Recommendation for 5.1 System

[kencleary]

Hi guys,

So i've moved into a new apartment and bought my 40" LCD TV. Life is good - well apart from the sound that is!

I'm looking for a decent 5.1 system (by decent i mean €400-€500, is this realistic?) that I can wall mount. Now here comes the tricky part. The previous occupant of my apartment has already wired the place for a wall mounted 5.1 system and the wires are still there. So I figure rather than having to trail my system through the walls again it would be easier to get speakers that can use the existing connectors. They're nothing fancy just your standard black and red copper audio cables.

So is there a system out there in my rough price range where I can wire the individual speakers? Oh and i'd like the system to be able to use my TV and Xbox 360 too - demanding fellow amn't I?

I'm afraid i'm a bit of a n00b when it comes to sound and the goons in local are entirely unable to help - So has anyone got any recommendations?

 

[kbfern]

Are you sure that black & red wire comming out the walls is speaker wire and not mains electricity cable?.

They may be wall light wiring cable,so be carefull

 

[kencleary]

Lol no i'm positive its for sound. The five points are already arrayed around the room and they come out beside the TV.

 

[kbfern]

Ok

Sorry about that but when you said red and black wire it sounded like mains cable.

What sort of connectors are on the cables are they banana plugs?

Is your budget of 400-500 euro's just for speakers or does this need to include amp?

Also as your budget is in euros what country are you buying equipment in.

At the price you mention if you require full 5.1 and amp you are going to struggle to find anything decent.I would consider second hand,you can get some real bargains on the classified forum.

 

[kencleary]

I'm in Ireland and i'm beginning to see that I'll struggle alright. So if I change tack slightly, I can get a set of Kef KHT-1005 and a Denon 1906 for €900 all together. Is this decent value? And if I were to spend another €500 in total would it be worth it to order something like a Bose Acoustimass 6 Series?

 

[davybaker]

Richersounds do the Denon 1906 and Kef 1005s. Mine together came to under £600 so should be in your budget.

What you will need to take into account is how you mount the speakers on the walls. The Kef brackets dont come with the speakers and aren't cheap. I managed with freestanding speaker mounts and some cheap 'shelf' brackets from B&Q which were silver and blended in OK.

 

[kencleary]

Thanks Davy. I have wall mountings already on my walls form the previous occupant so i'm sure I can find a way to attach them to that - by hook or crook (and sellotape) if necessary

Quick question re the Kef 1005s though - are they already hard wired or would I be able to use my existing audio cabling. I'd hate to have to get that removed and replaced with the kef 1005s cables!

 

[TopMeTom]

What about some Cantons from the forum pwerbuy?Or look at the classifieds here for a decent(but 2ndhand )5.1.set?

 

[davybaker]

The kef 1005 set comes with all the speakers and no wires so your existing wires would do the trick

 

[TopMeTom]

Huh? got a email notification ,but no message?