Feedback requested on Home Cinema setup quote

Spooky Electric

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I have been provided with the following quote to help complete my new home cinema setup:

To confirm, I already have my OLED TV wall mounted in the lounge and am seeking to have my 5.1 speaker setup wall mounted with the cabling chased into the walls.

The same company wall mounted the TV and dod a good job, but my jaw nearly dropped when I received this quote. Prices are exclusive of VAT too.

Feedback very much welcomed!

LOUNGE:

Chase wall to hide cabling £90

Refill wall to builders finish ready for decoration £75

Supply and fit 35mm tube to future proof cabling access etc £30

Mount x4 speakers in required locations £120

Supply and fit sound bar arms for centre speaker to hang with TV if possible £49

Install and fully calibrate av amp £90

Install all devices and set up £30

Run 4 speaker cables around room in trunking to required locations £140

(Run cables up in corners and cork ready for decorating)

Leads/cables required:

5m hdmi lead (choice up to client)

Basic: £35

Medium: £55

Premium: £99

5m power lead: £25

5m optical: £35

Speaker cable required:

£3.19 per meter required
MASTER-BED:

TV Wall mounting installation in master bed £90

Chase wall to hide cabling £75

Supply double power lead for sky box and tv £25

Supply black full motion bracket suitable for TV £79 basic or £129 premium full motion
 
While the jobs described are relatively easy (apart from the calibration), they're certainly not quick.

The labour costs are driving the majority of that, and it looks like you're paying £30-£40 an hour which isn't unreasonable for quality workmanship.

You could potentially save a few quid on the materials, but even they don't strike me as being quoted at a price where someone is taking the p*ss.
 
None of those are particularly difficult jobs. Why don’t you do them yourself? Take your time and you’ll be fine.
 
Sadly my DIY skills are such that I’d probably end up paying to have the damage I created repaired! 😄

There are a number of the listed options that I can do without, such as the calibrating of the amp and so on, but it struck me as being a particularly expensive outlay for the more essential jobs needed. They did do a good job with mounting the TV bracket, so, the quality of work shouldn’t be an issue.
 
Thanks for the response Rich. I understand their grading of HDMI cables to be based upon the Audioquest range (Cinnamon being the Premium option).
 
Thanks for the response Rich. I understand their grading of HDMI cables to be based upon the Audioquest range (Cinnamon being the Premium option).
I wouldn’t touch the Audioquest cables. They are overpriced and offer no advantage.
We use Pixelgen and Clearline hdmi cables for our installations. These are 2.0b 18.1Gbps pro install cables. They are also very thin so as not to put any pressure on your hdmi board. A good quality hdmi is a good quality hdmi cable. Please ignore different priced cables from the same manufacturer.

Only Fibre optic hdmi cables are expensive and are required for runs over 7m to guarantee 4k.
 
Thanks again. Would you recommend one cable brand over the other, or are both just as good?

Do you feel the calibration of the amp service is worth going with btw? Some say yes, but others have said it’s completely unnecessary.
 
Thanks again. Would you recommend one cable brand over the other, or are both just as good?

Do you feel the calibration of the amp service is worth going with btw? Some say yes, but others have said it’s completely unnecessary.
A pleasure. No, as long as it’s a well constructed hdmi cable that is certified 2.0b 18.1Gbps it will be fine.
Which AVR do you have?
 
Thanks for the response Rich. I understand their grading of HDMI cables to be based upon the Audioquest range (Cinnamon being the Premium option).
AudioQuest Cinamon 2.0b 60hz 4:4:4 5m £90.00
ICE Hdmi 5m hdmi 2.0b 60hz 4:4:4 5m £49.99
 
That’s it sorted. I’ll purchase my own cables. 👍

I’m actually in the process of choosing a new amp to buy. Leaning towards the Denon X3600, which I can currently purchase at the discounted price of £699 (unless there’s anything better in that price range)?
 
The only thing I would be against would be, (Run cables up in corners and cork ready for decorating) as this sounds a little unsightly.
Are they saying they would run the cables up in the corners of the room up the walls and just apply "caulk" over them ready to decorate ?? If that's the case I would ask for something better than that.
 
That’s it sorted. I’ll purchase my own cables. 👍

I’m actually in the process of choosing a new amp to buy. Leaning towards the Denon X3600, which I can currently purchase at the discounted price of £699 (unless there’s anything better in that price range)?
The Denon will be fine. 👌
 
A pleasure. No, as long as it’s a well constructed hdmi cable that is certified 2.0b 18.1Gbps it will be fine.
Which AVR do you have?

Cables aren’t certified to version numbers though and last time I look it is still against hdmi.org rules to sell a cable with a version. Any premium certified cable below 8m which will include a test generating a signal of that level.

Why a reputable company would offer 3 different levels other than aesthetic reason is a bit a daft.
 
Cables aren’t certified to version numbers though and last time I look it is still against hdmi.org rules to sell a cable with a version. Any premium certified cable below 8m which will include a test generating a signal of that level.

Why a reputable company would offer 3 different levels other than aesthetic reason is a bit a daft.
The cables that I spoke of are tested to 2.0b 60hz 4:4:4 18.1Gbps.

Anything over 7.5m we use fibre optic hdmi cables that are individually tested to the same levels and come with an individual test certificate showing the results for a 15min test. We use Lightspeed and Neutec fibre cables.
The majority of issues we have are hdmi based when it comes to 4k. There are so many poor cables available that are supposed to be 4k 2.0b that just don’t work.

Exactly re the different ranges offered. 🧐 Let’s just say folk are easily led.
 
The cables that I spoke of are tested to 2.0b 60hz 4:4:4 18.1Gbps.

Yep fair enough,but I guess that won’t be as independent as full certification.

I think as you say though it is get reliable tested cables through a reputable dealer like yourselves or certified premium cables with real qr codes rather than some of these cables that promise 20+ gbps and may well have fallen off the back of the wagon :)
 
Yep fair enough,but I guess that won’t be as independent as full certification.

I think as you say though it is get reliable tested cables through a reputable dealer like yourselves or certified premium cables with real qr codes rather than some of these cables that promise 20+ gbps and may well have fallen off the back of the wagon :)
The ICE cables are aimed at installers so need to work.
The Pixelgen cables are certified by THX.

We run ICE, Pixelgen and Lightspeed cables in our showroom for both the media room and main cinema.
 
The Denon will take you through the set up process via on screen display. It is very simple to do. If you want the AV firm to carry this out that’s absolutely fine as we do this as part of the install overall charge.
 
How are your 'four' speakers being laid out - it sounds like they are being stuck in the corners at ceiling level?

Joe
 
How are your 'four' speakers being laid out - it sounds like they are being stuck in the corners at ceiling level?

Joe
They will be at ear height level (more or less), rather than ceiling level. At the front, they will be each side of the TV (65 inch) rather than in the corners of the room. Back speakers will then be parallel to their front counterparts.
 
That looks cheap to me. I'm assuming he's been out to look at the job in the 1st place and you'll be expecting them to offer some warranty on their work and do it all to a very high standard using their professional experience and knowledge (that you don't have) ? Then run software updates on your hardware and do all the settings so you get great sound and video from your kit. And then tidy up at the end of the day and spend some time handing it all over to you and running through what they've done then being on the phone to answer any questions you may have because the remote has too many buttons ? Dont forget to offer them lots of tea and biscuits too.
 
I'd think through how long that would take, probably 2+ days realistically. Perhaps less, at say £250 a day thats £500 add £200 plus for materials feels like a reasonable price to me. I'd be more bothered about the quality. I am happy to pay my carpenters £360 a day for the pair to work. They work quickly have amazing equipment and do fantastic work.

Just make sure thee finish to a high standard
 

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