Speaker question/recommendations

[fuzzybee]

This is what annoys me about speakers: for that kind of money, they should not only be able to throw around brilliant sound no matter what kind of audio signals you throw at them, but they should be able to make you a cup of tea and give you a blowjob.
ft:

I'm not sure about the tea, but stick your dangler in the back of your speakers air port and stick some boombastic sounds on.
A blowjob of sorts

[fuzzybee]

Exactly what i think mate.

I sure you mentioned a ?200 budget

?400? Maybe when i'm not still at uni.

I took the go wild option not the safe option, you get what you pay for

[Treble]

A) Imagine if you bought a 'top of the range' TV, and the guy says "Yeah, this is a beauty all right. Almost perfect. However, although Eastenders will look beautiful, Corry will look a bit wank."

I mean, WTF?!?!


B) Although I'm guessing that all forms of audio through these things actually sound pretty darn good, but you lot are scary audiophiles with massively high expectations and bat-like sonar hearing abilities
If not, see 'A'.

[Roost]

I'm in the exact same situation as Trebs. I managed wrangle a Denon AVR1603 and a 10" Sub for Xmas by just getting everyone i know to get me audio stuff or give me the cash for it hehe.

I just really need the fronts, centre and rears now. With my birthday coming up i'll be able put about ?120 to them and then however much of my own money i can put in. So realistically around ?200 max. Buti'm thinking of just buying over time and get the centre first then fronts etc

[fuzzybee]

Yup. Imagine if you bought a 'top of the range' TV, and the guy says "Yeah, this is a beauty all right. Almost perfect. However, although Eastenders will look beautiful, Corry will look a bit wank."

I mean, WTF?!?!

Why would someone say that ?? Not got Sky Digital or is the iTV reception not very good in your area ??

[Treble]

Right, let's narrow down the field then.

The consensus appears to be that Mission are tops in low/mid-budget stuff. Fair enough. Here's what I will spend. Recommend me some speakers that are good for everything, if you can:

Centre and rears : willing to spend ?100 max
Mains ('side') speakers : willing to spend ?150 max

[charlesr]

http://www.dolby.com/ht/Guide.HomeTheater.0110.html

They are meant to be all the same size and type since they DD soundtrack presumes this to be so. See cinema speakers.
If you mix and match, then you have to start messing with the decibel levels using a soundmeter (or your ears) to adjust the channel levels. Some speakers have different drivers and port designs, so you get different types of sounds from different manufacturers. Thus choosing speakers of the same size from the same manufacturer is the easiest way to get the sound as intended by the film sound mixers.
I have 2 ruddy great floorstanders and some tiny surrounds (because I mainly use my setup for music), so I am not saying it works for everyone. Just saying that if you have a setup for home cinema rather than music, you should go down the all-same-speakers route.

[fuzzybee]

Right, let's narrow down the field then.

The consensus appears to be that Mission are tops in low/mid-budget stuff. Fair enough. Here's what I will spend. Recommend me some speakers that are good for everything, if you can:

Centre and rears : willing to spend ?100 max
Mains ('side') speakers : willing to spend ?150 max

I know you state ?150 as your maximum budget, but if your gradually going to build a system that will last you years and and "Sound" very special.
The best sub ?200 L & R speakers currently available are the Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo One's they are around ?180 but with a bit of bartering on your part however they will need a pair of stands( ?50 ish )
They have a matching center (around ?200) add some Mission DS1 rear speakers and you will have something very special.
You may have to save a little extra and blow your initial ?250 on the fronts,speaker cable a pair of good stands.
Building it slowly and money permitting is a very gratifying experience but it's all down to you and if you can wait or if you want an instant setup.

[charlesr]

Centre: http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=205019
Surrounds: http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=206460
Stereo: http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=201164
Stands: http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=101492
Cable (prices per meter, so measure everything with string - you need the same length speaker cable for left and right speakers) :
For the stereos: http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=100425
For the others: http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....tl.php&p=43141
Haven't heard any of these, but they will do till you get a bonus/payrise and want to splash out. Note, no subwoofer. I don't use one because of neighbours, so films can sound a little weedy, even though I route the bass through my floorstanders. But you may want to invest. Sometimes good with music as well.

[charlesr]

You may have to save a little extra and blow your initial ?250 on the fronts,speaker cable a pair of good stands.

This is what i'd do too.

[fuzzybee]

http://www.dolby.com/ht/Guide.HomeTheater.0110.html
They are meant to be all the same size and type since they DD soundtrack presumes this to be so. See cinema speakers.
If you mix and match, then you have to start messing with the decibel levels using a soundmeter (or your ears) to adjust the channel levels. Some speakers have different drivers and port designs, so you get different types of sounds from different manufacturers. Thus choosing speakers of the same size from the same manufacturer is the easiest way to get the sound as intended by the film sound mixers.
I have 2 ruddy great floorstanders and some tiny surrounds (because I mainly use my setup for music), so I am not saying it works for everyone. Just saying that if you have a setup for home cinema rather than music, you should go down the all-same-speakers route.

Getting in a bit of a pickle are we not, for a DD/DTS system the same manufacturer is advisable yes as i stated earlier but not essential and the same size NO.
As for the DD/DTS soundtrack it pressumes nothing it cannot think for itself, all it does is travel down the relevant cable and comes out whatever's connected to the end of it.
If you read the link you kindly posted you would realise this and you have to mess with the decibel level anyway no matter what speakers you have.
Sit in the optimum listening position and put on the test tone on your amp, you have to set it so the sound from all your speakers hits you at the same time and all at the same pitch.
The pitch of the L & R speakers usually cannot be changed so the center and rear have to be set accordingly.
Chances are your rears are much closer to you than your main front speakers so they should be set a few decibels lower
If all the speakers test tone was set at the same level, the soundstage would be severley comprimised with the rears overpowering the listener

You have to do this with all multi channel speaker configurations

[charlesr]

Gah!
OK. Ideally, they are all the same size and your sofa is in the middle of the room and the speakers are at the edges so you dont have to mess.... er... hehe

[Treble]

Well, thanks for the information. It's all too complex, though, and not something I want to think about too deeply for fear of a brain haemorrhage >_<

What sort of world do we live in where you can't just throw money at a situation?! You all give the impression that the wrong setup means a waste of millions of pounds and...I dunno...uncontrollable flatulence or something

Well, I'm going to go to Richer sounds with my budget and your suggestions. The bastards better be of use, or the place is getting torched

Thanks for the info ^^

[fuzzybee]

Gah!
OK. Ideally, they are all the same size and your sofa is in the middle of the room and the speakers are at the edges so you dont have to mess.... er... hehe

Exactley matey, that would be the ideal setup but sadly most of us cannot do it this way.
My optimum viewing/listening position is twelve feet away from my main speakers but only two feet away from my rears

[Treble]

As you all seem to know your home entertainment ****, maybe you can answer this, save me starting a new thread:

If I get the model number, where can I check to see if I can change the region on my DVD player? Is there a good site for this? As I'm reasonably proficient at mods, is there normally a way to switch players in the manner of a console, to move between regions? I got an old player for practically no money not long ago - a Sony one that was top of the range when it came out about 3 years ago, and would like it to be region 1 & 2 is this is possible. I can find the model out when I get home.
Cheers