Streamline My Den Please!

trillion

I have a little den off the kitchen.

At the moment it contains......
........an analogue tv which uses an old Sky box though I no longer subscribe to Sky (even without the subscription it gives me channels and radio stations I can't get on freeview).

.......a desktop pc which contains ALL my precious music which is connected by red and white jacks to.....

.......an antediluvian integrated hifi system with speakers like bloomin' coffee tables.

Now I know it's not going to come cheap, but I want to streamline all this stuff so I can free up a bit of space.

The idea is I'll get a decent set of speakers to which I can connect a new tv (and the Sky box) and the pc. Ideally, I'd have some way of connecting the pc to the tv too, so I can take advantage of iPlayer etc.

Can anyone offer any suggestions of what type of speaker system I should be looking for in terms of ports etc so I can connect all the different components together with the minimum of complications (and complete technical illiteracy).

Thanks!

gonzo127

ok the main thing is do you think you are a audiophile in that you have to have tip top sound quality? as this will change the speaker set up recommendations a lot

otherwise my general thoughts are below based on a 10 mins check around, so i have not got the best of each type of product, more a case of providing a idea into what sort of set up you can get which should allow you to have a look around and read some reviews on the different version of the products

nice LED TV of course at the size you need, but these are thin and power effeicent http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0079WKG88/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&psc=1 (to match the speakers below - although please note as above this is not nessesarily the best product around for your needs!)

then speakers wise maybe something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-SC-HTB20EB-K-240w-Soundbar-2012/dp/B0084A5ZPI/ref=sr_1_22?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343027909&sr=1-22

as far as sky box goes you could put it in a cuboard (will need some space around it so it doesnt get too hot) etc hidden away and use one of the magic eyes for the controller http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sky-Remote-Control-Flatscreen-Magic/dp/B0036E0S5Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1343027259&sr=8-4 - will require coax cable to connect the box (wherever you have hidden it) to the TV but other than that means you can have it hidden anywhere

computer wise, if you do not require much power (just enough to run iplayer etc) then something like this might be good http://www.ebuyer.com/319565-acer-aspire-revo-rl70-nettop-pc-pt-sj4e2-002 or http://www.ebuyer.com/288844-lenovo-ideacentre-q180-nettop-vc71fuk - these are nice and small and can in most instances be attached to the back of a tv if you are not wall mounting it (this would connnect via HDMI to the TV so giving a digital connection to the TV which should mean no lose of signal for your music)

course the computer should be paired with a external hard drive for backing up all of your precious music so should the computer hard drive fail you dont lose it all!!! http://www.ebuyer.com/261276-buffalo-500gb-portable-hard-drive-black-hd-pct500u3-b-eu

the main problem with a set up like this is that everything is designed to go through the TV so if you want some music on you would have to turn the TV on etc etc so might not be the set up you want, but as i started out saying this is more to give you an idea on what could be a possible set up based on smaller products

Dave_C_2

trillion wrote: »

.......a desktop pc which contains ALL my precious music

Please tell us that the music is backed up to CD/DVD and /or an external drive

.......an antediluvian integrated hifi system with speakers like bloomin' coffee tables.

Make and model of hifi and speakers please. Older HiFis tend to be really good. Speakers like coffee tables (like mine) mean that the bass response should be excellent.

As an aside what's the deal with modern hi fi with only one bass speaker? Don't folks want to hear the bass in stereo. (Think Dark Side of the Moon)

Dave

gonzo127

Dave_C wrote: »

Please tell us that the music is backed up to CD/DVD and /or an external drive

thanks just for that, although i did make a subtle attempt at it in my reply good to haveit put bluntly i think

Dave_C wrote: »

As an aside what's the deal with modern hi fi with only one bass speaker? Don't folks want to hear the bass in stereo. (Think Dark Side of the Moon)

good point and i dont have an answer for this but i would guess its probably because you will get bass from the other speakers to some extent so get some of the stereo effect from them, and the sub is for a bit of extra power.

unless its just a fashion statement with the 'advancements' (put it like this as i know not everyone agrees) of cone material over the old paper cones allowing for smaller speakers but still keeping the quality for eveything but bass and taking into account most people dont tend to notice the finer points of their music (how many people have ipods over the much better options out there for music quality) then its just cheaper to make a system with one sub, and cooler to have small speakers

as a aside to the above, really cant help wondering about some people who pair a £180+ headphones with a £90 ipod nano (spotted someone today on the way into work with what appeared to be dr dre headphones and a ipod nano)

NeverAgain_2

Dark Side of the Moon - and most other modern music - was recorded to be listened to on two stereo speakers, so that's what I would stick to.

Bookshelf speakers would free up most space.

I auditioned a pair of Q Acoustics Q2010s and thought they were excellent and something of a bargain for around £100.

trillion

Dave_C wrote: »

Please tell us that the music is backed up to CD/DVD and /or an external drive

Make and model of hifi and speakers please. Older HiFis tend to be really good. Speakers like coffee tables (like mine) mean that the bass response should be excellent.

As an aside what's the deal with modern hi fi with only one bass speaker? Don't folks want to hear the bass in stereo. (Think Dark Side of the Moon)

Dave

Yes, it's all on external drives and a lot of it is on cds too.

The hifi is a Sony LBT-LX9AV and it came with the 2 coffee tablesque speakers as well as 3 wall/shelf type speakers.
It's a brilliant system and I'm quite emotionally attached to it, but the fact remains that it's BIG (the unit itself is something like 50cm x 50cm x 40cm), I can't get the radio station I listen to on it, I rarely play cds, never play cassettes and have given the turntable to my daughter.
I will miss my kitchen cupboards vibrating when I'm in a Rammstein mood though.



Might it be possible to compromise by recycling the speakers?
I feel like I ought to type in a whisper so it doesn't find out what's coming to it.

googler

Could you clarify exactly what you want to listen to and watch - you say you can't get the one radio station you want to listen to ... which is what, exactly?

What do you want from the TV? Broadcast TV only? DVD playback? Other formats?

What's your budget? How much do you want or are able to spend?

If the HiFi is this one, I have severe difficulty regarding the speakers as 'coffee-table sized' unless you bought it with different ones.....

Scroll down to the third picture on this page for what I regard as 'big' speakers....

trillion

googler wrote: »

Could you clarify exactly what you want to listen to and watch - you say you can't get the one radio station you want to listen to ... which is what, exactly?

What do you want from the TV? Broadcast TV only? DVD playback? Other formats?

What's your budget? How much do you want or are able to spend?

If the HiFi is this one, I have severe difficulty regarding the speakers as 'coffee-table sized' unless you bought it with different ones.....

Scroll down to the third picture on this page for what I regard as 'big' speakers....

Well - current usage is mostly - if I'm in the kitchen, I'm listening to LBC radio (which I access through the Sky box because I can't get it on the hifi).
Then when I'm on the PC, I have the tv on for 'company' mostly, and through the Sky box I can access Edge Media and the channel that shows the Waltons - neither of which come on freeview.
And in between times, I like to make my ears bleed a bit with the music on the PC.

So - the telly doesn't have to be a good one (I have a decent one in the proper living room), it'll be used for programmes as they're being broadcast and it can't double up as a pc monitor.

I would like decent music quality though.
As for the size of the speakers, everything's relative. The speakers are about 60cm high and measure 40cm x 30cm, which is a bit of an issue in a room that is barely 10' square.

I'd like to be able to do it for under £500 (which doesn't include buying a new pc incidentally).

trillion

googler wrote: »

Scroll down to the third picture on this page for what I regard as 'big' speakers....

They are clearly Wardrobe size speakers!

Dave_C_2

In reply to the OP, I would keep your old Sony speakers. Compared with the wardrobe speakers (TM) they aren't that big

I found this on why every man needs 2 woofers.

Dave

x.x.x.

With regard to speakers, have you considered any of the Sonos components? I have the s5, and its amazing!