Time to sort the sound

[MX5]

I have got a Hitachi UT32MH70 linked to a Humax Foxsat-HDR with the HDMI cable that came with the HDR. On order is a Samsung DVD - 1080p9 DVD player to replace the old very cheep DVD that I cant use as I have no SCART on the screen with out faffing with the RGB in on the screen. I have got one of these switchers, cheep but I could not bring my self to spend 1/2 the cost of the DVD on the connector and will use the HDMI cable that came with the screen.

So the sound needs sorting, I just want good sound, I am not talking about spending hundreds getting great sound. Not interested in 5.1 system because of the wires. Its a small sitting room with the TV in one corner and we sit 3m away in other corner the layout of the room is not going to change. Doors, windows, stairs, Sat feeds and sockets dictate the layout.

We don't watch many movies hence surviving without a DVD player for 6 months. So its sound for TV watching and music, which would like to get back to listening to more of, from the radio or MP3 via the Humax or CD from the DVD.

The screen is on cabinet that contains the other stuff but has some space the screen is wider than the cabinet.

So do I get a sound bar?
Or a trad Hi Fi amp and a couple of speakers on stands.
Or something else like Aego m's

What ever I get how do I connect it up?

 

[davepuma]

I wouldn't get a soundbar if your TV is in a corner. They really do need to be at right angles to your listening position and walls in order to benefit from the virtual sound. In the right room and with you sat at 90 degrees to the TV they can sound quite effective.

An integrated HiFi amp (or AV Receiver if you plan on using digital outputs or upgrading to 5.1 in the future) with a pair of bookshelf speakers would do nicely, particularly if music is important. HiFi amps lack digital audio inputs, so you would need to run RCA phono (red/white) analogue cables from each source to the amp. AV Receivers have digital audio inputs but if you're not going 5.1, they would probably be wasted on this kind of setup. That said, a Cambridge Audio 340R/540R receiver would be a good buy as they have digital audio inputs and most importantly sound great with music.

Another option would be the likes of the Onkyo HTX-22HD. It has digital audio inputs and can process audio over HDMI, so the only cable you would need from the Humax and DVD player would be HDMI then run a single HDMI cable to the TV. This would mean the unit would have to be on all the time. If you want to just use the TV speakers now and again, you would connect HDMI cables direct to the TV and run a digi-coax cable from the DVD player and an optical cable from the Humax.

I've heard good things about the Aego Ms but I think they're limited in terms of connectivity, so you would probably have to run a single analogue cable from the TV.

 

[MX5]

Thanks the Onkyo looks good top end (probably past top end to be honest) of the budget. Seem like they are quite a unique product at the moment. If I spent £300 on a Hifi amp and speakers would I get better sound? but I like the simplicity of this.