Need help from passionate and knowledgeable people - Theater system or not?

[EAndersen]

Hello, i have been snooping around the forums trying to get some ideas for a new system, but i realize i need personal help and there's just so many things to take into account that i don't really know to much of when it comes to home systems.

For the last few years i have been using a htib from samsung, with towers and blueray and what not that comes in those packages, and i actually thought the sound was pretty decent ( don't shoot me =) ) but now, i have moved to a new place and it's a bit smaller.
The living room is about 30 kvadrat meter, i'm european so i don't really know how much it is in square feet, but now that i have moved and started to settle in, i am looking at this system, and i want something new, better and less in "in your face" and conspicuous, and more "oh i didn't see that speaker" aesthetically pleasing and fantastik sound ( or close to what the budget let's it ).

System is for everyday use, playing music and watching movies/series and maybe some console playing now and then.
It's very important for me that it isn't big and bulky things since it is a room with lots of other stuff cramped in.
The budget is a max of 10.000 danish kroner, which is converted into roughly 1.835 usd.

I apologize beforehand if my english writing is on par with what you might be more or less used to. natively. And thanks for anybody showing interest in helping me!

 

[markw]

Is surround sound important to you or could you live happily with a great two-channel system, perhaps with a subwoofer?

also, keep in mind that most of us might not know what's available to you there and what isn't.

 

[EAndersen]

Well most things are available, of course there may be somethings that just are not, but lets take it as it comes. It's not that surround is crazy important for me, it's just really nice addition to have i thing but maybe i am underestimating 2.1 system, i don't know that's why i am asking for a lil help.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Getting great sounding and inconspicuous would a bit challenging, but not impossible at your budget.
Probably best way to go by it is to get bookshelf speakers with finish to match your furniture. Custom finishes could be pricey but worth the effort if you need to "hide" them in plain sight

Option b) is to really hide them in-walls - this is cheaper speakers option, but more expensive to install (not always possible, depends on the wall type)
and c) getting really small speakers - problem here is your are trying to fight laws of physics

In general I would highly recommend to stick to European brands - from Danish Jamo and Dali to English Wharfedale, Mission, KEF, Mordaunt-Short etc...

Best option is to go to local audio store and listen to as many speakers as possible with your favorite music cd

 

[rojo]

For a good compromise between aesthetics and sound, you might consider a good quality passive sound bar for your LCR, like this KEF HTF8003. It won't offer as wide stereo separation as going with separates; but if your room is smaller, maybe you don't need wide separation. Then you can go with in-wall speakers for your surrounds and whatever subwoofer you are comfortable hiding in a corner.

If you prefer a smaller subwoofer, you might cheat and get an 8" sub, then add some kinetic transducers to your seating like these Aura Pro Bass Shakers and this small amplifier. They won't pressurize the room for music, but they're great fun for movies and television.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello, i have been snooping around the forums trying to get some ideas for a new system, but i realize i need personal help and there's just so many things to take into account that i don't really know to much of when it comes to home systems.

For the last few years i have been using a htib from samsung, with towers and blueray and what not that comes in those packages, and i actually thought the sound was pretty decent ( don't shoot me =) ) but now, i have moved to a new place and it's a bit smaller.
The living room is about 30 kvadrat meter, i'm european so i don't really know how much it is in square feet, but now that i have moved and started to settle in, i am looking at this system, and i want something new, better and less in "in your face" and conspicuous, and more "oh i didn't see that speaker" aesthetically pleasing and fantastik sound ( or close to what the budget let's it ).

System is for everyday use, playing music and watching movies/series and maybe some console playing now and then.
It's very important for me that it isn't big and bulky things since it is a room with lots of other stuff cramped in.
The budget is a max of 10.000 danish kroner, which is converted into roughly 1.835 usd.

I apologize beforehand if my english writing is on par with what you might be more or less used to. natively. And thanks for anybody showing interest in helping me!

Since you live in Denmark visit your nearest Dynaudio dealer. Choose speakers that fit your size. You will not go wrong with any of their speakers.

 

[EAndersen]

Okay so status as of right now. I have decided to go for the dynaudio dm 2/6, i heard them at my local audio expert and they were really great he recommended me the teac NP-H750 and though it is cheap and great in size, it just doesn't have all the capabilities i need for all the connections i want to connect it with (tv, xbox, ps3) he did say though that i could get a converter for those things, but i'd rather it was in the unit than separate from it. So what do you guys think? any suggestions? plus i'd really like a great subw as well, but still don't know what to look for..

 

[bushido]

he did say though that i could get a converter for those things

I'm new here and far from an audiophile and, based on a recommendation from the group, picked up my first DAC/preamp last week: XDA-2 USB DAC/Digital Preamp/Headphone Amp | Emotiva Audio Corporation | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel and am falling in love with it.

I use it for playing CD's and music from my ipod. Fit & finish (no pun intended )are great, there are a variety of connections, and it has given my music collection a new life.

My only complaint is that I would prefer a volume knob vs up/down switches, it can take 10 seconds to bring the sound down...there is however a "mute" button. It has a great, brushed aluminum remote.

I'm learning as I read your thread...never knew you could buy "buttkickers" before!!

Just yesterday I was introduced to the Sonos system http://www.sonos.com/ which is a turn-key system for whole-house audio using wireless speakers. Without going into details about which I only have limited knowledge, I have learned simply that this system can be connected (using wire) to existing speakers (up to 4 in addition to any number of their wireless speakers) via it's dedicated amp, or a user can forego their amp and buy the "Connect" which allows the user to select his/her own power source.

The real benefit in my eyes is that using the Sonos "Bridge" transmitter, any wireless signal can be played through your system....Pandora etc. And existing music files can too. I am considering the addition of the Bridge and and NAS "hard drive" http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-4TB-Personal-Storage-WDBCTL0040HWT-NESN/dp/B00EVVGAD0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396713910&sr=8-1&keywords=nas+storage to store my 100G music collection. The NAS, bridge, and router would be hard wired via ethernet, and, using the Sonos app, the entire system can be controlled from any smart device...iphone/android/tablet/laptop etc. So your iphone becomes your remote control.

The system uses proprietary wirelss signal and is vastly superior to Bluetooth which I am using currently with my XDA-2 & ipod Classic.

My advice would to not be in a hurry to spend money...there will always be gear to buy!

Onward and upward
Puff

PS: The Emotiva web site has a great message board as well. Pretty gutsy in my view. Hats off to them