Tiggs

current set up:

Toshiba picture frame TV, built in 5.1 but dinky little speakers.

we play the cds via the dvd so it comes out the TV....and sounds iffy.

was gonna buy a cd player and have it seperate but should i upgrade the TV speakers instead and still play the cd's via the DVD or do i need a seperate amp.

nothing complex...and i dont want to many remotes!

Geddon

Depends how much u wanna spend and how keen your ear is.
You could get cinema amp 5.1 or 6.1, get CD player to plug into it and also your TV and DVD. Then buy proper speakers.
Alternatively I think those Sony DAV systems are quite good - all in 1 thingys.
I don't think you'll notice much diference just by getting a CD player. Go and talk to someone in a hifi shop somewhere- Richer sounds or Sevenoaks hifi.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I have a Dolby Digital amplifier with 5.1 speakers.

Amps can be had for very little from the likes of Richer Sounds and my speakers were a bargain. £80 for 5 small Yamaha speakers and an active subwoofer.

I have my telly connected to the amp as the output.

For the source, I've got the DVD player, video, consoles and Tivo/cable box. When I select the source on the amplifier, that is the one that will output to the television to save switching AV outputs on the telly.

CD's play fine from the DVD player and output to all the speakers.

It is one more remote control, but I only use mine for volume. During Christmas I plan on setting up my Pronto remote control to go from 6 remotes down to one!!!

corradoboy

I'm guessing sound quality thus far has not been a priority. You could look at any number of amp/speaker packages, all of which will give much better results than your current TV based set-up. Have a look at something like this and keep using your DVD player for CD replay. You can hook up your video and telly and it has a built in RDS tuner. As for the remote issue, many home cinema receivers come with "learning" remotes which take on the job of all your others. My Pioneer one does amp/DVD/CD/VHS/TV/cable all in one.
Of course, if you want to spend £600+ I could recommend some better products?

Tiggs

yep- hit me with it!

up to 1k

i want something sexy with a brand name (think shallow)

T

corradoboy

Amp £380
Speakers £280
Extra front/centre surrounds for 7.1 £100
Multiregion DVD player giving SACD & DVD-Audio (+CD/MP3/VCD/SVCD/Jpeg) £189
Leaving £50 for a digital coaxial for between the DVD and amp, a 5.1 phono set (for SACD/DVD-A) and some speaker cable. If you don't want to upgrade the DVD, spend a bit more on the cables.

mart360

my set up

kenwood ac3 amp/decoder

tannoy dual concentric mains

tdl centre (transmission type)

eltax nexus rears

cable talk talk2 biwire cables for fronts

qed 79 for centres and rears

75 ohm interconnect for sub

digital interconnect for amp to dvd

svhs cable from dvd to tv


rock and roll!!

Mart

beemerboy

lol

BB

Tiggs

so will i get a better sound from that amp than just plugging the new speakers into the TV (which has 5.1)

T

ps- could i plug two cd players into it? ie: run the dvd in it and also run a seperate cd player input for a cd player that my wife wants (she doesnt like having to put cds in the dvd player and wants to get a swanky little player on a shelf at eye level)

T

mart360

rears dont need to be mega amazing!!!

there identicall to most current bookshelf rears.....

suit my set up

m

corradoboy

Tiggs, the need for a swanky little CDP suggest style is overtaking substance here. Given that you don't seem to prioritise sound quality then CD replay from the DVD is more than adequate for your needs. If sound quality was important then I'd say get a separate CDP, but you seem to want it for aesthetics and convenience rather than functionality.

err, yes! Without question! The system I suggest will add Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES (the daddy), as well as Prologic2 and DTS Neo6 (for stereo souces such as VHS). The speakers are of significantly higher quality (think Lada vs BMW,) than the TV boxes and by adding the 2 extra surround channels (7.1) you will be blown away by the improvement. Also, the massive increase in dynamic range and power from the amp will be a real eye (ear?) opener.

Get down to a local AV specialist (such as Sevenoaks) and ask to demo some stuff in this price bracket. Your TV really won't be able to compete.

Geddon

LMAO @ beemerboy
<flame suit on>
Can't believe anyone has admitted owning eltax anything
<flame suit off>
I only bought TV for the picture and def not the sound. Throw all your money at seperates if you enjoy your films and music....

Tiggs

"but you seem to want it for aesthetics and convenience rather than functionality."

errr...yes! (but also sound coool!)