Home Cinema System

ste_coxy

Hi I am wondering if anyone could help me pick a home cinema kit. Have seen a few on Amazon and wondering for people's advice which to pick out of the following:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-DAVDZ330-Cinema-System-Playback/dp/B003G0S1AM/ref=pd_ybh_2?pf_rd_p=138755991&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1Z5092ZVY3F2R741G0J7

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-HT-C453N-5-1-inch-Speakers/dp/B003DNSBIO/ref=pd_ybh_1?pf_rd_p=138755991&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1Z5092ZVY3F2R741G0J7

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-HB405SU-Blu-ray-Cinema-System/dp/B003IHVHRC/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1296748218&sr=8-26

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-HT805PH-Home-Cinema-System/dp/B003IHVJRU/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1296748218&sr=8-28

The other thing I should mention is that I live in an apartment and I have 2 couches which are position in an L position but seperate from one and other and that the TV is in the bottom corner of the room. Is it worth getting a 5.1 system or should I just get a 2.1 system because of the room lay out as I have also seen the following which I think might be just as good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-HT-C420-2-1-inch-Theatre/dp/B003DNSBKC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1296747947&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-RTSHE10T-Home-Cinema-System/dp/B001FT6V12/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1296747947&sr=8-11

OK_Sauce

I would still get a 5.1 system if I were you. Also, personally, I would avoid any system with a built in DVD or BluRay player. Optical drives are mechanical, mechanical things wear out. I have got through 3 DVD players since they launched the first two simply packed up! If your player packs up you then have rendered a part of your set up useless. I would recommend, if you can afford it to go with a separate 5.1 amp/speaker/bluray combinataion.

If money is tight, the Sony DAV system is highly recommended, however you may want to upgrade to the bluray version to 'futureproof' your purchase a bit.

At the end of the day you get the best system you can afford. It might be worth checking out Richer Sounds to see what they have.

www.richersounds.com

trets77

agree . one box systems are generally naff and for lazy people who don't know what real surround sound is

. you get far better for your cash by going down the seperates route . plus you can then upgrade, chop and change , and plug in existing devices.

http://www.richersounds.com/information/home-cinemasystems

budget a extra £20 - £30 quid for some half decent speaker cable and leads on top .

missile

Go visit a decent Hi Fi shop with a sound room and you will begin to appreciate what home cinema should sound like.

You are not going to get a quality system for £200.

lucylucky

If you can try to listen to whichever one you fancy buying.

An all-in-one may well be sufficient for your needs.

I still have my original system and the DVD player is going strong after 10 years of constant use. It is by no means anywhere near top of the range but I cannot justify spending a lot of money on upgrading and it works adequately.

aliEnRIK

I agree with those that say to get seperates

If you buy an all in one and (the most likely) the player fails, then the entire system needs replacing. They also tend to have very few connections. This is before we get into sound quality

spike7451

I agree,I got a brilliant Teac 6.1 Surround Sound system (less speakers,I was upgrading) from Richer Sounds for £180 IIRC.Sound quality is top notch & the are pre set settings for various arena's like concert hall,cinema,stadium ect.


I've always bought my hi-fi stuff from Richer Sounds,better range & quality imho.

This is the one I got;
http://electrical.playrecord.net/sound/domestic-music-systems/teac-ag7d-6-1-channel-surround-sound-receiver.p1025415.html

Bikertov

Agree in principle with the seperates route ... HOWEVER ...

The OP lives in an apartment, so probably does not have the space or neighbours to allow a full blown cinema system.

You can get a reasonable brand (eg Samsung, LG etc) 5.1 one-box system for £100 upwards, which is a fraction of a seperates system, and is much simpler to set up and use. Yes, it is not the utlimate quality, flexibility or longevity of seperates, but does an acceptable job for the space and money.

2 examples of 5.1 DVD systems from Richer sounds, at under £120 ...

http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/lg/ht305su/lg-ht305su
http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/lg/ht304su/lg-ht304su

and a 5.1 Blu-ray for just under £200
http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/lg/hb405su/lg-hb405su


.

spike7451

Bikertov wrote: »

Agree in principle with the seperates route ... HOWEVER ...

The OP lives in an apartment, so probably does not have the space or neighbours to allow a full blown cinema system.

You can get a reasonable brand (eg Samsung, LG etc) 5.1 one-box system for £100 upwards, which is a fraction of a seperates system, and is much simpler to set up and use. Yes, it is not the utlimate quality, flexibility or longevity of seperates, but does an acceptable job for the space and money.

2 examples of 5.1 DVD systems from Richer sounds, at under £120 ...

http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/lg/ht305su/lg-ht305su
http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/lg/ht304su/lg-ht304su

and a 5.1 Blu-ray for just under £200
http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-box-home-cinema-systems/lg/hb405su/lg-hb405su


.

I live in an upstairs apartment to & all my av kit is in the TV cabinet that my TV sits on,the main speakers,technics,sit on a corner shelf each & the rear ones mounted on the wall.

I don't have a sub-woofer mainly as it's upset my downstairs neighbour but as the floors are solic concrete,I've been in his flat when my systems been on normal & cant hear it.
So if the OP's going to get a system,it might be an idea to approach his neighbours just to check if they can hear his tv,sort of to give him an idea of the volume level.

Richie-from-the-Boro

spike7451 wrote: »

I live in an upstairs apartment to & all my av kit is in the TV cabinet that my TV sits on,the main speakers,technics,sit on a corner shelf each & the rear ones mounted on the wall.

I don't have a sub-woofer mainly as it's upset my downstairs neighbour but as the floors are solid concrete,I've been in his flat when my systems been on normal & cant hear it.
So if the OP's going to get a system,it might be an idea to approach his neighbours just to check if they can hear his tv,sort of to give him an idea of the volume level.

Excellent advice, ask .. .. .. if your neighbour (s) can hear it .. .. .. you may not get the answer you wished for but its the honourable [ and financially sensible ] thing to do.

You can have a good system on moderately high and its ok. Turn it moderately low with high bass and you can hear the thump louder than bad suspension on an old Cortina !

ste_coxy

many thanks for all of your replies. I appreciate that with things like this you do get what you pay for however, because I'm in an apartment I'm limited due to the shape of the room but also coz of nuisancesome neighbours but also due to my budget. Really apprecaite your help everyone.