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5.1 Sound

Daft

By Daft
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Daft Newbie

Daft

Posted
Posted

I want to get some of this surround sound loving. How much does a decent yet not too expensive set cost?

 

What connections do I need? Is 5.1 the best one to get? (I know you can get more channels but is it that utilised) It'll be used for gaming and films.

 

Also I'd like some decent base. :heh:

 

I have no idea so anything you guy say would be real great. : peace:

Emasher Newbie

Emasher

Posted
Posted

For a 5.1 signal you need something that supports digital Audio. So for connections either Digital Coax, Optical, or HDMI. This should answer one of your questions.

McPhee Newbie

McPhee

Posted
Posted
I want to get some of this surround sound loving. How much does a decent yet not too expensive set cost?

 

What connections do I need? Is 5.1 the best one to get? (I know you can get more channels but is it that utilised) It'll be used for gaming and films.

 

Also I'd like some decent base. :heh:

 

I have no idea so anything you guy say would be real great. : peace:

 

How much do you want to spend? Can't really give much advice without knowing, it's basically the key factor in deciding between an all-in-one kit and seperates. You're looking at sub-£300 for an all-in-one really and anywhere from £300 up for seperates.

Jon Newbie

Jon

Posted
Posted

I'm just assuming here but you're not looking for cinema style sound? Just good quality 5.1. You'd be a lot better off getting an all-in-one. I've always found Logitech's systems really good value for money. Like the Z5500. Connections wise you'd be looking for optical/co-axial which the above system both has. You'd could also go down the home cinema route as a lot of 5.1 systems nowadays come packaged in those.

Daft Newbie

Daft

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Like Daniel said, what's the difference between the two? Is it just sound quality?

 

I'm not sure how much I want to spend. Probably around £170 but I'd pay more if it was worth it.

Daniel Newbie

Daniel

Posted
Posted

Hopefully this time next year i should be in my own place so im looking into getting a decent set-up sound/tv/computer wise. want it all to be in good quality too. HD and 5.1 i believe is decent quality for a reasonable price.

 

Back on topic :P I think i would prefer separates to all in one for the proper experience but not if it cost an arm and a leg. But looking at the topic on wireless speakers they dont seem worth it and i wouldnt want loads of cables :P

S.C.G Community Regular

S.C.G

Posted
Posted

I spent about £300 on a system once, went wrong after a year or two (thats a complete system for that btw) Imo if you want something thats gonna last and that sounds excellent you're gonna need to go into £100's but if you just want something that just does 5.1 and is reasonably reliable then go for something around £250? if you want a box that does a bit more, i.e sound for Blurays etc then go for an AV box, as those have stuff like HDMI passthroughs and you can get very good sound out of them.

 

But if it's just 5.1 you want then go for the sub + 5 speakers setup for about £250 I'd say, just go for a relaible make and you can't go far wrong. :smile:

 

*Edit* if you decide to go down the seperates route I'd say start with this...

 

http://appliancesgadget.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=4243

 

and for the speakers go with these...

 

http://www.soundandvision.co.uk/hifi/speakers/av-speaker-packages/kef-kht-2005-2-silv

 

but shop around because you can get them much cheaper than that :heh:

 

seriously though, if you get that steup, you won't be dissapointed.

McPhee Newbie

McPhee

Posted
Posted
Like Daniel said, what's the difference between the two? Is it just sound quality?

 

I'm not sure how much I want to spend. Probably around £170 but I'd pay more if it was worth it.

 

Theoretically the only difference should be that with seperates you have more choice, more combinations and you can upgrade each piece seperately. In reality though they are usually of higher quality and far more feature packed than all-in-one kits.

 

A good starter system for seperates would be something like this;

 

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4312

 

Two months ago it was £400 and a cracking deal at that price (the amp was retailing for £250 and the speakers for £200). At that price it's a steal.

 

And for all-in-one something down these lines;

 

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/-/281/363/-/5599155/Sony-HT-SS1300-5-1-Channel-Home-Cinema-System/Product.html?searchtype=genre

 

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/-/281/363/-/5599157/Sony-HT-SF1300-5-1-Channel-Home-Cinema-System/Product.html?searchtype=genre

 

(there's some 5% off codes floating around for play.com btw)

 

Got that last one for my dad's Christmas, seperates wouldn't fit in his AV cabinet :indeed: On that note actually, size is something worth noting. AV Amps are HUGE and very heavy. If space is an issue then all-in-ones are the only choice really.

Daniel Newbie

Daniel

Posted
Posted

 

and for the speakers go with these...

 

http://www.soundandvision.co.uk/hifi/speakers/av-speaker-packages/kef-kht-2005-2-silv

 

but shop around because you can get them much cheaper than that :heh:

 

 

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/3320486/KEF-KHT-200-5-1-Home-Cinema-System/Product.html?cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Electronics-_-Speakers-_-KEF%2BKHT-200%2B5.1%2BHome%2BCinema%2BSystem%2B(Black)&source=5065&engine=froogle_electronics&keyword=KEF+KHT-200+5.1+Home+Cinema+System+(Black)

 

Is that the same thing? If so it seems like a bargain to me!

Daft Newbie

Daft

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think I'm going to need some free standing one because I'm not going to be able to screw them into the wall...

 

Would these all work with my PS3/360?

McPhee Newbie

McPhee

Posted
Posted
I think I'm going to need some free standing one because I'm not going to be able to screw them into the wall...

 

Would these all work with my PS3/360?

 

Yup. You plug the HDMI cable from the PS3 in to the unit, along with all the rest of your kit (best to use an optical cable for the 360, only way to get surround sound out of it) and then run a single HDMI cable from the unit to your TV.

 

You can buy speaker stands to solve the other problem, easy to get a hold of and there's a HUGE selection :)

 

 

It's a PlayTrade listing, subwoofer only and it's a little damaged.

S.C.G Community Regular

S.C.G

Posted
Posted

Yeah that first one that McPhee posted looks good too, when I was buying my setup from the local electronic store, the top three they recomended were Sony, Onyoko and Yamaha so with any of those three you should be pretty safe.

 

I went for the Sony system and Kef speakers and haven't looked back since, well worth getting, especially if you shop around for deals, but that Onyoko one with the speakers that was posted for £300 or something? is a damn good deal, a solid unit, the speakers might not be the best but they would certainly do the job.

 

And yes you can plug your PS3 directly into the Sony one, well any with a HDMI passthrough basically, then as McPhee said you have one cable running from the unit to the TV, the audio is then taken through the unit and passed through the speakers and the image goes through to the TV as normal with no loss, better still you can plug in lesser connections such as scart etc into the box and then pass those connections as well to your TV via the single HDMI cable, you can on the Sony anyway, looks great too. :smile:

McPhee Newbie

McPhee

Posted
Posted

That passing through thing (upconversion) isn't available in most lower end models sadly, you'd be looking at £300+ for an amp that can do that. It's only really essential for projector set-ups though, on a TV it's just a nice bonus.

S.C.G Community Regular

S.C.G

Posted
Posted
That passing through thing (upconversion) isn't available in most lower end models sadly, you'd be looking at £300+ for an amp that can do that. It's only really essential for projector set-ups though, on a TV it's just a nice bonus.

 

True but, it's a nice "bonus" that now I have it as part of my setup, I wouldn't go back to the previous method, it's a great feature. :smile:

  • 11 months later...
drahkon Proficient

drahkon

Posted
Posted

Didn't want to start a new thread so I searched and found this one. Hope it's alright to ask my questions here :p

 

Ok, here goes:

 

I want to get a 5.1 system (obviously). I might want do decide between:

 

1) This. Logitech Z-5500

 

or

 

2) This. Harman Kardon HK TS 7 BQ (oO whatever).

 

As jonSt already said the Z-5500 would be a good choice. But maybe the Harman Kardon has its amenities (is this the right word?) as well. Since I'm not into the 5.1-topic maybe someone of you guys could help me and tell me the amenities (again...?) of each of those systems and maybe recommend me one of those (or some other 5.1 system).

 

Edit: Sorry that the links are in German...

Nolan Apprentice

Nolan

Posted
Posted

Well, I can't really say anything specific about either system, but my Laptop has Harmon/Kardon speakers and the quality is absolutely fantastic, just as good as my headphones.

drahkon Proficient

drahkon

Posted
Posted

Ok, I might settle for the Harmon Kardon speakers but I want a receiver, as well. My problem: I'm a noob in terms of this.

 

So I looked up some stuff and found this one:

 

Onkyo TX-SR507B

(again in German, I'm sorry...)

 

My questions:

 

1) How exactly does this work?

Can I connect my PS3 and my 360 with an HDMI cable to the receiver?

And then, do I need to connect my TV (LG LCD) with an HDMI cable to the Onkyo thingy and I can change what the TV shows by using the receiver? (grammar? Oo)

 

2) What about the sound..I might buy the Harman Kardon speakers I mentioned above. I think I can connect them to the receiver. The only thing I need to do then is connect the PS3 and 360 by using an optical cable (for each of the consoles) with the receiver and I get 5.1 sound from the speakers while playing. Is this right?

Eddage Apprentice

Eddage

Posted
Posted

If you connect the Xbox and PS3 to the Receiver via HDMI then you don't need a seperate cable for the sound - HDMI carries digital image and sound. You'd then just connect the receiver to the TV with another HDMI lead.

 

One thing to check is that the speakers come with cables to connect to the reciever, you may have to buy them seperately.

drahkon Proficient

drahkon

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thank you =)

 

I know now what I will buy me for christmas :D

 

Edit: When buying the Harman/Kardon speakers I need cables. Again, I'm a noob, so I gotta ask: which ones? Are there some kind of standard cables I can buy, and can I connect the speakers to the receiver by using those? And do I need special cables to connect those speakers to each other?

Edited by drahkon
Nolan Apprentice

Nolan

Posted
Posted

It depends on the system. My parents have a Sony sound system with specific little inserts for the receiver. Some just use standard wires which are generally two wires insulated together one negative and one positive and oth ends are bare for inserting into speakers/receiver.

drahkon Proficient

drahkon

Posted
Posted

41n55elJ9xL._SS400_.jpg

 

This is what the receiver looks like from the back. Maybe someone can tell me where the slots for the speakers are and what kind of cables I need (maybe even give me a link?).

Nolan Apprentice

Nolan

Posted
Posted

41n55elj9xlss400.jpg

 

Circled in Red should be all of the speaker wire areas, circled in Orange would just be normal speaker wires. The other inputs would be a more specific type probably similar to composite or component leads when hooking up a console, but I'm not sure specifically what would work, a quick google search could probably find the answer.

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