£1500 to spend ... HELP !

x Dr Vodka x

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Just looking for some help please. I am moving into a new place and was looking to spend about £1500 on some 5.1 speakers and a home cinema Amp. i have a Sony BDP360 and a Pio Kuro 60" at the moment hooked up to a crappy Pio all in one system.

The speakers need to be smallish and not too bulky for the Mrs. I have been looking at B&W MT25’s KEF T series etc but originally I was looking at a BOSE lifestyle 5.1 speakers with a PIO AV amp.

Movies and games are the most played media and I have searched endlessly but I am more confused than when ii started … Help
 
Hey, welcome to the forums :thumbsup:

You would just need to get yourself a decent AV receiver and then a set of speakers....oh and some speaker cable, but that's pretty much it!

People will think that I work for Q acoustics, as I recommend the Q acoustics 2000 5.1 speakers a lot but it's only because I rate them highly.
They're smaller than your average bookshelf speaker but they are great for the price.

Or you could go for some Acoustic Energy Neo 1's, they're a bit bulkier but should give you a little more bass, with a smooth handling of the mids and highs on top.

When it comes to amp choices, how many inputs are looking for the amp to have? How about any network features? Such has having the ability to stream music from your computer?

Onkyo and Yamaha seem to be the favourite with people with the same set up as you're building.


It's really not as complicated as you think. :)
 
My personal preference would be to grab the Monitor Audio Radius (or Apex if budget can stretch) 5.0 speakers and add a sub from BK, like say the xls400 or Monolith. I prefer the MA stuff Kef and B&W myself, and a BK sub will outperform any of the packaged subwoofers that are supplied as part of packages. For the AV receiver, I would make your budget work hard for you and pick up a pre owned bargain, that way you could end up with a £1000 rrp AVR for as little as £300.
 
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I think in this price range, we are looking at AV amps in the roughly £500 to about £800 range with the balance on speakers.

If you are considering Q Acoustic, the 2050 Surround Sound with floorstanding fronts are only about £750, and would make a powerful system.

However, in a pure AV Surround system, the Q Acoustic bookshelf are very good, and acceptable for music too. And that would allow you a little more for the amp and the inevitable accessories.

I'm sure something similar could be done in Wharfedale Diamond or Monitor Audio BX, and definitely so if you want bookshelf speakers, with a Sub.

Here is an example of a decent Wharfedale Diamond system -

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10 HCP HOME CINEMA SPEAKER SYSTEM WITH SW150 SUBWOOFER - available from Superfi UK

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10 HCP HOME CINEMA SPEAKER SYSTEM - available from Superfi UK

Compact speakers that are still acceptably musical. Though I think most would recommend an upgrade in front to the Diamond 10.1 for about £50 more.

In Monitor Audio BX series, you would definitely need to stay with the BX1 and a BK Sub to stay close to your budget.

Also, you can save money and get a better Sub if you buy from BK Electronics -

Sub Woofers

With a bookshelf system even the smallest Gemini-II sub would be fine.

But, we then come to a problem, when you say small, exactly how small do you mean? If you are talking about Satellite/Sub systems, and this is strictly for video/TV, this would be fine. But if music is involved, I don't recommend anything below good bookshelf speakers in the front.

As to amp, you can just buy a straight up AV amp with your available budget, or you can shop around to maximize your money. There is always something on sale or close-out at hundreds of Pounds discount. Onkyo, Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, Denon, and others are all good brands to consider.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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There is always someone on the upgrade selling a good pre-owned amp. I really would look at a preo-owned amp to begin with, you'll get much more out of your system as a result.
 
thanks guys, some food for thought there ....
 

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