a/v reciever and speakers

rafared wrote: »

Im in the same boat myself. As regards amps the onkyo 606 seems to get rave reviews just about everywhere but it looks like crap to me. Speakers are very hard to choose it seems as what sounds good to one person may sound poor to another. The Onkyos are not generally regarded as being good musically compaired to Yamaha or Denon. The best advice Ive gotten recommends spending most on a good set of fronts....the rears and centre being of lesser importance.
Im leaning towards travelling up to belfast and having a good listen to different combos and then making my own choice from whats on offer.

thats not a bad idea...

right now Im thinking of these as for speakers:

KEF KHT 2005.2 5.1 Speakerset Silver
Proson Libra 1004 Black Oak Speakerset

The Onkyos are not generally regarded as being good musically compaired to Yamaha or Denon

I would have thought that the speakers had more impact than the amp

Well, for me music is the deal breaker - im not bothered too much about movies in surround.

Im beginning to wonder if buying all the speakers seperate might be better...

I dont know what the whole fascination is with the wood panelling. these are much more my style:

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3512

that looks great, but im sure it'd cost an arm and a leg. Cant find anywhere to buy that atm tho to check.

Heres what Im currently thinking:

Mordaunt Short ALUMNI SYSTEM Black (5.1 speaker package)

combined with

Mordaunt Short 906i Black (Per pair)

That way your covering lots of bases, music/cinema and effectively have a 7.1 system.

rafared wrote: »

Clever thinking. I might just go that way myself. A good quality amp with that and you would be sorted. Any thoughts on what Amp your thinking of?

Just came back from Harvey Normans having put a deposit on this lot:


Onkyo TX-SRX606


Jamo S506HCS6

All came in at about 1700eur.

copy/pasted from another post of mine

rafared wrote: »

Congrats mate. Looks like a nice bit of kit. Did u get a Demo of the Amp and speakers together?
Another question....did the price include all the speaker cables, bananna pluge ect?

Yes and no... I was given a demo of the model below it; they didnt have that one in stock in black; long story short I got a free upgrade to the newer model

As for connections - I was promised that all I would need was included in the package; harvey normans take a package and add another few speakers to make a 5.1 package - and promised me everything I needed was included (it came with the onkyo as part of the package). So I would expect so, if not, I'll be sure to be poking them about it soon.

I did notice a slight abnormality on the receipt though... They said something about it costing 1150 for the speaker pacakge when it comes out (or something like that) and then did some fiddly stuff to make it come out at 1700 - I'm going to be sure to ask them what the deal with that is before I pay the rest out as the Onkyo is registered at 700eur when I was told in store it would be 499eur.

rafared wrote: »

Will be very interested to hear how it all sounds when you have it up and running. I've always tended to avoid harveys because they seem expensive to me but you seem to have gotten a good geal there mate.
Im still looking around, reading reviews ect and I have sent Johnmc a couple of emails and a PM but no answer as yet.

I love harvey normans. They, unlike the majority of places out there are a) willing to price match anywhere - even online stores sometimes b) are extremely helpful and nice folk and c) very willing to haggle on the price if you give it ago - the sign said 1799 and without even trying i got it 1700 - im sure if i bothered to push the issue i would've gotten it lower but cba that day, was soo hot lol

next time your in harvey normans, give it a go - just ask if they can do a deal for you. always worked for me

I should be getting the speakers today (unlikely) or tomorrow, so I'll report back when I've got them... Im expecting them to be awesome. just hearing one or two from the showroom floor was amazing - even with the crackling vinal recording :cool:

rafared wrote: »

Funny theres a Harveys not 10mins from me but I was there with the wife recently shopping for a new matress for the bed LOL:D and she wasnt happy with the level of service at all so we left. I might go back up and have a better look again without the ball and chain tomorrow.....:rolleyes:

lol

well i cant comment on the furiture side - harvey normans are odd in that every section is a different franchise. so even though the computer and tv sections are side by side, they're run by compltely different management etc. - such a stupid way of doing things, but hey if it works for them...

always found the guys in airside (and to a lesser extent blanch), either tv or computer section good to talk to.

chalky024 wrote: »

Both of the HN's in Cork seem to be well over the odds on their pricing from what I've seen. Ordered an Onkyo 875 receiver today from JohnMc for €780. Don't imagine Harvey Norman will ever beat or even match that price.

you'd think so, but i rang up to check if they'd match richersounds and they agreed. went in store and they're system was already set at 499Eur.

like I said, they may be expensive on the outset, but it doesnt hurt to ask. Saying that, I would've gone with richersounds had that been an option - but it wasnt, and im happy with my order (so far - gonna poke them about that abnormality soon - honest mistake im sure)

chalky024 wrote: »

Was that definitely the 875 and not the 606 you were quoted for? I have mine (delivered this morning, Thanks JohnMc) but would consider ringing them up just to test them. I saw the 606 in HN Little Island and that was priced at €599 so an 875 for €499 is incredible. TBH if they're advertising one price and are willing to drop to match any price it makes you wonder how much we're being ripped off by these shops if we accept the first price we get.

no, sorry - the quote was for the 606.

Personally, I dont consider it being ripped off for the most part. I dont mind a 10% premium or there abouts for some people who just have cash to throw wildly at staff without asking a single question. In Harveys, even the staff were joking with each other about giving me a good deal because i had to wait..

though saying that, 200eur is very much ripp-off-ish. cant blame them though if people are willing to pay that much, they'd have to sell alot less to meet targets.

I rang up today to check on the status of the speakers - no luck, apparently only apple colour in stock (wtf - who buys that??) and they were very dubious about price matching either the north or online for some reason. I guess you have to chance your arm sometimes.

After all is said and done, Richersounds are much more open - they advertise that they'll beat any price. If harveys dont fix the price for the amp back to 499 as promised, I'll be cancelling my order and go with richersounds for sure. Harveys is a good fall back position though, if you cant always make it to the north - which at a 4hr drive most days (2hrs up, 2hrs back) is too much.

shame richersounds dont have a store in dublin *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*:p

chalky024 wrote: »

I agree. A small margin is of course acceptable, they have their over-heads after all. However so do RS. The 875 I bought for €780 is being sold here in Cork for €1600. Thats one hell of a mark up:eek: At the end of the day my hard earned is going to go to the guy who offers me the best deal.

completely agree with you there, thats just ludicrus. whats worse is, generally the more expensive places *cough* peats *cough* have the worst customer service. totally doesnt make sense to my tiny monkey brain - you'd think more money = better service, but noooo

esel wrote: »

They do free delivery for Boards members, though (except TVs - they cost €20 afair).

not a great help when you want to demo equipment, or dont have a credit card though.

still a nice deal.