Can anyone help a newbie please?

[Simonp68]

Hi,
I'm looking for a hd capable surround system for my lounge.I have Pioneer 428XD with V+ box (connected to TV via HDMI) and PS3 (again connected to TV via HDMI)
Initially it was my plan to go with one of the new pioneer amps (probably mainly due to the looks of the black units to match the TV and Kuro link etc,either the 819,919 or 1019.I'm not bothered about 7.1 so is the 1019 not worth the extra money?
Also i was gonna pair this with some bose speakers,again i've heard bose demos at their shops in the states and sound good,they are nice and small which is a plus as i have the tv mounted on the wall and between the bottom of the TV and the Fire surround is only 11cm (the bose centre horizontal speaker is neat and only 10.2 cm high so this would fit nicely.)
However,i called into a home hifi store yesterday and straight away the salesman tried to put me off my suggestions.I want to check whether what he's saying is true or that he was just trying to sell me what he wanted to sell me!
Firstly he said the pioneer amp was very bright and the bose speakers were also bright!(in fact he said bose stood for "buy other sound equipment!"(bet his boss would've been made up to hear that!)
After watching a movie he said i would be very tired of listening to them!
Instead me recommended the Yamaha RX V765 which looked ok and also either the kef 1005's or 2005's to partner it.I had a demo of the 2005's which were nice but i wasn't blown away by the £400 amp and £700 speakers,maybe i'd be even less blown away with my initial choice?
He suggested the kef speakers were also bright and needed to be powered with a 'warm amp' such as Yamaha.
Couldn't listen to the 1005's as they weren't rigged up but the 2005's are out anyway as i can't fit the centre speaker under the TV.Anyone know the dimensions of the 1005's?
Blimey,i'm rambling but there seem to be some very knowledgable bods on here.
If i went for the Pioneer amp with the 1005's instead of bose would i also be disappointed?
Can anyone suggest and altenative good package with a centre speaker that suits.(P.S I can stretch to £1000)
Any help much appreciated
P.S I also have a Pearl Vision drumkit set up in the corner and would like to be able to crank it up and listen to music and play along with the drums so i could do with an amp that can do that ok as well as home cinema

 

[William YZF-R1]

Although some may disagree I think the salesman should be applauded for his honesty.

 

[johny1980]

Well he was probaly right on the speaker front.

But, the pioneer amps are you mention are very capable.

If you look at my sig. i have kit that could be perceived as bright & bright but i love the sound i get from them especially with movies

Its all down to personal taste really.

Your right the pioneers look so good especially if you already have pioneer kit to go with it.

The only thing you would be missing out with the 919 is upscaling.

 

[PSM1]

If you want an AV amp that is good with music then you should look at Denon or Marantz. These will be much better with music than the Pioneers. Denon are also 'warm' amps so will match the Kefs well. You could also look at the Monitor Audio speakers (Radius range) as these are bright speakers so will work well with the Denon but are also quite small.
I would also not rate Bose (although the main issue is the cost vs performance) and you will be able to buy better for cheaper.
I would not worry about the Kuro link stuff. A good all in one remote will work much better than this and give you a lot more functionality etc. I would look at the Logitech Harmony range of remotes (start from around £30 for a baisc one). They are easy to set up, have great customer support and very easy to use (have a nice one touch activity system to turn all equipment on with one button).

 

[Passingbat]

If you want an AV amp that is good with music then you should look at Denon or Marantz.

Yamaha should be included in that list. They are warm and (as far as AV amps are concerned) are musical to the same degree as Denon --- Marantz may beet them both for music, but Marantz have their own problems in other areas!

Of the models released this year, Denon do seem to have slightly out-shone Yamaha in sound quality, but you won't get bad sound form the Yamahahs.

If you want good sound quality, then stay away from 'Style' speakers; the're not going to produce the sound quality of 'proper' speakers unless, possibly, you pay mega-bucks.

 

[Simonp68]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the feedback!

I'll have a ponder on what you've all said and take the plunge soon

Thanks for the info!!!