Info and forum posts by 'GazW'

96/24 Speakers for Pioneer VSX-D514

Hi,

I`m considering buying a Pioneer VSX-D514 and would like speakers that support 96kHz for SACDs and DVD Audio. So far I`ve been unable to find any speakers in my price range. I`m spending about £157 on the receiver (unless anyone can tell me where it`s cheaper :p ) and am looking to spend a maximum of £160 on the speakers. It must be possible to get what I`m looking for in this price range, since a lot of the all-in-one DVD/amp/speaker packages have these speakers have them at a low price, i.e. around £250.

I`m not bothered about them being the absolute best, but I would like them to be the best I can afford! Hope some of you can help!

Thanks in advance,

Gaz

Twin Tuner DVB Digital Terrestrial Adapter?

Is there any such thing as a DVB digital terrestrial TV adapter (i.e. the set top box) that would allow me to plug it into the TV and VCR and be able to record one channel whilst watching another?

The only ones I have seen actually do the recording themselves using a hard disk and allow you to pause live TV. I am not interested in this because I can get a PC TV card allowing me to do this cheaply - I just want to record digital TV (mainly because of improved reception on normal channels) on my VCR and watch another channel.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 28th May 2003, 22:35

RE: Best Home Cinema Setup for my room layout, requirements and budget?

Thanks for your help.

I think it`s going to be the Yamaha because of Pro-Logic 2. Would I be right in assuming that I could change the speakers for better ones at a later date?

Samsung 32" "Plano" TV and S-Video Problem

I plugged the Samsung DVD-S224 into above TV using the S-Video connection as there are only 2 SCART sockets, both of which are in use by the VCR and a Telewest set-top box. I get the picture OK, but the sound comes from either the set-top box or the VCR unless I plug a L&R audio cable into the side AV sockets (ignoring the video). I can watch DVDs fine like this, but the problem is I can`t leave the L&R audio cables plugged in, or I won`t get sound from either of the SCART sockets.

This is a stupid problem because technically you can only have 2 devices plugged into the TV at once! If I plug the DVD player in using the analogue AV sockets on the side, I can no longer use AV2 at as it`s either the SCART OR the AV socket.

It has been suggested to me to plug the DVD player in through the VCR, but the problem with this is that I can`t be taping something while watching a DVD, and the VCR would have to be switched on.

I don`t currently have a surround sound amp - I`m just trying to plug the DVD player in using the TV sound! I don`t want to have to keep plugging in the L&R audio cables every time I want to watch a DVD!

RE: Best Home Cinema Setup for my room layout, requirements and budget?

I think I will probably end up going for the Yamaha because it`s cheaper and has Pro-Logic II. Also, because it`s a full-sized HiFi separate, it won`t look as messy when I expand (DVD player, dedicated CD deck, tape deck or whatever).

Thanks for all your help and I will post a question when I`ve made my purchase about the layout, etc.

RE: Best Home Cinema Setup for my room layout, requirements and budget?

It is a very nice system, but unfortunately it is a little bit out of my budget. I was after Dolby Pro-Logic II for the VHS collection. Pro-Logic II is supposed to decode the Dolby Surround on VHS tapes better than Dolby Pro-Logic because of better filtering or something, and it gives more of a 5.1 effect. I thought The X Files might sound a little bit better than it does in stereo!

The Yamaha is cheaper and has this. Can anyone tell me how the Yamaha compares with the Acoustic Energy system?

This item was edited on Wednesday, 12th March 2003, 23:34

RE: Best Home Cinema Setup for my room layout, requirements and budget?

Thanks for the reply.

So I`ve basically got three options. I like the look of the Acoustic Energy Aego P5, but what is it that justifies its high price (£487.98 inc. P&P is the cheapest I could find it) when it doesn`t have Dolby Pro-Logic II?

I`ve seen the Sony Babe system, but it`s not much cheaper than the Yamaha. I`m not quite sure what you meant when you said, "If you can though i`d urge you to plump for the Yamaha pack..." - are you saying this is the best option or that if the Aego P5 is out of my budget then go for the Yamaha over the Sony one?

Thanks for your help!

I`ve just read a review of the Sony HTIB-1 "Babe" system and it would appear that it isn`t all that good for connections - there is an optical and coaxial type input for the DVD player, and then there is a connection for another stereo source (i.e. the TV).

Also, I`ve noticed people tend to plug in the TV, VCR and set-top boxes in separately. This means that they have to select between the different sources on the amplifier, surely (?). Would this not cause problems if I left someone else in charge of the TV who didn`t know they had to select the right source for the DVD player, otherwise they would get the TV`s sound & the DVD`s picture.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 12th March 2003, 22:39

Best Home Cinema Setup for my room layout, requirements and budget?

I was condidering a Yamaha HTiB-45, but this is very expensive, with the cheapest I can find at about £299.99. The room concerned is just like any ordinary living room and unfortunately the TV has been shoved into the corner to the right of the fireplace. There is a 3 seater sofa facing the fire and a 2 seater in the bay window, with the fireplace & TV to the left.

I am going to have difficulty positioning speakers in this room because of the two different angles of seating and the fact that the TV is at an angle.

Ideally I want the system to integrate the HiFi, although I could just use the DVD player for playing CDs at first and use the rest elsewhere, but the Yamaha HTiB-45 doesn`t seem to have very big speakers - just satellites for the front L&R. Is this a problem?

Sorry if I appear to be going on BTW!

Current setup: Samsung 32" Flat Widescreen Virtual Dolby Surround TV, Samsung DVD-S224, Samsung SV-651B (extremely basic NICAM VCR) and a Pace set-top box for Telewest Active Digital.

The current HiFi (if you can call it a HiFi) is an Aiwa NSX-S505 mini system with 3 way (???) speakers. I would imagine the Yamaha would give better quality sound than this anyway, or is there another solution that would be cheaper. I don`t need a DVD player, but I would like an amp and speakers that`s preferably cheaper than the Yamaha.

I need Dolby Digital, Pro-Logic and DTS. Dolby Pro-Logic II would be a bonus, and a radio tuner might come in handy.

RE: Philips DVDR890 Nightmare

Surely most of the DVD recorders out at the moment will be obsolete as far as using it like a VCR is concerned because (correct me if I`m wrong) none of them contain a digital tuner for the "Freeview" channels that are replacing terrestrial TV in the future.

Extra set top box for Telewest Active Digital?

Telewest charge £15 a month extra to add another box , and you don`t get to own the box. You can`t buy a box from Telewest, but there are 3 for sale on Ebay (at time of writing) that look exactly like mine. One comes with the card but no remote and the other with the remote without the card, but there are remotes on there as well.

I assume they are selling them because Telewest never picked them up, but if I was to buy one of these boxes with a card and remote, what use would it be? Would I still have to get Telewest to set it up and pay the £15 a month anyway?

Best setup for my equipment?

I have a Samsung 32" TV (Virtual Dolby Surround), VCR and a Samsung DVD-S224 DVD player. I also have an Aiwa NSX-S505 mini hifi system, and now I want to get a receiver supporting at least Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro-Logic. Baring in mind I am on quite a low budget, I was wondering if there was a way I could use the speakers on the Aiwa as the front speakers (with them still connected to the stereo) and then I would only have to buy the rear and centre speakers, which could be satellite (?), and a subwoofer, although the Aiwa is quite good for playing DVDs through - I have tried it.

Would this be a possible solution if I were to purchase an amplifier/receiver (whatever you want to call it) that only costs about £180, plus speakers?

Just 2 more things - I have some speakers left over from an old micro system made by Amstrad. They are probably absolute rubbish for a surround setup, but I was wondering how useful they might be as rear (surround) speakers? I don`t want to end up blowing the speakers though! Also, the TV is actually positioned in the corner of the room, with a 3 seater sofa and a 2 seater at right angles to each other and the TV in the opposite corner (quite a biggish room) - how do I go about deciding where to put the speakers?

Information on the Aiwa mini system is at this page: http://www.electronics220volt.com/audio/aud013.htm

Sorry about the long post, but I`m extremely confused and would appreciate any help I can get!

GazW

Home Cinema speaker system - £150 budget!

I`m after a speaker system of some sort that does Dolby Pro-Logic, Dolby Digital and DTS, and costs £150 or less. It also has to have a good sound and I don`t care whether it comes with the amplifier in a separate box or in the subwoofer or whatever. I want to be able to connect the TV/VCR/DVD Player and PC to it, but can`t spend a lot! I obviously don`t need one with a DVD player attached. Any recommendations?

Cheap multi-region DVD Player?

Does anyone know where I can get a multi region DVD player with Dolby Digital/DTS and preferably be able to play Video CDs for under £100?

Need a Home Cinema Setup but don`t know what to do!

I was considering the Yamaha HTiB-45, but this is very expensive, and I`ll need to get a DVD player to go with whatever I get. Can anyone recommend a good separates solution with Dolby Pro-Logic II, Dolby Digital and DTS (including the speakers) that won`t cost all the extra money.

Also, when is the best time to buy? Should I wait for prices to get cheaper, or should I just buy now(ish)?

Found it quite cheap!

I did reply the other day but just noticed my posting`s not there! Found the Yamaha HTiB-45 at unbeatable.co.uk for £312.96 inc. VAT. It comes to about £320 (ish) with postage included I think. I might wait a bit and see if it goes down any more.

Thanks for the quick replies

I think I will probably have to save a bit more! I wanted DTS and Dolby Digital for watching DVDs, and the Pro Logic II would be OK for watching some TV broadcasts. I think the HTiB-45 kit does come with speaker cable (the rear ones obviously have a longer cable, but I might have to make a few adjustments to the length due to room layout). I can`t believe how much it varies in price though - I have seen it for as much as £400.

I`ll keep searching and see if I can find it even cheaper.

Yamaha HTiB-45 for less than £300?

I need a home cinema setup, but don`t have a very large budget. I like the look of the Yamaha HTiB-45 package, which consists of an HTR-5540 RDS receiver and the NSP-220 speakers, but the package seems a bit expensive. Is it possible for me to purchase them for preferably quite a bit less than £300, either as a whole package or buying the amp & speakers separately?

Or would it be a good idea to get some alternative speakers that are cheaper (but still as good or better) if anyone knows of any? I am quite new to this, but I know what I`m after: Dolby Pro-Logic II, Dolby Digital and DTS as a minimum.

I want to use it mainly for connecting my NICAM TV, DVD player, VCR and PACE digital box (Telewest Active Digital), and possibly my PC (for gaming).

Any information/advice appreciated,

Gaz.