Home Cinema recommendations ???

Nero

Finally I have decided to retire my 10 year old Ferguson TV & video to the play room. I want to buy a home cinema system that will give me optimum sound and picture quality for about €2500. I have been going around to the shops in Limerick and doing as much research as I can online and it looks like I can get a decent system for about this budget.

Now I need some practical value for money recommendations as there seems to be such a choice out there, brand, features, amp/no amp, etc. I am swaying towards Sony (KV32FX66 & DAVS400) with the one drawback being the DVD region 2 limitation and apparent lack of scarts on the DVD.

Please help me make up my mind and say bye bye to good old Fergi

---

Cheers.

thegills

How much are you setting aside for the TV and how much for the sound system. The Sony system is good but personally I'd go for a stand alone DVD with MP3 capability as it's great for playing tunes on.

daveg

Hi Nero,

If your swaying towards the Sony DAV S 400 then I presume your looking more at an "all in one" system rather than seperetes.

However with the budget you have I would give this serious consideration as you will get much better sound quality from seperetes.

First of all if you were to buy an "all in one" system the Sony DAVs400 is excellent or the DAVS550 if you can stretch to it. You can buy the setup from the UK (try http://www.techtronics.com/) and it will come fully multiregion.

Have a look at the seperetes option. Make sure that your amp is DTS-ES 6.1 compatible (most new amps are). In case you dont know this is the latest dolby technology which instead of using your standard 5 point surround you use 6 (hence 6.1). I have this setup myself and it is superb.

For your budget (for seperetes) I would recommend:

TV:
Phillips 28 inch 100HZ Widescreen TV
Panasonic TX-32PB50 32 inch 100HZ Widescreen TV

AMP:
Yamaha (not sure of the models)
Check out the new Marantz range coming out soon. Advantage of Marantz is that they are excellent with movies and music. I have the SR6200 and it is superb. You may pick one up cheap enough now as it is coming to end of life.

DVD:
Pioneer DV-350 (try richersounds)
Toshiba 220E (Excellent budget DVD)

Speakers:
Mission cinema 7 (my own setup - superb) - end of life now you may get a good deal.
Mission M72 (€600 in richersounds)

If you need more advice PM me.

daveg

The Sony system is good but personally I'd go for a stand alone DVD with MP3 capability as it's great for playing tunes on

Very good point. The DAV-s400 doesn't play MP3's but the DAV-S550 does.

Nero

If seperates is the best way to go to give better quality sound then this is the way I will go - I just got stuck on the idea of in the all-in-one due to the budget constraints.

Must follow your recommendations and do some serious pricing around. Is it 'safe' to spend this sort of dough buying electrical equipment from the UK? I have bought loads of other 'low cost' items over the web but I would be just a tad concerned should anything go wrong, would the follow up be as good as I would get locally.

gandalf

Nero one piece of advice stay well away from Techtronics they have a dreadfull aftersales rep.

Richer Sounds are a good place to start, even if you just use the website to get a budget together. Also have a look at the Hardware forum on www.thedvdforums.com.

For your budget I would go with separates. I'll post up details of my setup when I get home tonight. (no its not that good, I'm just busy today!!)

Gandalf

daveg

Nero - Don't totally disregard an all in 1 system. You say your budget is €2500. A 100HZ 36 inch widescreen is gonna knock a huge whack out of that budget. You could compromise and buy say the 28 inch phillips TV for about €700 and that would relax your "sound" budget more. Post back how much you want to spend on you tv.

I'll check what hifi for you tonight and see what they recommend for a budget of €2500. Will post back tomorrow.

Nero

For the TV I would like 32 inch 100Mhz, I just came accross the Pansonic TX32PL10 on the ESB website of all places for €1499 (€400 cheaper the Richer Sounds), sounds good to me.

daveg

For the TV I would like 32 inch 100Mhz, I just came accross the Pansonic TX32PL10 on the ESB website of all places for €1499 (€400 cheaper the Richer Sounds), sounds good to me.

That only leaves you €1000 to buy a DVD player, and amp and speakers. Perhaps your best option is the buy an all in 1. Again I would recommend the sony DAVS-550. If you want to go seperetes I would recommend spending a ratio of about €700/€800 on tv and €1700/€1800 on your sound setup. Again I'll post some options tomorrow.

daveg

Nero

Sorry for the delay. Heres my (mostly what hifi's ) recommedations for your budget. Some prices in stg as I couldn't find them on richersounds.

TV:
Jvc av-28t25s Supertest winner
Any of the Phillips range.

DVD:
Toshiba SD-220E Cracking (budget) DVD
player.Approx £200 STG.
Pioneer DV-350 (€239.99 richersounds multiregion)

Speakers:
Acoustic energy aego P5 £500 STG (includes amp)
Mission M72 cinema pack €599.99 richersounds
Kef kht2005 £800 STG approx.

AMP:
Any of the marantz range - Great for both hifi and home cinema. Only problem is the home cinema range is lagging behind the rest on supported formats (DTS ES). New range coming out soon though.

Yamaha rx-v630rds Supports all the latest formats (DTS ES DISCRETE ** DTS ES MATRIX) €599.99 richersounds.

I wouldn't go for the toshiba 220E,if the dvd forums are to be believed, and at least one retailer I've spoken to, they give a lot of trouble.
The pioneer range are good, I've had three now (always upgrading:D ) and they are excelent.
the mission m series are excelent and a mate of mine has the Kef's mentioned abobe and is well pleases, they are discrete enough, if not an ususual shape.

You will not go wrong with the yamaha 630 amp either, I had the 620 and the sound was amazing with the missions.
I upgraded to a marantz sr7200 though, better still.
the yamaha is rumoured to be more of a home cinema amp, while the marantz 4's and 5's are better for music.

To be honest though, you would want to be mozart to tell the difference.

I would stay away from techtronics,they have a bad after sales reputation.
If you are surfing through www.thedvdforums.com/ then as Gandalf says have a look at their hardware forum and you will get lots of ideas, you will have to register(for free) to see it as guests only get limited access.
They also have a Bargain forum where various sponsors of the forum do special offer threads.
Have a look at the Upgrade heaven thread there, I've dealt with them for multi region dvd players and found them very good.

mm

Mountjoy Mugger

Originally posted by daveg
AMP:
Any of the marantz range - Great for both hifi and home cinema. Only problem is the home cinema range is lagging behind the rest on supported formats (DTS ES). New range coming out soon though.

Umm - the Marantz SR4300 (€499 on Richersounds) is already out - it replaced the SR4200 and includes DTS-ES support. It doesn't have 7.1, just 5.1.

Specs here: http://www.avland.co.uk/marantz/sr4300/index.htm

daveg

I upgraded to a marantz sr7200 though, better still.

What do you think of the amp ? I have the SR-6200. Fantastic for both music and home cinema. The only draw back is the lack of DTS ES (as I said). I reckon the new marantx range will blow the rest out of the water. Have you setup the 3rd/4th surround speaker ? I have 4 rears now and the difference is amazing.

Also has anyone used http://www.superfi.co.uk/ in the UK. They ship to Ireland and have very good prices (including "seen it for less - we'll beet it" -- if they do that against richersounds uk then they would be seriously worth considering).


Also I've just seen the Marantz SR6300. Goddamn... anyone looking to buy a SR6200... looks like I'm upgrading :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Yeah, I love the 7200.
I think the Marantz circle surround option is far better than pro logic 2 when viewing say sky movies or ordinary tv.
DVD's are amazing, Attack of the clones is on it's way, region 1 from play :P

I haven't hooked up the extra surrounds yet, but next trip to richer and I'll pick up something.

Existing 5 speakers does wow anyone that hears it though

Yeap, seen the 4300 on ugh for stg £279 , make that £300 for courier, 48hr delivery and thats roughly €470 , if you don't want to make the trip into town, or don't have the time.

I'm sure richer would come down below that though with a haggle.
mm

Kali

anyone tried http://accessories4less.com ??
they basically ship manufacturer refurbished models..
marantz sr5200 for $389.99 ..€600 on richersounds

Also has anyone used http://www.superfi.co.uk/ in the UK. They ship to Ireland and have very good prices (including "seen it for less - we'll beet it" -- if they do that against richersounds uk then they would be seriously worth considering).

last time i checked richersounds.ie had much better prices than richersounds.co.uk after currency exchange.

Kali

hmm just looking at a pic of the 4300.. theres no vents on the sides of the case... considering the 4200 has major problems with build-up of heat over time (and a resulting high pitched whine) that could be a bit dodgy.

daveg

Man

Before the Marantz I had the Sony STRDB930. Another great amp but ****e at music. My god did the marantz fill that gap. The difference in sound quality is amazing. I have the Mission cinema 7 speaker pack as well - I added another 2 * 77DS rears (daisy chained) for the additional 6.1 sound. I highly recommend it. What speakers you get with yours ?

last time i checked richersounds.ie had much better prices than richersounds.co.uk after currency exchange.

Kali - check the specials though !!!!

Kali

Originally posted by daveg
Kali - check the specials though !!!!

Philips CD713 - UK£ 59.95 = €95 (€80 on .ie)

I think everything else on the uk specials the irish store doesn't stock...

pretty good price on the SR4200 though, works out about 50-60 euros cheaper than what the irish store where selling it at, so i guess if your making a few purchases like that a trip to belfast may work out pretty good (assuming they have the same prices)

Originally posted by daveg
Man

Before the Marantz I had the Sony STRDB930. Another great amp but ****e at music. My god did the marantz fill that gap. The difference in sound quality is amazing. I have the Mission cinema 7 speaker pack as well - I added another 2 * 77DS rears (daisy chained) for the additional 6.1 sound. I highly recommend it. What speakers you get with yours ?

My main fronts are quite old but as good as the day they were got, they are floor standing mission 734 mains about 4 feet tall and narrow.
The surrounds and active sub are yamaha.
I had an old dspa1000 originally and the speakers were with that.
The music is sweet, but an upgrade might happen soon
mm

gandalf

Right coming back to this thread at long last

My personal setup is as follows

A Panasonic 50Hz TV (the weak link at the moment)

A Marantz 4100ose DVD Player (would recommend this baby highly)

Sony DB-STR840 (Excellent Amp for Home Cinema, sucks for Audio but I have a stereo for Audio anyway)

Mission Cinema 6's for 5.1 DD or DTS

The room I have this kit in is not ideal so I don't think I will be updating the sound aspect unless I can move it all to another location. The TV is a weak link but again unless I can go for a Flat Screen Plasma there is no point in upgrading unless the Panny blows up

Back to your setup Nero.

If you don't require good Music Audio and just want decent Home Theatre Sound go for a Yamaha or Sony Amp/Receiver. If music audio is important then I concur the Marantz is the dogs bollix.

Speakers best bet would be to go for a Mission Cinema set for your starter speakers.

DVD Player get one of the main makes, Sony, Pioneer, Marantz just make sure you get a Multiregion unit.

TV well I think that really depends on the space you have. Personally I think for the average Irish Living Room a 28" Widescreen is big enough, a 32" takes up a fair bit of space. I would recommend a 100Hz model thou as the picture from DVD on these is absolutely excellent. Only grip with a 100Hz TV is analogue signals from Cable look a bit "dodgy" on them. I believe Digital TV signals look excellent on them as well (haven't seen this personally as myself and none of my mates have gotten Digital yet !).

Good luck with the purchase(s) Nero.

Gandalf.

mfield

I want to set up a home cinema, but to be quite honest the array of equipment out there has me completely lost!

I would like to get a DVD player, amp & speakers.

I was wondering if the Mission M72's would be any good as I would like to run my Turntables through the front two speakers, is this advisable?

What Amp would you recommend for doing this and is Dolby 6.1 worth going for?

What DVD player is worth going for?

I hope to have about €1,500 to spend. Any help is greatly appreciated!



mfield.

Kali

Originally posted by mfield
I want to set up a home cinema, but to be quite honest the array of equipment out there has me completely lost!

I would like to get a DVD player, amp & speakers.

I was wondering if the Mission M72's would be any good as I would like to run my Turntables through the front two speakers, is this advisable?

What Amp would you recommend for doing this and is Dolby 6.1 worth going for?

What DVD player is worth going for?

I hope to have about €1,500 to spend. Any help is greatly appreciated!

To be honest a decent 6.1 amp is going to take up half that budget.. you're looking at around the e650 mark for the Marantz SR5200.

If you listen to more music than you do DVDs then I'd reccomend just getting decent front speakers (around the ~r300 mark).. as far as the centre speaker goes, it helps if it has the same characteristics and ability of the fronts, but its nowhere near vital that you get the same make ... for rears I wouldn't go overboard, any decent bookshelf speaker will do the job adequately, but a proper surround speaker will be a lot better.

Regards the DVD player, again choice depends on whether you have a lot of CDs that you want to listen to through the system, or will it be mainly DVDs. For quality in both, again look at Marantz, most entry-mid level Sonys tend to falter when it comes to CD playback (DVD excellent tho). Pioneer are worth a look also.

daveg

mfield check the previous reply's to this topic. Just to summarise my own advice would be:

Amp - Marantz SR range. Excellent for home cinema and music. New range has full DTS ES (6.1) support.

Speakers - Go for one of the mission cinema packs which includes all 5 speaker.

DVD - Pionner are excellent (check richersounds). Also the Toshiba 220E is excellent.

Last peice of advise - buy whathifi.

daveg

as far as the centre speaker goes, it helps if it has the same characteristics and ability of the fronts, but its nowhere near vital that you get the same make ... for rears I wouldn't go overboard, any decent bookshelf speaker will do the job adequately, but a proper surround speaker will be a lot better.

I would tend to disagree. My advice would be go for an all in 1 cinema package such as the mission M72 pack (richersounds here) . If you do this all your speakers will be "tonally" matched. If you make a speaker set from different manufacturers you will not get the same quality. Another advantage of the mission pack is that you get the M7DS bipole rears. These speakers are fantastic and fire in 2 directions so you dont have to mount them centered on the back wall.

You could spend €599.99 for the M72 pack
Another €250 for a DVD player
which leaves you €650 for your amp.

mfield

thnaks for the help lads!

Look at these speakers, they're well expensive but look the part!
Could ya use this type of speaker set up to run my Technics turntables through? I know those speakers are a crazy price, but would you be able to use small ones like these for what I want?


mfield

John mac

I Got a set of the KEF 2005 last week.:D
Magic sound, Paid €1095 in Lyric Hifi
well worth it

Kali

Strangely enough in that Kef package, anyone of the satellites can function as the centre channel, which personally seems quite strange to me... they must all be two-way speakers, so is that 100watt figure they quote per satellite or a total?

Ahh wait the Home Entertainment review mentions "KEFs revolutionary Uni-Q allows the tweeter to be positioned at the exact acoustical centre of the mid/bass cone.", pretty odd, but if it works, it works I guess.
Still not the type of speaker I'd treat the Soft Bulletin or Dark Side Of The Moon to... I could see that sort of setup getting a bit iffy with a full-range onslaught... especially since the satellites cone is pretty big at 100mm, so crossover from the mid to tweeter could be losing out slightly..

Anyway cos thats confusing me they look a good bit over-priced at a grand, but then again they could sound absolutely amazing...

Originally posted by Kali
Anyway cos thats confusing me they look a good bit over-priced at a grand, but then again they could sound absolutely amazing...

They do, sound amazing, a friend of mine has them
mm

Calibos

If you can stretch finances to maybe €3000 then why not get and AE100 projector (€1600 from www.komplett.ie), 100inch 16:9 screen (Da-lite-€250), 5.1 amp(??-€400), 5.1 speakers(Mission Cinema6/7-€500??), Dvd player(??-€300), keep the video and tv in the room for the missus' soaps etc and the PJ for movies, favourite programs and Sport.

Heres mine My Home Theater

Kali

Nice choice on the Toshiba AE-1000 alright, its an extremely good projector for the price, it's easily one of the most popular and best-selling budget home-cinema projectors on the market, have read many a glowing review abou tit, haven't seen it in action personally though.

Like the setup, very cosy alright, only thing I'd change would be to black out the first metre of the wall if possible (with curtains etc.) or actual paint even, just to try and keep reflected light to a minimum, all depends on how often the room is used for other things

What sub ye got?