Which amp for £500? HTPC, Wii, Music PC and LCD TV

[TerryNutkins]

I had this speaker setup http://uk.europe.creative.com/produc...3&product=9306
(yes, i know )

which was very bassey and had no-midrange to speak of. The amp died on me yesterday and so I am looking to replace it with something decent and am considering the Denon AVR1910.

I would quite like an amp that does 7.1 sound and can convert stereo to surround if possible.

I need to plug in a Samsung LCD tv (HDMI Out)
A HTPC with a Blueray player (HDMI Out – but I think this is just video, so also an optical spdif)
Another PC, mainly for music and general sound, 7.1 channels (Either 3x 35mm jacks or 6x RCA, or just stero at 1x 3.5mm jack or 2 RCAs)
A wii (not sure, I’ll check)

My plan is to get the amp for around £500 and then recycle the satellites and bass from the creative system. I might also spend an extra £100 on a bass if necessary?

I know it won't sound it's best with the existing satellites and bass but my plan was to upgrade them when I could afford it.

Is the Denon AVR1910 a good one to go for for my purposes, or should I try a different one?

[PapAV]

I was going to buy the 1910 until I saw the Yamaha equivalent of the 2310 (the RX-V1065) was available for £509 delivered.

Compare the two and decide for yourself.

The 1065 owners thread may help too.

[dicklodge]

Originally Posted by TerryNutkins

My plan is to get the amp for around £500 and then recycle the satellites and bass from the creative system. I might also spend an extra £100 on a bass if necessary?

I know it won't sound it's best with the existing satellites and bass but my plan was to upgrade them when I could afford it.

Is the Denon AVR1910 a good one to go for for my purposes, or should I try a different one?

How does the sub connect in the system you currently have? An AV amp uses an RCA-Phono lead to connect the sub out to a sub.

Also, do you know what the ipeadance of the speakers are in your current system?

[TerryNutkins]

Thanks PapAV, I'll have a look into that one.

dicklodge - The sub is in a box with the blown amp. I was just going to open up the box and disconnect the sub from the blown amp and put some leads on it.

The speakers are quoted at 70W RMS.

[TerryNutkins]

Yamaha RX-V1065 or Denon AVR 1910 ?

Makes the Yamaha more interesting...

PapAv - am I allowed to ask where you ordered from?


I should add that the HTPC has SD freeview but should have HD in the future when it comes out on freeview (or possibly freesat)

[dicklodge]

Originally Posted by TerryNutkins

.

dicklodge - The sub is in a box with the blown amp. I was just going to open up the box and disconnect the sub from the blown amp and put some leads on it.

The speakers are quoted at 70W RMS.

That won't work re the sub. An AV amp needs an active (powered) sub with a RCA-Phno connection.

It's the impeadance (measured in ohms) that is the important bit with regard to the satellite speakers. Most amps require at least 6 (preferably 8) ohm speakers. It's hard to say what they are in your current system.

[TerryNutkins]

Ah, I see. I'm quite new to all this. Aparently they each have a mid-woofer with an input resistance of 8 Ohms, and a 4 Ohm tweeter.

Creative GigaWorks S750 Speaker System Review: Beyond Ultra Sound (page 2) - X-bit labs


Can you suggest a good sub to go with that for about £100 (is this even possible?)? I'm mainly interested in music quality (mixture of everything; electro, punk rock, mashups, rock'n'roll, classical, possibly a bit of jazz) but if it could work well for films as well, that would be great.

[confused88]

It seems like it cannot be done and it's probably not worth getting a decent sub when the rest of the system is not really up to it. A better sub woudn't I guess solve your mid-range problem. Even though Gigaworks is Creative's better range an active 7.1 for 300£ shouldn't be that great. Why not consider a 5.1 for now, such as this
Jamo A102HCS5 5.1 Speaker Package 500W - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo ?

[TerryNutkins]

That's not a bad idea, confused88. £100 more than I wanted to spend but I'm tempted...

[confused88]

You could save a lot on the amp. if you go for the 1610 but then you would have to settle for 5.1. An active 2.1 "version" of the Jamo goes for 300£ Jamo i300B - iPod Speaker System - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo. Ok it's got a dock too that adds to the cost but the satellites must be the same, so I guess the Jamo should be quite a step up from the Creative.

[dicklodge]

As you're now looking at possibly replacing your speakers, it's probably best if you post your total budget --- prefered and max.

That way people can suggest a balanced system. If you were initially looking at £500 for amp and possibly a £100 for sub, and now thinking of an extra £100 ---- you could get a system with better speakers than the Jamos and a good amp. Not saying the Jamos suggested are bad speakers, but for £130 more, you can get some far better sounding ones.

[TerryNutkins]

Yes that makes sense:

Preferred budget is £600 (recycling satellites if possible)
Max budget is £850 for amp, sub and satellites

I quite like the idea of the Yamaha RX-V1065 as the amp. Would it be possible to get a matched sub and satellites within that budget?

[dicklodge]

Originally Posted by TerryNutkins

Yes that makes sense:

Preferred budget is £600 (recycling satellites if possible)
Max budget is £850 for amp, sub and satellites

I quite like the idea of the Yamaha RX-V1065 as the amp. Would it be possible to get a matched sub and satellites within that budget?

I think the Yamaha 1065 is a great bargain at it's current £509 price.

The speaker set that would work well with it is the £350 Q Acoustics --- they were a £500+ speaker set and are reduced because of a new range. They're a very popular speaker set on the forums.

You could buy separate floorstander fronts and matching centre and use you current speakers as surrounds, but then you need a sub, and that's going to be £200 for a starter price. The good thing about the 5.1 sets is the discount you get by buying them all at once.

You can always replace the fronts and centre at a future date as part of an ongoing upgrade proces, but the 1065 with the QAs will be a great setup to start with.

Q ACOUSTICS 1010i 5.1 SPEAKER PACKAGE - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/3676 for details


Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 Black | 5.1 Speaker Package | Richer Sounds

[TerryNutkins]

That's absolutely great advice dicklodge. I think I'll end up going with the 5.1 set. I'll have a look into those QAs tomorrow and thanks for the links!

[TerryNutkins]

Oh, slight misinformation above: I've just discovered that the HDMI from my HTPC DOES output audio as well as video. I'm currently getting my music through my TV but the Samsung LCD screen speakers are absolutely awful!

One last question: If I do go for the 5.1 QAs, would it be worth using two of the creative satellites for the two extra channels that the amp can do, or not worth it at all? -my guess would be not...?

[dicklodge]

Originally Posted by TerryNutkins

One last question: If I do go for the 5.1 QAs, would it be worth using two of the creative satellites for the two extra channels that the amp can do, or not worth it at all? -my guess would be not...?

With regard to the 7.1 option on the amp; I've found that a better 5.1 setup can sound much better than a bad 7.1 setup. But you can always try it and see what it sounds like first. You can buy a pair of the 1010i speakers separately and add those if you do find 7.1 works for you.

[TerryNutkins]

I went for the Yamaha RX-V1065 and the QA 1010i's in the end. Delivery on Saturday so I'm really looking forward to it.

Thanks for your help everybody.

[magnumfan]

Originally Posted by TerryNutkins

I went for the Yamaha RX-V1065 and the QA 1010i's in the end. Delivery on Saturday so I'm really looking forward to it.

Thanks for your help everybody.

I got the exact same setup last week mate and it sounds brilliant. I did add a couple of Q Acoustic 1020i's for the fronts though to make a 7.1. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do.

[TerryNutkins]

Cheers! Nice to hear that it will sound brilliant.

It will be quite a while before I add anything else to the setup but did you find it worth it to add the 2 extra speakers? My front room isn't exactly huge and so I'm not entirely sure it'd be worth it for me.

[magnumfan]

It's better with the 7.1 but not by a lot on the majority of films. Most of them are only 5.1 anyway. You'll be happy with your choice of receiver and 5.1 speakers.