How to get Surround Sound?

[babelfishy]

I know that people have probably asked this a million times before but I can't find a thread that relates to what I need to know!

We have a 32" Panasonic lcd tv with HD. We have just upgraded to a Sky+Hd box and I want to take advantage of the superior sound that this gives too. The Sky box is connected via HDMI and the tv and dvd player are all connected via scart. I have a Philips cd/radio mini system that is connected to the tv and this has two speakers which we fixed at the back of the room. We can turn this on if we want louder sound and sound to fill the room but it isn't as good quality as proper surround sound would be.

When I look for a surround sound system they all seem to come with a dvd player which I don't need. However, I only have about £200 to spend and just want recommendations for the best surround sound speakers for this price. Will I need to buy an amplifier with speakers?

[threadkiller]

For true surround sound you will have to buy an Amp to do the decoding & then add the speakers. you can get all in one packages, but if you have speakers "spare" then separate amp, & change the speakers later would be my choice

[babelfishy]

Thanks, Threadkiller! Would the amp connect to the tv or just the dvd and Sky box?

[splobber]

You can whack them all in if you have an amp with HDMI inputs. I have a Sony amp which has 4 HDMI inputs so you bung everything in there and have a single HDMI lead to your TV. All you have to do is switch between the inputs on the amp to view whatever source takes your fancy. You are going to need more then £200 though, although not much more for the amp alone as they can be had for around £250. Something like this (http://avland.co.uk/aasp/onkyo/0920/txsr507/txsr507.asp) would do the job.

[babelfishy]

Thanks Splobber. Which Sony one have you got? (Even though I probably can't afford it!)

[threadkiller]

Does your DVD have HDMI? I guess not as you say you connect by Scart. It my have an optical out, which you could use to connect to an Amp. Not sure also if Sky has an optical out? if it does, you can do the same by purely passing the audio through an Amp.

This Sony http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/sony/strdh500/sony-strdh500 has both HDMI & optical inputs. not sure what the reviews are like but its within budget. and prices on speakers isn't too bad either

[KRW]

I wouldnt bother with HDMI with £200 to spend. you could do it by getting a nice, cheap second hand 5.1 optical amp for around a ton and buy a cheap 5.1 speaker pack for about the same price. It won't sound amazing, but I bet it'll sound better than the current cd player affair.

Do it the second hand way and you could end up with a nice, solid little set up.

[babelfishy]

Does your DVD have HDMI? I guess not as you say you connect by Scart. It my have an optical out, which you could use to connect to an Amp. Not sure also if Sky has an optical out? if it does, you can do the same by purely passing the audio through an Amp.

Ive just checked and the DVD and Sky both have optical. The DVD doesn't have HDMI.

Would I leave the HDMI connection from the Sky box to the tv and just run the optical lead in addition from the Sky to amplifier and from dvd to amplifier?

Sorry if Im being thick but my tv sits in an alcove and its really difficult to see round the back at all the connections and I tend to forget how its all wired up!

[babelfishy]

When you say second hand, KRW, do you mean Ebay? Ive never bought anything like this on Ebay as I always worry it won't work when Ive bought it! I shall have a scout round anyway!

[KRW]

Nah, I'd stay well away from Ebay for things like this, but you can often pick up a bargain from the AV Forums, who tend to be enthusiasts and will often unload old equipment. I've bought loads of things off there, and never had a problem *touch wood* just use common sense like you would on here.

You can often find things in the forums on here, but not so often things like this.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/amplifier-receiver-classified-adverts/