Hi All, I'm looking at purchasing an AV amp and surround sound speaker system. I have approx £1000 to spend and was wondering if anyone could recommend a system. Ideally, I would like two main floor standing speakers so I can use it for cd playing as well as surround sound. I did read it is normal to spend approx 50% on just the main speakers. Is this correct? Many thanks Neil.
Speakers make all the difference, so 50% is about correct. If you can afford it, try and get a new 6.1 A/V surround system. I bought a Panasonic recently, and compared to my 5.1 Pioneer, it is miles better when watching movies thanks to the center rear channel speaker.
Lots of good reviews lately on the Denon 3805 and 2805 A/V receivers, both in this forum and in the trade pubs (do a Google search). I'm checking out smaller units (S2) of the Monitor Audio Silver line (made on your turf!) for front speakers, but the S8s and S10s look pretty good, or the gold line if you pockets are deeper...
footman, as a rule you cant really go wrong with a denon or yamaha amp. you could try denon avr-1905 and mordaunt-short avant 5.1 and some good cables.
with your tight budget you should really consider going small bookshelf speakers and a decent sub. The reasons to have floorstanding speakers are for looks and the lower end. If you already have a decent sub then your lower end should be covered. Typically, you will spend a lot more on a good tower than you will on a bookshelf. Many speaker lines use the [bold]exact[/bold] mid range and tweeter in thier bookshelf sized speakers that they do in a larger floor-standing tower and the tower can cost up to twice as much. The only sonic difference in the speakers is the towers have a deeper lower end. If you get a sub, then you don't need to worry about it. Also, if you go with the Denon 1905 (good choice for you by the way) you can use the "5-channel" stereo instead of just listening to the front two mains. This has a GREAT diffuse sound to it, much better than just the 2-channel stereo. I use mine all the time when listening to music. Furthermore, a system is going to sound [bold]much[/bold] better if all your speakers are "timber-matched". Meaning all the same sound. If your floorstanding towers are not matched with your center channel then it is not going to sound that good. Make sure you get all your speakers from the same manufactuar and that they are all "timber-matched".
Thanks for all your input. I have looked at the Denon AVR 1905 and it gets some fantastic reviews all for the great price of £270. Has anyone heard the Acoustic Energy EVO 3B Home Theatre Speaker System. I have read a good review and the price for the 5.1 setup is £720. This falls within budget but could anyone recommend anything better. I am prepared to pay a bit more. Once you start looking around your budget goes out of the window!!
Hey footman, I would definitely stay with the Denon, you might look at the newer 2105 model if you can stretch the budget a little. For speakers take a look at the new Wharfedale Diamond 9 systems. They are the same speakers as their Pacific Evolution line. The only diff is the cabinets are not the same hardwood but are vinyl veneer instead. For the sub I strongly recommend the 10" from Reel Acoustics, it's hard to beat on a budget. Good luck
