[Closed] Do people still do home cinema surround sound?

[url= http://www.richersounds.com ]Richer Sounds[/url]? Any old Yamaha 5.1 amp and 5.1 speaker set will likely do a better job than a sound bar. Having said that, a stonking 2.0 HiFi set up beats a bad 5.1 set up. And an OK Apple "HiFi" beats a Sony 5.1 "one box" system in my experience.

I had a kef 5:1 surround system hooked up to a reasonably decent Arcam amp. I never really liked the sound, can't be sure whether it was the system itself or the limitation on how I had to position the speakers but I always found dialogue indistinct and difficult to follow. It was great for action sequences but not great for most other things. I've changed it for a naim Mu-so which although mainly for music also works well for TV sound. What I've lost in surround sound I've gained in clarity and I'm pretty happy with that.

You just don't see home surround being marketed anymore.

Ay?

It's still very much marketed.

Still rocking my home cinema and speakers all round. Though I've kind of lost interest in watching films. Was obsessed and own a huge amount of DVDs, but find I feel I could spend the time watching a film doing something else instead or don't have the time, I've lost interest with modern Hollywood recycled flicks. That and I want to watch stuff in HD now but just fed up with rebuying stuff so not bothered about Blu Ray much. just buy the essentials, and then there are streaming services and downloads.

Still, I can see why sound bars are popular, especially if the "other half" puts their foot down over not having speakers all over the place 😉

That said some I know are into their dedicate cinema room set ups. A bit OTT for me, though if I had a big enough house...

Ps, after yet another amp died on me, got an Onkyo from RS and have to say it's the best AV amp I've bought. Really impressed by the sound quality.

Yep plenty of people still into it. I turned my basement into a proper little cinema for pretty cheap. (cheap compared to most installs)

Head over to Home Cinema choice website or AVforums and have a browse at what you can get for your money these days, be it at the cheap or expensive end. Be warned I found it to be even more off a slippery slope in upgrading than bikes!

Panasonic surround here, 5:1 system, something like 400 watts. Sounds great, but to be honest I never really use it to its full potential.

yep got one recently, there were loads on sale.

current house i bought came with it fitted, never used it though

What is this surround sound stuff? Sounds ace!

My gear is all over the place, got an ancient (well, about 10yo) Cambridge Azur 540R with 6.1 which currently has two speakers off a Panasonic "one box" which sounded awful until I added a Sony active sub off another one box system. My other two speakers (which will replace the Panasonics as fronts) are a set of Sony's off a hi-fi I had when I was about 14 but have a lot more depth and never needed a sub to get any decent sound out of them. Also have a Panasonic centre.

So yeah, a bit of a mess but I'll be happy just getting everything to a full setup. That's the easy bit, I'll then have to somehow position the "rears" to somehow work properly from the side. Hmm...

Yup, Yamaha amp and 6 Polk Audio speakers and sub - all THX certified.
Have a really nice Panasonic plasma too.

Along with unlimited fibre optic internet so I download blu rays and high def TV shows to a home theatre PC.
Don't watch broadcast TV anymore and haven't been to the cinema for about a year. Gave up my TV licence too.

I've got an Onkyo amp and Mordaunt Short Alumni 5.1 speakers.
I love it. Real window shaking stuff when we watch DVD's (remember them?).

the yamaha sound bars are great at widening the field of sound and giving pseudo surround sound but you cant beat the surround sound for sheer audio goodness for films. Small speaker setups work really well such as harman kardon, Tannoy, boston acoustics etc. I use both and switch between the two.

I've just bought a Cambridge Minx TV2 soundbase 😀

My other TV has awesome speakers already built 8)

I spoke to a chap at a BBQ last summer who worked for Dolby. He said the biggest factor in moving forward from surround sound as it is now is the "spousal acceptance factor".

Denon amp, and a full suite of B&W surround speakers. Rarely get turned up due to consideration of the neighbours. Love the look of them though 🙂

Don't use my setup daily any more due to kids and neighbours but do look forward to the odd day when I can use it. Hoping our next house has a cellar I can convert..
Got mine from Richer Sounds. Good service and prices.
Yamaha amp, Mordaunt Short speakers.

Looked at this recently when upgrading tv. Ended up with a decent soundbar and Bluetooth subwoofer on other side of room. Sounds not quite home cinema but in a modern smallish room not far off.

The key (to me) is discreet and unseen. No wires or hidden.

I hate clutter

Yes, Denon amp with a variety of speakers. Fantastic sound. Last night watched Les Miserables, not everyone's cup of tea but I like it and the sound on 5.1 from a blu-ray is better than the cinema.

Amp, speakers and sub for me. Decent sounds used for TV, DVD and blu ray.

If you struggled with speech then either the centre speaker wasn't right or your set up needed changing.

Yamaha amp and Kef eggs/sub here for me. I struggle with dialogue sometimes too, but still love the set-up.

Room layout does restrict the ideal positioning though. A big mistake some people make is setting the rears at the same level as the front sides, they should be lower.

Yes, our +10y/o 5.1 amp went pop last week so I bought one of these:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/yamaha/rxv377/yama-rxv377-blk

Really nice sound and having a mic to setup the speakers gives a good base sound.

Not exactly hifi but I'm using my mates old logitech 5.1 system in my living room and it's great. I could never just have tv speakers or a sound bar, makes everything sound limp.

I spoke to a chap at a BBQ last summer who worked for Dolby. He said the biggest factor in moving forward from surround sound as it is now is the "spousal acceptance factor".

[i]That's easy, just hide everything. [/i]

Yep. My Missus said no wires trailing so I put them into the walls and connected everything up with plugs and plates. Done it twice now, last two houses.

Onkyo and Cambridge audio minx speakers/sub. Comes on automatically when the TV is turned on.
Great sound from tiny speakers.

I would hate to not have surround sound. Tv speakers and even the best sound bars are absolutely rubbish. I have some 5.1 kef eggs and sub linked to a pioneer amp. Like someone else said above I get more from the sound than 3d or 4k. You can't beat turning the volume up and being able to feel the rumble from the sub on a scene like the t rex bits in jurassic park.

Onkyo and Kef 5.1 set up at home, cables in the walls, very discreet.

Spousal approval was easily agreed and will go through the same installation process when we move. Hopefully there'll be less CBeebies / CBBC being watched on it in years to come.

Onkyo and Wharfedale 9.1s plus sub here. Works well for me. Has to be blu-ray or HD tv tho, lose too much audio through dvd/SD.
Dare I suggest a thread showing off our set ups??

Dare I suggest a thread showing off our set ups??

bought one of [url= http://www.whathifi.com/denon/avr-x2000/review ]these[/url] before christmas, for £210 bloody brilliant. Integrates so nicely with the tv/pc/internet compared to the last set up (which is good for the wife)

My humble set up - speakers too close together, but I'm limited for space

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7653/16564639818_dd95d3a446_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7653/16564639818_dd95d3a446_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/reL7jf ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/85252658@N05/ ]davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

For the money this is damm good
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr/htr-3067_black__u/

[img] [/img]

Runs away....

You can get a nice wood finished down firing sub for a more discrete look. BK XLS200

http://www.bkelec.com/hifi/sub_woofers/XLS200-DF.htm

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Excellent sound, well regarded and highly recommended.
I have a lamp on top, most people don't notice it is a speaker.

I agree with other posts, I think a half decent surround sound improves viewing much more than a super fancy TV (although that would be nice too).

BK are ace.

who wants discrete ! no mistaking a rel Q150e 😉

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My other TV has awesome speakers already built

No TV has 'awesome' speakers built it...

If the OP is near Surrey then I have a near mint Denon 1312 going for £50.

I was my MILs (a complicated setup so her near deaf hubby could hear the TV) but she has no need for it now 🙁

It had a Denon speaker system but it was pretty poor so I dumped it.

The reviews were pretty good and it has the advantage of hdmi switching, which I think it rare in cheaper stuff.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-entertainment/av-receivers/51006/denon-avr-1312-review

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-AVR-1312-5-1-AV-Receiver/dp/B004W1LWDW

Klunk just proved my point.

as many have said a slippery slope
https://www.avforums.com/threads/bodgit-and-scarper-fun-and-games-on-a-low-budget.1346244/#post-14916452

I built a sort of discreet surround sound platform in our main lounge.

[URL= http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/twonks_photos/Lounge/room2.jp g" target="_blank">http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/twonks_photos/Lounge/room2.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/twonks_photos/Lounge/lounge3.jp g" target="_blank">http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/twonks_photos/Lounge/lounge3.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Rear speakers can be hidden ish.

[URL= http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/twonks_photos/Lounge/rearspeaker2.jp g" target="_blank">http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/twonks_photos/Lounge/rearspeaker2.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Sound bars just don't cut it for me. To be truly immersive nothing beats propper speakers, decent subwoofer and a HD projector 🙂

Have an Arcam AVR400, a set of Tannoy Eyris Floorstanders and Centre and an XXLS400 sub in gloss white. Looks cool but the benefit of centralised quality vocals makes is worth the investment. Sounds bars or single box doesn't really come close

I built a sort of discreet surround sound platform in our main lounge.

My surround system is pretty archaic by modern standards, it's got to be ten years old now, it cost me £750, but was worth £1500, demo kit sold cheap because the shop was being re-fitted, and I knew the bloke, I'd worked in the shop before.
Yamaha DSP amp, and Sony sub/satellites, a bit like the KEF eggs.
Got the sky box, Mac Mini and my Cambridge Audio DVD99 hooked up via TOSLink optical and HDMI, it's great having surround for TV programmes when you suddenly hear someone walk out of shot and footsteps go behind you then a door slams.
The centre speaker makes a huge difference to voice, and the system works well for music in stereo, by just switching off the effects.

We moved house about 9 months ago and I baggsied a small (8x13ft) room and told the misses it was going to be my projector room. To my surprise she said OK. So now I have an Onkyo amp in there running some Miller & Kreisel 5.1 speakers. Sounds bloody brilliant and theres a nice big (8ft wide) picture from a 1080p projector.

There's loads of good secondhand kit around (eBay, AVforums etc) so it's easy to put something together cheaply.

Can't recommend that BK sub highly enough. I bought one when my Monitor Audio sub went pop. bK cost less than the sub it replaced but a world away sonically.

Can recommend BK Electroncics for a sub..
Have the XXLS400 and it really adds that extra dimension to films.

Also have 2 large Dali Floorstanders, centre and wall mounted rears

Rear speakers can be hidden ish.

hidden
?h?dn/Submit

adjective
kept out of sight; [b]concealed.[/b]
"hidden dangers"
synonyms: concealed, secret, [b]not visible, invisible, unseen, not on view, out of sight,[/b] covered, camouflaged, disguised, masked, shrouded, veiled, unrevealed
"they watched the action through a hidden camera"

NXT panels for rears?

Klunk, that read wrong. What I mean is the Q150e was a BK rebadged 🙂

My set up is 14 years old and is still pretty good. Yamaha 5.1 amp and a full set of B&W speakers.
Thick cable run discretely under the living room floor.
I do keep looking at the newer amps with HDMI and 4K upscaling. But for now good 5.1 and 1080p is absolutely fine, and other things can drain my finances instead.
Sadly its of most use when playing Call of Duty... very helpful to hear who/what is coming. 🙂

I used to have a BK Gemini hooked into my Yamaha soundbar, but didn't really rate it TBH, lower down their range than the XLS admittedly.

I still have the soundbar, but now find myself in a new house with approval for a cinema room, no budget to do much with it yet. But eventually hope to get a projector and maybe proper surround setup. We just decided it's daft having a dedicated guest bedroom, when it would only get used a handful of times throughout the year.

Well ok then mine isn't exactly discreet, but now it's built it looks a lot less intrusive than the components on big stands along a wall.

All a matter of opinion just like somebody on avforums asking if there is a point in 'expensive' bikes

I have a basic cinema system with proper sized speakers - love it!

A friend has a mahoosive HD projector system (I asked him how much it cost - as much as a family car was the answer) with £8k worth of Monitor Audio floor standing fronts and rears and matching centre, with a monster sub (as big as a small dryer). Beautifully set up and amazing to watch a film on. I've never been to a cinema which even comes close to how good it is. A lot of money for sure but it is just "wow!"

KEF eggs (2005.1 if googling), matched with a Sony 1040 amp. Blinkin' awesome sound. No distortion at any volume, and clarity is wonderful.
Wife even likes the look of the speakers.

Managed to pick up a set of 5 eggs and two subs for £175 from ebay, and then another 2 eggs for £25. Both were local auctions, so prices were lower than you see generally.

Do it!

I have tinkered in the world of surround sound for years now - I am on my 4th amp.
So far I have gone ethrough a Sherwood system with JBL speakers, a Marantz with missons speakers, the same Marantz with B&W speakers, then a Denon with the same speakers and now a Arcam amp with a Cambridge minx system...
TBH, i was a bit of a klutz for many years and didn't use the digital inputs so only got psuedo surround sound. I still am not overly sure what all the various options re Dolby/ Dolby II/ Neo whatsit really give ....

Movies do sound great, but as with so much these days the mix is so "loud". The voice track is hidden - and in most cases, barely audiable. This means that the bangs and crashes are very, very loud. You have two choices, you run the centre speaker turned up to max, or you sit on the remote and the minute anything starts expolding , you turn down the sound.

Other factors - I am beginnng to see the whole surround sound set up as a bit "chav". It's a little like having your own bar in the living room, or red leather furniture ....
Obvious wifey hates it - and for two reasons 1) it is complicated to switch on, even with an intelligent remote, it sometimes fails 2) it looks ugly. Speakers everywhere and unless you dig up the floor boards, wires everywhere.

I have just moved so I am going through the decision process - the floors are about to be done. Do I get the wires buried for the surround sound, or do I not bother and just go the sound bar / sound base route?

I have all the equiment I need but I am not too sure I can be bothered any more!

The Hi-fi has been rigged up in the second reception room, for just that. Most of the stuff I play go is streamed / itunes based and go through a good quality DAC. So that sounds great and that may well suffice.

So much of TV is not really digital surround sound decoded but just is dolby II etc - movies, of course are.
But then I have to listen to them so loud just to hear what is being said ...

However, all this said , modern TV speakers are truly rubbish!

[i]Speakers everywhere and unless you dig up the floor boards, wires everywhere.[/i]

So you've spent loads of money over many years and never buried the cables? 🙄

When we first discussed surround sound my Missus just said "do what you want, but no wires". So I took a week off and redecorated the lounge (after channelling the walls and installing speaker plates etc).

When we moved a couple of years ago first priority was to wire in the speakers (and additional power) so the lounge could then be decorated. If you do it this way, no worry over mess as everything is covered up.

And tbh when your lounge is 6m x 8m and over two storeys high, normal TV speakers just can't cut it 🙂

TBH, I never knew you could - and have never heard of speaker plates! So off to google.

Ah ! Shame to room has just been redecorated!!
They would be nice , and sill an opportunity for cables to go under the floor

Some house were rented, with expensive floors and underfloor heating (CH) so was never an option!

The room is 4 X 4 metres with high Victorian ceilings (3.5 metres)

None of this stops the fact that voice tracks are still buried in the mix - unless anyoen can tell me a solution.

That just sounds like your settings need tweeking mrmoofo. Google how to factory reset your amp, then start again setting it up, measuring the distances from your listening position to each speaker and inputting it into the amp

We never have a problem hearing dialogue, even in scenes with obscuring background noise.
Amp does have a calibration mic though, and then tweaked from there until all nicely set up.
Even have an option to enhance dialogue, but have not needed to use it yet.
Make sure speakers are in correct positions for your amp. I found out that the setup for mine was 1 centre, 2 front satellites and 2 SIDE satellites, not rears as previous prologic 1 system. That's why I have two spare satellites for when we extend the living room and can fit the 2 rears as well and hide all of the wires.

b r - Member
So you've spent loads of money over many years and never buried the cables?

Mine are trailed around the skirting, along with Ethernet cable as well, but then there's no OH to complain about it.

Oddly though I still don't have a sub. My ancient Mission speakers chuck put a fair bit of bass and there's enough rumble from them with the sub frequencies directed to them. As it's a flat I've always been reluctant to get a sub and piss off the neighbours.

Dialogue vs rear, I find similar problems, though mainly from some TV shows where the rear overpowers the dialogue. All been set up with the calibration mic.

Yamaha Amp and Venerable but still bloody good B&W M1 based system.

All in a Skovby cabinet with IR repeater. Nice 🙂

'Almost' all wires hidden.

[i]None of this stops the fact that voice tracks are still buried in the mix - unless anyoen can tell me a solution. [/i]

Check your centre speaker, and its settings.

Speaker plates, cheap as.

http://www.audiomate.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=Signal-Outlet-Plate-with-4mm-Banana-Sockets&gclid=CMjai4Ghm8QCFSYHwwodPYEAfA

You can spend far more too 🙂

i use a 20 year old Ariston AX-910 amp and even older Wharfedale speakers. i also run a pair of Bose speakers from the amp. the sound quality is awesome IMO and the amount of bass produced means that i dont need a subwoofer...yet

br - too late for speaker plates.
Room just decorated ( with eye poppingly expensive wall paper and decorator!)

So it will be pine coving around the skirting if floor man can't do it

I think the quality of soundbars and reduced quality of audio on streamed video has made soundbars a very popular option rather than full surround sound.

Saying that I have a proper 5.1 system* - which is in constant use and no rush to go back - absolutely love it and the luckily my wife does too.

It always shocks me how bad TV's sound!

*5xSpendor speakers, Naim process and amps all around plus REL sub.

I still use keff Ci eggs (better than the standard plastic ones) in white to blend with the white walls, but I suffered with the centre channel & ended up getting an Infinity CC225 which is quite big but has really changed how the dialogue is presented, the best bit though is an old REL Stadium 11 that I picked up ex demo for much cheapness, its that big that I use it as a side table next to the sofa 🙂

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Movies do sound great, but as with so much these days the mix is so "loud". The voice track is hidden - and in most cases, barely audiable. This means that the bangs and crashes are very, very loud. You have two choices, you run the centre speaker turned up to max, or you sit on the remote and the minute anything starts expolding , you turn down the sound.

7.1 setup here for bluray