Sony kd49x8305 + general advice?

JoeA3

Hi guys, 
I'm interested in upgrading my 7 year old 40" Sony with something a little larger and more modern. I've my eye on this one - http://www.richersounds.ie/p-201402-bravia-kd49x8305cbu.aspx

I've a question in relation to the built in tuners  / tv receiving capability of these TV's.

I assume it will receive Irish SaorView channels absolutely fine (my old Sony does!), but what about free to air satellite channels? It looks like this particular TV has twin satellite type RF connections on the side, alongside the regular RF coax input. Does this mean I can connect my satellite cables directly into the TV and do away completely with my Sky box?

I realise I'd lose the paid Sky channels but if I could get the BBC's / ITV's in HD, that would be perfect. I'd happily get rid of Sky and have one less bill and less clutter to boot...

And assuming all that works, does the TV have any recording feature? The specs on sony.ie say it has USB recording.

I have a feeling it's not as simple as all that though, is it?


Thanks 
Joe

JoeA3

Bump! Anyone from Richersounds with input on this?

Also while I'm here....
I bought an AVR off you guys about 7 years ago (yikes!). It's the pioneer vsx-1018ah. I've been very happy with it but with 4K coming along its starting to look a bit dated. And the lack of hdmi inputs (only 2) has been a frustration.

What would be the more modern equivalent of my pioneer today? Something like the Pioneer VSX930 or the Yamaha RVX679?

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

JoeA3 wrote: »

Hi guys, 
I'm interested in upgrading my 7 year old 40" Sony with something a little larger and more modern. I've my eye on this one - http://www.richersounds.ie/p-201402-bravia-kd49x8305cbu.aspx

I've a question in relation to the built in tuners  / tv receiving capability of these TV's.

I assume it will receive Irish SaorView channels absolutely fine (my old Sony does!), but what about free to air satellite channels? It looks like this particular TV has twin satellite type RF connections on the side, alongside the regular RF coax input. Does this mean I can connect my satellite cables directly into the TV and do away completely with my Sky box?

I realise I'd lose the paid Sky channels but if I could get the BBC's / ITV's in HD, that would be perfect. I'd happily get rid of Sky and have one less bill and less clutter to boot...

And assuming all that works, does the TV have any recording feature? The specs on sony.ie say it has USB recording.

I have a feeling it's not as simple as all that though, is it?


Thanks 
Joe

Hi Joe.

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you.

The Sony in questions is a cracking television and has been very popular.

It will receive the Saorview station sthrough the freeview HD tuner onboard.
It does have a Satillite connection which will pick up Freesat HD and gie you the HD channles. You could get ride of teh Sky box if the Sky channles are not the important to you. You lose your sky 1, sky atlantic etc...

As the screen is not freesat approved there may be some issues with the EPG and not displayimng and information.

The recording works via the USB port and you can connect a hard drive and record straight to it. However the record feature will not be available until March 2016.
"USB recording will be available before 31st March 2016. However, due to the technical complexity implementing this feature, the final release date(s) stipulated on Sony's support site may be subject to change. For PiP/PaP feature Browser/Tuner, USB/Tuner, Tuner/Tuner combinations are not available. NOTE: HDD recording (REC) and Satellite features are not available if YouView functionality is enabled. YouView on Sony TVs will offer consumers a consistent and easy to use YouView experience, including scroll back, search, discover and catch up TV (BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4 and Demand 5). YouView functionality includes access to all the normal free-to-air channels via the YouView guide and mini guide."

I hope this helps a little.

Any questions drop me a post.

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

JoeA3 wrote: »

Bump! Anyone from Richersounds with input on this?

Also while I'm here....
I bought an AVR off you guys about 7 years ago (yikes!). It's the pioneer vsx-1018ah. I've been very happy with it but with 4K coming along its starting to look a bit dated. And the lack of hdmi inputs (only 2) has been a frustration.

What would be the more modern equivalent of my pioneer today? Something like the Pioneer VSX930 or the Yamaha RVX679?

Hi JoeA3.

The Yamaha RXV679 would be the one to go for against the 930
I use the older 673 and it has trucked along nicely running by Monitor Audio setup.

The 679 is currently priced at £349.00 / 449.99 Euro (Part of our sale pricing)
http://euro.richersounds.ie/p-201510-rxv679.aspx?swapstore=1

JoeA3

Many thanks for the replies Kenny, very helpful.

Another AVR to throw into the mix would be the Denon AVRX2200W? Bit pricier than the other two, but it seems to get rave reviews?

Would I really see/hear significant benefit in upgrading from my current Pioneer to one of the new AVR's? I know I'd have loads more connectivity options, wifi, bluetooth, etc...  but right now there's no 4K Blu Ray players available, so maybe I don't need the 4K AVR just yet...? Hmmmm, decisions!

Also, I currently have my pioneer paired with a 5.1 JAMO satellite speakers package. My room space doesn't really allow for large floor standing type speakers tbh. I'm wondering am I doing any new Amp an injustice by pairing it with the Jamos or are there much better options available (without being too physically large)?

I think if I were to do anything now, I'd probably upgrade the TV first... then a little later the Amp... then maybe the speakers

Oh, another thing I meant to ask... Are used AVR's worth much on the used market typically? Ye don't do trade ins I take it?

Joe.

 

Richersounds.ie: John

JoeA3 wrote: »

Many thanks for the replies Kenny, very helpful.

Another AVR to throw into the mix would be the Denon AVRX2200W? Bit pricier than the other two, but it seems to get rave reviews?

Would I really see/hear significant benefit in upgrading from my current Pioneer to one of the new AVR's? I know I'd have loads more connectivity options, wifi, bluetooth, etc...  but right now there's no 4K Blu Ray players available, so maybe I don't need the 4K AVR just yet...? Hmmmm, decisions!

Also, I currently have my pioneer paired with a 5.1 JAMO satellite speakers package. My room space doesn't really allow for large floor standing type speakers tbh. I'm wondering am I doing any new Amp an injustice by pairing it with the Jamos or are there much better options available (without being too physically large)?

I think if I were to do anything now, I'd probably upgrade the TV first... then a little later the Amp... then maybe the speakers

Oh, another thing I meant to ask... Are used AVR's worth much on the used market typically? Ye don't do trade ins I take it?

Joe.

 

Joe,

thanks for the post & apologies for the delay getting back to you - ok the bad news first, we don't take trade in's anymore ( but I am looking at it at the moment TBH) and even worse AVR's 2nd hand are not worth a lot as the technology has moved on so much, but your 1018 is actually still a really good sounding AVR and you can update it for not a lot of spends by adding a Chromecast audio or Video for under £30! and of course if you wanted to add Bluetooth you can buy a decent QED Bluetooth adaptor for under €80: https://euro.richersounds.ie/p-10646-uplay.aspx

If it was me the AVR is possibly the last item I'd change, I'd 200% change the Jamo speakers and maybe opt for the Q Acoustics 7000 system https://euro.richersounds.ie/p-12630-q7000i.aspx Which are really well reduced to €999 or if you are bargain hunting then the Monitor Audio Mass sound fantastic, look great and are a real deal at €699: https://euro.richersounds.ie/p-200190-mass-51.aspx

Thanks again and if you need a package deal on any of your options just drop me a mail to sales@richersounds.ie and we will do our very best to look after you.

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew

JoeA3

Many thanks for the reply John. And for the honesty in telling me that my Amp is good for another while!! The only thing that frustrates me with the Pioneer is the lack of HDMI inputs tbh... I already have an Apple TV hooked up to it which takes care of AirPlay and streaming, etc, so really, I don't need any of the fancy new features on the new Amps - for now at least. Maybe when 4K devices become mainstream...

€999 is probably well out of my budget for speakers but the Monitor Audio package looks a bit more within my range. I've always found the Jamo's a little bit underwhelming and perhaps I'm unfairly blaming the AVR when in fact its the speakers that's the problem?!

But would another small-ish speaker package really be a significant upgrade on them? The Monitor Audio's do look nice, something to think about anyway!

Cheers
Joe.

Richersounds.ie: John

Thanks for coming back and I honestly would say that the Jamo are the weak link without doubt and a lot of 5.1 satellite packs will actually be an improvement over the Jamo ( I'm presuming its an A102 package?) - the Mass package is actually superb, really great detail AND power and the price is really keen.

Keep us posted,

ATVB,

John Mc

JoeA3

Richersounds.ie: John wrote: »

Thanks for coming back and I honestly would say that the Jamo are the weak link without doubt and a lot of 5.1 satellite packs will actually be an improvement over the Jamo ( I'm presuming its an A102 package?) - the Mass package is actually superb, really great detail AND power and the price is really keen.

Keep us posted,

ATVB,

John Mc

Hi John,
You're bang on - the Jamo's are the A102 5.1 package. Well actually, to add some further confusion, I'm not using the Jamo centre speaker! It blew up about 2 years ago (long story!)... and at that time I then bought a replacement center speaker off you guys. It's a Cambridge Audio S50 (http://www.richersounds.ie/p-200060-s50.aspx). That's obviously much larger than the Jamo's so I think I've ended up with a fairly unbalanced system. Most of my sound seems to come from the center.

Do the MASS speakers come with nice/discrete wall mounts/stands or are there any available for them? I'd like to wall mount the rears anyway and possibly the 2 fronts too...

Thanks again
Joe.

Richersounds.ie: John

well to be fair the S50 will only improve the overall sound against the old Jamo centre! You can of course 'rebalance' the centre speaker level and the tonal matching isn't too far out with the Jamo / s50 combo - but the Mass package would radically improve the sound!

The Mass pack comes with nothing!

No cables, no leads, no brackets!

There are excellent discreet brackets available called the Monitor Audio MASM https://www.richersounds.ie/p-12012-masm.aspx these are £29.95 a pair ( but we also do them singly!)

Keep us posted,

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew 

JoeA3

Thanks again John. I tried to PM you there but your inbox is full, so I sent you an email instead!

Cheers
Joe.

Richersounds.ie: Brian

Thanks Joe, I think John was out of the office yesterday, so will chase this up for you

Cheers
Brian

JoeA3

Richersounds.ie: Brian wrote: »

Thanks Joe, I think John was out of the office yesterday, so will chase this up for you

Cheers
Brian

Thanks Brian. No rush though, it's New Year's Day after all

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

JoeA3 wrote: »

Richersounds.ie: Brian wrote: »

Thanks Joe, I think John was out of the office yesterday, so will chase this up for you

Cheers
Brian

Thanks Brian. No rush though, it's New Year's Day after all

Hi JoeA3.

Just a little follow up post to check if you got sorted in the end?

JoeA3

Richersounds.ie: Kenny wrote: »

Hi JoeA3.

Just a little follow up post to check if you got sorted in the end?

Hi Kenny,
No actually! I did send an email last week enquiring about price/delivery on the Mass speaker package but I didn't get a reply.

I'm still very interested but I might have to hold on for a little bit - a few weeks anyway. We are looking at renovating the living room now - wall mounting the TV, new cabinet, etc and I might do the new speakers then too while I'm at it.

I do have some reservations about the physical size of the Mass satellites and the Sub. Looks like they are significantly larger than say my Jamo's? I think the wall brackets that were mentioned above would work nicely though.

Also, does the Mass Sub take a simple RCA cable from the Amp? The cable to my Jamo sub looks like the one below. I ask because I may be burying that cable and speaker cables in the walls and I don't want to have to do that again!

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

Hi Joe.

Apologies for that :(

Which amp where you wanting to pair them with?

With the RXV679 you would be looking at £799 / 1175.00 Euro
http://www.richersounds.com/package/home-cinema/home-cinema-systems/pah012769

With the AVRX2200 it would come as a bundle deal at the same price of £799 / 1175.00 Euro
http://www.richersounds.com/package/system-savers/home-cinema-separates-bundle-deals/pah012830

The Mass sats are not really that large at all, however the sub is a monster :eek: . This can be hidden out of the way behind the TV or sofa if possible.

The Mass sub does just run on a single phono cable like the one pictured below, so in theory you could use you own. However if it is a basic looking one like in the picture I would recommend upgrading if plastering into a wall. We offer something like the Cambridge Audio 7.5m sublink for 27.99 Euro
http://euro.richersounds.ie/p-10538-aud100-75m-sub-cable.aspx

Hope this helps, let me know what you think.

Any questions drop me a post.

JoeA3 wrote: »

Richersounds.ie: Kenny wrote: »

Hi JoeA3.

Just a little follow up post to check if you got sorted in the end?

Hi Kenny,
No actually! I did send an email last week enquiring about price/delivery on the Mass speaker package but I didn't get a reply.

I'm still very interested but I might have to hold on for a little bit - a few weeks anyway. We are looking at renovating the living room now - wall mounting the TV, new cabinet, etc and I might do the new speakers then too while I'm at it.

I do have some reservations about the physical size of the Mass satellites and the Sub. Looks like they are significantly larger than say my Jamo's? I think the wall brackets that were mentioned above would work nicely though.

Also, does the Mass Sub take a simple RCA cable from the Amp? The cable to my Jamo sub looks like the one below. I ask because I may be burying that cable and speaker cables in the walls and I don't want to have to do that again!

JoeA3

Thanks Kenny,
I was actually thinking of sticking with my current Amp for the time being (it's a Pioneer VSX 1018 which I bought off ye about 6 years ago). It's still going strong and only the lack of spare HDMI inputs and no 4K support would let it down but it's fine for now.
So it's just the Mass speakers package and probably 4 (2 pairs?) of the wall mounting brackets.
And yeah my sub cable does look like the one in the pic, probably not the best quality alright

Would you agree with John that the Mass package would be a big improvement, even when sticking with the pioneer AVR?

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

JoeA3 wrote: »

Thanks Kenny,
I was actually thinking of sticking with my current Amp for the time being (it's a Pioneer VSX 1018 which I bought off ye about 6 years ago). It's still going strong and only the lack of spare HDMI inputs and no 4K support would let it down but it's fine for now.
So it's just the Mass speakers package and probably 4 (2 pairs?) of the wall mounting brackets.
And yeah my sub cable does look like the one in the pic, probably not the best quality alright

Would you agree with John that the Mass package would be a big improvement, even when sticking with the pioneer AVR?

Hi JoeA3.

The Mass speakers would be a massive improvement over the Jamo.
What Hifi have given the Monitor Audio Mass 5.1 pack 5 stars when it was first released at £799.00 / 1175.00 euro
Now having been reduced to just £499.00 / 699.99 Euro
http://euro.richersounds.ie/p-200190-mass-51.aspx?swapstore=1

Making them a total bargain and an excellent sounding bit of kit!!

The brackets are priced at 38.99 Euro Per Pair.
http://euro.richersounds.ie/p-12012-masm.aspx

JoeA3

Many thanks Kenny,
I will most likely go for that, but probably not for a few weeks or so.
I'll be in touch!

Joe.

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

JoeA3 wrote: »

Many thanks Kenny,
I will most likely go for that, but probably not for a few weeks or so.
I'll be in touch!

Joe.

No problem at all JoeA3.

Give us a shout when your ready to pull the trigger :D