Theatre set up questions

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DrDee

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Topic # 151430 25-Aug-2014 13:17

A couple of quick questions:

My TV (LG 2013 smart) has built in freeview but I only have a sky dish, currently running an old DishTV decoder which it crap to put it nicely (RCA only connection FFS!). What would be the best solution? Get a suitable UHF aerial fitted and use the TV or get a decent Satellite freeview decoder that may have better/more functionality like timeshift/internal HDD for recording?

2nd: I have been using a set of Yamaha 5.1 speakers as a hold over from my Cerwin-Vega set-up which I sold when shifting Islands. I went into store to upgrade and salesman tried to sell me a soundbar as my primary use nowadays is movies/TV. They did sound good (the high end ones) but I went in thinking about a decent centre (doing most of the work), a decent set of floorstandings (for the odd occasion I listen to audio) and some surrounds, probably in-ceiling ones as they are less obtrusive (Klipsh, B&W or something fairly decent).
The sound bar will negate my networked 5.1 Denon amp which is quite handy for playing media off of network server and usually drives my speakers.

Is the shift away from Amp/speakers for theatre and moving to dedicated TV set-ups (sound bars and BluRay/speaker combos) and more towards audio only?
The speaker selection in Christhcurch appears to be arse from where I have looked (big gap between the mid range like Klipsh, Polk etc. to the high end designer ones).
What are other people using/recommend in there set ups?

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Coil

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Reply # 1115112 25-Aug-2014 13:22

/Cry
I got 2 lounges in my house and wish i could splash on a theater as i have a room made for it. Instead just a Xbox and 32" Samsung LCD.

geekiegeek

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Reply # 1115125 25-Aug-2014 13:43

IMO a soundbar makes sense when you are happy with just an improvement over the inbuilt speakers. Next would be "all in one" Blu-ray speaker set-ups. Personally I wouldn't have either but I listen to a lot of 2 channel audio so having separate components (I run an AV receiver and a 2 channel amp) and decent front speakers is a must have.

It all comes down to what you can live with really. For the odd movie and TV a soundbar may be fine and if you only listen to audio infrequently then an "all in one" might be a logical next step. I wouldn't however expect either of those options to be anywhere near the sound quality of a full receiver and separate speaker set-up. I would think that even the cheaper speaker ranges mentioned will do a better job the a soundbar or "all in one".

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Glassboy

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Reply # 1115147 25-Aug-2014 14:00

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I wouldn't go to a Soundbar, I might install one for a parent with crap speakers in their TV.

You don't need to buy from a local shop. there's heaps of options for example http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/speakers-2/architectural-speakers.html/

Dingbatt

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Reply # 1115157 25-Aug-2014 14:12

At the risk of being shot down, my experience of sound bars is they are better than TV speakers, even the lower end ones. That's not saying much though because most TV speakers are pretty crap. But the soundbars tend to have a very limited 'sweet spot', and when you get off axis their ability to produce nice surround takes a hit. I admit the ones I tried weren't really high end, but even middle of the road sub/sat systems outperformed them. And certainly full size speakers should perform even better. To me the situation sounds bars were designed for was apartments where space is a premium and quite possibly the landlord doesn't want holes drilled in the wall to run speaker cables.

As far as the TV itself goes, of you get a UHF aerial you can at least get HD on 1,2&3 and you don't have to faff about with more than one remote when watching live TV. The Denon receiver will allow you to set up a CEC link so you can control the volume with just your TV remote. Then if you want a recorder you can just get a terrestrial one.

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B1GGLZ

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Reply # 1115165 25-Aug-2014 14:18

If you are in a FreeviewHD area then definitely get a UHF antenna. The picture quality is so much better. Then get a decent recorder like a Panasonic.

DrDee

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Reply # 1115180 25-Aug-2014 14:25

Yea, I guess I am trying to do two different jobs with one set-up.

My wife has said that if I have to have floor standing speakers they have to look as nice as they sound, so the thinking now is something like Theophany for the centre and main and then something subtle for surrounds (like ceiling mounted).

Any brands that you guys now of that fall more into the lower mid-range like B&W/Klipsh/Polk etc. that actually look nice? I am at odds about spending the Theophany price for such limited audio use..... seems like a waste.

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DrDee

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Reply # 1115183 25-Aug-2014 14:29

B1GGLZ: If you are in a FreeviewHD area then definitely get a UHF antenna. The picture quality is so much better. Then get a decent recorder like a Panasonic.

Yep thanks for that, I hadn't considered that satellite is not HD. I will replace with a UHF and I think use the TV's built in freeview and recording, I will just dedicate a portable HDD for recording.

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geekiegeek

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Reply # 1115202 25-Aug-2014 14:45

DrDee: Yea, I guess I am trying to do two different jobs with one set-up.

My wife has said that if I have to have floor standing speakers they have to look as nice as they sound, so the thinking now is something like Theophany for the centre and main and then something subtle for surrounds (like ceiling mounted).

Any brands that you guys now of that fall more into the lower mid-range like B&W/Klipsh/Polk etc. that actually look nice? I am at odds about spending the Theophany price for such limited audio use..... seems like a waste.

Looking nice is a bit subjective, I like big black boxes and have a set of B&W CM9 which are just over a meter tall and with the grills on are just that - tall black boxes, although they do have a shiny piano black finish.

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flynkiwi

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Reply # 1115246 25-Aug-2014 15:15

DrDee: Yea, I guess I am trying to do two different jobs with one set-up.

My wife has said that if I have to have floor standing speakers they have to look as nice as they sound, so the thinking now is something like Theophany for the centre and main and then something subtle for surrounds (like ceiling mounted).

Any brands that you guys now of that fall more into the lower mid-range like B&W/Klipsh/Polk etc. that actually look nice? I am at odds about spending the Theophany price for such limited audio use..... seems like a waste.

I am renovating a multipurpose Media Room / Kids playroom and just picked up the KEF E305 5.1 set from AVWorld in Auckland. A real steal at $1099 for some great looking and sounding speakers that can be wall mounted if you want (Especially out of reach of small children)

The KEF E305s have won quite a few awards and sound awesome for a small speaker.

DrDee

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Reply # 1115291 25-Aug-2014 16:04

flynkiwi:
DrDee: Yea, I guess I am trying to do two different jobs with one set-up.

My wife has said that if I have to have floor standing speakers they have to look as nice as they sound, so the thinking now is something like Theophany for the centre and main and then something subtle for surrounds (like ceiling mounted).

Any brands that you guys now of that fall more into the lower mid-range like B&W/Klipsh/Polk etc. that actually look nice? I am at odds about spending the Theophany price for such limited audio use..... seems like a waste.

I am renovating a multipurpose Media Room / Kids playroom and just picked up the KEF E305 5.1 set from AVWorld in Auckland. A real steal at $1099 for some great looking and sounding speakers that can be wall mounted if you want (Especially out of reach of small children)

The KEF E305s have won quite a few awards and sound awesome for a small speaker.

That is not actually not a bad idea, thanks.

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Dunnersfella

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Reply # 1117771 29-Aug-2014 10:37

As a Theophany owner, I'm an obvious fan...
Buying the front three, adding in-ceiling rears and going from there is a good starting point.
The new slimline units may be for you? But make sure you pair it with a decent sub as they won't dig that low.

However, if you're looking for a speaker that's closer to your old Cerwin Vega's, consider the Klispch Reference speakers.
Very easy to drive, spades of bass and detail for Africa. I wouldn't buy them for 2-channel acoustic guitar listening... but for movies, fill your boots!

What I WOULD say though, is you need to LISTEN to speakers before buying them!