best speaker package for under £350

M

max101

Guest
I have around £350 to spend on a speaker package.

wife is ok as long as they are as small as possible and silver.

my requirements is obviously best sound available. ( mainly movies )

will be running off a sony STD1080.


I have only been able to track down 2 that that remotely fit the bill.

1.sony sav-e835 ( general opinion seems to be that these have some major flaws )

2. mission F-1's ( some suggestions of sub problems ? )

if anyone could comment further on the missions or poss suggest something else that fits the criteria that would be great
 
Mission FS2AV at around £359 if you shop around alot! Or £369 if you are like me and couldn't wait...
 
SimonG,

could you expand on your recomendation for the FS2's

hopefully you can draw some comparisons to the FS1's


after trawling the posts on here i haven't found a good pro/con comparison between the 2 of them. consensus seems to be split.

looking at prices as well though i've noticed that although the sale prices are only about £50 apart ( in favour of the FS1's ), the RRP of the FS2's is nearly twice that of the FS1's

surley the FS2's must be a much better option ?

anyone listened to both care to comment ?
 
Haven't road tested the FS but recently bought 5 Elac Cinema Sat 1's. Not the complete package as I had my own sub (PS1000). I have had them just over 2 weeks and am very happy with them they are about 5"x3" and can be bought in black or silver, and individually handy for upgrading to 6.1 etc. I use them both for movies and 2ch.

The mid to high ranges are excellent and they even put out a quite a reasonable amount of bass for their size. They come supplied with neat wall mounting brackets for each speaker and have an excellent build quality, they have also won several awards.

http://www.elac.com/de/tests/2002/cin1wvtv3.html

I bought mine at £50 ea from a local dealer in Newcastle but you can buy them online:

http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk/acatalog/Surround_Sound___Home_Cinema.html

Don't know about the company never used them before!!

If you want anymore info just pm me.

l8r

7ThGuest :)
 
Happy to review the FS2s, but I did not test the FS1s as last month almost no-one had the FS1 in stock and the FS2 is the "senior" package and fell within my budget. Email Mission if you need to, they are very helpful and answer all queries quickly (another reason to get these).

First asthetics. If you are considering these then looks and flexibility in placement are probably high on your list. Well they are stunning. I payed an extra £80 and got a pair of stands for the front pair, which raises them to the height of the centre speaker which fits nicely in the limited space atop my RPTV.

The rears are on tables either side of my settee at the rear of the room. Less than a foot high and around two inches thick, I had to press my ear against them to make sure it was these tiny slivers of silver making all that noise!

The bass is provided by a subwoofer, as is common in sub-sat systems and the FS range is unique(?) in that all cables go from the amp to the sub (in an "umbilical 5m long) and thence to the appropriate speaker with the crossover sorted by the sub. Bass is sufficient to shake a large leather sofa 4m away without any strain, so quite appropriate in a 3x4m room in a detachced house.

All cables (45m of decent flat speaker cable!) stands (except the large stands), wall brackets, screws, spikes, rubber feet, etc is included in the package. This is a real "package", nothing else to buy so factor that in to your price calculations. The low selling price I attribute to the fact that system is two years old and incredibly popular (everyone from hifi shops to box shifters sells them) forcing down prices. Any package you see at the same price everywhere is presumably being fixed by the manufacturer.

One thing to mention is that on the FS2 the sub is black. On the FS1 it is silver. It didn't worry me as my sub is directly behind the TV but YMMV. The sub is a least shaped as a quartyer of a cylinder so can be placed upright in corners or on its side against the bottom of a wall.

So would I recommend them? In a word, yes. Bright, clear treble. Distinct dialogue, plenty of bass from the sub. Looks to die for, unobstrusive, no "sweet spot" making them ideal for use in non-dedicated rooms. Fantastic price and everything in one package.
Add to that I got a five year guarantee from HiFi Junkies and I'm very pleased.

Except no substitutes!

More details at http://www.mission.co.uk
Purchased from http//www.hifi-junkies.co.uk (Took advantage of their price matching & 5 year guarantee.)
 
I have FS1s running off a1070. Have had no problems with a sub but did have a faulty centre speaker which mission have changed no problem. it only came this morning so you will have to wait till tonight to see if it has solved problems, but service form Mission is excellent.

FS1s have wife factor. Mine was not too fussed about speakers but is now very impressed! believe me this is an achievement!

Go for FS2s if you will want 6 speakers, but for me 5 is plenty. Sounds great, looks great.

Also there is a link somewhere to get them (FS1s) for £319. UK QED I think from memory. Unfortunately I couldn't find it when i wanted to but so i paid £399. Have now got a Barclaycard so won't have the same problem again!
 
I Have FS1s running off Denon 1603, very happy indeed now its all run in, also when i bought extra brackets and cables of mission they were very helpful.

Never will want more than 5.1 so no probs there, wife as happy as wife can be given the fact that i wanted 'HOW MANY SPEAKERS' in the lounge ;)

Bought mine as a price match against QED from Audio T with a 3 yr warranty - and service with a smile (likewise the 1603 from Audio T).

Steve.
 
Hello 7thGuest,

I am interested in getting a set of the Elac Cinema speakers like you, and just wondered what the performance is like in Stereo for CD's?

Have you compared them to any other sat/sub package, like the kef eggs?

What Amp / Receiver are you using to drive these speakers?

Thanks a lot for all your help.
 
Hi Perrdl

I am using an Onkyo 575 Amp with a PS1000 sub.

I was looking at some Celestions & Missions but could not make my mind up. I tested both sets a couple of times and was edging towards the Missions, but just out of curiosity I asked about something a little smaller. I listened to a set of Bose lifestyles (nice but way to pricey) I also thought pound 4 pound the Keff eggs weren't that much better.

I have had mine about 3 weeks now and after a bit of experimentation with heights/stands etc I am very pleased with the result.. Ok they won't give you everything a 'big' speaker would nut I have no complaints. I use my mainly for movies but am just as happy listening to 2ch.

In fact whilst having the demo I specifically asked for some classical and blues and was very impressed with the quality and reproduction. I can't unfortunately vouch for the Elac sub, but if you want something small and stylish and at a reasonable price I personally think the Elac's fit the bill.

Just make sure you give them a good test before buying. My room is approx 4 x 4.5 m and it I find I have to listen to them at -20 or it gets too loud!!

Hope this helps

7ThGuest :)
 

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