First 5.1 system. Almost there...

[Purpledump]

Was: First 5.1 system. Got some ideas, but still need help!

Hoping I could find some recommendations on my first surround sound system (Dolby and Dts). Looking for an entry level type revceiver and speakers. Here are some points I'm considering:

- Nothing too powerful. It will have to perform well at moderate volumes. (Neighbours)
- I’m not too fussed about music playback
- I could buy separate speakers, but I've only been looking at packs, so far.
- Right now, I set my budget at £470.

I’ve been snooping around, and the below models caught my eye.

Receiver:

- Sony STR-DE 475 ~£180
- Pioneer VSDX 510 RDS ~£220

Speakers:

- Sony SAVE325 ~£190
- Yamaha NSP320 ~£200
- Pioneer SV50K ~£250

It’s not a high end setup, but I need something quick and easy for the next couple of years. Maybe someone can recommend another setup for the price. Any suggestions or recommendations would be great. Many Thanks!

[tezmo]

dont know about the speakers dude, but id give 2 thumbs up for the sony amp - mine is a 445 - i believe the 475 is the next one up with a few extra buttons/few more watts - en excellent buy :)

[Paul Bennison]

You can get the 475 amp + SAVE 225 speakers in the Sony HTK-475 pack for £325 at www.empiredirect.co.uk.

Suits me. Might suit you.

[Purpledump]

Originally posted by Paul Bennison
You can get the 475 amp + SAVE 225 speakers in the Sony HTK-475 pack for £325 at www.empiredirect.co.uk.

Suits me. Might suit you.

Just learnt about this aswell, and it's one I'm seriously considering, now. How loud do you normally run it at, and what do you use it for (sorry to be vague).

[MikeK]

Kenwood KRFV5050 receiver and a set of Teac LS5.1u speakers will set you back £270 in Richer Sounds (with a copy of Jan 02 What Hifi), but you'll have to be quick.

Alternatively, the same receiver with 2 pairs of Kef Cresta One, a Cresta centre and a Paradigm PDR10 sub would cost you £480 - bang on budget (well OK a tenner more), but better quality all round. Substitute the smaller PDR8 for the PDR10, and it would all come to £450.

Depends what you want - if it's a very discrete set of speakers, then you'll probably have to go with one of the "lifestyle" setups, and just accept the compromises that brings, unless you are prepared to spend more.

[Purpledump]

Thanks for the replies...

Right now, I'm still leaning towards the Sony STR-DE 475, but it's now a clash between the SAVE225 speakers that come with the HTK475 package, or the TEAC LS5.1 from richersounds.

Can anyone comment on the SAVE225. I read in another thread that the TEAC LS5.1 is good value at £120. My main concern is that the Receiver outputs at about 80W, and the TEAC speakers are 125W. Does this affect sound quality at low/moderate volumes at all? I'm a newbie at this so please bear with me :).

EDIT: Oops, well Richersounds are completely out of the TEAC ones. Just gave them a call, and he recommended either going for

-Limit HT5.1 or
-Eltax Hollywood (seem rather large, but if the quality is good)

Any comments on those?

[Purpledump]

Just to add: I've been asking around and some friends are advising against the Sony Pascal speakers, even if it's only for my humble use.

So, still looking for speakers. Compared to the above Limit HT5.1 and Eltax Hollywood how does the <B>Eltax Silverado</B> perform? Any people have any experience with them or the other speakers mentioned above?

[skeletonbob]

My main concern is that the Receiver outputs at about 80W, and the TEAC speakers are 125W

those are maximum peak outputs and thats fine, the amp will never blow the speakers.....

[Purpledump]

Originally posted by skeletonbob


those are maximum peak outputs and thats fine, the amp will never blow the speakers.....

Ah, I see. Sounds simple enough! Thanks for that!

[Purpledump]

Went to a local RicherSounds the other day and they were more helpful than the one in Central London! They're going to demo the eltax speakers and some others for me.

Thing is, they don't have the Sony STR-DE 475 in stock, but recommend the Kenwood KRF-V5050 for £150! I know MikeK recommended it, but anyone actually compared them? Thanks!

[MikeK]

Originally posted by Purpledump
Went to a local RicherSounds the other day and they were more helpful than the one in Central London! They're going to demo the eltax speakers and some others for me.

Thing is, they don't have the Sony STR-DE 475 in stock, but recommend the Kenwood KRF-V5050 for £150! I know MikeK recommended it, but anyone actually compared them? Thanks!


Hehehehe!!!!

Not sure about a recommendation exactly - with the budget in question, and your requirements, there really isn't that much of a choice of low budget amps to have a go at.

They all tend to sound a bit bright and shiny, so try to avoid pairing them with speakers which may tend that way themselves.
Kef Cresta or Tannoy MX would probably head my shortlist (especially as the Crestas are on offer at the mo). I've never heard the Silverado set, so can't really comment, but at £110, they are certainly cheap (as in not expensive :) )

But you are doing the right thing in getting some demos - it's what you think that counts.

[Paul Bennison]

Originally posted by Purpledump


Just learnt about this as well, and it's one I'm seriously considering, now. How loud do you normally run it at, and what do you use it for (sorry to be vague).

According to my other half, "too loud" :argue: . We live in a Semi, but we are currently neighbourless :clap: (till new people move in) so I'm taking advantage of the situation.

Really primarily use it for movies. But I do run CDs through it and use the radio tuner.

I'm sure that the speakers aren't the greatest and if you can afford better then go for it.

[Purpledump]

Paul - Thanks for the heads up, but I'm already moving away from Sony's Pascal series, due to recommendation from some friends and a 1 out of 5 review in WhatHiFi (but then again, I think they're a bit spoilt by the monster set ups they get to review)

MikeK - I read one review of the KRF-V5050. Basically not very good at CDs, ugly design, but it's got a CinemaEQ "button" that makes it all sound really nice like (Hey, I'm a newbie at this). The only things going for the Sony was the similar price / features and recommendation from friends. True, I don't have many options right now, but I'll be back once I move out of my dinky little flat and into a house.

BTW, any ideas what titles I should bring to the demo? Go on, give us some titles. Maybe I have them. So far I'm taking Gladiator (R1) and Mummy Returns (R4), both for the DTS. I know there must be a thread on reference Dolby Digital / DTS titles...

[Justin]

Originally posted by Purpledump
Hoping I could find some recommendations on my first surround sound system (Dolby and Dts). Looking for an entry level type revceiver and speakers. Here are some points I'm considering:

- Nothing too powerful. It will have to perform well at moderate volumes. (Neighbours)
- I’m not too fussed about music playback
- I could buy separate speakers, but I've only been looking at packs, so far.
- Right now, I set my budget at £470.

I’ve been snooping around, and the below models caught my eye.

Receiver:

- Sony STR-DE 475 ~£180
- Pioneer VSDX 510 RDS ~£220

Speakers:

- Sony SAVE325 ~£190
- Yamaha NSP320 ~£200
- Pioneer SV50K ~£250

It’s not a high end setup, but I need something quick and easy for the next couple of years. Maybe someone can recommend another setup for the price. Any suggestions or recommendations would be great. Many Thanks!

I`d forget about the sony speakers, and to be honest the sony amp also. For the budget you have, you could (at a push!) get a Marantz SR4200 and a yamaha NSP220, or Pioneer SV50K pack (£450/£470).

Although, I`d Recommend having a demo of the Yamaha HTiB40 (NSP220 & RXV420RDS), which you`ll get for about £30 more then the Sony pack you mention:) Also don`t rule out the Kenwood Receivers RS are doing cheap.

hope that helps

[MikeK]

Originally posted by Purpledump

BTW, any ideas what titles I should bring to the demo? Go on, give us some titles. Maybe I have them. So far I'm taking Gladiator (R1) and Mummy Returns (R4), both for the DTS. I know there must be a thread on reference Dolby Digital / DTS titles...

This is a bit tricky to be honest - it's all a matter of personal preference.

If I were buying from scratch, I'd first select the pair of front speakers which make 2 channel CD playback sound best (wouldn't worry too much abouit bass extension though). Then I'd add the matching centre and whatever rears you are going for, and then put a DVD on (one I knew well). If all was still fine, and I still liked what I was hearing, then I'd add the subwoofer into the mix, which should then give you a feel for the whole system.

The problem with short demos (which is all you can realistically get with this level of kit), is that it's very easy to be impressed with the first thing you hear, especially if you are used to TV sound (even very basic and relatively poor 5.1 setups can still sound far better than the old Nicam TV set).
It's only after listening for a period, and to stuff you know quite well, that any failings start to show through.

Common problems to listen for with budget stuff, are bright screechy treble (awful to listen to for long periods), and muddy wallowy bass.
And this is the trap - at first that over bright sound can seem quite attractive - it seems sharper, somehow a little clearer, but it's an illusion - after a while it soon gets on your nerves (like a cheap car stereo turned up too loud, it descends into a mess of screeching treble and booming bass).

[Purpledump]

Justin - Thanks. I looked at the RXV420RDS, and it might be worth investing ~£60 more for what looks like a more decent receiver. I'll keep it in mind, but the local RS don't have 'em (apparently it's a sale model or something, which they don't keep in stock anymore). Thought about the Marantz. Wanted the 5200, but then I would've wanted to get a more decent set of speakers with that, but I would've been waaay over budget. Actually, my budget has decreased drastically by about £100. I just really want to get a simple setup for the flat and upgrade to an all-singing-all-dancing setup later, after I get more used to it!

MikeK - Great tips. I'm only used to Dolby Pro logic with a bit of extra bass coming out of a cheap subwoofer (part of the four point Cambridge Sound Works for my PC). True, I might be impressed immediately, but I got an hour to play around. Hopefully I'll pick up on the problematic speaker symptoms.