Av receiver

bobo09

I previously had a sony home cinema system, the bluray player/home cinema in one unit then 5 surround speakers and a sub woofer which plugged into the back of the unit.

The unit has failed and i tried a new all in one sony system because it was easier just plugging the existing speakers in to the back of new one as same connections. Not very savvy when it comes to some techie stuff.
However that has been returned because the fan in the unit was so noisy and was heard all the time.

I have been looking at av receivers on Richer Sounds and other sites. Right now i do not have a lot of money to buy receiver and new speakers plus a bluray player (no rush for bluray player though).
If i bought an av receiver £200/£250 could i just use my old 5 surround speakers as the wires are behind skirting. Do i need the subwoofer? I really just want surround sound to watch television/music channels on Sky, i'm not looking for a powerful or high tech system.
I had read somewhere that the subwoofer would need to be one which is plugged in electric type, is this the case?

Thanks:)

I_have_spoken

I previously had a sony home cinema system

Do you know the model number? Without that, hard to say if the speakers could be re-used.

bobo09

It was Sony BDVE370.CEK 5.1 ch Blu-Ray Home Cinema System

I_have_spoken

I'd say probably not.

Looking at the manual, all the Sony speakers including the sub are powered off the main unit and use Sony's own plugs. Even if you cut off the plugs for bare-wire connections, the speakers are all 3 Ohm rating; all generic AV receivers expect 8 Ohm speakers and a sub-woofer with built-in amp.

I see an Ebay seller is offering just the BDV-E370 main unit for £125.

bobo09

Thank you for your speedy response. I am so glad i didnt listen to the member of staff in the sony store who was trying to sell me an av receiver at £350 to use with the old speakers!

Will need to have a look at your link or have a good think what to do now.
Thanks

almillar

You could cut the wires at the amp AND speaker end, and connect the amp and new speakers, to save you from re-wiring. You also don't need to spend £350 on an AV amp to get you started, Richer Sounds themselves start them at £100. Look out for how many HDMI inputs you want. PS3 makes a cheap and versatile Blu-Ray player and adds lots of smartness too. Oh yeah, and games! Yes, you'll need an active subwoofer. This will plug into the mains and has an amp built in, as well as a big speaker. It'll connect to the amp with mono phono usually, but check both amp and sub as sometimes either end could be stereo phono.

bobo09

Thank you almillar.
I have been looking at Richer Sounds, will have another look again. I need to be able to buy online as their nearest store is too far from me.
I'm missing surround sound so need to get a move on.

Thank you both for your help

bobo09

Spurred on by your help and the fact i may be able to get to one of the Richer Sounds stores i have had a look and have shortlisted a few av receivers and speakers.
Sorry i dont know how to post links but Av receivers i have shortlisted after looking at reviews were the Pioneer, Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo ranging from £150 to £199.
Speakers shortlisted Tannoy SFX51 £129 or Pioneer S-HS100 £99.

I realise they are on the lower budget end but i dont have a lot of spare cash and to be honest i will use just for watching television mainly on Sky box. I will just get a bluray player, nothing fancy as dont watch that many. I need a system easy to set up! Ha ha

Can anyone tell me if it is worth paying the extra for the Yamaha or Onkyo?
I would speak to the staff but would like to have an idea in my head before i speak to them so i dont get talked into spending more.

Thanks

almillar

The Yamaha?
The Onkyo?
Those are just brands. Without model numbers we have no idea. Denon and Pioneer are also good brands and make good AV amps. Number of HDMI ports, power should guide you, otherwise give us the model numbers and we can take a closer look. Nicer menu, nicer remote control, streaming, bluetooth or docking abilities could clinch it.
Don't worry about the budget, you'll blow away the old system with this setup. If you don't like it, you can upgrade it in parts.

bobo09

Sorry the models for the av receivers are
Pioneer VSX329 £150
Denon AVRX520BT £180
Yamaha RV379 £199
Onkyo TXSR343 £199
At the moment i have hdmi cable from sky box to tv (had optical from sky box to old sony cinema system), old cinema system connected to tv by hdmi. I dont really need lots of hdmi inputs. I have sonos play ones to listen to music online.

Thanks

almillar

I'd be starting with the Pioneer, and trying to justify the extra £30 to the Denon, and the extra £50 to the Yamaha and Onkyo. Possible justifications in my post above.