So, I've sorted out my new digs for when I go back to uni in September, it's a rather large lovely room big enough for a double bed and a sofa etc. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to AV stuff so I thought I'd ask you epic people for help. SO, what I'm looking for is thus... I'll have a 32" TV and I'd like to run a HTPC through it. It will be exclusively used for movies,, iplayer and music so sound and audio quality is important. I'm more looking for advice on the audio and TV setup so suggestions on decent TV and audio setup circa £1200 would be lovely and essentially what exactly it is I'd need for a good audio setup. If possible I'd like to be able to use a remote control with the PC too. Any ideas? Thanks Ash
I'm not big on TV's, but I could have a go at helping you out with some audio. Are you prepared to buy second hand? You get obscene amounts of sound for very little cash if you buy used.
Okay, I'd look for a 2nd hand Onkyo, Yamaha or Cambridge Audio amp, some B&W front speakers 2 or 3-ways, depends on the size and whether any wife/GF has a say in the matter. If you go for 3-way speakers, I'd hold out on the sub to see whether the bass from the speakers are enough. I have some JBL 3 ways myself and I've disconnected my 12" CW bass since it's just too much for me. If you go for 2-way speakers, you should look at a 6 or 8 inch sub if you want clear and precise bass. The larger bass tend to produce plenty of rumble but it tends to feel "woolly". As for the TV, have look at Samsungs new LED series with the extremely thin border. They look positively awesome. Edit: When looking at amplifiers you might aswell go for a 5.1 because if you want to upgrade to full surround later it will be easier.
Thanks for the advice. Is it just a case of running a line from the soundcard to the amp or is there some voodoo involved? Thanks! Ash
If you've got £1200 to spend on a TV + 2.0 system, you've got the opportunity to put together something pretty good. Obviously it does depend on how you want to split the money between TV and Audio. Also, if you're running sound from both a DVD player and your Computer, you'll be better off getting a relatively cheap DVD player and then getting a good quality DAC you can plug both into (maybe the Cambridge DacMagic) Other than that, you really need to audition speakers in your room, as your room is the one thing you can't really change. Once you've got the speakers sorted, finding a suitable amp becomes a fair more straightforward task. Second hand is definitely your friend as well, there are plenty of hifi forums with people selling decent kit on.
Thanks again folks. Ok, there would be no external DVD player. There would be a bluray drive in the HTPC so does the following sound ok? HTPC soundcard (One of the higher end Xonars) line out to This amp with these speakers. Line out from This TV also into the amp. I'll never be using both the TV and PC sound at the same time. As for testing speakers in the room... Not sure how I'd go about that? In principle (details/products can be changed) is that everything you'd need for a decent sound? Would I need a DAC as well? Thanks! Ash
I have my Yamaha amp connected with an optical cable. Some newer amps let you connect them to your PC with HDMi and transfer sound that way and you will almost always be able to transfer the sound with analog cables, although that might offset the sound quality.
If you're just looking to play movies/video from your TV i'd be tempted to forgo the HTPC and just buy either a single Blu-ray player (a lot of them have DLNA and external hard drive support) or add in a media streamer such as the WDTV if you've got a large variety of files and want a better interface, should save a fair wedge of money over the HTPC for the same functionality. You mentioned a 32" TV, do you have one picked out already or are you open to going larger? What distance are you likely to be sitting from the screen? Amp wise I would recommend the highly regarded Onkyo TX-SR608 which can be had for around £300 and offers excellent performance and connectivity, supports up to 7 channels so you're sorted for upgrading in the future if you decide to add more speakers. The B&W speakers you've chosen seem great, I've got that same pair on my upgrade list for my stereo setup. What's your budget for the TV? You said £1200 for the whole setup but are you looking to do a 50/50 split Audio/TV?
I have to have a HTPC since I've got so much music and film on HDs (in addition to spotify of course) and plus I watch a lot of iplayer in addition to not wanting to mount a proper aerial so a HTPC is definitely the way to go for me. Everything I own media wise gets ripped. The TV I'm looking at at the moment is this. I'll be about 8-12 feet away. There's no particular split in mind and I could spend around that but obviously if I can do it for less I'm happy. Thanks again Ash
I see, are all your films/music etc all ripped onto another rig already? I had a similar idea initially as yourself but as I have all my media on my main PC already, in order to save money all I do is stream it through my flat via power line to my living room to my Sony Blu-ray deck which also plays my films and supports supports iplayer HD and other on demand services. It'll play music also but the interface is awful for it but if your computer is going to be in the same room you could just run an optical cable from your PC to the amp so you can use spotify/itunes etc on your PC then listen to them through your good speakers. If your PC is in a different room then perhaps something like Airplay might suit you better. In terms of the TV, this is just me personally some may disagree but I'd never go lower than a 40" if I was planning on watching films on it. How about something like this?
Generally speaking, I would try and get a DAC that supports USB, and not have a soundcard in the PC at all, computers are rather noisy items electrically. With regards to listening in your room, any hifi dealer worth their salt should allow for a home demo of kit for precisely the above reasons. If you're spending £350 on the TV, and say £200 on the DacMagic, I'd seriously suggest spending £4-500 on the speakers, it's where you'll see the biggest difference audio wise. I'll see what I can find that's available at the moment.
Get the audio installed in the walls! HD Projector too, you will have the best set up and take up no space.
Unless you have severe issues with space / aesthetics, I would strongly caution against in wall speakers. By there very nature they are seriously compromised and so you have to spend a heck of a lot more to get comparable sound quality with normal speakers.
Wall speakers are the devil. Get some proper B&W, they look quite nice too. With a proper HD projector you need to factor in the cost of a screen, which can easily run you 70£, just to build it yourself. The readymade screens are easily 250£. Then you need to consider lamp life and an external TV-tuner and so forth. Trust me, I have a HD projector and it's an expensive hobby. I quesstimate I've thrown around 1600£ at my home cinema setup and it is in no way a "proper" setup.
