Question Home Cinema newbie

WRXiceman

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Hi all,

I'm moving into my first home with my Mrs soon and am planning on upgrading my tired old Sony 5.1 home cinema system to something a bit more 'modern'.
It has served me well for a £250 home cinema in a box, but I feel an upgrade is now necessary.

I don't really know where to start, but from what I've seen so far, I like the look of the LG SK9Y Soundbar with the optional wireless rear speakers.
But I'm not sure if it'll be any good or if I'm better off buying a decent AVR with speakers instead.

I'd like to have Dolby Atmos/DTS:X as well if possible, and wireless rear speakers would be preferred.

Will be coupled with a new LG OLED TV mainly used for watching movies through Netflix/Amazon Prime, Gaming, and a little bit of normal TV viewing.

I have a budget of around £700-£800 max!
Obviously the less I spend the better though.

Pic attached of the living room to show the size and shape.
The Red represents where there TV will be and the Blue is where the sofa will be.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Screenshot 2019-03-23 at 13.22.46.png
 
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An Atmos system with wireless rear speakers maybe harder to achieve than you realise within your budget, but you could have something similar to this Denon AVR-X2500H - Wharfedale Moviestar DX-2 HCP 5.1 Package plus maybe look at adding a pair of Onkyo SKH-410 which will just squeeze within your budget.

As for a wireless rear speakers, I cannot find a separates system which will fit within your budget other than a simple one box solution

If you're wishing to keep the system even more simple, you could look at pairing the Denon AVR-X2500H with the Onkyo SKS-HT588 Atmos package. Again, its within your budget.

Another thought, what speakers do you already own and can you create a better system by using some of your older speakers and refreshing them with a better amp, sub and atmos speakers to create a much better cinema system within your budget?
 
Thanks Shane, that's really helpful.

Would you advise against the Soundbar option then?
The main reason I was swaying toward that type of solution is because of the simplicity and the fact that wires are minimal.

Having said that, that's not the main goal and certainly doesn't trump the quality I'd like.

The system I currently have is the Sony BDV-E380 (pic below) and the speakers have a proprietary connector on the cables, plus, the connection with them is a bit dodgy now and not the best so I would prefer an entirely new system.

I'm not expecting the absolute best system for the relatively small budget I have, but I'm sure it'll be an improvement on what I currently own.

514mfaD3BgL._SL1000_.jpg
 
Atmos with that budget will be difficult - what AVR do you have? I take it that the budget is for speakers?

If you need an AVR then this is a good start:
Denon AVR-X2500H

Here are some 5.1 speaker ideas:
Q Acoustics 3050 Cinema
Dali Spektor 1 5.1 System with C-8 D

Only issue I can see is where you will place the Right speaker - I take it that there is a window there?

Yeah that'll be my total budget so would need to squeeze an AVR in there too.
The TV will be on a unit to start with and the front left and right speakers can sit on the unit too if they're small enough.

I'll eventually wall mount the TV and move it over slightly so there's a bit of room on the right side for the speaker to be wall mounted as well.
 
Are you near to one of the retail shops like Richer Sounds - if so, I would suggest that you try to demo the speakers before buying. In that budget space some of the speakers are very small and not very attractive. I started with a 5.1 set but found the speakers too small and the Subwoofer was weak. Ended up upgrading the whole lot a year later.
 
Going to a soundbar from the Sony which I do know as my mate has one would bring more than you have now. However, I would recommend a passive solution to enable you better control with an Atmos solution. The other side in selecting a passive soundbar would in fact cost you more hence me not adding one to the system as it would not leave you anything for a sub or rear speakers which would not be ideal (unless you look to build your system over time?)

The two options I put forward are really the only solutions I can think of at your budget which are a separates solution which is where home cinema really starts to come into its own.

The other side is as some point, you will get the upgrade bug and with the Denon, you won't necessarily need to replace it meaning you can just upgrade the speakers when you can afford it (we all know how expensive it is to move :eek:) So when you are ready, you'll be able to look at speakers like the Q Acoustics to finish the system off at a later date
 
Are you near to one of the retail shops like Richer Sounds - if so, I would suggest that you try to demo the speakers before buying. In that budget space some of the speakers are very small and not very attractive. I started with a 5.1 set but found the speakers too small and the Subwoofer was weak. Ended up upgrading the whole lot a year later.

Yeah good idea!
I live about half hour away from their Romford store so may need to pop down there at some point to test some things out.

Would hate to spend £800 and feel a bit disappointed later down the line.

Just want a system that will give movies some oomph, and provide a nice surround sound for gaming.
 
Going to a soundbar from the Sony which I do know as my mate has one would bring more than you have now. However, I would recommend a passive solution to enable you better control with an Atmos solution. The other side in selecting a passive soundbar would in fact cost you more hence me not adding one to the system as it would not leave you anything for a sub or rear speakers which would not be ideal (unless you look to build your system over time?)

The two options I put forward are really the only solutions I can think of at your budget which are a separates solution which is where home cinema really starts to come into its own.

The other side is as some point, you will get the upgrade bug and with the Denon, you won't necessarily need to replace it meaning you can just upgrade the speakers when you can afford it (we all know how expensive it is to move :eek:) So when you are ready, you'll be able to look at speakers like the Q Acoustics to finish the system off at a later date

I knew this was the right place to look for advice!

Yeah I still have plenty of stuff left to buy for the house, including the TV and some other expensive bits of furniture, hence the low budget.

I’m not looking to develop the system over time, but to have the option of upgrading speakers later on without having to purchase a new receiver would be a nice bonus.
I understand this can be a very expensive and slippery slope so I’m going to do my best to enjoy whatever I purchase and stick with it for a long time.

The bundle options you’ve provided look very good to me and something I am seriously going to consider when it’s time to purchase.

We’re moving in in May so will possibly pick up a new system next month at some point. Would like it have it ready to go in straight away ideally.
 
Even looking at a basic passive soundbar solution using Monitor Audio's SB-2, a pair of MASS 10 speakers plus a Matching subwoofer together with the Denon will bring the cost closer to £1550 which would obliterate your budget and without adding Atmos speakers which then you would have to figure out how to add them into that room
 
Yeah that’s just way too much for me to start with.

So it sounds like the Denon with the Onkyo Atmos speakers would provide the biggest bang for buck at the moment then.
 
Just a little update, I’ve settled on the Denon AVR-X2500H receiver and Onkyo speakers.

I work in telecoms, managing corporate accounts and remembered that I actually used to look after Denon, so I emailed the contact there and he very kindly offered me a staff discount on the model I want.

Over the moon!!

Just need to purchase the speakers now.

Thanks for all of your help and advice.
 
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Just a little update, I’ve settled on the Denon AVR-X2500H receiver and Onkyo speakers.

I work in telecoms, managing corporate accounts and remembered that I actually used to look after Denon, so I emailed the contact there and he very kindly offered me a staff discount on the model I want.

Total price - £xxxx inc VAT.

Over the moon!!

Just need to purchase the speakers now.

Thanks for all of your help and advice.

Is it OK to post the price that staff can get it for? Wouldn't want you, or your contact to get into bother! (I've redacted the actual amount from my quote, in case you want to change your own post). I know these things are sometimes commercially sensitive.

Still, I now know what sort of discount I should be aiming for on AV gear whenever I go in to bat! :D:smashin:
 
Is it OK to post the price that staff can get it for? Wouldn't want you, or your contact to get into bother! (I've redacted the actual amount from my quote, in case you want to change your own post). I know these things are sometimes commercially sensitive.

Still, I now know what sort of discount I should be aiming for on AV gear whenever I go in to bat! :D:smashin:

In all my excitement, I didn’t consider that.

Edited, thanks ;)
 

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