£1500 for sound setup?? Please help!!

sunbedted

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Hi all,

As the title suggests I'm looking to spend about £1500 total on an amp AND speakers. I'm a little out of the loop on the audio side of things so was wondering what people would suggest is a good combo for this sort of price range.

I need connections for the folllowing: PS3, SkyHD (HDMI), xbox360, connecting to Hitachi 42pd7200. 1080p ability is also a must as I may look to upgrade my screen too also.

I would also like to be able to connect an HDMI upscaling DVD player although this is not of massive importance as I believe an upgrade to the PS3 will soon make this a possibility forcing my dvd player on to ebay!! An ipod connection may be a nice touch to replace my bose sound dock, resulting in some extra ebay cash to add to my price range!

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions, I really am starting from scratch!
 
AMP

Denon AVR 2307 (approx £479 from Bartlett's Hi-Fi London)

2 HDMI (1080p) in and 1 out
Upconversion to HDMI from all inputs
Ipod function (with additional docking station)
7 x 135 watts rms (6ohms)
See:http://www.denon.co.uk/site/frames_main.php?main=prod&ver=&MID=3&sub=1&action=detail&Pid=296

SPEAKERS

Duo-77A 5.1 speaker system with active 150watt sub
Fantastic speakers for the money and look good to boot! Would retail for over £1500 if bought from a distributor, buy direct from manufacturer for £695
See: http://www.duoacoustics.com/product_detail_new.asp?id=109&pri=549

That's £1200 and with the change, you can buy some decent hdmi cabling and speaker cable.

Just a suggestion, but you'll not be disappointed with these I am sure!
 
I would suggest the Cambridge Audio 640 http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.php?PID=139&Title=Azur 640R 7.1 HDMI AV Receiver from Richer Sounds for £599.95 and the Acoustic Energy Aego T http://www.petertyson.co.uk/ebuttonz/ebz_product_pages/acousticenergyaegot-aeaegot.shtml for £599.99

Why the amp, if it is a musical capable amp then this will meet the spec due to its massive 1400watt power supply, the spec states.
2 x 120 watts rms per channel, 8 ohms (two channels driven)
7 x 100 watts rms per channel, 8 ohms (all 7 channels driven), try getting a mid range Denon, Yahama, Pioneer to do that. It is the "all 7 channels driven" that others can not meet.

The speakers sound just great and have an amazing sound considering how small they are, but suppose it is down to an excellent SUB.
 
you could go with similar setup to what I'm just ordering/about to order. Sony str3200es around £500 and the svs sb01 speaker package which is £860. this would leave a little for stands and cables.

Regards
Carl
 
I would suggest the Cambridge Audio 640 http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.php?PID=139&Title=Azur%20640R 7.1 HDMI AV Receiver from Richer Sounds for £599.95 and the Acoustic Energy Aego T http://www.petertyson.co.uk/ebuttonz/ebz_product_pages/acousticenergyaegot-aeaegot.shtml for £599.99

Why the amp, if it is a musical capable amp then this will meet the spec due to its massive 1400watt power supply, the spec states.
2 x 120 watts rms per channel, 8 ohms (two channels driven)
7 x 100 watts rms per channel, 8 ohms (all 7 channels driven), try getting a mid range Denon, Yahama, Pioneer to do that. It is the "all 7 channels driven" that others can not meet.

The speakers sound just great and have an amazing sound considering how small they are, but suppose it is down to an excellent SUB.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this amp can output uncompressed LPCM audio through HDMI can it? I think it is much like most cheaper HDMI amps and can only act as a video switcher. This is a consideration if you want to tap into Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD or any digital audio via HDMI found on the latest HD formats.
Oh and the Denon has 7 discrete power amps and 7 independent power supplies for each channel and also rates at 7 x 100 watts rms into 8 ohms (all channels driven) with a frequency response of 10hz-100khz which is ideal for SACD/DVD-Audio(Cambridge has only 10hz-20khz)
You can also bi-amp the front two channels on the Denon and run a 5.1 system with superb stereo ability.
But let's not blind the poor chap with science! It comes down to sound, functions and capability and with the HDMI audio, the high bandwidth, the Ipod docking function and bi-amping capability...I think the Denon is a clear winner!
But then as an owner.......I would wouldn't I!!:smashin:
 
Wow, thanks for the quick replies! Like the look of the duo speakers, was reading a review of them in what home cinema magazine the other day and was impressed. Does anyone have any opinions on the Sony 3200/5200 and the Pioneer VSX-AX4ASi-S? Just been browsing the forums and these popped up?!

I'm a little blinded by the science of everything still but trying my best to catch up with the jargon!!
 
Hi

I was in a similar position last week. I opted for the Sony 3200es (£499 from local sony centre) and AE Aego T speakers (£629 HIfi Confidential).

Set everything up over the bank holiday weekend and I am well impressed with the results. Casino Royal, PCM thru HDMI sounds amazing!
 
Wow, thanks for the quick replies! Like the look of the duo speakers, was reading a review of them in what home cinema magazine the other day and was impressed.

I've heard the Duo's and was mightily unimpressed - muddy and indistinct & over priced at £650. I would also suggest the Aego T's - much better sounding speakers IMHO.
 
My ote goes to Onkyo 674 (bargain at under £500) and Canton CD205 Speakers (just over budget) but shop around and you may get al in under the£1500

Edit just seen you can get the 674 for £300 now thats stupid cheap so it would all come in budget
 
I've heard the Duo's and was mightily unimpressed - muddy and indistinct & over priced at £650. I would also suggest the Aego T's - much better sounding speakers IMHO.

The Duo's are known for needing to be run in properly before sounding their best. Maybe the ones you heard where straight out of the box. Either way, I thought they sounded great and so do many AV publications too.

But like I said, these are just suggestions. The best advice any of us can give is to demo where possible and get a feel for what you like and what you don't.
 
The Duo's are known for needing to be run in properly before sounding their best. Maybe the ones you heard where straight out of the box. Either way, I thought they sounded great and so do many AV publications too.

But like I said, these are just suggestions. The best advice any of us can give is to demo where possible and get a feel for what you like and what you don't.

Absolutely.

Demo, demo, and then demo some more.:smashin:
 

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