I am looking at getting a Dolby 5.1 system (with multi region DVD)

Anyone on here got any tips/suggestions for the best system up to £400?

I have seen the Panasonic SCHT900 for £399 but it is only region 2 but have seen it for £370 (with multiregion mod done to it ;) )

What else should I be looking for/at?

I guess buying a DVD, amp, 5.1 processor and speakers may give better sound, but it will cost more than the £400 I have set as a limit

Cheers
Mike

shoud be able to get in that budget for under 400 notes

speakers, reciever and dvd player

Reciever is an amp that can get radio aswell


Si

cheers for that Si, I will investicate that all later this evening!!

Mike

check out Teacs AG 550 and DV 550 combo,fabulous

also,have a think about storage.The beauty of the all in one Sony systems is they will fit under the tele,usually teles have only 2 shelves,ideal for an all in one and a digi box

I have a separate amp,and it needs a lot of air,so check with the missus first before you get one,or sshe will hate the extra unit required :(

Seaprates are better,maybe get some bits new and others secondhand cheapo's till you can afford better.

I bought a sony DAVS550, not the loudest in the world but I am well impressed. Bought it from richer sounds, for 269 I got the multi region version. I read loads of good reviews and as it used to sell for >£500 seemed a bargain.

Mike

[Edited by msp1 - 11/26/2003 9:30:22 PM]

I would second having a peek at Richer Sounds, very good deals on stuff.

Would also second the statement about getting separates, as said, you can upgrade the bits when money affords.

You'll always be better with a separates system but for convenience you'll find it hard to beat this for the money. Multiregion, DD/DTS, SVHS playback, all speakers for £310.
If you go down the separates route (which you should) I'd try to get a little bit more cash. You could get a supermarket DVD player for as little as £35 which usually has the M/R hack in the instruction book, but I would recommend the Pioneer 565A for £200, as this will get you SACD and DVD-A too.
As for the amp/receiver I can recommend Pioneers VSX712 at £230, giving you support for SACD & DVD-A as well as DD/DTS and 7.1 surround.
As for the speakers, the surround channels don't actually do much which is why they're so small. I'd budget £50/pair for surrounds and as much as you can for the main front pair. I use some large floorstanders so I don't need a sub. You could buy some of those 5.1 packages with the centre and sub included but I've never been impressed with Sub/Sat speakers. If you go 7.1 (like me :D) you'll need 2 sets of surrounds (front & rear) plus main front and centre.
Have a look at Techtronics.

Corradoboy

On a DD or DTS setup the rears do do a lot and should'nt skimped on i use that same speakers for fronts as i do rears and centre has same tonal qualities, this gives to a much more beleivable soundstage, also on any DD/DTS amp rears should have the same wrms as fronts and centre, prologic however the rears are mono and combined usually carry the same wrms as one front speaker.

Mike

The best thing for you to do is to go into a shop and listen to the stuff yourself, after all it's your ears that are going to have to live with it, not ours, try listening to the exact system you want to buy most hi fi shops will be more than happy and if they aren't just move along ;)

Si
Ps deffo give a yammy a denon and that pioneer a listen though :D

cheers for the advice... went to buy a couple of home cinema mags today to see some reviews & prices...

We'll see what comes of it - liek I have said, I'd prefer to go with seperates so in time I will have a great system, whereas the all in 1 is touch to upgrade.

thanks!

Mike

Re: the front versus rears debate. If you're going to use the system for music as well as cinema, I would say, there is no question - get better speakers for the front than the rear and surrounds. If it's entirely for watching movies, you probably want the same all round.

As regards having the same power output to all speakers, sorry, but it doesn't matter a sod. What matters is feeding them all with enough power and quality to get them as loud as you want them whilst still sounding good and balanced. The fact that you have a load of watts headroom on your front speakers doesn't stop a package being cohesive.

For my system, my compromise is that my rear speakers are made by the same manufacturer (Ruark in my case as the fronts). Biggish speakers powered by a 100W rms/channel power amp, this is still well short of the 250W rms/channel amp and speakers at the front, but is more than enough for any living room, unless you have a real need to destroy your hearing. Don't think I've ever run any of it halfway to full power, to be honest - it's the quality that counts, not the volume.

hi cinema sounds erm were do you begin well it depends if your watching a film scene in a rain forest and you want the feeling that the rain is hitting the carpet sorry but you wont get that with any of these all in one systems you will need a good 5.1 amp and speakers it the only way if you want to impress your mates the all in ones are poor no matter how much you spend my advice would be to get the best amp you can afford and build around that i would buy second hand amp you can get a real bargin on www. ebay . co. uk good amp to look for is the sherwood amps these have won a lot of awards in hi fi mags yamaha is good trie http;//www.homecinemachoice.com/testbench/index.html

[Edited by csm007 - 11/30/2003 6:50:12 PM]

[Edited by csm007 - 11/30/2003 7:04:18 PM]

Ok, decided to sack the all in 1 idea and keep my current DVD and build round it...

Going to spunk the £400 on an Av receiver (2nd hand on e-bay) and a speaker kit... Don't think I can get a great speaker kit etc but it's a start and I can change things later on...

Denon and Yamaha receivers are always on ebay and speakers will prob come from richer sounds

Thanks to all for advice!

Mike

It's all bought... just need the speaker cable & connectors now.... I already have 1 optical cable, so just need another to connect my sky box to the receiver. Oh, and about 30m of speaker cable!

Here's what I got...

Sony STR-DB790 Receiver (empire direct)
1x Mission M7C1 Centre (ebay)
2x Mission M72 book shelf speakers (ebay)
2x Mission M33 floor standers (empire direct)

It all worked out at about £530 delivered

Can't wait to get it all delivered & set up! :D