Surround Sound for Little Monies

[Shovel]

Ello.

I'm feeling tempted by the prospect of adding surround sound to my TV/XBox 360. I'm on a low budget, naturally, so I'm really looking for a low-end piece of kit, but which offers optical input. As regards sound quality, the only real requirement is to ‘sound better than the £300 CRT tele's built in wassits’.

I did a quick search on the AVForums, in which someone recommended a set of £85 Acoustic Solutions from Argos.

Any other specific advice though? Ideally < £100 is the budget, but if it was _really_ _really_ worth it for some reason or other, Going up to £120/£130 might be OK.

Ta,

Ben

 

[Ch3tan]

Checked Richer Sounds yet? You may be able to a cheap a/v receiver. Speakers are the only add on cost, and even cheapo bookshelfs will probably be better than anything in a sub £100 bundle.

 

[Shovel]

I've had a brief look, yes. The cheapest receiver seems to sit at £120 though, and cheapest bookshelf speakers at £20/pair. It's certainly worth keeping in mind; I do appreciate the quality will be better. It is over budget, though.

Ben

 

[Ch3tan]

What about second hand kit, or refurbished stuff? ebay?

 

[tris-]

i bought a JVC a/v amp and a set of eltax speakers from richer sounds.

admittedly id never heard of eltax before but they are quite the business. the sub is a fucking beast and the amp is also fantastic.

by a beast i mean you can feel the bass resonating inside your chest cavity on high volumes and explosions etc, none of the speakers have stated farting or caused a problem.

bought it a few years ago now mind. was probs around 150-180 back then.

 

[Shovel]

Tris-— Thanks for that. Sadly it seems their current £120 entry (Panasonic) doesn't have optical input and seems designed just for bundling with the provided DVD player (which I obviously don't care for).

Although it pushes up my budget quite significantly, I have noticed the Pioneer HTP-GS1 5.1 set. Now, I'm initially nervous because the ‘Exclusive for XBox 360’ moniker implies a premium mark-up on the price, but though Play are out of stock, they're listing for £170 (everywhere else: ~£250). It's got 2 Optical, 1 Coaxial and 1 Analog input though so looks pretty flexible for my needs.

Soooooooooo. That raises the budget. Significantly. I don't know if I want to plump that high, really. But entertain me; is that kit good? (I'm currently deceived by its good looks). And lets say I get some monies for my birthday, should I dive in?

Or, if my budget gets pushed up that high is there a sudden and instant alternative recommendation?

Yours faithfully,

Indecisive, Birmingham.

 

[Ch3tan]

Check Avforums and see if there are any reviews. In my opinion those all in one kits are usually pap, and for £170 I am sure you could pick up an a/v receiver and speakers as seperates.

 

[tris-]

ive noticed distinct sound differences between the bundle things and buying it separate. this is for a variety of different makes, at different homes. they all speakers positioned the same etc. the sound was more quiet and didnt have enough punch for my liking.

from that id be inclined to avoid bundled things and buy them separate.

 

[tris-]

slightly on the topic of surround sound-ness. i recommend setting it up to doubly specifications in your room.

i just had mine positioned where i thought was reasonable and i was happy with it. last night i tracked down the measurements and the trigonometry you need to use to get everything in the right place. im about 95% close to the specifications now (room size is limiting me) and the sound difference is very noticable.