Sound system for cinema room

[Shaoxter]

I've finally got the go ahead for my mini man cave, have my gaming PC, projector, cinema sofas, alcohol cupboard and fridge all ready

However I know nothing about proper sound systems (currently using soundbars for TVs, Sonos speakers around the other rooms) so need some recommendations. Don't have a fixed budget but let's say under £2k. Room is 6m by 3m and will be used for watching films and playing video games.

Is this one any good?
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/home-c...

[rog007]

Really difficult to advise on sound systems on the net; we all have different preferences.

I'd always go to the top of my budget though; but more importantly, I'd always audition anything before I purchased. A good supplier knows this and will be prepared to be patient with a genuine buyer.

Make sure you budget properly for ancillaries too as these can have an impact on the total quality experience.

[Type R Tom]

Don't be scared of second hand too, some real bargains to be had, particularly on speakers where the tech hasn't really changed in years. If people can't be bothered to post a big 5.1 system you can get some great deals.

If you are re decorating you could conciser Dolby Atmos too (ceiling speakers) again using second hand. Plan where all the cables are going to go and run some CAT 5 about as it can be used for various things.

Edited by Type R Tom on Wednesday 23 August 10:50

[R8Steve]

As i'm currently doing the same do you have any pictures of the room?

I went with the Denon AVR2300 which scored the highest in all the sound tests/reviews and i absolutely love it. It is a much higher spec than the Onkyo and is now down to a very similar price (currently £299).

For speakers i went second hand and got a set of Kef eggs for £200 (they were £900 new) with 2 Kube2 active subwoofers and 2 dolby atmos ceiling speakers that i bought new. I'd probably recommend looking at the second hand market for speakers as they don't hold their money at all and a very good top end speaker package can be had for a fraction of the new price.

Are you planning to run atmos or just a 5.1 system?

[Shaoxter]

R8Steve said:

Are you planning to run atmos or just a 5.1 system?

No idea what Atmos is tbh
Probably don't want ceiling speakers, just freestanding ones.

Dunno if it makes any difference but I plan to play the movies from my computer which has this sound card:
https://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_D2X/

[B17NNS]

These guys are great to deal with and will happily take the time to demo/audition/recommend.

Either of these would make cracking systems around your budget.

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_1070_D...

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_1070_D...

[Type R Tom]

Shaoxter said:

No idea what Atmos is tbh
Probably don't want ceiling speakers, just freestanding ones.

Dunno if it makes any difference but I plan to play the movies from my computer which has this sound card:
https://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_D2X/

Nice sound card but if you are using HDMI from your PC sounds will use that to amp you buy. Although you may get better sound using optical to the amp. Or use the sound card DAC and the 3.5mm outs to multi channel input on an amp

Confuse you even more!!

[Hilts]

R8Steve said:

I went with the Denon AVR2300 which scored the highest in all the sound tests/reviews and i absolutely love it. It is a much higher spec than the Onkyo and is now down to a very similar price (currently £299).

Who's selling the 2300 for 299? (Online)

I tried to buy one today but the company I called were out of stock, they offered me the new AVR2400 for 399 though. Seems to be advertised for 499 everywhere else so I went for it.

[hyphen]

Op - Think about what you want, if it is a small room as you imply, On/inwall may be tidier than speakers taking up space.

[R8Steve]

Hilts said:

Who's selling the 2300 for 299? (Online)

I tried to buy one today but the company I called were out of stock, they offered me the new AVR2400 for 399 though. Seems to be advertised for 499 everywhere else so I went for it.

Richer sounds

[Hilts]

R8Steve said:

Hilts said:

Who's selling the 2300 for 299? (Online)

I tried to buy one today but the company I called were out of stock, they offered me the new AVR2400 for 399 though. Seems to be advertised for 499 everywhere else so I went for it.

Richer sounds

Only in store, I did see that earlier.

[NorthDave]

B17NNS said:

These guys are great to deal with and will happily take the time to demo/audition/recommend.

Either of these would make cracking systems around your budget.

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_1070_D...

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_1070_D...

That website is horrific, like lings cars! I couldn't buy from them on principle - it's like looking at the wayback machine to a site from the late 90s.

I'm sure they do some lovely stuff though and have great customer service. I havent come across them before.

To the OP - I'd second the dont be worried about second hand comment. There are some absolute bargains to be had if you spend some time looking.

[B17NNS]

NorthDave said:

That website is horrific, like lings cars! I couldn't buy from them on principle - it's like looking at the wayback machine to a site from the late 90s.

it is a bit on the dated side. But they're rated 9.9 out of 10 on Trustpilot based on 1,320 reviews.

They're based in a lovely old building in Shrewsbury which should you visit is full of a cracking range of kit that they're very passionate about whilst being about as non pushy as it's possible to be.

[NorthDave]

B17NNS said:

it is a bit on the dated side. But they're rated 9.9 out of 10 on Trustpilot based on 1,320 reviews.

They're based in a lovely old building in Shrewsbury which should you visit is full of a cracking range of kit that they're very passionate about whilst being about as non pushy as it's possible to be.

I'd like that - I love businesses like that and it's great to see them still giving "old school" service rather than a race to the bottom price wise.

[chris285]

I'd agree with the second hand side of things, i've managed to get a AVR 2200 Denon amp from a mate and does everything i want in terms of passthough and even dolby atmos which i doubt i will take advantage of for £150. I've got a set of KEFF Q3's from a guy at work lined up when he replaces his, and i've got a sub which he doesn't have so i have the full setup I want

However I am concerned about how low i will need to have it in a small ish living room in a new build, as i think it is going to be a tad overpowered for the room

[heisthegaffer]

B17NNS said:

These guys are great to deal with and will happily take the time to demo/audition/recommend.

Either of these would make cracking systems around your budget.

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_1070_D...

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_1070_D...

Whilst i haven't bought them for hone cinema duties, i have a pair of Zensor 1s for my little class t amp and they sound fantastic.

I am doing a 'Home Cinebar' build at the moment (build thread to follow) and whilst I have a very low budget for the AV kit at this stage, my intention is to have some Dali floorstanders (maybe via a separate power amp - a long time away for me sadly!).

[R8Steve]

heisthegaffer said:

I am doing a 'Home Cinebar' build at the moment (build thread to follow)

Interested in seeing this

[Some Gump]

The non popular version:

Realise that all the new formats are not the be all and end all. Ignore people talking about high def audio played through kef eggs.

Go old, like 2-3 generations old. Pick up a denon a1 for buttons, and some awesome but unpopular speakers like jamo d8's, and get a properly good sub.

Oh, and stick to 5.1 done well, not 9.2 and atmos on a budget.

IMO you'll get the most enjoyment this way, but avforums techie "latest thing" set would certainly disagree!

[Type R Tom]

Some Gump said:

The non popular version:

Realise that all the new formats are not the be all and end all. Ignore people talking about high def audio played through kef eggs.

Go old, like 2-3 generations old. Pick up a denon a1 for buttons, and some awesome but unpopular speakers like jamo d8's, and get a properly good sub.

Oh, and stick to 5.1 done well, not 9.2 and atmos on a budget.

IMO you'll get the most enjoyment this way, but avforums techie "latest thing" set would certainly disagree!

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. Would depend if the amp. Can it decode the high res audio formats from Blu Rays? Would it have enough HDMI inputs? Would the audio return work if you want to watch TV in surround sound. Would any "online" functions be useful like spotify?

[R8Steve]

Some Gump said:

The non popular version:

Realise that all the new formats are not the be all and end all. Ignore people talking about high def audio played through kef eggs.

Go old, like 2-3 generations old. Pick up a denon a1 for buttons, and some awesome but unpopular speakers like jamo d8's, and get a properly good sub.

Oh, and stick to 5.1 done well, not 9.2 and atmos on a budget.

IMO you'll get the most enjoyment this way, but avforums techie "latest thing" set would certainly disagree!

Ok grandad, why would he want to go back to an AV receiver that has little if any HDMI inputs/outputs, no spotify, no wireless, no bluetooth, the list goes on.

5.1 over atmos, why? Atmos is seen as one of the best technological advancements since Dolby Digital itself.

Maybe your advice would work if he had a room pre-wired with RCAs and whatever other cabling they used in the stone age but if he's starting from scratch it makes absolutely no sense to go for kit from the dark ages.