My first setup?

[Adam Perry]

Hi guys, hope you are all well! I was looking into Sonos. Then I heard the b&w 703's. goodbye Sonos..

My question is i am sold on the b&w 703's I want to use them for tv film and music from what I heard I don't want a sub or any other speaker's. I was told to go for the naim atom. But I was then told to go for something like the arcam 550 or the 250.

 

[everettT]

Hi guys, hope you are all well! I was looking into Sonos. Then I heard the b&w 703's. goodbye Sonos..

My question is i am sold on the b&w 703's I want to use them for tv film and music from what I heard I don't want a sub or any other speaker's. I was told to go for the naim atom. But I was then told to go for something like the arcam 550 or the 250.

Why no sub or center?

 

[Adam Perry]

Why no sub or center?

I didn't feel I needed one mate I may add a rel Sid on later but I feel the speaker's were more than what I need.

 

[everettT]

I didn't feel I needed one mate I may add a rel Sid on later but I feel the speaker's were more than what I need.

Well if your watching film and tv, and might consider a sub, center , etc you should consider an AVR or prepro instead of intergrateds for bass management and play DTS and DD formats.

 

[lovinthehd]

Might want to describe what you want your setup to be....you wanted some sort of wireless whole home thing with Sonos then went to some floorstanding speakers and talking about no sub/center with an avr....then some nonsense from Naim in the way of an all in one box. This is all over the place....where now?

 

[Adam Perry]

I wanted a sound bar and sub for my tv. I went to a dealer to get one and they showed me the b&w 703's. They sounded better to me. They said to go for the naim atom. So I went to another dealer and they said don't bother with the atom. So I'm asking what amp/ receiver should I go for? That I can use for tv and a bit of music.

 

[NINaudio]

Grab a denon x3000 or x4000 series receiver from AC4L

 

[lovinthehd]

I wanted a sound bar and sub for my tv. I went to a dealer to get one and they showed me the b&w 703's. They sounded better to me. They said to go for the naim atom. So I went to another dealer and they said don't bother with the atom. So I'm asking what amp/ receiver should I go for? That I can use for tv and a bit of music.

I'd hope most speakers would sound better than a sound bar. Might want to keep listening to speakers, there's a lot of choice out there. Something like the Denon 3300/3400 or 4300/4400 would be a good choice, particularly if you want to incorporate a sub(s) or do full surround sound. I wouldn't rule out a center if you like tv/movies, that's where most of the dialog is based.

 

[everettT]

After looking at soundbars and dealer has you in 703 and a 3k usd integrated that’s rated at 40wpc, you owe it to yourself to shop around and take sound advice from most members here.

The 703s are nice for music, but by no means can it keep up with a good sub below 100hz.


Where are you located at? How large is your room? What are your sources? How far do you sit from the intended speaker location?

 

[Adam Perry]

I'm in Birmingham uk. The room is 12x14 i will be around 12 foot away. It will be plugged up to a tv via HDMI or opticaI for sound and one hdmi for sky would like to have Bluetooth. No blu Ray of anything else.

 

[killdozzer]

I'm in Birmingham uk. The room is 12x14 i will be around 12 foot away. It will be plugged up to a tv via HDMI or opticaI for sound and one hdmi for sky would like to have Bluetooth. No blu Ray of anything else.

I've seen UK audio aficionados raving about Naim. It sells well in Britain, but it's not all that marketing makes it to be. Usually, after some experience with other brands and what you get for the money you pay, people end up thinking Naim is overpriced.

You should simply take a minute to think whether you might like to go surround one day or go for those extra deep sounds since you enjoy movies. If so, it would be wise to get an AVR with sufficient power. You're not loosing anything sound quality wise, as has been repeated here numerous times, and you will have all your options open for future tinkering. (And it's fun!)

 

[Adam Perry]

I've seen UK audio aficionados raving about Naim. It sells well in Britain, but it's not all that marketing makes it to be. Usually, after some experience with other brands and what you get for the money you pay, people end up thinking Naim is overpriced.

You should simply take a minute to think whether you might like to go surround one day or go for those extra deep sounds since you enjoy movies. If so, it would be wise to get an AVR with sufficient power. You're not loosing anything sound quality wise, as has been repeated here numerous times, and you will have all your options open for future tinkering. (And it's fun!)

Thanks mate.

 

[everettT]

I'm in Birmingham uk. The room is 12x14 i will be around 12 foot away. It will be plugged up to a tv via HDMI or opticaI for sound and one hdmi for sky would like to have Bluetooth. No blu Ray of anything else.

You might want to consider the 705s, and a sub like this
https://www.hifix.co.uk/svs-sb13-ultra-subwoofer

And an avr like this

https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hometheater/receivers/avrx4400h

That will give you all the audio formats, you can route your two hdmi sources thru it, Bluetooth, WiFi, streaming services built in, plenty of power, bass management, etc. And you will save money and get more performance.

 

[PENG]

I'm in Birmingham uk. The room is 12x14 i will be around 12 foot away. It will be plugged up to a tv via HDMI or opticaI for sound and one hdmi for sky would like to have Bluetooth. No blu Ray of anything else.

Congrats to your instant graduation from soundbar to a quality 2 channel system!

Back in the old days they did have a few small scale discount stores there, I am sure the new ones must be much bigger, like our Bestbuy stores in the US and Canada. If they do exist, just buy there and get the best deal you can, and avoid the individual dealers. You don't need any dealer advice, there are enough people here ready to help answer your questions.

Arcam is good stuff, years ago I auditioned their AVR300 and loved it. The AVR250's been discontinued long time ago so you probably meant the class G stereo SR250. If it is, I am sure it is a good choice but unless you can get one in the UK for a much lower price, it is a very bad choice in terms of value.

I know it sounds crazy to use a 9 channel avr, but the much more affordable Marantz SR6012 or Denon AVR-X3400H will get you just as much power, and in your relatively small room either one can power a pair of 703 adequately even if you sit 12 ft away.

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html