New TV/Home Cinema/ sond system
Discussion
Hi
I'm decluttering (House and Life) Along time since I've done this so a bit out of touch with AV kit
Currently I havbe an awkward shape (long thin) living room
LG 42" TV, Humax PVR, Pioneer surround sound, pioneer DVD, Mission 5.1 speakers with sub. For Audio a Linn CD/Amp bi-wired B&W book shelf speakers on Atacma floor stands.
Quite happy to junk everything and start again, I want to keep it simple.
The Audio kit wasn't purchased for this house and has never worked well (accoustically) in a long thin room we don't listen to CD's as much as we used to but would still like a little bit of quality. TV and surround sound kit is Just annoying me now. We watch a lot of films but more arty stuff than action block busters.
What I would like would be to watch fims (DVDs and freeview PVR) with good sound play the odd CD. Not concerned about smart TV or 3D etc.
So what do I need? Would a sound bar be a good idea? Is their a TV availabe with good enough sound to not require separate amp/speakers etc. Looking @ 42" or maybe 46" screen.
I'm decluttering (House and Life) Along time since I've done this so a bit out of touch with AV kit
Currently I havbe an awkward shape (long thin) living room
LG 42" TV, Humax PVR, Pioneer surround sound, pioneer DVD, Mission 5.1 speakers with sub. For Audio a Linn CD/Amp bi-wired B&W book shelf speakers on Atacma floor stands.
Quite happy to junk everything and start again, I want to keep it simple.
The Audio kit wasn't purchased for this house and has never worked well (accoustically) in a long thin room we don't listen to CD's as much as we used to but would still like a little bit of quality. TV and surround sound kit is Just annoying me now. We watch a lot of films but more arty stuff than action block busters.
What I would like would be to watch fims (DVDs and freeview PVR) with good sound play the odd CD. Not concerned about smart TV or 3D etc.
So what do I need? Would a sound bar be a good idea? Is their a TV availabe with good enough sound to not require separate amp/speakers etc. Looking @ 42" or maybe 46" screen.
DocArbathnot said:
Hi
I'm decluttering (House and Life) Along time since I've done this so a bit out of touch with AV kit
Currently I havbe an awkward shape (long thin) living room
LG 42" TV, Humax PVR, Pioneer surround sound, pioneer DVD, Mission 5.1 speakers with sub. For Audio a Linn CD/Amp bi-wired B&W book shelf speakers on Atacma floor stands.
Quite happy to junk everything and start again, I want to keep it simple.
The Audio kit wasn't purchased for this house and has never worked well (accoustically) in a long thin room we don't listen to CD's as much as we used to but would still like a little bit of quality. TV and surround sound kit is Just annoying me now. We watch a lot of films but more arty stuff than action block busters.
What I would like would be to watch fims (DVDs and freeview PVR) with good sound play the odd CD. Not concerned about smart TV or 3D etc.
So what do I need? Would a sound bar be a good idea? Is their a TV availabe with good enough sound to not require separate amp/speakers etc. Looking @ 42" or maybe 46" screen.
The problem with flat screen tellys is that there is no cabinet to properly enclose the speakers and therefore audio will always be compromised. I would suggest just choosing a new screen purely on it's visual performance. The usual suspects are there for you to choose from, depending upon budget but I'd personally always suggest a plasma for anything 42" and above.I'm decluttering (House and Life) Along time since I've done this so a bit out of touch with AV kit
Currently I havbe an awkward shape (long thin) living room
LG 42" TV, Humax PVR, Pioneer surround sound, pioneer DVD, Mission 5.1 speakers with sub. For Audio a Linn CD/Amp bi-wired B&W book shelf speakers on Atacma floor stands.
Quite happy to junk everything and start again, I want to keep it simple.
The Audio kit wasn't purchased for this house and has never worked well (accoustically) in a long thin room we don't listen to CD's as much as we used to but would still like a little bit of quality. TV and surround sound kit is Just annoying me now. We watch a lot of films but more arty stuff than action block busters.
What I would like would be to watch fims (DVDs and freeview PVR) with good sound play the odd CD. Not concerned about smart TV or 3D etc.
So what do I need? Would a sound bar be a good idea? Is their a TV availabe with good enough sound to not require separate amp/speakers etc. Looking @ 42" or maybe 46" screen.
I'd stick with B&Ws (which model?) and Atacamas - can't see how you can go wrong with those and how you could upgrade without spending quite a bit of money. I bought some 685s (on Atacamas too) with a view to expanding to 686s and a centre speaker/sub. Never got wrong to it in the end as I keep moving and never to somewhere that would totally suit a surround set-up. For the money, I think they do a great all round hi-fi and AV job. I presume that you are able to put them either side of the TV for decent imaging?
I would sell the Linn, Pioneer surround, DVD player and the mission speakers. With the money, a TV (Panny Plasma but whatever you like the look of) a decent Blu-Ray player as this will make the biggest difference to audio. It'll play all your CD's fine but probably the biggest improvement with BR discs is the audio. The bit-rate is basically lossless (someone correct me on this?) and so the audio is stunning on well mastered discs. A lot of discs are re-mastered DVDs and therefore the visuals don't always impress - obviously a lot of modern films that are shot in high-def will. However, the audio is always much better. I've tried comparing a few DVD and BRs of the same film and whilst the video isn't always much different, the audio almost always is vastly improved.
Denon, Panasonic, Sony etc do some nice spinners for £100+ and a lot of them come with the same smart TV functions as the telly - so internet, YouTube, On-demand (i-Player, 4oD etc), Spotify, digital radio....etc. So you can concentrate on getting the TV with the best possible picture, rather than being distracted by all the fluff that come with them.
You could get away with a pure Integrated Stereo amp, if hi-fi was the top priority but you'd probably be better off with an AV Receiver. That way you can connect everything via HDMI for all the digital signals, it will be easier to control with everything going through one box, plus you'll get video upscaling (although most BR and TVs do this now anyway) and other nice features. Neater and less wires. You won't of course be taking advantage of the 7.1 surround and all the other options but you'll have all the connectivity you'll ever need and you'll be able too bi-wire the B&Ws, plug in an Ipod etc.
Again, Denon and Onkyo do some nice models at the lower end of the budget, along with others such as Sony, Yamaha etc. Really depends upon your budget. You could certainly get a nice AVR and BR player for £500 max - it's definitely worth shopping around for recently discontinued models. I'd then spend as much of the budget as possible of the TV that offers you best possible picture, to your eyes.
Thanks for the reply, What I really want to is get rid of stuff, units, wires, remotes and clutter.
Audio system Linn/B&W's will go (I don't often listen to music.
What I want is a decent tv for films, reasonable sound for TV/Films/CD do I need an amp/speakers/sub or will I get away with one of these soundbar jobbies?
Audio system Linn/B&W's will go (I don't often listen to music.
What I want is a decent tv for films, reasonable sound for TV/Films/CD do I need an amp/speakers/sub or will I get away with one of these soundbar jobbies?
DocArbathnot said:
Thanks for the reply, What I really want to is get rid of stuff, units, wires, remotes and clutter.
Audio system Linn/B&W's will go (I don't often listen to music.
What I want is a decent tv for films, reasonable sound for TV/Films/CD do I need an amp/speakers/sub or will I get away with one of these soundbar jobbies?
Hmmm....how much do you want to spend? Soundbars are designed to replace a surround-sound system. I don't think that they're a substitute for a set of speakers, when playing music. Have a look at the prices too. Even the budget ones start at around £300 and they'll mostly have a separate sub to which you'll have to locate and connect. You could get a nice AVR for the same price and it will sound and perform better with your current speakers than an equivalent priced soundbar. If having as little equipment as possible is the no.1 priority, then a soundbar is really the only option.Audio system Linn/B&W's will go (I don't often listen to music.
What I want is a decent tv for films, reasonable sound for TV/Films/CD do I need an amp/speakers/sub or will I get away with one of these soundbar jobbies?
Maybe see if you can demo some?
nb: you wouldn't need a sub with the B&Ws but I suspect that all the soundbars would.
matt3001 said:
Linn/B&W kit will sound better than any soundbar of home cinema equivilant.
I run CM5's through a Naim Amp and it sounds far better than any 5.1 setup.
I'm not familiar with the Linn range but if it has the required inputs for the PVR, BR etc, then this would be a good option. Sell everything else and spend the money on the best TV and BR you can afford. You ears are already catered for, time to please your eyes.I run CM5's through a Naim Amp and it sounds far better than any 5.1 setup.
Sorry everything is getting a bit confused.
The Linn and B&W, Atacama is a a stand alone CD stereo system. It's going I hardly listen to Music.
What I want is a TV/Film system that will also sound ok with the occasional CD. I do not need it to be an upgrade or true HiFi, just respectable. I suspect I don't need surround sound I enjoy mainly art house type stuff. Now and again I watch James Bond type things which benefit from a loud surround sound but do not want to sacrifice my decluttering.
So Life's a compromise (which I know is difficult) I want to try to avoid too much clutter (speakers, subs, wires etc)
I will listen to alternative systems, I just need a starting point. I havn't purchased any AV kit for a good few yrs.
The Linn and B&W, Atacama is a a stand alone CD stereo system. It's going I hardly listen to Music.
What I want is a TV/Film system that will also sound ok with the occasional CD. I do not need it to be an upgrade or true HiFi, just respectable. I suspect I don't need surround sound I enjoy mainly art house type stuff. Now and again I watch James Bond type things which benefit from a loud surround sound but do not want to sacrifice my decluttering.
So Life's a compromise (which I know is difficult) I want to try to avoid too much clutter (speakers, subs, wires etc)
I will listen to alternative systems, I just need a starting point. I havn't purchased any AV kit for a good few yrs.
DocArbathnot said:
Sorry everything is getting a bit confused.
The Linn and B&W, Atacama is a a stand alone CD stereo system. It's going I hardly listen to Music.
What I want is a TV/Film system that will also sound ok with the occasional CD. I do not need it to be an upgrade or true HiFi, just respectable. I suspect I don't need surround sound I enjoy mainly art house type stuff. Now and again I watch James Bond type things which benefit from a loud surround sound but do not want to sacrifice my decluttering.
So Life's a compromise (which I know is difficult) I want to try to avoid too much clutter (speakers, subs, wires etc)
I will listen to alternative systems, I just need a starting point. I havn't purchased any AV kit for a good few yrs.
Can you post a photo of your room, just so we can get a better idea of what you're dealing with?The Linn and B&W, Atacama is a a stand alone CD stereo system. It's going I hardly listen to Music.
What I want is a TV/Film system that will also sound ok with the occasional CD. I do not need it to be an upgrade or true HiFi, just respectable. I suspect I don't need surround sound I enjoy mainly art house type stuff. Now and again I watch James Bond type things which benefit from a loud surround sound but do not want to sacrifice my decluttering.
So Life's a compromise (which I know is difficult) I want to try to avoid too much clutter (speakers, subs, wires etc)
I will listen to alternative systems, I just need a starting point. I havn't purchased any AV kit for a good few yrs.
DocArbathnot said:
Thanks for the reply, What I really want to is get rid of stuff, units, wires, remotes and clutter.
Audio system Linn/B&W's will go (I don't often listen to music.
What I want is a decent tv for films, reasonable sound for TV/Films/CD do I need an amp/speakers/sub or will I get away with one of these soundbar jobbies?
That's all possible, but you don't say how much you want to spend.Audio system Linn/B&W's will go (I don't often listen to music.
What I want is a decent tv for films, reasonable sound for TV/Films/CD do I need an amp/speakers/sub or will I get away with one of these soundbar jobbies?
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - will do everything you ask in one unit. TV, CD player, Blu-Ray, surround processor should you ever want to add more speakers, and comes with a 750watt stereo speaker under the TV. Available in 40 and 55" screen sizes. Expect to pay 7k+
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - does all the above but the sound is not as good and you would need a seperate CD and Blu-Ray player. It will play music and movies directly from your network though, and there is space in the back of the TV for an integrated Apple TV. 40", 46" and 55" prices between around 5.5k and 10k
They meet your brief exactly, but do cost a lot.
talkssense said:
That's all possible, but you don't say how much you want to spend.
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - will do everything you ask in one unit. TV, CD player, Blu-Ray, surround processor should you ever want to add more speakers, and comes with a 750watt stereo speaker under the TV. Available in 40 and 55" screen sizes. Expect to pay 7k+
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - does all the above but the sound is not as good and you would need a seperate CD and Blu-Ray player. It will play music and movies directly from your network though, and there is space in the back of the TV for an integrated Apple TV. 40", 46" and 55" prices between around 5.5k and 10k
They meet your brief exactly, but do cost a lot.
Yes that's the kind of thing. I've always stayed clear of B&O (lifestyle rather than quality audio stuff) but I guess that's where my compromise lies. Expensive (gulp) but if it's good it may just be the solution.http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - will do everything you ask in one unit. TV, CD player, Blu-Ray, surround processor should you ever want to add more speakers, and comes with a 750watt stereo speaker under the TV. Available in 40 and 55" screen sizes. Expect to pay 7k+
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - does all the above but the sound is not as good and you would need a seperate CD and Blu-Ray player. It will play music and movies directly from your network though, and there is space in the back of the TV for an integrated Apple TV. 40", 46" and 55" prices between around 5.5k and 10k
They meet your brief exactly, but do cost a lot.
talkssense said:
That's all possible, but you don't say how much you want to spend.
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - will do everything you ask in one unit. TV, CD player, Blu-Ray, surround processor should you ever want to add more speakers, and comes with a 750watt stereo speaker under the TV. Available in 40 and 55" screen sizes. Expect to pay 7k+
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - does all the above but the sound is not as good and you would need a seperate CD and Blu-Ray player. It will play music and movies directly from your network though, and there is space in the back of the TV for an integrated Apple TV. 40", 46" and 55" prices between around 5.5k and 10k
They meet your brief exactly, but do cost a lot.
Yes that's the kind of thing. I've always stayed clear of B&O (lifestyle rather than quality audio stuff) but I guess that's where my compromise lies. Expensive (gulp) but if it's good it may just be the solution.http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - will do everything you ask in one unit. TV, CD player, Blu-Ray, surround processor should you ever want to add more speakers, and comes with a 750watt stereo speaker under the TV. Available in 40 and 55" screen sizes. Expect to pay 7k+
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-GB/picture/beovisio... - does all the above but the sound is not as good and you would need a seperate CD and Blu-Ray player. It will play music and movies directly from your network though, and there is space in the back of the TV for an integrated Apple TV. 40", 46" and 55" prices between around 5.5k and 10k
They meet your brief exactly, but do cost a lot.
DocArbathnot said:
Yes that's the kind of thing. I've always stayed clear of B&O (lifestyle rather than quality audio stuff) but I guess that's where my compromise lies. Expensive (gulp) but if it's good it may just be the solution.
http://www.whathifi.com/review/beovision-11http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=s...
What do you mean by a standalone system? You mean B&W speakers (what kind?) and a Linn CD player and Linn Amp?
That sounds like good kit. I would keep it.
What you want is spend the money on a nice screen and BR. Then get a good DAC - Rega is a fantastic one.
http://www.whathifi.com/review/rega-dac
Then send the optical/co-ax digital outputs from your Sky/PS3/BR/TV etc to the DAC and then connect the DAC to the Linn system. You then have something that would blow most 1k AV systems out of the water
That sounds like good kit. I would keep it.
What you want is spend the money on a nice screen and BR. Then get a good DAC - Rega is a fantastic one.
http://www.whathifi.com/review/rega-dac
Then send the optical/co-ax digital outputs from your Sky/PS3/BR/TV etc to the DAC and then connect the DAC to the Linn system. You then have something that would blow most 1k AV systems out of the water
Similar situation that I am having when I move. My current set up is TV, Amp, Speakers on Stands, Blu-Ray, Sky and Xbox. All a bit too much and as you rightly say - cluttered.
I'm opting to just keep the TV on a basic stand/unit. Hook up the blu ray and sky box and then get a Sonos playbar to replace the home cinema stuff.
The playbar will be ample for my home cinema needs and allow me to stream and listen to music from my iTunes account.
I do already have other Sonos stuff - which makes it a no brainer for me though. In your situation you could just connect a soundbar to the Blu-ray/DVD player and play your CDs from there.
I'm opting to just keep the TV on a basic stand/unit. Hook up the blu ray and sky box and then get a Sonos playbar to replace the home cinema stuff.
The playbar will be ample for my home cinema needs and allow me to stream and listen to music from my iTunes account.
I do already have other Sonos stuff - which makes it a no brainer for me though. In your situation you could just connect a soundbar to the Blu-ray/DVD player and play your CDs from there.
skibum said:
Similar situation that I am having when I move. My current set up is TV, Amp, Speakers on Stands, Blu-Ray, Sky and Xbox. All a bit too much and as you rightly say - cluttered.
I'm opting to just keep the TV on a basic stand/unit. Hook up the blu ray and sky box and then get a Sonos playbar to replace the home cinema stuff.
The playbar will be ample for my home cinema needs and allow me to stream and listen to music from my iTunes account.
I do already have other Sonos stuff - which makes it a no brainer for me though. In your situation you could just connect a soundbar to the Blu-ray/DVD player and play your CDs from there.
This Sonos play bar sounds a good option......except more functions and conectivity than I would use but worst of all you need a smart phone to control it!!! I'm a bit of a luddite. I like quality but not complication and have no need for a smart phone.I'm opting to just keep the TV on a basic stand/unit. Hook up the blu ray and sky box and then get a Sonos playbar to replace the home cinema stuff.
The playbar will be ample for my home cinema needs and allow me to stream and listen to music from my iTunes account.
I do already have other Sonos stuff - which makes it a no brainer for me though. In your situation you could just connect a soundbar to the Blu-ray/DVD player and play your CDs from there.
TEKNOPUG said:
Can you post a photo of your room, just so we can get a better idea of what you're dealing with?
[url][img]I'm planning on moving the TV to where the desk is so we're not sat on top of the thing and putting some sort of unit/low book case type thing behind it to cover the back.
As I said, it would be my soundbar of choice due to my existing Sonos network, but a regular soundbar would meet your needs.
It sounds as if you are not overly fussed about creating an audophile's wet dream set up, just the occasional CD play - which a sound bar will do for you. Will it be as good as your B&W/Linn set up - nope... but you're unlikely to have both.
You seemed impressed with the B&O offering, which to me seems no different to the set up I suggested (with standard soundbar in place of sonos one) but with the added issue that they are all in one unit - meaning if one breaks, the whole thing has to be sent off for repair.
It sounds as if you are not overly fussed about creating an audophile's wet dream set up, just the occasional CD play - which a sound bar will do for you. Will it be as good as your B&W/Linn set up - nope... but you're unlikely to have both.
You seemed impressed with the B&O offering, which to me seems no different to the set up I suggested (with standard soundbar in place of sonos one) but with the added issue that they are all in one unit - meaning if one breaks, the whole thing has to be sent off for repair.
DocArbathnot said:
[url][img]I'm planning on moving the TV to where the desk is so we're not sat on top of the thing and putting some sort of unit/low book case type thing behind it to cover the back.
Telly with a soundbar seems the only way. I don't think that I could bring myself to pay £7k+ for one though.....do you have an actual budget in mind?
TEKNOPUG said:
Now I see your issue
Telly with a soundbar seems the only way. I don't think that I could bring myself to pay £7k+ for one though.....do you have an actual budget in mind?
I was thinking of a new TV (the LG screen is starting to fail) maybe a 46" Panasonic or Sony not sure about plasma or LCD so and a soundbar say £2kTelly with a soundbar seems the only way. I don't think that I could bring myself to pay £7k+ for one though.....do you have an actual budget in mind?
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