Surround sound system for HD

Serennos

Oh people of the Techie forum, please point me in the right direction if you can?

Hubbie has been making noises about how much better watching Blu-ray would be if we had a speaker system (we just use the TV's own speakers atm).

What on earth am I looking for? I know that 5.1 and 7.1 are different, but how can I tell which I need? And I have a vague idea that not all surround systems are not geared up for high def. sound, but how do I go looking for those that are?

We have a Sony Bravia HD tv and a Sony Blu-ray player - both are about 6 months old, but I imagine that I will need to get more detail. I am hoping that I don't need to crawl around the back of the TV because at 7 months pregnant, I am liable to get stuck in the most un-ladylike of fashions...:eek::rotfl:

Thanks in advance for reading this and for any advice you can give me!

S

SOSAGES

its a complicated subject - and if u dont know much then you can do it 2 ways.

buy a cheap set and be happy or go and learn all about surround sound

I would personally look at the 5.1 systems.

I would also look at systems that can handle HD audio (those that do all the sneaky dolby stuff and DTS etc..)

I would suggest you go to a local store that sell such things but be careful a lot of these setups come with DVD/Blu ray players and you already have that so all you want is an Amp and 5.1 speakers but there are so many options it all comes down to cost.

Good speakers and a nice amp can cost a fair amount

kaya

depends on your budget really, i got an onkyo amp (about £300) and a set of keff egg speakers(another £300ish) from richer sounds, 5.1 surround is ample, you can buy a cheap set up for a few hundred pounds but the quality will be poor as the speakers will be made from cheapo mdf and hardboard, my set up cost a few quid but sounds excellent and should last me for many years

aliEnRIK

Dont bother with 7.1
How much are you looking at spending? Are you bothered if the speakers are floorstanders? Are you bothered about wires? Do you need other inputs? (the cheap ones tend to be devoid of inputs)

custardy

as said its not an easy answer,i went for an all in one set (audiophiles will slate me) but its far better than the TV speakers and we dont have practical space for speakers/wires

this is a recent thread on a Sony unit http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1988165&highlight=sony+surround (i see you like Sony

robpw2

dolby digital works fine on 5.1 thats what i have at home

mluton

If you want the true Blueray experiance then you need a 7.1 system, but very expensive.

Also does your Blueray player have output support for surround sound ?

I use 5.1 system and a PS3 and let my surround system use virtual surround, which suites me fine.

aliEnRIK

mluton wrote: »

If you want the true Blueray experiance then you need a 7.1 system, but very expensive.

Also does your Blueray player have output support for surround sound ?

I use 5.1 system and a PS3 and let my surround system use virtual surround, which suites me fine.

My dads PRE amp is over 6k to buy. His other power amps come to more than 10k
I think we can safely say he has what can only be described as an awesome surround sound system. The point of this is that 5.1 STILL sounds better through his system than 7.1, as 7.1 just sounds too 'muddled'. Id hazard a guess his rooms not big enough, as most peoples arent.
Ergo ~ id buy 5.1 over 7.1 anyday

Serennos

Wow, it sounds expensive to do properly!

Thank you SOSAGES for the pointer about making sure I don't end up with another player.

Kaya, cripes I don't have £600 to spend - half that would be absolute tops (if at all feasible) because of the soon to arrive family addition. I know what you mean about spending the money to get long term value though - just wish it were possible for us at the mo!

aliEnRIK, I'd ideally spend no more than £300, but I accept that most (if not all) systems would be out of that budget! Floor standing and wires don't bother me - we'd just box the wires in if necessary.

As for other inputs we also have a DVD recorder, the Sky box, a VHS (I do OU courses - don't judge me!), and a Wii. Tbh, cabling is a bit of a mystery to me - I had sort of assumed that everything plugs into the TV and the speakers would come out of the TV.

Please accept my apologies if I am being infuriatingly naive about this - I always find that no ask = no learn (and if I ask hubbie, I'll be rumbled)!

Custardy - thank you for the link, I'll have a look.

robpw2 - the common concensus seems to be that 5.1 is the way to go - thank you

mluton - I'm sure it does have support for surround sound, but I will endeavour to find the manual and double check before buying anything!

aliEnRIK

Ok. Your dvd recorder and sky need 'digital' cables to get the 5.1 effect (Going into and out of your tv will make it stereo which defeats the whole object). Wii's im not well up on but im 90% sure it would also require some form of digital cable (Id be shocked if it doesnt anyways)
Digital cables come in the form of HDMIs, OPTICAL or COAXIAL. So whatever you buy MUST have these connections in (depends what the players do though. Assuming its a SKY+ box you need an OPTICAL cable for that. If SKY HD for whatever reason they DONT allow digital 5.1 down the HDMI. Id assume the dvd recorder and wii allow digital through its HDMI, But again im not to sure)
If you do buy a bluray player then you can use that as the main player and do away with the recorder doing the playing
yes ~ its a minefield

phillh79

aliEnRIK wrote: »

Digital cables come in the form of HDMIs, OPTICAL or COAXIAL. So whatever you buy MUST have these connections in (depends what the players do though. Assuming its a SKY+ box you need an OPTICAL cable for that. If SKY HD for whatever reason they DONT allow digital 5.1 down the HDMI. Id assume the dvd recorder and wii allow digital through its HDMI, But again im not to sure)
If you do buy a bluray player then you can use that as the main player and do away with the recorder doing the playing
yes ~ its a minefield

Dont mention HDMI cables lol!!!

I've got the same setup as the OP and need to get my surround sound system sorted but need to do it on a budget. Is it possible to get an amazing sounding system for under £400?