best surround sound speaker

richierobot

helo al - im a bit flumoxed as to what to do. Basically i want to get the best speaker system to attach to my panasonic lcd tv. I'd love to achieve awesome surround sound but dont want enormous speakers. I have a budget of around £200. Can anyone help me. I saw a bose companion 3 in John lewis the other day and loved it - can i attach this to my tv - the guy in the shop seemed unsure.

PeteHerts

Im not sure about Virgin equipment but I had Sky+ and now SkyHD and both have an optical output that I've connected to my Sony surround so if you have either of them and the Bose has optical inputs then you should be ok.

GoofyGAT

The Bose Companion 3* is only 2.1 & basically PC speakers. For true surround sound go for 5.1 speakers at the very least - an example of why to do so.

If you reconsider getting 'enormous speakers' (subwoofer only to be fair), may I suggest these Logitech Z5500 5.1 Speakers for £184.84, after £10 off with Google Checkout (GC) COLOR="Red"]expires 5/11/07[/COLOR.

Even better, as this is a money-saving site, why not go for the model down for only £120 (after GC): Logitech Z-5400 5.1 THX 310W RMS Home Cinema Speaker System - read user reviews for both above. G

* If going for the John Lewis Bose offering, knock £25 off by using this £20 money-off code & 3% Quidco cashback.

P.S. There's also the Logitech Z5450 5.1 Speakers with wireless rear satellites - reviews here & here. Couldn't find them at a good price though.

Little_John

Just remember that the logitec systems will usually have fixed wires to the speakers that limit the positioning of them.

If you don't want huge speakers everywhere then unless you spend and buy a Bose system the sound wont be very good. they some how manage to get big sound from small speakers. You should really try to avoid the PC suround systems, they do have limited inputs on them.

Coveredinbees!!!!

Your not going to get awesome surround sound for £200. Awesome starts at around a grand and goes up from there.

richierobot

thanks everyone - i'll check all your excellent help out.

GoofyGAT

It may be fine to get the Logitech's I linked to. Read reviews of the Z-5400 - especially the first 2 by Lionel Dsouza & Daniel Davies. Of course, there's no guarantee it'll be compatible with your TV - so do some research/contact Logitech to ask if it'll be compatible with your particular TV.

"Your not going to get awesome surround sound for £200." - that's true, but it also depends on one's expectations & budget. These Yatai 5.1 £30 speakers seems to have impressed many people. G

richierobot

Thanks again one and all - one slight problem; the wife!:mad:

She doesnt like the sub woofer idea as it appears to take up room so i'll compromise. How about some good extra speakers that will just boost the sound from the tv as opposed to experiencing the full surround sound experience.

Thanks in advance

GoofyGAT

richierobot, you'll probably get the best advice at the AVForums Speakers section. G

Little_John

The Logitech Z-5400 speakers, I cant find the specs on them due to them being replaced by the Z5450's they have 2 optical, 1 coaxial and a set of jack plus for sound card connections. I wouldnt have a clue what outputs you have on your tv as you havnt told us which one you have.

Buying extra speakers opposed to buying a sub? I wouldnt go without a sub if your going for small speakers. I bought the sub later but I have floor standing front speakers and they could go pretty low and give a little bass and make next doors stuff fall off the mantlepeice when I bought the sub it enhanced the surround experiance even more, the kick from it with explosions is awesome but I spent 4 times your budget on just the sub.
You dont hear the sub you feel it. buying more speakers wont improve the bass if you want bass you need to buy a large speaker or sub, due to bass being felt and not heared you can put it anywhere in the room it can be hidden behind somthing, just dont go putting stuff on it or it bounces off half way through a movie.

You could just hook your TV up to a hifi ueing the aux connections if yours has them. any hifi will sound a lot better than TV speakers.

20vt-rs

Go for the Sony HTSS1100 system, just over £200 and does sound very very good. This includes amp & 5.1 speakers.