I've bought myself a big Panasonic 46". Super job. Now I need a decent sound system for it.
I saw one in Makro that clips around the back and on each side so it looks like an extension of the TV itself which I liked. I dont have a whole lot of room either side for floor standing speakers and am not fussed on wires trailing all ove the place.
Has anyone got the one I've decribed or can they recommend any other one?
I am looking one myself soon, seems to be that you get them in package deals with the DVD players. I have a 42s10 myself, and was wondering if those in the know could enlighten me with regard to the benefits (if there really are any) of going for a Panasonic system as opposed to some other brand, Viera link and all that.
The Bose ones are some job.
You can also get wireless systems if you don't want wires every where
If ye want to go for the "real Mc Coy "
Pioneer Surround Sound Amp, Blue ray player + quality speakers , there are some great offers here :
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055911753 (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055911753)
Hard to get good quality wireless speakers, they need their own power source and to be honest I've yet to be convinced of their quality. You can get decent 'virtual' surround sound 2.1 setups but they can be very expensive for all you are getting.
Best option is to go for a proper audio visual amp and a separate 5.1 speaker system. I have this one http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hcs-home-cinema-receiver/str-dg820 (http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hcs-home-cinema-receiver/str-dg820) which is pretty good but a big feature for me was the BRAVIA Sync as I've also got a Sony telly (don't need remotes all over the place to control things). Means then you just plug all your extra devices (DVD, games consoles, PCs, HTPCs etc) into the amp and it'll do any required upscaling before delivery to the telly.
To keep everything tidy, just buy some extra speaker wire, run it round your skirtings to wall mounted speakers and fix them down with those little clips on a pin. If you put a bit of effort into doing a good job they'll never be noticed.
Quote from: The Real Laoislad on May 18, 2010, 01:29:32 PM
The Bose ones are some job.
You can also get wireless systems if you don't want wires every where
Mostly you get what you pay for re speakers, but Bose are way overpriced for average sound, some would say a sound that develops into an extremely annoying irritation, others don't mind the sound. I actually hate the pair of Bose Companions I have connected to my computer.
I take it that UTB want a complete all in one surround HT system, amp and speakers. Small room? wants a tidy system, does not need a blaster sound system to fill the space and probably would like acceptable quality for also listening at low volumes.
The safest bet is to go with something like the Panasonic SC-BT330 £480 if he doesn't mind paying for Blue ray
or the no Blue Ray Panasonic Tall Boy system for £290.
After that I would look at the similar priced systems from Pioneer, Samsung, or Sony Bravia Dav < £250.
Bought the 42G20B recently and absolutely delighted with it apart from the sound so will be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm leaning towards a 2.1 system though as cabling to rear speakers would be problematic and don't watch enough DVD's to justify 5.1...
Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on May 18, 2010, 02:57:47 PM
Bought the 42G20B recently and absolutely delighted with it apart from the sound so will be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm leaning towards a 2.1 system though as cabling to rear speakers would be problematic and don't watch enough DVD's to justify 5.1...
Which is the problem with Home Theatre Systems out of a box. If you have a separate amp then you can run everything through that, which means your not restricted to DVDs and the like, so whether it's satellite, PCs, CDs, DVDs, games consoles, radio, or any other device you can think off, you have the option of listening in proper surround sound.
Agree with the other posters on getting a proper seperates AV surround sound amp plus speakers ..
I recently got a Denon 1910 AV amp plus a 7.1 speaker set up ( in-wall speakers )Terrific sound !!
Bought it through Richer sounds ..They do some great offers throught boards.ie ..
I think the offer that I posted earlier is brilliant value ..
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055911753 (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055911753)
You can get a Pioneer AV Surround Sound Amp plus Blue Ray player
Plus a 5.1 speaker set - Tannoy SFX5.1 system including sub woofer , all for 500 STG.
With the dedicated surround sound amp, you just feed all your inputs into the amp, connect the Amp via HDMI to your TV and connect up your speakers directly to the Amp, and away you go ...
Quote from: Ulick on May 18, 2010, 03:09:42 PM
Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on May 18, 2010, 02:57:47 PM
Bought the 42G20B recently and absolutely delighted with it apart from the sound so will be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm leaning towards a 2.1 system though as cabling to rear speakers would be problematic and don't watch enough DVD's to justify 5.1...
Which is the problem with Home Theatre Systems out of a box. If you have a separate amp then you can run everything through that, which means your not restricted to DVDs and the like, so whether it's satellite, PCs, CDs, DVDs, games consoles, radio, or any other device you can think off, you have the option of listening in proper surround sound.
True, but most of the audio from them inputs are not designed for 5.1, i.e. I'm talking about the airplane sounding like it's flying from one side of your room to the other...
I'd listen to stereo over 95% of the time.
Just adding a decent sub to a decent pair of front speakers is good enough for most films and way way better than the surround mix coming though surround speakers in plastic surrounds.
Why buy 5 or 7 speakers in plastic when you could buy 2 basic bookshelf speakers which give better sound for tv voice and film music? I have not heard a pair of speakers in a surround system that comes close to sounding like your basic pair of bookshelf speakers. Cheap surround is a vastly overhyped concept in modern consumerism, don't mind the flattering reviews, it's still sound coming out of fancy looking cheap plastic boxes.
The prices are good for the separates mentioned by Mick.
I was thinking to buy that cheap pioneer amp for my daughter a while back but it sounded very ordinary to me.
The stereo sound is no better than an old old bog standard Marantz pm50 amp. I have. Just because they are separates does not mean quality. You have to step up the ladder for quality speakers /amp or build your own amp/ speakers.
For someone wanting a tidy surround system in a small room that mates perfect with a Panny tv then the
Panasonic tall boys SC-BT300 has a nice enough sound. The speakers and sub are way above standard for an 'all in one'
and is 1/2 the price of the cheapest set of separates.
For an decent entry level av receiver& that's going to being giving you crystal quality at low volumes with at least 4 HDMI you're probably talking over £300. Obviously you're going to need a decent speaker system to go with that and again entry level would be about £90 and a lot further up.
No matter how many sound channels is coming from the input device the amp will deliver them intelligently around the speaker system with lots of options for tweaking.
Simply sticking a pair of speakers onto your tv or DVD player, as I think MS is suggesting, won't give you best output as you are relying on the telly to do your audio decoding, which frankly isn't what they are built to do, then presumably you have the untidy wires (I assume those tallboys aren't passive?). I reckon it's preferable to get a decent set of small, quality, speakers which can be discretely mounted around the room with the wires tucked out of the way around the skirting.
I didn't suggest not using an amp, but whatever amp you use, a pair of decent bookshelves will sound a lot better than little plastic enclosed speakers.
Also the Panasonic tall boys is part of an all in one with dvd/ amp and speaker output is as good as and superior to those 5/1 separates.
Have a look at the Onkyo HT-S3305 from richer sounds. Great budget seperates system for around £300. Got one myself and think it's great. Seperates are better as you can upgrade the parts seperately.
Quote from: Main Street on May 18, 2010, 09:01:49 PM
I didn't suggest not using an amp, but whatever amp you use, a pair of decent bookshelves will sound a lot better than little plastic enclosed speakers.
Also the Panasonic tall boys is part of an all in one with dvd/ amp and speaker output is as good as and superior to those 5/1 separates.
Just had a look at it - there's no video inputs and only two optical imputs. So okay if you want to watch DVDs, but not exactly future proofed (no good for any other devices without running separate cables to tv and amp - unlikely as most devices are moving to HDMI).
This is not the be all, it's cheap and has a good sound for the price.
There are 3 hdmi inputs on the TV. Direct connections from say a digibox to a tv are better.
and it's no problem to run the hdmi cable from a digibox to the tv direct, instead of to the amp.
There is a Viera Link, HD AVI control with the panasonic tv.
"It's future proofed" is another sales hype.
Speakers don't really change, style excepted and afaiac it's the speakers that matter most in these systems.
You start at finding the speakers you want and work backwards from there.
If you want to do an experiment, avail of where you can test and listen to different headphones from Sennheiser and work your way up from the crappy ones to the 100, to the 595, to the 600.
Quote from: Main Street on May 19, 2010, 12:15:48 AM
This is not the be all, it's cheap and has a good sound for the price.
There are 3 hdmi inputs on the TV. Direct connections from say a digibox to a tv are better.
and it's no problem to run the hdmi cable from a digibox to the tv direct, instead of to the amp.
There is a Viera Link, HD AVI control with the panasonic tv.
"It's future proofed" is another sales hype.
Speakers don't really change, style excepted and afaiac it's the speakers that matter most in these systems.
You start at finding the speakers you want and work backwards from there.
If you want to do an experiment, avail of where you can test and listen to different headphones from Sennheiser and work your way up from the crappy ones to the 100, to the 595, to the 600.
But then you will have to run a seperate optical audio to the amp which causes all sorts of problems with the Sky digibox not to mention the extra wire. By future proofing, I mean accommodating other devices which this devices doesn't do (it has no practically no inputs and no HDMI). Plus, as I say, you are relying on the TV to do the audio decoding and send the signal to the speakers which will probably be a compromise on quality.
Also disagree that you should start with the speakers. The place to start is figuring out what the system will be used for e.g. if it's only for watching DVDs the best option is probably the home theatre system, but if you are building for an entertainment system which is "future proofed" (e.g. I haven't watched a DVD or listened to a CD in a few years and I expect most people will be downloading direct to multimedia boxes soon) then it's best to go for an av receiver with enough features to accommodate a range of devices.
If you want to have a really future proof AV Amp ... This is the one that you need :
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055902741 (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055902741)
Onkyo TXSR-608 AV 7.2 Receiver
Ok Boardies - it is finally here - the most awaited AV receiver for the last 12 months is in stock!
It's 3D ready HDMI 1.4 and a pretty serious looking piece of kit.
For a start, you get six of the latest HDMI® 1.4a inputs for simple hook-up of all your high-def sources.
HDMI 1.4a also brings compatibility with the new 3D video format, as well as an Audio Return Channel from your display back to the receiver (ie TV audio via your 7.2 / 5.1 speakers
It is launching at £449.95
Quote from: Ulick on May 19, 2010, 09:00:39 AM
Quote from: Main Street on May 19, 2010, 12:15:48 AM
This is not the be all, it's cheap and has a good sound for the price.
There are 3 hdmi inputs on the TV. Direct connections from say a digibox to a tv are better.
and it's no problem to run the hdmi cable from a digibox to the tv direct, instead of to the amp.
There is a Viera Link, HD AVI control with the panasonic tv.
"It's future proofed" is another sales hype.
Speakers don't really change, style excepted and afaiac it's the speakers that matter most in these systems.
You start at finding the speakers you want and work backwards from there.
If you want to do an experiment, avail of where you can test and listen to different headphones from Sennheiser and work your way up from the crappy ones to the 100, to the 595, to the 600.
But then you will have to run a seperate optical audio to the amp which causes all sorts of problems with the Sky digibox not to mention the extra wire
.
Connecting a sky digibox to a separate amp is similar to connecting it to the Panny 'all in one'.
The only difference is you run the hdmi /scart cable to the tv.
I can't imagine what problems you are talking about.
QuoteBy future proofing, I mean accommodating other devices which this devices doesn't do (it has no practically no inputs and no HDMI). Plus, as I say, you are relying on the TV to do the audio decoding and send the signal to the speakers which will probably be a compromise on quality
You are not relying on the tv for audio decoding.
For a digibox and say a computer, the audio is directed from the digibox/computer to the 2 dig input on the Panny 'all in one'.
The hdmi video is sent directed to the Panny tv, which has an outstanding video decoding system.
No matter what av amp I would have, I would connect the video signal direct to the tv if possible.
The Panny 'all in one' can take 2 extra digital audio inputs.
a digibox and either a multimedia box or a computer. If a multimedia box is used then a computer can be connected to analogue stereo input on the 'all in one' which is suitable for music and most downloaded decoded films.
Some people just want effective simplicity which satisfies their needs, the Panny TV & 'all in one' is controlled with one remote and has a good sound..
QuoteAlso disagree that you should start with the speakers.
Then you are different. Imo the speakers are what define the quality to your ear. Try out my suggested experiment sometime to find out the differences in listening to the same audio system but through different headpieces.
Even the difference between the higher end Sennheiser 595 and 600 is quite noticeable.
Whatever you have in your audio system, you listen to it through the speakers.
Once you understand and appreciate the differences with speaker component quality, you can build up the rest of a system with little difficulty.
Thats why I say the speakers are the starting point.
The only good speakers are wooden boxes.I have a pair of Akai jet Stream and I would`nt swap them for all the plastis Bose in the world.
I was wondering about speakers for my PC.
I have a laptop which will play HD movies for me on my LG 23" 1080p TV in my bedroom. However the sound will only come through the laptop which isn't great. I was thinking about buying speakers for the laptop so as to station the speakers nearer the tv to give better sound. Does anyone know what the best option would be - the room isn't very big and i don't want the dearest on the market but i'm not afraid to spend a bit.
Quote from: Radda bout yeee on February 25, 2011, 11:39:53 AM
I was wondering about speakers for my PC.
I have a laptop which will play HD movies for me on my LG 23" 1080p TV in my bedroom. However the sound will only come through the laptop which isn't great. I was thinking about buying speakers for the laptop so as to station the speakers nearer the tv to give better sound. Does anyone know what the best option would be - the room isn't very big and i don't want the dearest on the market but i'm not afraid to spend a bit.
The cheap option would be to get a 3.5mm Stereo Jack to 2 RCA Phono Plugs Cable and play the sound through your telly.