confused as hell

[landcruiserjohn]

hi guys
I want a cinema system.
I dont know what tech terms are like the Sony is warm sounding, what does this mean.
The more I look at Avs the more I get uncertain about a perchase.
At the moment I have nothing other than a TV and a PS3 slim.
Would a good AV and good speakers be lost on me because I am just getting into the world of sound and picture.
Do I need experience of sound to know what is better sound and not just noise.
Its like when two people hear a powerful engine rev and one will say that noise is very loude and the other says that sound is powerful if you know what I mean.
I dont want to spend a lot but equally dont want to buy too cheap only to regreat it from day one.
My local shop will sell what they have and not nessaserely what I need.
The reviews are confusing.
I have been looking at the Sony STRDH800, DenonAVR1910,
Pioneer VSX 1019, and are there other Avs to think about.
I have not got a clue which speakers to pair up to what AV.
cheers
john

 

[Nobber22]

Relax John, it's not as complicated as it all sounds.

Bright-sounding vs warm in AV amps isn't really chalk and cheese and you can improve clarity/tame brightness with a set of speakers that has different sound characteristics to your amp.

You're better off starting with a set of speakers as they make more of an impact on the sound you hear. Look at your room, decide what sort of speakers you want eg. sub/sats, floorstanders/bookshelf with sub or no sub, what your other half will allow in her livingroom, etc. Find a budget and (try to) stick to it.

Then come back and ask about the amp. These days most AV amps do more than you'll need power-wise and as long as you've got all the facilities you want, you'll be grand.

 

[Gaspode_TWD]

Firstly, you will notice better sound quality. Its hard to describe what it sounds like (hence some of the terms like warm, spacious, etc) but you know when you are hearing it.

It is likely that after a while (somewhere between 6months and 3 years) you will identify something that you'd like to improve about the sound. So don't try to get the final solution in your first trip to the shops.

And trust your own judgement. You are the one that will be living with it after all.

 

[Passingbat]

If you post a total available budget for amp and speakers, you will get suggestions for both and they will be combinations that will work well together.

 

[safcalibur]

Hey mate,

A budget would be the best place to start and dont worry, you'll soon learn all about this wonderful world on AV .

Will you notice a difference? Almost certainly yes. If all you have been hearing are TV speakers then a surround sound system will be so much more immersive that you'll soon wonder how you lived without one. Imo its as important as a good TV set. Its about the whole audio/visual experience and many people seem to neglect the 'audio' part of this settling only with a very nice TV and no speakers/amp to compliment it. A good amp and speaker set (whether it surround sound or stereo) adds whole new level of immersion to any movie/game/music. I've found that its one of those things that you miss when you dont have it!!

How much you can spend is entirely down to you but bear in mind that an entry level amp which will handle HD audio will cost you £220 (both Onkyo 507 and Yamaha 465) set aside at least another £200 for a good speaker set then you're already looking at £400+ (thats if you want a 5.1 set straight out of the box).

If you can't spend that much on speakers straight away then buying a good pair of stereo speakers and building up slowly overtime would be a good idea.

Just some thoughts

Saf

 

[markdavid570]

I'm glad someone brought this up, as "warm" and "bright" are kind of confusing to me as well. I'm trying to decide between a Yamaha and Sony receiver right now (was leaning toward Sony, but it's no longer on sale, so the Yamaha might be the one...we'll see this weekend).

Anyway, I was a bass player for awhile, so "warm" to me is like a Fender bass though an Ampeg amp...it's deep, gritty, slightly overdriven, and kind of muffled. Doesn't sound great on its own, but sounds amazing in a band. "Bright" to me is clear, trebly, somewhat "tinny", but clearer. Does this same logic apply to home theater? Or do the amps not color the overall sound as much?

 

[safcalibur]

I'm glad someone brought this up, as "warm" and "bright" are kind of confusing to me as well. I'm trying to decide between a Yamaha and Sony receiver right now (was leaning toward Sony, but it's no longer on sale, so the Yamaha might be the one...we'll see this weekend).

Anyway, I was a bass player for awhile, so "warm" to me is like a Fender bass though an Ampeg amp...it's deep, gritty, slightly overdriven, and kind of muffled. Doesn't sound great on its own, but sounds amazing in a band. "Bright" to me is clear, trebly, somewhat "tinny", but clearer. Does this same logic apply to home theater? Or do the amps not color the overall sound as much?

Yes mate, the same logic applies here too. Of the well known brands Denon/Yamaha are considered warm and onkyo/sony are considered bright. Pairing them with suitable speakers is also a factor as a like for like pairing can produce either a muddy sound (warm/warm) or tinny, harsh, shrill sound (bright/bright) so pairing opposites is the 'norm' however go with whatever sounds good to you

Cheers

Saf

 

[markdavid570]

Thanks. That's what I figured. I doubt it's as obvious as the overdrive setting on a bass amp, but I get the idea. I've got a cheap set of speakers to start with, but I'm planning to upgrade them later, so focusing on the amp is where I'm starting.

 

[landcruiserjohn]

hi guys
Thanks for the replies, I am starting to unsderstand more.
I live in a town with only two shops for these items.
One sells the all in one from a box and the other was pushing the Onkyo, but they are expensive here.
So I have only heard the Onkyo with speakers I cant recall their names, something American.
Richer Sounds have a good range but are some 3 hours away from me.
I like the Sony at about£230 with speakers maybe £199 or £499 for the Q Aqustics 2000 model.
I like the pioneer at about £499 and speakers.
I like the Denon at about £350 and speakers.
But only from reviews on web sites.
Apart from that i know nothing.
I dont want to regret buying just because of a pushy sales man,ignorance on my part, or price.
I want something that will set up and operate easely.
Will have speakers of good sound and not too small.
Can work with Tv,ps3 and dvd player.
On screen display would be nice to see what I am doing.
I am confused about whether the HDMI cable can carry sound and picture, so only need to use one lead to connect items to the AV.
cheers
john

 

[logiciel]

Warmth and brighness are subjective ideas, not something technical.
If the sound you hear has an aspect that you want to suppress or emphasise the amp gives you those options.
I shopped around all over the Internet before selecting Onkyo and the result is a total success.
AVR member quantumuk was the one who convinced me, and he has the full range.
Reduction in cabling is a big advantage of amps - devices such as disk players and HD receivers do send video and audio in by HDMI, others use whatever their best output is, and one HDMI cable is all you need from amp to TV.

 

[landcruiserjohn]

Hi Guys
Thanks for the help so far, much appreciated.
Its true the more you learn about home cinema the more you want but that nasty thing called the budget stops you.
Anyway I have bought the Denon 1910, not my first choice but RS in Belfast had neither the Sony STRD8000 or the Yamaha 765 in stock and the Onkyo was in the warehouse so no good to me.
I know need speakers and just wondered what would suit for under the £400 mark.
Also my room is 15ft by 14ft with the TV in an alcove to one side of the fire breast and fills this alcove.
Can I put one front speaker say to the left of the TV beside it and the other front speaker at the other side of the fire breast about 12ft away.
I only ever see the front 3 speakers close to the Tv so wondering if this has to be the set up.
cheers
john