Upgrade From Panasonic SC-PT850 All in One to Seperates

[amnesia_SrS]

We currently have...

Panasonic SC-PT850 all in one DVD / 5.1
Sony BDP S350 Bluray
NTL Cable (from the Dark Ages so not HD)
Sony Bravia 42" LCD (3000V?)

I know this is pretty budget, but for what we want its visually great. However, I want to upgrade the audio side of things as the Panasonic can't decode dts-hd and sometimes on bluray the dialogue seems to be 'lost'.

So I could do with some advice.

We have the TV / audio arranged in a 3m square at one end of our room.

I have a pair of B+W DM601 speakers from about 1998 (!) that are great units, but could I use them as front speakers in a seperates system?

If so, with a budget of under £1000 are the following (all chosen from Richer Sounds because their website is easy, they are local to me and I can arrange a listening trial) a good choice is it all abit OTT for the space?

Amp - Denon AVR1610 (£250)
Centre - Mordaunt Short Aviano 5 (£200)
Rears - Q Acoustics 1010i (£50)
Sub - Mordaunt Short Alumni 9 (£200)

I haven't read around the subject much at present, but one feature of the Denon Amp I like is the fact that I can get a component input (converted from the NTL Scart o/p) down the HDMI to the TV.

 

[davepuma]

Yes you can use your B&W's. I would recommend trying to source a matching centre so that the front soundstage is tonally matched. Obviously this would probably mean going second hand or going for the newer 600 series centre. If you're after a budget sub, have a look at the BK Gemini or perhaps the new MA Vector sub, I'm sure it's about £200 but check the subwoofer forum for more suggestions or speak to the likes of hifix.co.uk who are very helpful in this regard.

Does the NTL box output YpBpR compoent video over SCART? I would double check that as YpBpR component video over SCART is very, very rare. SCART usually carries composite video (poor), s-video (better) and RGB (best and arguably on a par with component although component is capable of progressive scan). If it doesn't, you would need to connect direct or buy something like the QED RGB SCART to component video converter and tbh, I would save my money and connect direct via SCART (Straight to TV) and upgrade to an HD service later on.

 

[amnesia_SrS]

Thanks for the response Dave. Much appreciated.

A B&W centre. Eek.

to the budget!


I like the look of the Gemini sub, so that will get further reading - starting on these forums.

Still not sure if its overkill for the space, but research is fun.

 

[amnesia_SrS]

Update...

A B+W HTM62 centre can be bought new for £250, which is more than my budget, but its only money after all - and it looks way better than the MS Aviano IMO.

I like the look of the Gemini II, and they will do one in Mahogany for me for an extra £15 I have read all the great product vs poor customer service threads and it still hasn't put me off!

I have looked into the amp a bit, the Yamaha RXV765 is well spec'd and the Sony STDRN1000 is visually gorgeous. The Sony doesn't seem to be that highly regarded (on this forum) in that a fair number of opinions are that better can be had for the same/less money.

After all the reading I have retained my original choice of the Denon. I think it's powerful enough for our needs, has enough connectivity and looks quite nice too. Since all the equipment is on show, I can't have lots of Onkyo-style dials and buttons on show!


So my latest choice of new shiny things...

Amp - Denon AVR1610 (£250)
Centre - B+W HTM62 (£250)
Rears - Q Acoustics 1010i (£50)
Sub - BK Gemini II (£220)
Stands - Atacama Nexus 6i (£70)


The only question left for me is:

Is it too much for a 3x3m space in a 4x6m room?

 

[topheruk]

Hi, just wondered if you had got all your kit and set it up yet?

 

[amnesia_SrS]

Haven't bought any of it yet.

The B+W centre is due to be discontinued though, so a deposit will be paid on one this week...possibly tomorrow if the store is open.

It will be a couple of months at least before I take the plunge and buy the rest.

 

[amnesia_SrS]

Events have taken over...in a good way!

Looks like with the overtime running the way it is at work I can;t get into the garden to build the decking...so the funds can be 'borrowed'!

Had a look at the Denon and have gone off it. The Sony looks so much tidier. I think both will get a listen and then the decision will be made in the next week or so.

Stands were ordered today, sub and centre will be ordered tomorrow.


Amp - Sony STDRN1000(£300)
Centre - B+W HTM62 (£250)
Rears - Q Acoustics 1010i (£60)
Sub - BK Gemini II (£240)
Stands - Atacama Nexus 7i (£80)

 

[amnesia_SrS]

Had a demo of the amps and speakers today in our local Richer Sounds.

We looked at how small the Q Acoustics 1010i's and Wharfdale 9.0's were and immediately went off them. I know they are only for rears but they have to look right too. We decided to look into Mordaunt Short Aviano 1's and Wharfdale 10.1's.

The AVR1610 was replaced by the 1910 for the demo because the local RS didn't have a 1610 in stock.

Surround performance of the 1910 was pretty good to my ears with a Mordaunt Short speaker set up, but the real decision for me was based on stereo music performance.

The Denon did pretty well with Mordaunt Short Aviano 1's (our NAD CD player) with Black Label Society, The Prodigy and Madonna. When we swapped the MS's for the Wharfdales the sound improved again - much to my surprise, I just expected the MS to be better. It was nicer balanced and a little softer.

We swapped the Denon amp for the Sony STRDN1000 and almost threw it through the window after 3 or 4 seconds of Black Label Society. It was way, way too harsh. We didn't even trial it with a bluray.

We decided to stick with the 1910 rather than wait for RS to get us a 1610 as the 1910 blew us away.

So from an original budget of around £700, we have spent...

B+W HTM62 - £250
Atacama Nexus 7i - £70
Denon AVR 1910 - £375
Wharfdale 10.1 - £180
BK Electrics Gemini II - £230


....£1105!!!!!!!!!

 

[davepuma]

Enjoy your new setup and hopefully any 'newbs' reading your post, will appreciate the importance of a demo!