Can you spec me a nice setup for £600?

[Whappers]

Good afternoon,

I have a Samsung LE32R41BDX and bought it just before christmas. I will be working over the summer holidays (hopefully) and will generate a bit of cash which I hope to spend on a worthy sound system which will work with my TV.

Now, for the Amplifier. I believe that Denon are the most popular choice of amplifiers on these forums and I trust your judgement on that. I am well aware that there is no point in spending so much money on an amplifier when you're going to buy mediocre speakers to work with it. So with this in mind I am setting my maximum budget at £600 (which will hopefully include an amp, speakers and hopefully 4 speaker stands.) I would be looking to go for a 5.1 setup.

Can you spec me a nice setup with that £600 budget in mind?

Thank you.

Whappers

 

[Knyght_byte]

Denon do make some lovely amps, but also worth checking out at budget level are Yamaha and possibly Sherwood.......

for that money your really look at a amp plus sub/sat combo....its possible to get full range speaker package but you wont get the sub as well (or rather not a worthwhile sub....)......if you can cope without a sub till you have more money then my advice is go full range, you get more scope out of them, more volume, more impact, also better for music usually too......

sub/sat setups to look out for are KEF and Canton by all accounts.....altho MA Radius series are very good too, but you'll probably only get the sats for that price range, unless you can stretch to around £750ish then u can whack on a sub too....

oops, breaktime over, gotta go back to work, hopefully someone else will offer more suggestions for you

 

[Ultima]

I have a Denon 3803, purchased second hand on these forums for £300 plus the Canton Movie 150QX 5.1 system £340, and it sounds very good indeed.

 

[Whappers]

Thanks Knight-byte.

I would probably want to be getting all this in one go. By this I mean buy everything I need in one big go. (Amplifier, Speakers, Sub-Woofer, 4 Speakers Stands). Will I need to buy audio cables as well or will this come with the amplifier? As I have heard these can be quite pricey assuming you get good ones like Mark Grant cables etc.

I have just been reading about some medium priced Yamaha amplifiers which seem to be quite good for the money. So I will really consider looking at Yamaha as well. I think it is probably best if I buy the Home Cinema Magazine in my local newsagents and have a detailed read as I am quite new to the whole sound system malarkey

Thanks.

Whappers.

 

[hornydragon]

Save your money and read about it here...........the mags lag well behind the forum in every respect

 

[Whappers]

Thanks for the advice horny-dragon, I think i will just flick through it quickly and see whats what you know. If there is anything out of interest to me, like a review of 6 ideally priced sound systems for under £600, then I might consider buying although I would agree with you that with most things like computers etc forums are more helpful than magazines.

 

[Badger0-0]

Consider Mordaunt Short Premier setup or Avant speakers (the "i" range don't justify the price difference, IMO). The MS309 sub is good for the dough. Both to be had at good prices at Richer Sounds. Yamaha 357 amp is a good starter. IMO, get cheapy stands or wallmounts and look to change later, as and when.
Cables, likewise.

At least you've things to look at mate, good luck

 

[hoppaz]

Good afternoon,

I have a Samsung LE32R41BDX and bought it just before christmas. I will be working over the summer holidays (hopefully) and will generate a bit of cash which I hope to spend on a worthy sound system which will work with my TV.

Now, for the Amplifier. I believe that Denon are the most popular choice of amplifiers on these forums and I trust your judgement on that. I am well aware that there is no point in spending so much money on an amplifier when you're going to buy mediocre speakers to work with it. So with this in mind I am setting my maximum budget at £600 (which will hopefully include an amp, speakers and hopefully 4 speaker stands.) I would be looking to go for a 5.1 setup.

Can you spec me a nice setup with that £600 budget in mind?

Thank you.

Whappers

If I had my chance to start again with £600 I would not buy new kit if I could get away with it.

The for sale classified here and ebay are where I would buy cables and speaker wire.

A speaker package such as

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Celestion-C-Se...cmd ZViewItem (which oringally cost around £1000 mark) would be a good bet.

A second hand amp would be bought with the remainder and for the remaining £300 (I've assumed 100 quid for cables etc) you could get a Denon 3801/2/3 or possibly Yamaha A1 amp would by choice. My Denon AVR 3802 Amp is going in the classifieds for £250 if you are interested.

All together you woulld have a system that originally cost around £2000+ but still put most of the budget systems around today in the shame.

 

[Whappers]

Consider Mordaunt Short Premier setup or Avant speakers (the "i" range don't justify the price difference, IMO). The MS309 sub is good for the dough. Both to be had at good prices at Richer Sounds. Yamaha 357 amp is a good starter. IMO, get cheapy stands or wallmounts and look to change later, as and when.
Cables, likewise.

At least you've things to look at mate, good luck

Ok after doing a bit of researching and much thinking I believe your suggestions are about spot on. I have settled (for now) on the following:

1 MORD 309 AVANT = £220.95
1 YAMAHA RVX357 = £169.95

Current Total = £390

However, when it comes to actual speakers I cannot seem to find speakers that just come on their own without the sub-woofer. I can only find 5.1 speaker packages. I tried searching for those avantgarde speakers that you mentioned however I found speakers with the same name for £99 on richer sounds and I am not sure they are the ones you are reccomending.

Could you please provide a link of these avantagarde speakers?

Thanks.

Whappers

 

[Whappers]

If I had my chance to start again with £600 I would not buy new kit if I could get away with it.

The for sale classified here and ebay are where I would buy cables and speaker wire.

A speaker package such as

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Celestion-C-Se...cmd ZViewItem (which oringally cost around £1000 mark) would be a good bet.

A second hand amp would be bought with the remainder and for the remaining £300 (I've assumed 100 quid for cables etc) you could get a Denon 3801/2/3 or possibly Yamaha A1 amp would by choice. My Denon AVR 3802 Amp is going in the classifieds for £250 if you are interested.

All together you woulld have a system that originally cost around £2000+ but still put most of the budget systems around today in the shame.

Thanks for your reply and help hoppaz.

I was just wondering if you could provide a link to this speaker package that actually works. I don't know if it's just me (I don't think it is) but I believe the link is wrong.

Thanks.

Whappers

 

[Ultima]

1 MORD 309 AVANT = £220.95
1 YAMAHA RVX357 = £169.95

Current Total = £390

If you listen to music playback as well as movies I would think again about the Yamaha. After reading reviews and also listening to my old Yamaha RX350 it seems the music playback is not too hot.

 

[Whappers]

Thanks.

My main uses for the amplifier will be mainly Playstation 2, Xbox 360 (if or when I get one) TV, Movies. Music isn't something that I will be using this for much really. But I have started to consider getting the Denon 3802 as they can be had for a little more expensive on eBay. Do AVForums have a member's market?

Thanks.

Whappers

 

[Ultima]

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=62

 

[Badger0-0]

Ok after doing a bit of researching and much thinking I believe your suggestions are about spot on. I have settled (for now) on the following:

1 MORD 309 AVANT = £220.95
1 YAMAHA RVX357 = £169.95

Current Total = £390

However, when it comes to actual speakers I cannot seem to find speakers that just come on their own without the sub-woofer. I can only find 5.1 speaker packages. I tried searching for those avantgarde speakers that you mentioned however I found speakers with the same name for £99 on richer sounds and I am not sure they are the ones you are reccomending.

Could you please provide a link of these avantagarde speakers?

Thanks.

Whappers

The 309 sub, I bet you can beat that price

The speakers to look for are the Mordaunt short 902 AVANT (no "i") or 903 if you fancy rear di/bipoles (a different subject, but there you go).
Here's a link:

http://ws1.richersounds.co.uk/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=MORD-902-AVANT-BLK
Maybe www.petertyson.co.uk
Just had a glance, at petertyson, they have the full range
I see you've been recommended £100 for cables, I'm sorry, I can't agree with this at your budget, but fair play, it's open to question and much debate.
The premiere system is basically the same speakers I'm recommending, just slightly different.
And slightly older, but to my mind pretty much the same.

 

[hoppaz]

Thanks for your reply and help hoppaz.

I was just wondering if you could provide a link to this speaker package that actually works. I don't know if it's just me (I don't think it is) but I believe the link is wrong.

Thanks.

Whappers

Apologies they had a buy it now price of £200 on Ebay so must have been bought. Here's a review of what was on offer...

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/reviews/hccreviews/SpeakerPackages/Celestion/CelestionC-System.php

 

[Knyght_byte]

I have a Denon 3803, purchased second hand on these forums for £300 plus the Canton Movie 150QX 5.1 system £340, and it sounds very good indeed.

my 3803's only worth £300 now?.....poo...bang goes the 3806 upgrade for as little extra cash as i got to part with

 

[Ultima]

my 3803's only worth £300 now?.....poo...bang goes the 3806 upgrade for as little extra cash as i got to part with

I got a real bargain, this is a top quality amp.

 

[Whappers]

The 309 sub, I bet you can beat that price

I think I have pretty much settled on the 309 sub and the Denon 3803 now.

The speakers to look for are the Mordaunt short 902 AVANT (no "i") or 903 if you fancy rear di/bipoles (a different subject, but there you go).

I just cannot decide which speakers to get. I quite fancy two floor standing speakers like these

.

and then have something like this for the centre.

But for the rear speakers I would prefer something like these (If they can be put onto stands).

I don't know how ridiculous this sounds but I was looking to go for something a little smaller in size for the rear speakers as I think thes ones are a little too large for the stand.

As for those rear di/bipoles, I have no idea what they are.

I see you've been recommended £100 for cables, I'm sorry, I can't agree with this at your budget, but fair play, it's open to question and much debate.

Do you think it will cost me alot more or alot less then?

Thanks.

Whappers.

 

[Badger0-0]

Depends which way you want it mate.
It could easily cost over a ton.
People recommend 5-10% of your total budget is spent on cables.
I don't necessarily subscribe to this.
Twin and earth cable is good, as is cat5 network cable, for the speakers, if you can get it freebie.
If your sub is near to your amp, you could easily use a normal yellow ended composite cable as your interconnect.
IMO, spend your money on your kit and add better cables later.

I reckon your choices are sound and would be fine. The 902s can easily be mounted on the side walls in the rear corners with a pair of £8 brackets available from maplins. If you do so, remember they need room to breathe, being rear ported. A foot or so will be fine.
You could go for smaller and to be fair, the rears don't strictly have to match the front, but I would go exactly with what you have chosen. They will do a great job.
The 903's have 2 midrange and 2 tweeters each, but are more expensive, so don't worry too much about them.

If you fancy the MS, also consider a Marantz amp. Marantz is basically the same company as Mordaunt Short.
Try and demo if you can, but I don't know where.
Just out of interest, are you still on budget if you buy the kit you're thinking of ?

Also, have you sourced any of this kit yet ?, as a quick search for the 3803 didn't give me much.

 

[Whappers]

Depends which way you want it mate. It could easily cost over a ton.

It really is crazy what people can spend just to get quality sound.

Twin and earth cable is good, as is cat5 network cable, for the speakers, if you can get it freebie.

Can you please explain as I'm still quite new to all this, what is twin and earth cable? I am familiar with cat5 network cable, but what is it going to be used for, I mean I wasn't aware that they needed a network cable

If your sub is near to your amp, you could easily use a normal yellow ended composite cable as your interconnect.

Yeah, the sub-woofer will be quite near to the amplifier. I believe with the Mordaunt Short Avant MS309 Subwoofer on www.petertyson.co.uk you get free delivery on it as well as a free interconnect. http://www.petertyson.co.uk/msavant309.shtml plus it is the cheapest place that I have seen it so far. I haven't eBayed for it yet.

I reckon your choices are sound and would be fine. The 902s can easily be mounted on the side walls in the rear corners with a pair of £8 brackets available from maplins. If you do so, remember they need room to breathe, being rear ported. A foot or so will be fine.

I've been trying to plan out how and where everything is going to go. But mounting the rear speakers on a bracket does sound appropriate.

You could go for smaller and to be fair, the rears don't strictly have to match the front, but I would go exactly with what you have chosen.

If I am going to buy this all I really will want to make sure that it all matches. I haven't Obsessive Compulsive Disorder but I am pretty fussy.

Just out of interest, are you still on budget if you buy the kit you're thinking of ?

I'm just trying to piece how much this is going to cost altogether at the moment and it looks as though I'm already overbudget. But if I can justify spending the extra then so be it. I don't believe there is any point in spending money on something that you know isn't what you want because you will always be thinking, if only I had spent that extra couple of pounds I could have got what I wanted.

Also, have you sourced any of this kit yet ?, as a quick search for the 3803 didn't give me much.

How do you mean sourced any of it? Do you mean found places to buy?; read reviews?;demo'd a few of the items?:

One very important question that I must ask is, what is the difference between the standard Mordaunt Short MS904 Avant Speakers and the Mordaunt Short Avant MS904i Speakers apart from the name as I cannot see any difference in the spacification. I remember what you said about the "i range" being not worth the extra, but I am just puzzled as to why one would be more expensive than the other

Thanks!

Whappers

 

[Badger0-0]

T&E is the cable used for your house wiring, grey sleeving with a red and black sleeved wire and a bare wire.
Cat5 you know about.
Both are apparently very good for speaker cables and if you can get them cheap or even freebie, that's a big bonus.
How exactly you use the cat5, well you'll have to search the forums, because I'm not exactly sure.
With T&E, I guess you just discard the bare wire and Robert's your relative.

The 904i's are supposed to be better, but it's mainly stronger internal bracing and a slightly different crossover, I believe.
I don't doubt they are slightly better, but how much is another question.
As you noted, the spec is identical.
As you are working to a budget, I wouldn't recommend them.

As for sourcing, yes, I mean have you found prices and stock?
If you decide to source everything at PeterTyson, don't forget to try and wangle a discount, or free post or free goodies etc.

I do like the way your logic works, your comment on budget and having to go over make sense

 

[Whappers]

Ok, I think I get it now. You were reccomending me to use Cat5 networking cable, strip the ends off them and use them as a substitute until I can get myself some quality audio interconnects. I get you now.

The 904i's are supposed to be better, but it's mainly stronger internal bracing and a slightly different crossover, I believe.
I don't doubt they are slightly better, but how much is another question.
As you noted, the spec is identical. As you are working to a budget, I wouldn't recommend them.

I'll see how everything turns out in the end. But for the mean time I think I will spec myself the cheaper non "i range" ones. If I have money left over I might just burn it. lol

As for sourcing, yes, I mean have you found prices and stock? If you decide to source everything at PeterTyson, don't forget to try and wangle a discount, or free post or free goodies etc.

I think I will buy the speakers etc off PeterTyson but I have much price running to do as up until now I have only been trying to figure out what it is that I actually want to get. Once I am sure of what it is that I would like to get then I will start the bargain hunting. If I can get most of this stuff second hand then I could save myself a bundle. But it is going to take me some time.

I do like the way your logic works, your comment on budget and having to go over make sense

Yeah, it's like the Xbox 360 core and premium pack. Why get a core when you will probably end up spending more to get all the peripherals that the premium has? It's cheaper in the long run.

Thanks again Badger!

Now to do some price hunting.

Whappers

 

[johnnypy]

I am looking for an upgrade to my existing system. I have a Pioneer pdp505xde, a panasonic upscaling p scan DVD player, an ordinary sky digibox, and the receiver/amp is currently a Sony davs500 (plays SACDs) with accompanying speakers. I also still have a Technics turntable for vinyl with a phono preamp. My immediate (courtesy of Sky HD!) plans are to upgrade my sky box to a sky HD box - I bought my pioneer in March 05 and I have been waiting rather a long time like everyone else! This would mean that I end up with 2 HDMI inputs - one from the DVD and one from the Sky box. I know there may be component outputs from the Sky HD box, but how long these will output before Sky switch on HDCP is anyone's guess. So what I think I need will be an amp/receiver that will have 2 HDMI inputs; I have looked at switchers and they are ~£230 which is a big chunk of the cost of upgrading my current amp. I am particularly interested in amps that have upscaling conversion to HDMI - however there seems to be some debate about how useful upscaling is with a Pioneer which already does some internal upscaling anyway. I would like to hear views on that too. I am sure I also need to look at new speakers.

By the way I feed all the video signal to the xde media box (eg rgb scart for the sky, hdmi from the panasonic dvd player) and multichannel audio direct to the Sony dav s500 via optical digital from the panasonic. The sky is just 2 channel as its not a sky+ box, but this is also fed direct to the sony. I use the sony as a SACD player and audio multichannel amplifier only.

Can anyone suggest amps/receivers in the £500-£1000 bracket, and speakers up to £1000 which may be worth considering?

 

[dazed&confused]

Whichever rear spekaers you end up with, I suggest you mount them on the wall, above head height, rather than plcae them on stands.

 

[Whappers]

Ok, ahem.

I just did a quick little price check and found that I am massively over budget but I don't think there is any point in doing something if you're not going to do it properly. Anyway, I can probably shave a few pounds off here and there but realistically at present I am looking at the following. Please bear in mind that I still have much price checking to do and this is by no means the final list.

Peter Tyson: Mordaunt Short MS904A maple - special! = £139.90
Peter Tyson: Mordaunt Short Avant MS905i Speaker = £119.90
Peter Tyson: Mordaunt Short Avant MS309 Subwoofer = £215.90
eBay: DENON AVR 3802 AV Surround Receiver / Amplifier = £255 approximately
Mark Grant: Cables approximately = £80
Maplin: Speaker wall brackets = £7
Currys?: Wall bracket for TV approximately = £40

Current Total = roughly £857.7

I think I have pretty much settled on the speakers. But I found it difficult to find the Denon 3803 as I think Denon stopped manufacturing it some time ago. However, the Denon 3802 is still pretty available and I found one on eBay just there. I have allocated £80 for cables but this could change closer to the purchase date. I have decided to buy them from Mark Grant as I have heard very good things. The TV wall bracket is about the only thing that I could probably do away with but I think I might just go and do it as I am doing the rest. I haven't researched the TV bracket all that much so I've just put down a benchmarker of £40 for it so far.

I've got much thinking to do.

Thanks.

Whappers