newbie in need of Home cinema advice

[Kesomir]

Hi all,

I'm looking around for a cheapish home cinema system to replace my old pioneer hi-fi which was force fed a pint of water through the top vents

My current setup to give you an idea is;

Computer - (internet radio/dvd/music etc)
DVD Player (Phillips)
Sky+ (digital satellite tv)
32" Phillips widescreen

I've looked at prices and the Yamaha RXV650 (£350)and DSP-AX750SE (£400)fit my budget, although I don't know what differences there are between the two (why is the 750 more expensive since it puts out less power?). I've seen from the posts that people here are more into slightly more expensive models such as the 1200/2400 and the z9 but they are well out of my price range so I thought I'd ask anyway.

That aside I also need some advice on speakers to go with the amp, but again price is a constraint - no more than £1000 for the lot (inc amp/receiver)

Company I see the best prices that is closest to me to get to is

http://www.richersounds.com

Anyone who would help me out would be much appreciated.

 

[gregz]

Hi Kesomir,

The receivers you're looking at are actually quite good. I don't know where you were looking but the RX-V750 does have more power than the 650 which is why it costs more. However, on your budget you may be putting too much into the receiver and not leaving enough to spend on some good speakers.

The Yamaha RX-V450 would be a better price point, but unfortunately the less powerful Yamaha models are only available in 6 channel rather than 7. For this reason, I'd consider looking at Onkyo, Denon, and Kenwood in the L300 range if you want 7 channels.

Now that would leave you about L700 for speakers. If you will be using this system for 2 channel music quite a bit as well, I'd divide this into L500 for two good bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer, then L200 for the rest.

Go to Richer Sounds with some of your better music CDs and listen to many speakers. As a rule, I'd avoid tower speakers that cost less than L200 a pair, especially if you're planning on getting a subwoofer anyway.

Happy hunting!

 

[Yamaman]

To add, if your room is relatively small, there is really no added benefit to adding extra rears in a 6.1/7.1 set up. Unless you have thoughts about expansion and buying a place and setting up a large room dedicated to HT, I wouldn't bother. Pour the money into good speakers instead.

Make sure the receiver has enought audio/video IOs for your setup such that you can do all your switching from the receiver.

Good Luck!

 

[Unregistered]

I have the Yamaha RX-V650 and it rocks. I would recommend it to anybody. But, the guy above me is right. Why do you want to spend $350+ (U.S) on a receiver and hook it up to (no offense) junk?

 

[Kesomir]

I don't know where you were looking but the RX-V750 does have more power than the 650 which is why it costs more.

http://www.yamaha-audio.co.uk/homecinema/receivers/rx-v650/

lists the 650 as 1015W

http://www.yamaha-audio.co.uk/homecinema/amplifiers/dsp-ax750se/

lists the 750 as 700W.

So still not sure what the difference is.

Unfortunately this week everything from malfunctioning websites to flat car batteries has stopped me from getting to the store to listen to a system but I decided to up the budget for my speaker package to £1000 not including the cost of the amp. The mordaunt-short 500 THX system caught my fancy as did the 900 series seperates. Will try to get a listen in tomorrow.

Thanks for your advice all - will let you know how it goes once I have a system.

 

[Beegowl]

The Difference is...

http://www.yamaha-audio.co.uk/homecinema/receivers/rx-v650/

lists the 650 as 1015W

http://www.yamaha-audio.co.uk/homecinema/amplifiers/dsp-ax750se/

lists the 750 as 700W.

So still not sure what the difference is.

QUOTE]

Looking at the links you provided and going to the specs for both receivers will show you that the 650 is listed at 95w RMS and the 750 at 100w RMS. Often vendors will use different measurement standards to inflate power quotes. In this case, the vendor quoted total watts per channel power DIN for the 650 and then RMS for the 750.

This site is an excellent place to learn about audio equipment and to get good advice before spending your cash. Good luck.

 

[Kesomir]

ok I bought my system.

Went for the yamaha 650 in the end and got a great deal on a set of mordaunt short 500 THX Speakers for £1000 as clearance instead of £1600 so I'm very happy atm. The speakers should arrive next week but I have the amp set up now and liking it already

Will try to post pics in the other section once it's all set up.

One thing though, I tried using an optical cable with adaptor for 3.5mm on my soundblaster live! digital with no luck. Does this card need the coaxial digital connectors with another converter? Running in analogue from the pc atm