Thommo
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still go for onkyo and blow the rest on some decent speakers...
advice for surround / speakers
- Thread starter dilly1066
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hiya , so still the onkyo TXSR309 av reciever and the other 350 on some speakers ? got any in mind thommo ? is it really worth doing that ? it doesnt have to be the whole £500 pounds if its not worth it but if it is then he will,
back to me and my set up im just about to order the onkyo TXSR309 av reciever from richersounds and just double checking thats best av reciever for the money and is richersounds the best place to order from ? going to order it tonight , thanks
back to me and my set up im just about to order the onkyo TXSR309 av reciever from richersounds and just double checking thats best av reciever for the money and is richersounds the best place to order from ? going to order it tonight , thanks
Thommo
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theres different onkyo recievers so tell him to have a look online then read reviews of them, but tbh he wont go wrong with the one you have decided to buy... he doesnt need to spend 500 in total if he doesnt want to but he could easily if he wanted to as speakers go right through the price ranges.
i bought my onkyo as a kit (300 with price match @ the time) with onkyo speakers that came with it and they did a good job but i upgraded them...i suppose most people do.
as mentioned the tannoys are supposed to be a good speaker although i have no knowledge of them in the flesh.
avforums have sections for surround sound and speaker selection id have a butchers on there as people also sell there stuff on there..buy the amp new and get some quality speakers 2nd hand (for yourself and him if he doesnt want to spend 100's on new ones).
ebay and gumtree is another good source of speakers, research avforums and the like then ebay search for them, thats what i did.
some people are audiophiles and want the best they can get but if your like me and want a good sounding quality sound setup go for an entry level onkyo (just make sure it does what you want it to.. sound via hdmi and 3d ect...) and you wont go far wrong.
tbh once the amp is bought its the speakers and wire you use that can make or break the kit, no point having a great amp only to ruin it with crap wiring and rubbish speakers.
also make sure once you have it all, thats complete and your new speakers in the future you do the calibration to get it sounding like it should. it sounds great out of the box but its not as good as you can get it, bass ect it down to personal taste turn it up turn it down ect... but the volume/sound levels from each speaker do need to be tweaked so they out put at the right levels, you dont want your rears for example over powering your center and left/right speakers.
all blah for now just get it bought and be glad you didnt buy one of those what i can only describe as argos sound packages lol.
richer sounds is a good place to buy too i got my kit from there but i live near the city center so just went and bought it over the counter.
tip search the net for that exact amp and see if its cheaper anywhere as richer sounds will price beat it yes price beat it not just match it. thats what i did to get mine down in price.
edit just re-read your post,"is it really worth doing that" comment......erm yes it is really worth doing as i said speakers and wiring can make or break the sound quality, amp will do the job fine but it can make silk out of a sows ear (some random phrase ive heard before lol).
i bought my onkyo as a kit (300 with price match @ the time) with onkyo speakers that came with it and they did a good job but i upgraded them...i suppose most people do.
as mentioned the tannoys are supposed to be a good speaker although i have no knowledge of them in the flesh.
avforums have sections for surround sound and speaker selection id have a butchers on there as people also sell there stuff on there..buy the amp new and get some quality speakers 2nd hand (for yourself and him if he doesnt want to spend 100's on new ones).
ebay and gumtree is another good source of speakers, research avforums and the like then ebay search for them, thats what i did.
some people are audiophiles and want the best they can get but if your like me and want a good sounding quality sound setup go for an entry level onkyo (just make sure it does what you want it to.. sound via hdmi and 3d ect...) and you wont go far wrong.
tbh once the amp is bought its the speakers and wire you use that can make or break the kit, no point having a great amp only to ruin it with crap wiring and rubbish speakers.
also make sure once you have it all, thats complete and your new speakers in the future you do the calibration to get it sounding like it should. it sounds great out of the box but its not as good as you can get it, bass ect it down to personal taste turn it up turn it down ect... but the volume/sound levels from each speaker do need to be tweaked so they out put at the right levels, you dont want your rears for example over powering your center and left/right speakers.
all blah for now just get it bought and be glad you didnt buy one of those what i can only describe as argos sound packages lol.
richer sounds is a good place to buy too i got my kit from there but i live near the city center so just went and bought it over the counter.
tip search the net for that exact amp and see if its cheaper anywhere as richer sounds will price beat it yes price beat it not just match it. thats what i did to get mine down in price.
edit just re-read your post,"is it really worth doing that" comment......erm yes it is really worth doing as i said speakers and wiring can make or break the sound quality, amp will do the job fine but it can make silk out of a sows ear (some random phrase ive heard before lol).
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hiya, thanks thommo great advice, the comment "is it really worth doing that" was meant in a way i dont think i explained correctly lol, i meant it as is it really worth spending the 350 on speakers or just getting the ones i will be getting for 200, but from your advice i can see spending 150 more should get him better speakers so probably is worth spending, any advice of which speakers will go well with the onkyo av reciever for aorund £350 ?
im going to order my onkyo now, gona have 1 last look on the internet but ive had quick search and cant find a better price but thanks for the tip, thanks
just thought then i seen this wire when i was searching around, again i have no idea if its decent quality wiring or not, so is this something i would want or is it crap stuff
25m Quality 2 x 2.5mm Loud Speaker Cable - Multi-Strand: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
or ive just realised it says buy instore only, cant believe ive only just noticed that,
im going to order my onkyo now, gona have 1 last look on the internet but ive had quick search and cant find a better price but thanks for the tip, thanks
just thought then i seen this wire when i was searching around, again i have no idea if its decent quality wiring or not, so is this something i would want or is it crap stuff
25m Quality 2 x 2.5mm Loud Speaker Cable - Multi-Strand: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
or ive just realised it says buy instore only, cant believe ive only just noticed that,
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Thommo
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that would be down to him really, theres lots of makes tannoy, kef, bw, mission, eltax, the list goes on and on...i do think though that for the speakers the 2nd hand market is the best route...more bang for your buck....some of the older speakers blow the socks of the newer models and they are cheaper as there not new.
id honestly have a look on avforums as they will have loads of posts about your exact amp and what they hooked up to it....then its personal choice.
just dont buy cheap crap and make sure you budget for some decent wiring too it all helps.
he wouldnt be displeased if he bought the onkyo and the tannoys (new) both from richer sounds tbh as i said some people go too far and they get no real benefit sound wise by doing so.
oh just remembered, what i would suggest before buying speakers is to make sure what your amp is subwoofer wise...active or passive iirc.... one of them requires its own power supply the other doesnt but some amps wont and dont power the non power supplied subs..
check what your getting them you know whether you need an active or passive sub..
tbh it wont make much difference if he and you buy separates but be careful if buying a package as the amp may be useless.
id honestly have a look on avforums as they will have loads of posts about your exact amp and what they hooked up to it....then its personal choice.
just dont buy cheap crap and make sure you budget for some decent wiring too it all helps.
he wouldnt be displeased if he bought the onkyo and the tannoys (new) both from richer sounds tbh as i said some people go too far and they get no real benefit sound wise by doing so.
oh just remembered, what i would suggest before buying speakers is to make sure what your amp is subwoofer wise...active or passive iirc.... one of them requires its own power supply the other doesnt but some amps wont and dont power the non power supplied subs..
check what your getting them you know whether you need an active or passive sub..
tbh it wont make much difference if he and you buy separates but be careful if buying a package as the amp may be useless.
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These are the best budget speakers at the moment, rrp is £400 and i know richer do them under 350
Wharfedale DX1 HCP Black | 5.1 Speaker Package | Richer Sounds
Wharfedale DX1 HCP Black | 5.1 Speaker Package | Richer Sounds
hiya, thanks for the link mate, theres a store about 12 miles from where i live so im going to have a drive threw on monday or tuesday and pick up a onkyo av reciever for my self, have look round while im there, thanks
hiya, just rang richersounds at york to hold me a onkyo txsr309 and i asked him about some speakers and he also said the tannoy sfx5.1 speakers are a very good macth for the onkyo, said quality is great,
was just wondering how do i check my old speakers are going to work with the onkyo for the time been ? see its a very old sony dav-400 that i was given ages ago, i would like it to work if possible until i can get the correct speakers,
another thing i was wondering is what about speaker cable ? whats my best option there ? as if i get it when i pick the onkyo up i can set it all up then when i get my new speakers everythings in place cable wise so i just unlug old speakers and plug new ones in, thanks
was just wondering how do i check my old speakers are going to work with the onkyo for the time been ? see its a very old sony dav-400 that i was given ages ago, i would like it to work if possible until i can get the correct speakers,
another thing i was wondering is what about speaker cable ? whats my best option there ? as if i get it when i pick the onkyo up i can set it all up then when i get my new speakers everythings in place cable wise so i just unlug old speakers and plug new ones in, thanks
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Some sound advice in this thread, I feel you have made the right choice in going with Onkyo.
I know its all about budgets, but I would honestly get yourself a cheapish all in one remote... or maybe a second hand one. Because if you have to find different remote's every time you will end up not using the onkyo, for convenience of just turning on the telly
Get a remote that has actions, in that it will with the press of a button turn on the telly, av amp, PVR/dvd/sat, etc.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003B70C...de=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B003B70C0C
This is a nice remote for around £30 - £40 or even cheaper second hand... that will do all you need mate... I think the 300i which is even cheaper will also do it mate.
Good luck
Mick
I know its all about budgets, but I would honestly get yourself a cheapish all in one remote... or maybe a second hand one. Because if you have to find different remote's every time you will end up not using the onkyo, for convenience of just turning on the telly
Get a remote that has actions, in that it will with the press of a button turn on the telly, av amp, PVR/dvd/sat, etc.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003B70C...de=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B003B70C0C
This is a nice remote for around £30 - £40 or even cheaper second hand... that will do all you need mate... I think the 300i which is even cheaper will also do it mate.
Good luck
Mick
The sony dav400 has a passive sub and the onkyo amp needs a powered one with a mains plug on it. However the sat speakers will work as a stop gap
hiya, ive actually already got a logitech harmony 700 remote, i bought ti a while back now when i ended up with 5 , 6 remotes and it was a nightmare, got it setup at the minute to turn certain things on for different activitys, brilliant remotes,
Thommo mentioned asbout subwoofers needing there own power supply etc, and i should find out what the onkyo is before buying the speakers so im presuming the sfx 5.1 speakers im going to get must have a subwoofer with its own power supply, at lleast i can still use the amp with some speakers for a month or so until i get money together for the speakers,
just sending a email to my brother with links to the onkyo amp and the sfx 5.1 speakers but im also sending him hawkish's link to the wharfedale speakers as im presuming with him having a budget of £500 its best for him to get the warfedale speakers, so they will go with the onkyo wont they ?
Also im still unsure with what speaker cable to go for, with thommo saying i need decent stuff i want to make sure i get the correct cableas dont want to get decent system and then find out the cable is letting me down, thanks again for the advice everyone, its definately saved me money in the long run as no doubt if i got cheaper budget system i would be wanting to upgrade this time next year so thanks
Thommo mentioned asbout subwoofers needing there own power supply etc, and i should find out what the onkyo is before buying the speakers so im presuming the sfx 5.1 speakers im going to get must have a subwoofer with its own power supply, at lleast i can still use the amp with some speakers for a month or so until i get money together for the speakers,
just sending a email to my brother with links to the onkyo amp and the sfx 5.1 speakers but im also sending him hawkish's link to the wharfedale speakers as im presuming with him having a budget of £500 its best for him to get the warfedale speakers, so they will go with the onkyo wont they ?
Also im still unsure with what speaker cable to go for, with thommo saying i need decent stuff i want to make sure i get the correct cableas dont want to get decent system and then find out the cable is letting me down, thanks again for the advice everyone, its definately saved me money in the long run as no doubt if i got cheaper budget system i would be wanting to upgrade this time next year so thanks
Thommo
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any like the stuff (wiring)you linked in your earlier post will do, as long as its not the thin thin stock rubbish.
as for the sub, i think all the onkyo entry level ones need a powered sub...check the specs on RS site it'll tell you..but yes if it needs a power supply for the amp just be careful the speaker package you buy has the right sub type.
tbh id go and buy separates like i did...im still using the sub that came with mine but upgraded to some floor standers for the fronts and some wall mounted rears.
hawkish mentioned the wharfdales well im not sure about the new new wharfdales, the old ones before the sell out where excellent but then they sold out and the speakers still had the same name but where crap... that said i dont know if they've re-upped there game its to be hoped they have for the money they are in that link.
a good budget speaker with great sound is the eltax range...you can pick up the whole lot package of speakers on ebay for silly money sometimes... right there not top top end but you can go too far spending silly money for no real benefit...tbh id give them a look for a trade off in quality vs cost.
you can always go mad but tbh most people wont hear the benifit of going mad....cost vs quality a onkyo receiver and a full set up of eltax speakers is prob the best trade off around.
as for the sub, i think all the onkyo entry level ones need a powered sub...check the specs on RS site it'll tell you..but yes if it needs a power supply for the amp just be careful the speaker package you buy has the right sub type.
tbh id go and buy separates like i did...im still using the sub that came with mine but upgraded to some floor standers for the fronts and some wall mounted rears.
hawkish mentioned the wharfdales well im not sure about the new new wharfdales, the old ones before the sell out where excellent but then they sold out and the speakers still had the same name but where crap... that said i dont know if they've re-upped there game its to be hoped they have for the money they are in that link.
a good budget speaker with great sound is the eltax range...you can pick up the whole lot package of speakers on ebay for silly money sometimes... right there not top top end but you can go too far spending silly money for no real benefit...tbh id give them a look for a trade off in quality vs cost.
you can always go mad but tbh most people wont hear the benifit of going mad....cost vs quality a onkyo receiver and a full set up of eltax speakers is prob the best trade off around.
hiya, ok thanks for the tips, im pretty much sorted now i know exactly what i want and if i cant get some decent wire from richersounds tommorrow il just order that stuff off amazon, think ive picked alot up aswell to forward on to my brother, ive said hes definately best getting the same onkyo txsr309 av reciever as im getting and then speaker wise its up to him if he gets the same or something different, ive sent him the link to hawkish wharfedale speakers aswell and il just email him again to search for some eltax speakers so hes got few different speaker sets to look at,
wish i was picking my speakers up tommorrow aswell lol, but at least il have the amp sorted and some speakers to use with it for the time been, thanks
wish i was picking my speakers up tommorrow aswell lol, but at least il have the amp sorted and some speakers to use with it for the time been, thanks
hiya, well im getting excited now im still out and about at the minute and wont be home until about 9pm, reason for excitment is i managed to pull a few strings and got the money together for the full kit, so ive got a txsr309 onkyo amp with some sfx 5.1 tannoy speakers waiting to be set up, i couldnt mange the money for the cable so im going to have to use the cable that comes with the sfx speakers which guys in richer sounds said its very basic but will do the job for now, but they did say if you want full benefit get some decent cable when you can, so thats first thing on my list for the near future, so il report back later tonight hopfully with everything setup, thanks
Thommo
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you've made the right choice....another victim saved from the argos surround sound package.....job done.
I can't vouch for the speakers but I have that amp paired to MS MS310's on the front, Jamo in the centre and some crappy Technics for the surround and it is superb. I ditched my Eltax sub as it's not needed.
hiya, well all i can say is holy shit lol, its absolutly amazing, i honestly used to think my old sony dav-400 sounded good pmsl, but this new set up i got is just ridiculous, cant bleieve how good it is, no doubt aswell i can tweak the settings to get it sounding better, i havent changed anything its just running as is out the box, or i did adjust the subwoofer as it was a little low, or while i remember when i went to richer sounds to buy everything they carried everything on a little trolley of theres and walked it to my car about 1/2 mile away, i thought that was great customer service, so have to say richer sounds were brilliant,
at the minute i have my xbox360 and ps3 going threw it with hdmi leads and i have my vu duo going threw a digital optical lead as i have my vu duo going threw a hdmi splitter, which then goes into a hdmi to ethernet lead box, then the ethernet leads go to another box in another room so it displays the vu duo in hd on another tv in the house, so im not sure how i could get that to work threw hdmi, i also have a xtreamer ultra which i use on the tv but also use it on a projector aswell and at the minute im having to change the hdmi leads over going from the ultra, could i get a hdmi splitter box and put the hdmi lead coming out of the opnkyo into the tv in the hdmi splitter and then have a hdmi lead going to the tv and another going to the projector ? so then i could just flick the hdmi splitter to which ever output i want (tv or projector) , some thign like this
Buy Alba Manual 2 Way HDMI Selector at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for HDMI cables, scart leads and acces.
make things alot easier if it was possible, i know i have mentioned this a few times but i just want to double check, while i was in roicher sounds they mentioned this cable was excellent
Cambridge Audio ULTRA 100 | Speaker Cable Per Metre | Richer Sounds
but thing is i need just over 20 metres so that would make it just over £100, i dont think i need to go that mad on cable do i ? i foiund this cable i linked to the other day
25m Quality 2 x 2.5mm Loud Speaker Cable - Multi-Strand: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
which thommo said was pretty good stuff and he obviously knows his stuff, i would like to get decent stuff as spent a few quid on the system dont want the cable letting it down, one last thing is the subwoofer lead, should i be allso getting a decent lead for that ? it never came with anything so i had to use a lead off a old scart cable i had, the leads that are yellow, red and white, is this lead anygood
2M HQ SUBWOOFER Cable RCA Phono PLUG to PLUG Lead GOLD | eBay
thanks again everyone for the advice
at the minute i have my xbox360 and ps3 going threw it with hdmi leads and i have my vu duo going threw a digital optical lead as i have my vu duo going threw a hdmi splitter, which then goes into a hdmi to ethernet lead box, then the ethernet leads go to another box in another room so it displays the vu duo in hd on another tv in the house, so im not sure how i could get that to work threw hdmi, i also have a xtreamer ultra which i use on the tv but also use it on a projector aswell and at the minute im having to change the hdmi leads over going from the ultra, could i get a hdmi splitter box and put the hdmi lead coming out of the opnkyo into the tv in the hdmi splitter and then have a hdmi lead going to the tv and another going to the projector ? so then i could just flick the hdmi splitter to which ever output i want (tv or projector) , some thign like this
Buy Alba Manual 2 Way HDMI Selector at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for HDMI cables, scart leads and acces.
make things alot easier if it was possible, i know i have mentioned this a few times but i just want to double check, while i was in roicher sounds they mentioned this cable was excellent
Cambridge Audio ULTRA 100 | Speaker Cable Per Metre | Richer Sounds
but thing is i need just over 20 metres so that would make it just over £100, i dont think i need to go that mad on cable do i ? i foiund this cable i linked to the other day
25m Quality 2 x 2.5mm Loud Speaker Cable - Multi-Strand: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
which thommo said was pretty good stuff and he obviously knows his stuff, i would like to get decent stuff as spent a few quid on the system dont want the cable letting it down, one last thing is the subwoofer lead, should i be allso getting a decent lead for that ? it never came with anything so i had to use a lead off a old scart cable i had, the leads that are yellow, red and white, is this lead anygood
2M HQ SUBWOOFER Cable RCA Phono PLUG to PLUG Lead GOLD | eBay
thanks again everyone for the advice
Thommo
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the 20 quid wiring will do....no need to spend 100 quid on it...the 2.5mm stuff is more than enough to improve the sound from basic...
sub woofer cable? lost me....cant help mine is the same as the speakers just speaker wire to attach it...but if yours is a phono type then just buy a half decent one and you away.
hdmi spiltter, is ok and will work, ive 3 in 1 out the amp itself, the one out is to tv so i have 3 in but i have more than 3 items to hook up so ive done the same thing bought a 1 to 3 hdmi splitter so now the one goes into the amp and the 3 ins have my ps3 xbox and xtreamer connected....all still work fine and amp still auto sets the sound for dolby, master hd ect....
you've got me going again now tho was happy with it but have been browsing for some new rear speakers lol.
sub woofer cable? lost me....cant help mine is the same as the speakers just speaker wire to attach it...but if yours is a phono type then just buy a half decent one and you away.
hdmi spiltter, is ok and will work, ive 3 in 1 out the amp itself, the one out is to tv so i have 3 in but i have more than 3 items to hook up so ive done the same thing bought a 1 to 3 hdmi splitter so now the one goes into the amp and the 3 ins have my ps3 xbox and xtreamer connected....all still work fine and amp still auto sets the sound for dolby, master hd ect....
you've got me going again now tho was happy with it but have been browsing for some new rear speakers lol.
hiya, lol, sorry mate, yeah i thought £100 was too much, il just get some of that other stuff i linked to, yeah my amp got 3 ins and 1 out hdmi slots, but dont think il be able to use my duo on them, so can use the 3 for xbox, ps3 and ultra, then im going to get a hdmi splitter for the output slot, then can just flick between tv and projector whether im on ps3, ultra or what ever, the subwoofer is a phono cable, so il just get that one off ebay i linked to, looks pretty good, thanks
hiya, had setup a couple of days now and think its time to have a play with the settings, i think i remember someone saying about a calibration dvd, i found one called avia home threater systems and wondered if that was a good one to go by or am i better doing it another way ? another thing ive been reading up abit on good quality digital optical cables and subwoofer rca phono cables and apparantly QED leads are pretty good, such as this one here
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
or theres a cheaper none branded one like this which is alot cheaper but i dont know if the more expensive one will make a big difference or not ?
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
pretty simular with the optical cable i need, theres a QED one which is the more expensive one , like this
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
or again a more cheaper one which the guy selling them says he uses it on his yamaha RX-V371 and sound quality is excellent, so is it worth buying the more expensive one or not really ?
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
thanks
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
or theres a cheaper none branded one like this which is alot cheaper but i dont know if the more expensive one will make a big difference or not ?
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
pretty simular with the optical cable i need, theres a QED one which is the more expensive one , like this
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
or again a more cheaper one which the guy selling them says he uses it on his yamaha RX-V371 and sound quality is excellent, so is it worth buying the more expensive one or not really ?
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
thanks
