What Home Cinema Amp With Monitor Audio

[WillPage]

Hello,

I just bought a Sony KDL-32V5500 TV.

I now want to get a surround sound system.
Im looking at getting Monitor Audio Bronze BR2-AV.

I got a couple of question:

What amp (Budget of £600 cheaper the better) shall i get with these?
Are they good speakers or are there any other speakers which can be suggested for roughly around the same price range?

Thank You for any help Will

[andymc]

Hi,

I would say the Bronzes are a bloody good choice and most Onkyo or Yamaha Amps at that price point will give you a pretty good sound. Also check out the Denons

[greg_SA]

I would look at Marantz, Cambridge Audio and Arcam...

[WillPage]

Can you suggest any specific Amp as im new to this and wouldnt have a clue which one.

Thank You

[greg_SA]

Originally Posted by WillPage

Can you suggest any specific Amp as im new to this and wouldnt have a clue which one.

Thank You

Basically you can just look at what av amps are available in your price range... From Marantz, try the SR-5003.

[andymc]

Check out this link

Welcome to the Home Cinema Choice Awards 2009 in association with DTS | Home Cinema Choice

under the AV amps as a good starting place and then you can read the reviews of each in the REVIEW section to see which one may suit your needs the most.

I know it was suggested you look at Arcam but its way our your budget.

Also you can look at Yamaha DSP-AX863SE Home cinema amplifier review - from the experts at whathifi.com though I always take their reviews with a pinch of salt.

The best bet is to really try and have a listen to them as what suits one set of ears may not suit yours. Its your money so you need to make sure you are happy.

[BlueWizard]

I would recommend at least £399 for an AV Surround Receiver. Fortunately there are many very nice and very popular amps in this range.

A couple of the most popular are the -

Onkyo TX-SR577 @ £399
Onkyo TX-SR607 @ £449

Additionally, there are several Pioneer, Yamaha, and Sony in this price range. All well liked. It is just a matter of finding the amp with the features you need.

Steve/bluewizard

[WillPage]

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

I would recommend at least £399 for an AV Surround Receiver. Fortunately there are many very nice and very popular amps in this range.

A couple of the most popular are the -

Onkyo TX-SR577 @ £399
Onkyo TX-SR607 @ £449

Additionally, there are several Pioneer, Yamaha, and Sony in this price range. All well liked. It is just a matter of finding the amp with the features you need.

Steve/bluewizard

It mainly for blu ray DVD my x box and ps3 and playing music.

[BlueWizard]

Originally Posted by WillPage

It mainly for blu ray DVD my x box and ps3 and playing music.

Yes, but it is the playing music that complicates things. A typical extremely compact AV surround system can go a very good job on video and special effects, but they typically fall short for music. To get good music playback you have to go to at least bookshelf speakers.

Again, there are a lot of variables here, a crappola bookshelf is not going to sound as good as a premium 'lifestyle' system. But all other things being reasonably equal, 'lifestyle/egg/pod' speakers have their limits. But again, to be fair, they sell millions of them to millions of satisfied customers.

None the less, my recommendation is always get at least decent bookshelf speaker in a 5.1 system.

The Monitor Audio BR2 speaker would certainly qualify as GOOD bookshelf speakers.

Now it is just a matter of finding an AV amp in your budget.

You need to look at the outputs of your various devices. Some have analog, some have optical, some coaxial, some have HDMI connections. Don't forget your DVD and BluRay players. You need to make sure the amp you buy has those necessary connections. Though typically all AV amps come with an assortment of connections, and usually have enough to accommodate most people. Still, I don't have your equipment here in front of me, so I can't say what you have.

Again, if you are in the £400 to £600 price range, many very nice AV amps are available too you - Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Cambridge, Pioneer, Onkyo, etc....

Anyone of them would do an excellent job for you.

Steve/bluewizard

[greg_SA]

One thing that I normally think about with regards to AV amps and music is the following... Does the manufacturer also make high quality pure stereo amplifiers? If they do, I would have more faith in the music capability of the AV amps for stereo too... Maybe not 100%accurate, but just an idea.

[WillPage]

Originally Posted by BlueWizard

Yes, but it is the playing music that complicates things. A typical extremely compact AV surround system can go a very good job on video and special effects, but they typically fall short for music. To get good music playback you have to go to at least bookshelf speakers.

Again, there are a lot of variables here, a crappola bookshelf is not going to sound as good as a premium 'lifestyle' system. But all other things being reasonably equal, 'lifestyle/egg/pod' speakers have their limits. But again, to be fair, they sell millions of them to millions of satisfied customers.

None the less, my recommendation is always get at least decent bookshelf speaker in a 5.1 system.

The Monitor Audio BR2 speaker would certainly qualify as GOOD bookshelf speakers.

Now it is just a matter of finding an AV amp in your budget.

You need to look at the outputs of your various devices. Some have analog, some have optical, some coaxial, some have HDMI connections. Don't forget your DVD and BluRay players. You need to make sure the amp you buy has those necessary connections. Though typically all AV amps come with an assortment of connections, and usually have enough to accommodate most people. Still, I don't have your equipment here in front of me, so I can't say what you have.

Again, if you are in the £400 to £600 price range, many very nice AV amps are available too you - Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Cambridge, Pioneer, Onkyo, etc....

Anyone of them would do an excellent job for you.

Steve/bluewizard

Scrap the music idea then.
Main use would be PS3.

Sorry im new to this so that why so many questions thank you for your help.

[WillPage]

Right im Looking at either sony or Pioneer.

[BlueWizard]

Originally Posted by WillPage

Scrap the music idea then.
Main use would be PS3.

Sorry im new to this so that why so many questions thank you for your help.

Well, let's not be too hasty. You said you were considering the Monitor Audio BR2. That's an excellent speaker for both AV and Stereo music. If you really are getting those speakers or speaker similar to them, then you don't have a problem.

Assuming that is true, it is just down to the amp.

The Onkyo's are always good and very popular, but have a look at the other possibilities to.

To get you started here is a short list of places to buy equipment, look at their range of Home Cinema and AV amps and see if any appeal to you.

Superfi Online - UK's best supplier of hifi equipment and Home Cinema
HiFix the Hi Fi and Audio professionals
Peter Tyson Online
Richer Sounds - The UK's Hi-Fi, Home Cinema & Flat Panel TV Specialists!
Hifi Gear ~ HiFi and Home Cinema separates
HiFiBitZ - No.1 for Hi-fi, Home Cinema, and more.
Weymouth Hi-Fi - vast selection
Digital Direct - Home Cinema Systems
Home Entertainment Audio Visual Systems - Quantum Electronics (UK) Limited
Creative Audio - Welcome
HiFi Confidential Ltd.
Classic HiFi & Home Cinema
STONEAUDIO UK | hi-fi, home cinema, multi-room, design and installation

This list is by no means comprehensive. If you find something you like, the search the UK for the brand and model number on Google to see if you can find a better price.

If you stay in the range of £400 to £600 there are very few wrong choices. When you see a few amps you like, post back with a list and we will comment on them.

If you are not intent on buying the Monitor Audio BR2 AV speakers, then give us a budget for the speakers, and we will see what else is out there.

Steve/bluewizard

[WillPage]

How about this option:

Onkyo TX-SR607 & Monitor Audio BR2 AV Home Cinema 5.1 Package - Quantum Electronics (UK) Limited

[BlueWizard]

That system bought individually would cost about £1400, so the Quantum price is pretty attractive. Plus it comes with a full compliment of interconnecting cable and wire. Though I don't think it comes with stands.

You might also want to look at this package -

Onkyo TX-SR706 and Monitor Audio BR2 AV Package - Quantum Electronics (UK) Limited

Is is essentially the same. The SR706 amp is more powerful, but it is an older model. All the new model Onkyo amps end in a '7'. None the less, it is still a very new and very good amp, for slightly less money.

You can see the Monitor Audio BR5 combined with many other amps, it is simply a matter of setting your budget and picking the one you like best.

Regardless of which package you choose, it is certain to be a very very nice system.

Also, Quantum is an Assured Advertiser and a sponsor of this group, so you can be reasonably certain that this is a trustworthy place to buy equipment.

Steve/bluewizard