Audio Question for Hi Fi/Dvd Player.

butch9850

I am in the market for speakers,for my dvd player.


As it is my small bedroom>>
I only want to make it 2.1(ie 2 front speakers+a subwoofer)
As,my room won't facilitate 5.1,or surround sound,or there is no necessity..
Plus most of my dvds only have digital stereo output,at best.They are very old films.

I will also buy a hi fi system soon,probably a mini system(30W).

I do not need amplifiers,i'm working on a low budget.

Q???????Can i connect up hi fi speakers,to a dvd player.Is there any way?.To save me some money?.

Also,WHat would you reccommend to get a 2.1 channel performance,from a dvd player?.

Are there any 2.1 speaker packages around.All i saw have been pc speaker packages...But would that work for a dvd player?.

THanks for your help.

Aldi and Lidl, aldi and lidl both have speaker system offers, not at the moment but they have both had them, meaning they'll be back again. i picked up a fairly ****ty, but grand for what i was using it for set with a subwoofer and two small speakers for €30 in lidl, Aldi had much bigger stuff for €50 but were sold out when i got there.

A Dub in Glasgo

It is not possible to connect 5.1 (or even 2.1) speakers from a standalone DVD player. You will need to have a separate decoder/amplifer. It is this decoder/amplifier that you connect your 5.1 (2.1) speakers to.

As you do not really need 5.1 (2.1), you should just pick up a cheap stereo amplifier and route your DVD players phono connectors through that or wait for one of the cheap all in one systems as mentioned above.

butch9850

I see about the connections...A stand alone dvd player won't accept a speaker package,of whatever make.An amplifier solves this crisis.

I have the av phono leads..So i would get good stereo,from a stereo amplifier speaker?.That is all i'd be looking for,not surround sound.

Wertz

If you go the midi system route, be aware that very few midi (or mini) systems sport outputs for a standalone subwoofer.

Having said that if you get a system with decent speakers that are bi- or tri-wired, and that have good sized woofers they will do a pretty decent job of bass reproduction (especially on older titles who's bass is usually not as deep as DTS/5.1/digital encoded titles).

There are standalone 5.1 amp/speaker packages available but they'll cost ya.
Instead of going down that route I instead bought a DVD receiver that has a radio, a CD player and a DTS/prologic decoder on it. It also sports the ability to play back mp3/jpeg CD-r/rw and came with the full speaker/woofer set all for under €250 delivered. Since I no longer use tapes it now functions as a replacement for the living room hi-fi.

A Dub in Glasgo

butch9850 wrote:

I have the av phono leads..So i would get good stereo,from a stereo amplifier speaker?.That is all i'd be looking for,not surround sound.

As a start, that is what I would do. Once you hear a 5.1 movie soundtrack with 5.1 speakers, you will definitely want to get a 5.1 system!

butch9850

rIcherSounds have a stereo amp for about 100 euro.Worth a look.Cambridge A1 3.

I would have to buy a good set of speakers,then right??

If i could play cds,somehow through my dvd player...using the amplifier and speaker package..I would definately go that route,to save money.
I wouldn't know about the cd performance though.


My experience with my old pc,gave good sound,from stereo..and I was mighty impressed.Without needing surround sound right now.

As i said:My movie collection is not very modern.You're talking about Schindler's List or the Shawshank Redemption...as my most modern.
Only a handful are 5.1.

And i can wait for 5.1..until i move out of home!!.

butch9850

Wertz i am very interested in the system you got for 250 euro.I can't believe my eyes.

Looking at the Aego P2 subwoofer+2 speakers...It is roughly 120 euro,from unbeatable.co.uk...

So an amp and that is 250 euro....which i could afford.

My dvd player cyberhome multiregion CH-DVD 402.Has 5.1,dts built in.So isn't that a decoder already?Why would i need to buy an amplifier,then?
I am confused.

With a stereo amp and the Aego P2...Would i need to buy a cd player at all?.Or would the cds be ok,playing in my dvd player?

Many people widely say:cds should be let to a hi fi,or to a quality dedicated cd player.

A Dub in Glasgo

What is your budget?

If it can stretch to about 300 Euro, I would strongly recommend you go for the Panasonic SC-HT520 from Amazon. It is a fntastic machine that is very good at playing music (CDs & MP3s)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00027YIAO/qid%3D1100552105/026-7432670-0564449

For the 300 Euro, you get an all in one DVD player/decoder/amplifier, 6 speakers and you should not need to by a music system.

A Dub in Glasgo

butch9850 wrote:

Wertz i am very interested in the system you got for 250 euro.I can't believe my eyes.

Looking at the Aego P2 subwoofer+2 speakers...It is roughly 120 euro,from unbeatable.co.uk...

So an amp and that is 250 euro....which i could afford.

My dvd player cyberhome multiregion CH-DVD 402.Has 5.1,dts built in.So isn't that a decoder already?Why would i need to buy an amplifier,then?
I am confused.

With a stereo amp and the Aego P2...Would i need to buy a cd player at all?.Or would the cds be ok,playing in my dvd player?

Many people widely say:cds should be let to a hi fi,or to a quality dedicated cd player.

A common marketing trick is to state DVD players are equipped with all the relevant decoders but those decoders are absolutely useless unless you have a multichannel amplifer (not very many people want or need these). Most people that want separate 5.1 will buy a DVD Player that will present a digital bitsteam via optical or coaxial and connect it to a Home Cinema Reciever (decoder/amplifier/radio tuner).

I would ignore any onboard decoders on a standalone DVD player.

If you get the Panasonic above, you will not need your Cyberhome so it can be sold to fund the Panasonic or kept as a 2nd DVD player.

butch9850

The panasonic sc-ht520 is just naother all-in-one system???,holme cinema in a box?.

I will play a few cds on the new dvd player tonight.It's a budget dvd player.
My old dvd player was terrible with cds.

Then again,i was using no speakers,and i have none.

We'll see,I might just end up getting some 3/5 disc hi fi changer...And going down the home cinema route,when i want to buy an amp,or speaker package..

We will see.

A Dub in Glasgo

butch9850 wrote:

The panasonic sc-ht520 is just naother all-in-one system???,holme cinema in a box?.
.

Yes but for the price you are willing to pay, this will eat any combination of DVD player / speakers / home cinema amplifer you will get. The Panasonic player will also play DVD Audio therefore it is also designed to play music (unlike the majority of DVD players) and it plays it very well.

Wertz

butch9850 wrote:

Wertz i am very interested in the system you got for 250 euro.I can't believe my eyes.

Looking at the Aego P2 subwoofer+2 speakers...It is roughly 120 euro,from unbeatable.co.uk...

So an amp and that is 250 euro....which i could afford.

My dvd player cyberhome multiregion CH-DVD 402.Has 5.1,dts built in.So isn't that a decoder already?Why would i need to buy an amplifier,then?
I am confused.

With a stereo amp and the Aego P2...Would i need to buy a cd player at all?.Or would the cds be ok,playing in my dvd player?

Many people widely say:cds should be let to a hi fi,or to a quality dedicated cd player.

That system was a sony davsb100 (I think). Like the panasonic only cheaper.
Only drawback is it's not multiregion (not important to me). I got it off Amazon for £147 inc del. Think they still stock em.

All dvd players have 5.1 output but you need a processor in your amp/receiver and an optical output out of your dvd plyer to hear it. Obviously the player can't amplify the sound straight to speakers.
But that's the beauty of all-in-one box; purists might laugh at them but honestly it's hard to tell the difference these days between a set-up that cost 300 and one that cost 1,300.

As for playing CDs on a standalone player, sure, but a dvd player is well capable of handling simple stereo music. The drawback is you need to hook up the player to an amp, so you're back to square one.
One other thing to consider is those active speaker systems for consoles. Hook em up to your playerand plug em in. No remote control though.

butch9850

ACTIVE SPEAKER SYSTEM FOR CONSOLES...

2.1 would do me good.Low wattage.

Where would i find them?.Are you sure,they would connect directly into the dvd player?.

A Dub in Glasgo

Argos (assuming they have this one in Ireland)

butch9850

I see.

if you havent got these yet ALDI will have them next week, take a look!

only €35

It's for Pc's really but can work with a dvd player i think.

butch9850

Thanks alot for the aldi link/news.
I'll check them out,on a skip to the local store.See if they have them.

Since my last post,i read some dearing posts,that a stereo setup,ie 2 or 2 channel can easily give better overall quality than a 5.1 system for the same price.I found on a 5.1 system i had,that the rear speakers had not much of an effect.

The ALDI product.Could i buy,and only connect a subwoofer and 2 speakers to the dvd player?Is that feasible?.Or use another speaker,as a centre channel.,for 3.1?.
I would be worried still,that i really need an amplifier...to connect up any speakers to the dvd player.
Or maybe a subwoofer,such as aldis...will have all the connections.

Plus,i was looking at the aego 2 subwoofer with built in amp+2 speakers.About 100 sterling.
I will have to buy some speakers anyway,first..before i decide on if i need to buy a cd player or not,to play the 2.1 on.

A Dub in Glasgo

DD 5.1 or DTS DVD will always be much better for movies than stereo...full stop. I think you need to listen to a good surround sound track with full 5.1 before favouring stereo over surround sound.

There are plenty of options in the posts above. To recap

For movie playing - you will not get 2.1 unless the amplifier will accept 5.1 and down mix it for 2.1 (L R + sub). You will miss a lot of dialogue out of the centre channel if you just connect the L + R on an amp that will not down mix. The Argos link above is ideal for the 2.1

For music playing - you can use your DVD player but some DVD players and Surround sound amps do not handle music very well (at this price range). Your options are to buy a good amp and CD player or buy a DVD player sound system that is also designed to play music. The Panasonic above is ideal for this and it kills all the birds with 1 stone (so to speak). It also does Dolby Pro Logic 2 so it will matrix stereo inputs (TV/Video) and produce some surround modes with it.

butch9850

Thanks for replies Everybody.

Panasonic CS HT 520 seems great...

QUESTION:can i use 3.1 of the 5.1,on th panasonic??Because rears in my room is impossible.,My back is to the back wall!!

And i am curious.SUBWOOFER performance,fronts...are less impressive in all in on systems..LESS POWER...ie boom boom boom.



The aego 2,stereo speaker system is good,but 185 euro just for that!

butch9850

40 euros extra for MULTIREGION...so i'll forget about it..

That's 310 euro...less sale of dvd player=255 euro.

Stereo 2.1 costs 185 euro,70 euro less....to go with my MR player.Cd quality is average,but i'd put up with it.

As i said,its impossible for rear speakers,in my setup..and i doubt that a centre is any good for music!!,or movies(as i am 1.5 metres from the centre of screen)

185 euros is alot...but who cares.

I caN upgrade the 2.1,to 5.1..pro logic 2 in a couple of years,anyway.

Blub2k4

Check your PM's, I have a cheap solution for sale since i replaced my home theatre set-up.