cheap home cinema system

voxpop

guys, Im looking to get a budget home cinema system - under €500. What I want to do is get a 2.1 setup and then add on the rear speakers in the future when I have a bit more cash so basically I would be buying seperates.

I had a look at richersounds.ie where there is not much selection espically for speakers plus they look expensive for what I want. So I had a look at peats and they look more promising say something like
Yamaha RXV350 reciever
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
and maybe a yamaha sub

Peats also means I should be able to listen to this stuff before I buy. Checked out cloney audio but other than the B&W DM600 S3/DM303 , there doesnt seem to be anything near my price range.

Anyway what do ppl think of the peats stuff or am I just a fool for even considering peats ? Is it wise to buy this stuff over the net without listening and hope it all works together ? Any pointers would be helpful.

Maxwell

Don't know too much about Peats, but anytime I have been in there, their pricing seems very, very expensive!

I went in 2 weeks ago for a Projector mount and it was €200, I got the name and model number and checked the web and found it for €100 delivered from the UK , I also was then in Harvey Norman in Swords and it was on sale for €150. So whatever way I went, I saved myself money and Peats were the most expensive!

Look around I say as this country is really crazy for prices and selection

I wish you all the best

smadger

Have to agree with Maxwell.

Peats can be hit and miss. Sometimes you get a great bargain on one item. Most of the time, though, it's a lot pricier than the competition.

That amp looks like a good deal though. The best I've seen from a quick browse of UK sites was 189STG incl delivery.

Having said that, it's worth shopping around for this and the other components. A lot of the UK web sites are cheaper in general, but many don't ship to Ireland.

I bought a Yamaha RXV430 and a set of Mission m70 5.1 speakers a couple of years back from leconcepts.com and got a much better deal than buying locally (saved about 600€, I think). They've nothing to beat that offer from peats right now though.

I'd recommend the Yamaha amps. Can't comment on the speakers though.

smadger

Haven't seen any reviews of it but check out: http://www.richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?ObjectID=938&Mode=0&CategoryID=3&SUB=24&ProductID=102

the_syco

Angry_Penguin wrote:

guys, Im looking to get a budget home cinema system - under €500

Never used any of the below.

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Komplett.ie

The dearest one there is... €349.00
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 THX, DTS, 5 Satellites and Subwoofer, 505 Watt
Logitechs' website: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/IE/EN,CRID=2,CONTENTID=9486

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[font=verdana,arial,helvetica]Wharfedale Diamond 9.1[/font] ... @ Peats.ie €199.00
Wharfedales' website: http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/model.php?model_id=11[font=verdana,arial,helvetica][/font]

Loobz

the_syco wrote:

Komplett.ie
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 THX, DTS, 5 Satellites and Subwoofer, 505 Watt
Logitechs' website: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/IE/EN,CRID=2,CONTENTID=9486

I have the model before these. Same power output, looks similar with the control centre also. And sweet lucifer do they pack a punch!!! Ive never heard a home 5.1 deliver such sound in my life. And there is plenty of connectivity. Ive got my pc, xbox and ps2 connected to it. Theres also coax for dvd players and such.

voxpop

Im now leaning towards the Pioneer VSX814 from richersounds - it seems to pip the yahama in all the reviews I've seen and is only a few quid more. On top of this I need some speaker and maybe a sub -any recommendations out there ?
Are floorstanding speakers the way to go or would bookshelf speakers do the job ? Im half thinking of the Heybrook HB4 but I could get a set of B&W DM600 S3 from cloney audio for the same price (roughly), would I need to get stands for these as well ? Or maybe the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 is the way to go? Decisions decisions....

voxpop

Mordaunt Short 902 bookshelf speakers and a Mordaunt Short center along with the Pioneer VSX814 is what im leaning towards now - anyone have any experience with any Mordaunt Short stuff ?

Sparky

Pixmania.com used to do cinema amps i got my pioneer VSXD514 there a month ago for €209, but ive noticed now that they dont do HC amps anymore.

voxpop

it seems they do - but its not the easiest section to get to.

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/s_action/searchS/index.html?s=xx&m=xx&t=xx&categorieid=3&cat=10&display=0&startrow=41&orderBy=&sortBy=&articleId=0

PIONEER VSX-D514-S 5.1 Receiver €186

Are they a decent company to deal with ?