Home cinema - where to buy?

[Snoop]

Bit off topic but my dvd player died yesterday so I need to replace it. I want to upgrade to a home cinema system - basically dvd player, AV amplifier and surround sound speakers. I've been on the Richer Sounds site but I couldn't find a complete appealing package of all 3 together, though they have a nice Amp and DVD as seperates, but no speaker sets I like. Amazon is rubbish, anyone got any suggestions for other places to look for good deals atm?

[Vultch]

I bought off richer sounds... just picked and mixed speakers, sub woofer, amp etc... depending on what deals were going...

[Ace Piker]

Fleabay has some bargains, even a wifi one!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ACTIVE-SYSTEM-...QQcmdZViewItem

[joker??]

got a denon 500SD awesome sound voted no1 by a lots of reviews ,paid about £500 in 2005, vals sister bought the same system a few weeks ago for a lot less £££££££££'s

[da SLUG man]

get some of them BOSE pole speaker things... they're 7ft tall and have a huge base, but they'd be a great talking point!

[mark g8awo]

If you go to a proper hifi place they can set up the gear for you in the shop for you to hear it to your budget... If they are not prepared to do that walk away.


Denon
Nad
Nakamichi
Bose
to name a few are very good makes but do some home work first go and pick up a magazine like what hifi


You pay for what you get. dont buy the first thing that is put in front of you and take a disc in that you know the sound of and dont rely on the demo disc they have.

[marky]

Then get TOP GUN as it will really test the Neighbours.

[laser_jock99]

Depends how much you want to spend of course! Rather than a 'one box' solution I'd think about separates too.

The heart of good home cinema system is the amp. Something like the Sony STR-DG700 which has HDMI switching would be reasonably future proof for the arrival of free-to-air High Definition TV later this year. HD-DVD & BluRay DVD players (yet to hit the UK market at sensible price levels) will also use the HDMI connection. Most new TV sets have only one or two HDMI inputs so an amp with HDMI switching would be usefull.

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/default....p?product=2157

A good DVD player is a must- don't go for a £20 budget player when you can get a quality Toshiba or Sony player with upconversion and HDMI outputs for not much more:

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/stoneaud...p?product=2135

Speakers- loads of choice here- you pretty much get you pay for.

[joker??]

private ryan awesome sound effects

[shaggy]

go here and ask questions mate they are very knowledgable
http://www.avforums.com/

then go here to buy these are very good on price and quallity of product and service
http://www.av-sales.co.uk/

[Scorpion]

Hi, a friend of ours bought a complete SONY system that cost megabucks and then complained that it woulndn't play copied DVD's!!

Just couldn't make him understand that if you have a top class system you need to use genuine DVD's to get the best results anyway and they don't like copies.

If you want to play copies you might as well buy a £30 Pacific DVD player from ASDA. Not that I would know from experience, just what I've been told.

[Snoop]

thanks all, checking out some of the links to see what's what.

[marky]

Hi, a friend of ours bought a complete SONY system that cost megabucks and then complained that it woulndn't play copied DVD's!!

Just couldn't make him understand that if you have a top class system you need to use genuine DVD's to get the best results anyway and they don't like copies.

If you want to play copies you might as well buy a £30 Pacific DVD player from ASDA. Not that I would know from experience, just what I've been told.

THATS WHY IVE GOT 2. I bought a cheap one for copied stuff etc. Works a treat.

[joker??]

Hi, a friend of ours bought a complete SONY system that cost megabucks and then complained that it woulndn't play copied DVD's!!

Just couldn't make him understand that if you have a top class system you need to use genuine DVD's to get the best results anyway and they don't like copies.

If you want to play copies you might as well buy a £30 Pacific DVD player from ASDA. Not that I would know from experience, just what I've been told.

thats why i got rid of my sony set up, it wouldnt play my back up dvd's

[stormforce]

i got a cheap dvd recorder and the sky box wired thru a Yamaha DSP-AX620 amp and 5 small BOSE twin speakers and the sound from that is awsome.I have got a pair of B&W320I digital speakers up in the loft which i had as the front main speakers but the front room is a bit small to have them in and they sound brill they cost me about 10yr ago 500 odd quid and were well worth the money