[biggy7]

The SFX 5.1 Speaker System from Tannoy is an elegant and discrete home cinema speaker package solution which represents great value for money. Four attractively designed satellites and a dedicated centre speaker provide excellent surround sound that will immerse you in the movie soundtrack, whilst the powerful subwoofer delivers impressive bass to make those explosions sound even more realistic. The ultra-wide frequency response of the SFX5.1 is perfect for DVD-Audio and SACD and ensures that both movies and music sound fantastic.

The compact satellites can be discretely placed around the living room and the included brackets mean that you can mount them on the wall to avoid taking up valuable shelf space. Optional stands are also available for maximum flexibility.

TANNOY SFX 5.1 SPEAKER SYSTEM - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/3804 for details

Look good for the money, dilemma, these or Jamo A102!!

[Sheepdisease]

Just how good is this set?

[PSD]

Hi there,

Very good is the answer. For £300 they are good value, but for £150 they are a no brainer. I helped my brother with his setup and we demo'd a good few < £300 sets including the Jamo and Kefs and I prefered these over both of those.

Cheers

Paul

[Sheepdisease]

I appreciate your response.

Could someone please tell me if this will suit my needs?

I am moving soon and the new property will require a new set up for my PC and speakers. My main problem is that the PC (and 7.1 surround sound speakers) will be in the study (upstairs), whilst we will want to listen to music contained on the HDD whilst downstairs in the lounge. We don't want to upset the neighbours, so simply turning the speakers up is not an option. We want to entertain guests in the lounge and not necessarily the study. I know there are several options available but each at a different cost, quality and pros/cons.

The other thing is that it would be nice if we could benefit from using whatever solution is most practical (in terms of speakers) for the TV in the lounge.

So, using a Logitech Squeezebox Duet, would I be able to connect these speakers to my the TV and benefit from their use combined with this piece of hardware?

[PSD]

Hi there,

The squeezebox duet will need an amplifier or powered speakers like the Audioengine ones I have with my classic.

These Tannoy speakers are also unlikely to be compatible with your TV unless it is has a surround sound decoder/prologic II built in and five sets of speaker terminals. My old CRT from about five years ago had this feature, but I have never seen a plasma/LCD with this functionality. You need to go down the route of an AV amp to achieve what you want.

Cheers

Paul

[Sheepdisease]

What is an AV amp? Is it something I would need to purchase on top of those speakers?

[PSD]

Yes the amp will take a digital signal from a DVD player or Sky HD i.e. dolby or DTS and decode and send the sound to the five speakers. A normal amp is just stereo.

If you just buy the squeezebox and say the same speakers as me, the Audioengines in my signature then these are powered in that they have in-built amplification so you do not need a seperate amp.

[Sheepdisease]

How can you tell whether speakers have a built-in amp?

[Sheepdisease]

Also, are these speakers fit for the job? http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/p...roduct_ID/4027

[PSD]

Yes the DVD player has an optical (toslink) input so it will work with the Squeezebox and you can play DVD's and listen in surround sound with a DVD.

Your TV will not have a surround amp, but this all in one from Superfi has built in amplification within the DVD player and audio decoding. This means that you can play your squeezebox in stereo via a toslink cable and watch movies in surround sound. A nice simple solution.

[Sheepdisease]

How would you rate those speakers? I've tried looking for independent reviews from critics but my efforts were to no avail!

[PSD]

My friend is looking at these. For the money they are fine, never going to be an AV enthusiasts set-up, but from your posts I think they will do a good job and fulfill your needs.

[Sheepdisease]

Bit depressing, what would be the AV enthusiasts choice?

I am still confused about how I can choose appropriate speakers, what I am looking for that matches my needs and will work with connections from TV and Squeezebox...

[gken74]

[QUOTE=Sheepdisease;8708414]Bit depressing, what would be the AV enthusiasts choice?

QUOTE]

For that answer we'd need to know your budget as it can go into the £1000's

[biggy7]

ive just gone for these today. i think at £146 they cant be beaten for price and sound quality.

they are comparable to the Jamo A102 which are £195.

ive not read one bad comment about the sfx 5.1 which is reassuring

[Sheepdisease]

Something around the £150-£300 mark either new or second hand including postage would be nice. They all have to have an AMP, which i the case of the Sony also acts as a DVD player and allows playback from a thumb drive etc (I like this idea).

[tinno87]

Originally Posted by Sheepdisease

Something around the £150-£300 mark either new or second hand including postage would be nice. They all have to have an AMP, which i the case of the Sony also acts as a DVD player and allows playback from a thumb drive etc (I like this idea).

Basically the AV receiver is what you connect your speakers too. If you just bought the Tannoys then you would need to somehow connect them to your source (pc/tv/console).

The receiver will have direct connections, as said before optical and coaxial, but also terminals for the speakers to be connected to.

The Sony looks to be an all in one set with the DVD player having all of these connections on.

If you chose the Tannoys it would be best to have the receiver there as well-second hand you could pick one up that would do the job for £50-£100. Think new ones start about £150-£200.

[whirlybat]

Just put my order in

Figured it was about time I dipped a toe into the world of 5.1 sound and I reckon these would be a nice choice of speaker to start with

Any ideas on an AV amp for these?

[PSD]

Hi there,

Richer Sounds have the highly regarded Sony STRDG820 for £229, somewhat of a bargain. Full HD audio decoding abilities and a nice price tag. It would bring out the best in these speakers, which are very, very good for the money.

Cheers

Paul

[whirlybat]

Hi PSD

The Sony seems to be out of stock most places

I have a Richer Sounds in my home town too!

[internetuser]

Richer sounds have these speakers, can you not price match + £10 discount on them ?

[Sheepdisease]

Not if they can't verify whether or not Superfi include free next-day delivery by getting a response from them on a phone, as I found out Yesterday when I spent the whole day in London on the tube going from Richer Sounds store to store! Ended up coming back home to Worcester with nothing, I was livid!

[travid]

Originally Posted by Sheepdisease

Not if they can't verify whether or not Superfi include free next-day delivery by getting a response from them on a phone, as I found out Yesterday when I spent the whole day in London on the tube going from Richer Sounds store to store! Ended up coming back home to Worcester with nothing, I was livid!

Now thats what I call dedication

[Sheepdisease]

All for nothing, now Superfi have seen my custom instead! They will regret that when you don't receive thier commission!

[Sheepdisease]

Can anyone recommend a second hand amp for sale anywhere on the internet for around £150, that would be capable of working with my newly purchased Tannoy SFX 5.1 speakers, Squeezebox Duet and TV, seperate DVD player/inclusive with amp, several games consoles at once? Something that would allow me to play all of these through these speakers without changing/moving wires around?

Thank you!

[saltyworm]

why didnt you try phone them to get price match before trekking around the whole of london

anyway im thinking of selling sony STR DG700, which has 2 HDMI in 1 out, 3 optical in so plenty connection for all your need. £100 collected or i can deliver it you if your not far from south london

[Sheepdisease]

Originally Posted by saltyworm

why didnt you try phone them to get price match before trekking around the whole of london

anyway im thinking of selling sony STR DG700, which has 2 HDMI in 1 out, 3 optical in so plenty connection for all your need. £100 collected or i can deliver it you if your not far from south london

Try phoning who to get a price match? I printed out the lowest price offered by Superfi and asked them to match it. They checked online and agreed that it was valid. Unfortunately, the Liverpool St store didn't have the Tannoy SFX 5.1 in Black (which they failed to mention from the start), so I had to go all around and eventually ended up in another store near London Bridge where they had them in black in stock... They looked up the price and agreed also, only trouble was they wanted to make things more difficult and wouldn't match the price unless they could get in touch with Superfi to see if the price included next day delivery (I don't understand why, if it didn't then Richer Sounds should have given it to me for less anyway)! If they had done a dummy purchase by adding the item to basket and then gone through to delivery options they would have been able to see for themselves.

I'm asking someone else who has been helping me with my setup what he thinks of this offer, hope you don't mind.

[W0LFIE]

I have these speakers connected to my Cambridge Audio 540R Azur Amp and they are sweet.
Use them for movies and Xbox on an HD projector and no probs.
Got them in 2007 and had no problems with them at all.

Got my amp, speakers, sub, Hitachi HD PJ and a Cambridge Audio DVD all for £1500.
The pj alone was £999 back in Nov 2007 so I think I did very well. Amazing what bargaining power you have in Richer Sounds when you have 1.5K in your hand in cash!!!!

[Sheepdisease]

I don't know, I think that so long as you say you will give them business that day after a good demo you are likely to be able to get a good deal on a batch like Tannoy SFX 5.1 speakers with two sets of stands and decent audio cable etc.

[INXS]

Just got a set of these babies to use as surrounds in a 7.1 set-up. The front pair are Eltax floorstanders.

Simply cannot wait to test out the whole thing!