Sky+HD with Home Cinema system

Louziebuuz

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Hi Guys,
Have had a lot of "bad luck" purchases recently through not finding the right info ahead of purchase (eg Sony Camcorder incompatible with Mac, Sony Ericsson Mobile incompatible with Ford/Sony ICE) so thought would start here and hopefully, for once, avoid any unpleasant surprises!

Am planning to buy some Home Entertainment tech for my husband for xmas / his birthday next month and would appreciate any advice I can get. He originally suggested a wireless Multiroom kit to go with our Mac having seen the Sonos system on the Gadget show, however once I started looking into it I figured it would be best to hook that up with the Panasonic SC-MT1 home cinema we inherited from my uncle but had struggled to set up properly so rarely used.:boring:

However reading various forums it seems that it won't work for the other equipment we have, principally Sky+HD, due to lack of optical input. So now I'm back to the drawing board and looking for a new home cinema system - midrange price, but excellent quality (!)

We have a Sony TV KDL 40V3000 and Sky+HD as mentioned. Also plan to get the Sonos wireless multimedia system to use with it as well. Other kit we have linked through the tv at the moment is a Wii and a samsung DVD Recorder / hard drive.

Does anyone have any advice on which systems to consider / what I need to look for pls? Thank you!!!
 
Welcome to the forum :) As you are going to have multiple sources and Sonos, I would not bother with an all-in-one home cinema setup. They lack inputs and the sound quality won't be comparable with a decent separates setup. As you're going for Sonos, you really do need good kit to get the best out of it.

Do you have a budget for this proposed setup? Have you considered a bluray player with this setup?

With regard to Sonos, how many zone players do you propose on having? Do you intend fitting speakers anywhere else to be driven by this new amp or will you be going for the amplified zone players in the other rooms/zones?
 
We're not dead set on the Sonos but it seems to have excellent reviews for a reasonable budget, so will go with it unless people advise otherwise - we would have 1 other zone initially expanding to at least 2, both using the amplified zone players.

We haven't considered getting a bluray player as we wouldnt use it very much, however I can see that in the future it would be likely we would get one, so would want the option to add one.

Budget for everything (incl Sonos & 1 amped playzone) around £1200.
 
The Sonos system is excellent but expensive. I'm a Squeezebox fan though!

You wouldn't need an amplified zone player in your main setup as you would connect the ZP to the amp/receiver in your living room.

Please clarify how much is left from your £1200 budget after purchasing the Sonos zone player(s) as it is not clear from the above.
 
Sorry, I was thinking 1 zoned amplifier for the 2nd zone, plus the main kit in the 1st/main zone - so around £600 or £700 on Sonos, leaving around £500 for the rest of the equipment.

And I'll take a look at the Squeezebox in the meantime! Thanks
 
Hmm, I personally think that £500 for amp + speakers wouldn't do the Sonos system justice. It limits your choice to a compact speaker package and a very budget receiver, which isn't the best start for quality music playback.
 
OK appreciate the input - we're not exceedingly discerning listeners so as long as the sound is good, rather than outstanding, we will be happy. The sound quality of the sonos was not the main factor for it's choice. We liked the look and in particular the level of control one has over different playback in different zones.

So would you still recommend separate receiver and speakers or do you think an all in one would be sufficient for our sound quality needs? Thanks!
 
As I said I would avoid an all-in-one. Sonos would be completely wasted connected to it and they also lack inputs. You could go for Apple Express instead of Sonos, freeing up some more cash for a decent setup in the main area. It offers the same functionality in principle. For the second zone, you could just hook up a pair of amplified speakers to another AE e.g. Audioengine A2. It can be controlled throughout the home in the same way as Sonos via the iPod Touch or iPhone using the free Remote App. I presume you have an iPod Touch or iPhone to use as controllers as these would be an additional expense? Alternatively you could use a Squeezebox Touch in your main area and a Squeezebox Boom in your second. These come with IR controllers or again you can use the iPod Touch or iPhone using a suitable App e.g. iPeng

Personally I think that either would give you the same result at a fraction of the cost and free up funds for a better sound system in the main area.
 
Ok, thanks Davepuma, will look into these alternatives. It looks like you can play different music in different zones at the same time using the Squeezebox but not the apple express - is that correct?

What would you recommend for the sound system in the main area if we do have more funds available?
 
Afraid so, if you want different music in the two zones, then Squeezebox or Sonos are your option. The AE option only allows you to play the same music throughout. Apologies, I should have mentioned that.

Main Zone Source - Squeezebox Touch - £230
Second Zone - Squeezebox Boom - £180
AV Receiver - Yamaha RX-V667 - £350
Speakers - Monitor Audio BR6 5.0 package - £499. It's limited to walnut only though.

EDIT - Just noticed they are doing the amp & speakers above for £825 LINK. By my reckoning that's £1235 for the lot. You would obviously need some cables but that shouldn't cost much.

There is no subwoofer with that BR6 package but they are large floorstanders so should give you plenty of bass for now. You could always add a subwoofer later e.g. BK XLS200. That would probably be about the best £500 speaker package out there. If they aren't to your taste, the Q-Acoustics 2000 speakers would be my next pick.

I'm sure if you spoke to quantum you could get a deal on the lot. I have bought from them before and can recommend them. They are assured advertisers on the site too, so mention AVF if you call them.
 
Excellent - thank you so much! You've been incredibly helpful, and I feel much better about making the purchase now.
 

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