Would like to buy home cinema system, but too much choice

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WhoAmI

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All,
I'm in the happy position of wanting to buy a home cinema system, but being a novice in this area, I've been unable to find any reviews which can tell me what I need to know.

Firstly, most importantly, I'm looking at a budget of about €500.

Next, I already have a Sony widescreen TV and VCR, both about 4-5 years old, so I was leaning towards a Sony system, but am not absolutely set on it. I'm not changing the TV or VCR, as they're both working perfectly well.


I want a multi-region DVD player, as well as a radio, and I suppose it would be nice to be able to plug in a USB hard disk or flash drive to play MP3s (I don't have an iPod or anything like that), but again this is not essential.

I was thinking about wireless rear speakers, but having read up a little bit about them, I'm not so sure now.

What other factors should I be considering, and can anyone recommend a particular system to me which is currently available in the shops?

I know it's all a tad vague, but can anyone help?
 
I know someone who has a Philips HT6510 and I think it does all you need and he says its very good
 
For what you're looking to spend, you could get a 'decent' all-in-one system.
As an alternative you could look at putting together a combination of 'separates', which, as the experts on www.avforums.com will attest, will give a better result, and provide greater flexibility for future expansion.

I have both a Pioneer DVD and AV receiver. The DVD is 5-yrs-old, but the AV receiver I bought 12-mths ago from Richer Sounds in Belfast. My current speakers are 11-yr-old B&W and still going strong.

The AV receiver should be your central bit of gear, with all audio and video, even your sat tv playing through it (hence the name of AV receiver...). Buy well and a good AV receiver will outlast most other components.

Having set up my own Pioneer AVR and friends' various systems, the Pioneer is by far the easiest, even for a first-timer, and the remote should also control your TV, vcr and dvd etc.

A quick check on Richer Sounds website http://www.richersounds.ie/index.asp shows you could put together a nice-sounding system for a little over €500, as in;
Pioneer VSX817 AV Receiver €300
Pioneer DV300 Multiregion DVD player €90, and
Yamaha NSP110 5.1 speaker set €150 (not necessarily a great speaker pack but it does get you in around budget)

Hope that helps. Cheers.
 
If you're looking for region free stay well clear of Sony. They are notoriously strict when it comes to region coding.
 
With a decent TV a home cinema set up is just a waste of money IMHO. We got rid of ours a few months ago.
 
tosullivan said:
I know someone who has a Philips HT6510 and I think it does all you need and he says its very good
Click to expand...


I myself was looking to get a two speaker system, originally looked at the Bose GSX but have now read some poor reviews and it seems like an awful lot of money for a machine perform that well.

The above system caught my eye in a number of outlets as it looks similar to the Bose. I wonder is the sound good?

EDIT:
I just had a look at the spec and it really doesn't give you a huge amount of scope with regards to inputs. You could not realistically expect to took anything else up to the unit but if you are looking for just a stand alone system I'd go for it!
 
Stevo2006 said:
If you're looking for region free stay well clear of Sony. They are notoriously strict when it comes to region coding.
Click to expand...


Ahhh, the delicious irony... Some 20 minutes or so before you posted, I bought a Sony DZ630 system from Peats. I have it set up now and am definitely impressed so far, although some of that may just be a case of 'ooh I've got a new toy'-itis. Region-free would have been important to me, had I thought to ask the guy about it, but I didn't think, so I didn't ask.

I read on-line, however, that this system is sometimes sold already region-free, although just reading it on-line doesn't make it true. I've yet to try a REgion 1 DVD in the drive, but will do so and post my findings...

Thanks also to all the others who offered suggestions.
 
Stifster said:
With a decent TV a home cinema set up is just a waste of money IMHO. We got rid of ours a few months ago.
Click to expand...

All in one home theatre packages will have this effect. I.e. the ones you buy for <€400. That’s about 10 nights at the cinema for a couple. Do people really think these cheap packages will perform?

Go separates, get a decent av receiver and quality speakers and decent interconnects/cables. You could buy an Onkyo receiver for about €600 and some kef speakers, the whole lot including cables will come to about €1300. You wont be bringing these back.

Incidentally, as there are NO (yes none) decent hifi shops in Dublin (Cloney Audio are too high end), you have to go further afield. There is a new shop set up by a guy called Bruce in Gorey, only opened about 4 months ago. [broken link removed]
Good prices and they have a demo room where you can hear your set up. Very friendly guy with excellent prices aswell.
 
Dieter, I think a sub-€500 setup would suit most people beautifully.

Most people are not audiophiles (you seem to be a bit of a one) and would be quite happy with the sound produced.
 
Just in relation to a dvd player. I recently picked up a dvd player in dunnes for €36 (think it's €35.50 now). I was tired of not being able to play other region dvds on my more expensive player. The Dunnes player comes with a scart lead (some don't) and has a high correction facility. It's brilliant i've watched all regions, doggy Thai bootleg dvds and stuff downloaded off the internet that wouldn;t play on anything else but the computer. Definitely recommend if you just want a simple dvd player or a spare.
 
It turns out that my new system is locked to Region 2 8-(. Oh well, there's always the DVD drive on the PC...
 
The vast majority of players accept a code or sequence of button presses that allow you to unlock the player. I have done this on a number of them from code found online, perhaps Sony is an exception given their business in Hollywood.

Worth searching google for it or if your not sure often shops do it for a small fee.

Hope you enjoy your new system.

Cheers,
majj
 
Thrifty said:
Just in relation to a dvd player. I recently picked up a dvd player in dunnes for €36 (think it's €35.50 now). I was tired of not being able to play other region dvds on my more expensive player. The Dunnes player comes with a scart lead (some don't) and has a high correction facility. It's brilliant i've watched all regions, doggy Thai bootleg dvds and stuff downloaded off the internet that wouldn;t play on anything else but the computer. Definitely recommend if you just want a simple dvd player or a spare.
Click to expand...
do you know if they still have them?
 
I'm considering getting a laptop projector (already have laptop) and a pull down screen - like a pub big screen set-up.

It'll probably be a few years down the line, for the kids. As for sound I was thinking one of the home cinema speaker packages might do it. Would I still need AV receiver what nots??

I'm not to worst in terms of technology (I've been know to read through the odd manual !!) but am easily pleased and tend to like cheap and cheerful solutions that dont have to push the bounds of quality.

Would my proposed set-up leave me dissappointed (even with moderate expectations)?
 
Regarding home cinema systems that are less than €500, my major problem with these is that you can’t try them out before you buy them. You go into currys, the guy tells you its good and you buy it. Also, a home cinema setup normally includes 5 speakers, a subwoofer and a receiver/dvd player. That’s a lot of parts for your 500 quid. If you were to spend €1000, you will get a vastly superior system and a separate amp that you can run everything through (tv, dvd, ipod, cd player, laptop). This means that you get great sound through all your devices.

Maybe I am a tiny bit of an audiophile (I bought what-hifi magazine once), but the difference in sound is so vast it’s a complete no-brainer (imho).
 
tosullivan said:
do you know if they still have them?
Click to expand...

I was in the new Dunnes in Sandyford Industrial Estate this morning and they have a 5.1 home cinema system for about €90, I think. DVD drive, speakers, subwoofer, etc. I think the box said that the front and centre speakers can be individually set with a separate remote control for them (the box showed two remotes).

Don't know if this is what you're looking for, and I obviously don't have a clue about sound quality from it, just saw it in passing...
 
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