boston satellites are by design extremely compact so they don't produce a full range of teh audio spectrum but rely on the excellent Sub to take up all the mid & bass duties. The Vector satellites on the other half are to be honest not really satellites, they are just small speakers and whilst they are not as 'spouse friendly' they really are a far superior speaker as they have 2 proper drive units per speaker and just re-produce a wider spectrum than the Boston satellites were ever designed to - specifically in music reproduction the Vectors will be far better than the Bostons.

DamoKen wrote: »

On zone output, thought a bit more about it since I sent my last mail. I've more or less decided that within the next few months I'll be knocking the wall between the kitchen and living room (once I've finished building a utility room ) so as both the AVR1911 & the RXV667 are 7.1 I could consider the additional speakers in the kitchen part of zone 1. The garden would then be the only other zone so reckon two zones without the need for a switch should be fine.

Just so as you are clear - both Amps give you the option of either 7.1 audio, OR 5.1 audio with one additional Stereo pair.

DamoKen wrote: »

So basically think at this point comes down to prices and your recommendation between either the AVR1911 & the RXV667 coupled with either the boston or vectors. Reasons for your preference between them would be greatly appreciated too

Hobsons choice here - I like the Denon better for music but the 667 pips it on movies and connectivity - they are both really excellent and I would make the preference depending on whether you are more a movie or music fan..

DamoKen wrote: »

I also like the sound of that bluetooth addon, (sucker for gadgets) so if you could throw that into the quote as well that would be great.

It's a no brainer I think!http://www.richersounds.com/product/ipods-docks-accessories/qed/u-play/qed-u-play

£59.95

Keep me posted,

ATB,

John Mc & Crew

DamoKen

Hi John, again thanks for the detailed reply and really helpful advice.

Ok, think at this stage you've convinced me to up the price tag

Going on what you've said I think I'll go with the following:

Yamaha RX667 as it's primary function will be upscaling movies, audio vector 5.1 speakers and the QED U-Play.

Would you be able to give me a quote on the above in Euro including delivery to Dublin?

Cheers

DamoKen

DamoKen wrote: »

Hi John, again thanks for the detailed reply and really helpful advice.

Ok, think at this stage you've convinced me to up the price tag

Going on what you've said I think I'll go with the following:

Yamaha RX667 as it's primary function will be upscaling movies, audio vector 5.1 speakers and the QED U-Play.

Would you be able to give me a quote on the above in Euro including delivery to Dublin?

Cheers

/Edit: Sorry, slight amendment on that John. Just remembered I'll need a cable to connect the sub-woofer to the receiver. Saw you mention this fella in another thread so could you stick the 1.5 Mtrs SWA6305 into that quote as well?

Cheers

Richersounds.ie: John

DamoKen wrote: »

Hi John, again thanks for the detailed reply and really helpful advice.

Ok, think at this stage you've convinced me to up the price tag

Going on what you've said I think I'll go with the following:

Yamaha RX667 as it's primary function will be upscaling movies, audio vector 5.1 speakers and the QED U-Play.

Would you be able to give me a quote on the above in Euro including delivery to Dublin?

Cheers

Damo,

over the finish line at last!, and don't worry you won't be disappointed..

I can do the followling:

Yamaha RXV667
Monitor Audio Vector 5.1 speaker system
QED UPlay

£649.99 / €779.99

If you want to add an extra pair of the Vector Satellites - the V10's - I'll do the system at:

£749.95 / €899.99

We have pretty much everything available from stock (except the Uplay - they fly out!) so we can despatch today for delivery tomorrow (we will do delivery at £19.95/€22.99 for the whole system.) and we will send the Uplay out P&P FOC as soon as we get it in if you like?

Thanks again - the biz is much appreciated and please do drop me a line if I can assist in any way,

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew

DamoKen

Hey John, may take my time but I get there in the end

Ok well was going to hold off on the extra speakers for the moment but....an extra pair for €120?? Dang you're good!

Right so, will go for the lot at 899.99, only "slightly" over my original budget but what the hell, worth it

That's cool with the UPlay following on. Regarding delivery, if it ships tomorrow when could I expect it to arrive? Heading off for a week come Saturday so would be no-one to take delivery after that.

One last thing, did you see my amendment on my last post to include 1.5 Mtrs of SWA6305?

As to payment, what way do you normally do it, pm, phone call?

Thanks again!

DamoKen

Hey John, just sent on my full order to Sales@richersounds.ie. Looking forward to hearing from you! (and getting my spanking new system )

Thanks for all the helpful advice

D