rtbiscuit Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 Well i went and did it i have ordered a load of stuff. being that my budget was to do the whole lot 2nd had for about £150 i have gone way over budget lol. so what did i get i decided to invest in a new amp instead of 2nd hand after SMD's advice that they are like cars, and you don;t know who used it and how; i decided to have more comeback and buy new; as budget was limited i didn;t go for the amp i really wanted which was the yamaha 673 but it was the best part of £600. I went for a pioneer after some advice from Ekona that its the speakers that make the system. I got the pioneer vsx 527 k as it offered DLNA connection and air play plus better rear connectors than the others and more HDMI connetions etc usual price £349 i got it for £200 from superfi. last one of their special offers (richer sounds have the same offer at the mo) as for speakers i got myself some KEF HTS 2001.5's, i also managed to get the stands and cables. was going to get bookshelf speakers but after having a discussion with the wife and in this case size did matter, and the smaller the better was what she said. in fact she is very anti full on surround sound. we were looking at kit and her and the sales man were try to convince me a sound bar was a good option. but i stuck to my guns and am going full 5.1 and i got these for a £170 all in so i think i got myself a bargain there. all in i've spent 3 times my original budget, amp should be with me by the end of the week and hopefully have speakers on wednesday. will let you know how it all goes and what the sound is like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 You won't be disappointed by the speakers. Also the Kube 2 sub is top notch. A driver unit failed on my sub though about 2 months before I sold them. Kef replaced with a brand new unit no questions asked. Superb customer service. Looks like I will be trying out Kefs wireless option for the rear speakers when I get some. Should be interesting. What speaker cable did you get? Decent cable = better sound, I always get mid priced stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Very nice Rich +1 on the cable, make sure it is decent quality but don't be roped into paying stupid amounts of money as the difference once you start paying mucho wonger just isn't worth it imo..... Looks like a lovely set up mate I am sure you will be very pleased with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 +1 on the Kube 2, it really is a cracking bit of kit. I do like the Pioneer stuff, the iOS control is a really nice touch albeit it's still quicker just to use the remote! Sound bars are utter shite, unless you're a mong who doesn't understand what proper surround should sound like or have absolutely no other choice (and even then I'd rather stick with decent stereo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 As I said in the PM Rich my amp has no fancy networking or IOS / Andriod control but I run my Mac through it and everything is controled of a 6 in 1 remote so the Amp only gets turned on / off and volume control anyway.... Next Amp upgrade will be to networked and wireless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Which remote do you use Dave? One of the Harmony ones or something different? It's something I've been toying with getting for a year or so now, can't work out if it's a good idea or not though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I've got the Harmony and have had it for some years. The touch screen isn't fantastic in today's iPhone world, but functionality is great. I have remote lights and as such can turn the lighting on/off in fact anything IR I can control. So if I wanted remote blinds, as simple as learning the code. Turns everything on or off at once, controls sky, amps, DVD the lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 keep hear about these harmony remotes, have no idea what they actually arE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Which Harmony Ian? @Rich: Logitech Harmony, website is full of different ones. I can't make my mind up which one I want! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 i'm hoping the pioneer ipad and android app will take most of the hard work out of it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllyB Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 +1 on the Kube 2, it really is a cracking bit of kit. I do like the Pioneer stuff, the iOS control is a really nice touch albeit it's still quicker just to use the remote! Sound bars are utter shite, unless you're a mong who doesn't understand what proper surround should sound like or have absolutely no other choice (and even then I'd rather stick with decent stereo). Sorry to barge in. I've been considering a soundbar for a while as a compromise really, my room is small and my current hifi takes up quite a proportion of it as it is. I would only be using the soundbar for tv, upgrading the hifi for surround would be expensive. I haven't listened to any yet, would probably looking at a yamaha? I know separates will allways be better but are soundbars really that bad a compromise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 i'm hoping the pioneer ipad and android app will take most of the hard work out of it for me. They won't, as they take too long to load up. I loved the idea at first, but when you think you have to pick up the device, load the app, go to the right screen, then push the button to get to where you want to go, it takes far longer than to just pick the remote up and push the button in the first place. Shame really. Sorry to barge in. I've been considering a soundbar for a while as a compromise really, my room is small and my current hifi takes up quite a proportion of it as it is. I would only be using the soundbar for tv, upgrading the hifi for surround would be expensive. I haven't listened to any yet, would probably looking at a yamaha? I know separates will allways be better but are soundbars really that bad a compromise? Yes. I hate them, as they sound very false and peculiar which disrupts the natural flow of whatever you're watching. Given how decent even the smallest of satellite speakers are these days, I would rather save up a few quid and do it properly than bodge it with a soundbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 i was in john lewis on saturday where he was demoing one (very difficult when its noisey and lots of people around) but it did give a feeling of stereo sound. i can't say i was blown away, but i had already made my mind up. it could have been gold plated and i still would have turned my nose up at it. best bet is go and have a listen to some. see what you think. i was in hughes on wednesday and they showed me a few speaker setups for 5.1, they also had sound bars but never listened to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Which Harmony Ian? @Rich: Logitech Harmony, website is full of different ones. I can't make my mind up which one I want! I've got the Harmony 1100 me thinks but could be the 1000, bought it about 5 years ago. Great battery life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllyB Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Thanks guys, guess it will be small satellites in addition to my music system then, or an av amp with an RCA output for the front plus rears and a sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.C Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 +1 on the Kube 2, it really is a cracking bit of kit. I do like the Pioneer stuff, the iOS control is a really nice touch albeit it's still quicker just to use the remote! Sound bars are utter shite, unless you're a mong who doesn't understand what proper surround should sound like or have absolutely no other choice (and even then I'd rather stick with decent stereo). Sorry to barge in. I've been considering a soundbar for a while as a compromise really, my room is small and my current hifi takes up quite a proportion of it as it is. I would only be using the soundbar for tv, upgrading the hifi for surround would be expensive. I haven't listened to any yet, would probably looking at a yamaha? I know separates will always be better but are soundbars really that bad a compromise? Hi OllyB. Despite what some people say soundbars are not crap/@*!# etc, it depends on what it's being used for, how it's being used and which one you buy and crucially, who and how it's set up for you and the listening environment Yamaha started them off so have great knowledge of them. Probably one of the best is the B&W ( Bowers and Wilkins ) Its like anything though, you pay for what you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllyB Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Thanks topcop, yea it would be b&w or Yamaha. I just want it to improve the crap my tv calls sound. Wouldn't be using for general music, that's what proper speakers are for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Both the B&W and Yamaha sound bars get great reviews from the Gadget show. Okay so it's not 'surround sound' but they says its for sure a step up from normal sound and a bridge towards a full system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 they fill a niche market and defo have their place. go and have a listen. don;t rule them out after hearsay from people on a forum make your own decision. it may be after listening to some that you feel it meets your needs. This would be my starting point. http://www.techradar.com/news/home-cinema/home-theatre-audio/10-best-soundbar-speakers-for-your-hd-tv-913392 the fact that some add a sub into the picture can make a big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.C Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 If it's any help I started into Home cinema about 15 years ago. I have installed many from budget stuff to Naim, Cyrus, Arcam, B&W Focal, Pioneer any brand. It's been a hobby and I have a home cinema here in the UK and the other in our home in France, there's a pic here www.afrenchhome.co.uk. There is a lot to know, it's not as straight forward as you think to get a great sound but it can be achieved on a budget. rtbiscuit, the setup you have gone for is actually a pretty good choice. Pioneer amps are a great choice and the speakers will give you want you want in a small to medium size room. The same speakers would also work in a small room, just don't push the speakers too hard, but sometimes folks don't want wires running to the rears, that's where a good soundbar like the B&W come in, they are quite refined as where the Yamaha is quite punchy. rtbiscuit when you place your sub bare in mind it can go anywhere in the room, also try it facing a wall. The bass travels in an up and over fashion and you will be really surprised what a difference it can make. Don't be fooled by gold connectors, in fact remove any and go bare wire. Think it as though it's just another terminal the sound passes through, anything that the sound/picture passes will loose small amounts of quality, eventually after leaving the speaker you would of lost a percentage of quality. Reduce this by buying the best interconnects you can afford, believe me it pays of especially in a budget system. Every one of my interconnects are Chord, look them up, they do some great stuff. ( you should budget 20% of your setup just for connectors, if you can ) A square room is the worst room, you need angles and soft furnishings will improve sound. The best way to describe it is like this. Imagine your speakers in front of you. The sound passes your ears to the walls behind you, if the walls are bare the sound reverberates and bounces straight back in the direction it came from, passing your ears again. Because this happens so fast you won't notice, you will just hear the sound. It's not until you deaden the reverberating sound and stop it coming back to you here a far crisper sound. Soft furnishing deaden the sound and stop it bouncing back. An angled wall works on the same principle but this time deflecting it from your ear so you don't get the second pass. Despite what you read the most expensive part of your entire kit should be "the source " so if you were playing CD's then the cd player is where your money should go. If it's Blue Rays then it's the Blue Ray player. A quick explanation. Lets take a DVD, all the information is on that disc so when you play it you want to get all the sound/picture off when playing. As it passes through each connector, cable, then an amp through a dac through another connector and out through another cable, each pass is loosing small amounts of the pure picture/sound taken originally. So if you use a cheap player it's just not going to pick up everything it could, they just don't. A better built unit or better quality has a better chance of picking it all off at the start, therefor when you here it, you've lost less, hope that makes sense. It's even more important if your hearings poor. If anyone wants any advice on the setup etc, let me know. The good thing about some amps these days they do a pretty good job with a mic at setting up for most of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 thanks for all that i found it very informative. all of my IC's will be HDMI from unit to the receiver, as for the cables to the speakers apparently its decent stuff, but will find out on wednesday. this is my first proper setup.and will probably upgrade over time; but hoping this will last me a good few years. will see how i get on. will defo try aiming the sub at the wall. the TV is in the corner so the back wall will be at an angle to the TV and its got soft furnishings against the back wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.C Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Cool, if it fits you can put the sub behind the tv. it will be fine in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Has anyone had experience with one of these? http://ca.denon.com/ca/product/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?Catid=fb911101-2934-48a0-9526-070f5d35b4eb&SubId=&ProductId=2f9f0065-11b7-4f4b-8f6d-e67376ec590a I am more in to BluRay, but still have some CD & DVDs, so dont really want to splash out on something that will get used rarely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.C Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Has anyone had experience with one of these? http://ca.denon.com/...6d-e67376ec590a I am more in to BluRay, but still have some CD & DVDs, so dont really want to splash out on something that will get used rarely Is that an import and whats the budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Import... yes to you, no to me Budget - not really that concerned, but dont want to spend bucket loads on a player. Already getting a Denon AVR and some new Kef's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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