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Currently getting some work done on my house including building a new room and have the opportunity to get it wired up to suit new TV and audio. I want to play music, ideally Apple Music direct from app, as well as it working with TV to give great sound to movies etc, again usually played through Apple TV.
I don't want a big setup, I want it to be discrete and clean looking, ever as a soundbar built into wall under TV or as small wall mounted speakers. I'm not a complete sound geek, just want clean, decent sound neatly presented and easily used.
Any thoughts?
I had an extension on my house about 4 years ago and took the opportunity to do this properly. I was working on a 5.1 home cinema set up (no point in more unless you have a large room) and got them to put large conduit buried in the walls so I can drop any cables in between the TV on the wall and the source units invisibly. Also a double socket behind the TV so you don't have to run electric cables in line with audio visual cables. And then just got some half decent quality speaker cable and ran that in the walls too, so a completely clean and neat system.
As above. Preperation in case you need something later down the line is a very good idea if you have the room in bits at the time.
Personally I don't like any soundbar or micro speakers / subwoofer set ups I've heard at any price, and would rather have proper speakers any day of the week.
A pair of stand mounted fronts with a decent amp would be a minimum for me, especially if music is a concern. For convenience, I'd add a wireless streamer thing to it for apps and other bits.
Or you could go for an AV amp that has it all built in and still sounds half decent.
Soundbars are a compromise in situations where you can't fit discreet speakers or don't want discreet speakers littering your room. If you're in a situation where you're starting with a blank canvass as it were, then go for a proper 5.1 or even 2.1 system. You can get awesome 5.1 systems for under £500 these days that would be far superior to any soundbar system at any price.
If you are going to listen to alot of audio then I'd suggest for your two front stereo speakers to get some proper speakers with decent stands rather than a full satellite system. I've got a full satellite system but was a pretty pricey Kef system (though got a good discount on it) and it is brilliant, but is not as good for pure audio. The satellite speakers do lack a bit in the lower end of the midrange/higher end of the bass frequencies.
Do hifi speakers alone - as in without a centre speaker - deliver good sound for movies, etc?
If you are not bothered about surround then yes they can, within reason. I play audio from the telly through the hi-fi (stereo with subs) and it satisfies me. I'm not much of a film buff though. If I was I reckon I would have to go for a proper 5+1.
Do hifi speakers alone – as in without a centre speaker – deliver good sound for movies, etc?
Yes they do although you are still governed by the quality of the AV Amp and the speakers themselves. I would say that for movies it is probably worth having a sub as well to help deliver the lower frequencies. The advantage a centre will give you is that it can help to clarify the vocal parts of a film soundtrack. Even a 2:1 system with a decent AV amp will do a reasonable job of some sort of surround sound
Not all soundbars are created equal.
I'm considering this to replace my Yamaha 5.1/Kef set up
Quite a few decent audio companies offer in wall hi-fi speakers. As you're at the build stage, this is the option which gives you the most discrete option. You can then find a small amp to drive them which can be hidden under the TV or in a cabinet. It will be a compromise on the audio performance but you can't get more discrete than just a grille showing!
On the centre channel, having a specific speaker means you can tune the level easier. Since most dialogue goes to the centre it's a good option. My stereo speakers would cost about 10x what my centre did but I still prefer having it for films.
In a home cinema system the two most important speakers are the centre speaker and the sub. the corner speakers are effect speakers which is why often in the more expensive systems you'll see a larger centre speaker than the satellites. You can just use normal speakers without a centre speaker but then you'll just have stereo and not surround sound. For example a 2.1 system - but even then 2.1 doesn't give you surround sound...it'll decode the Dolby soundtrack but just give it to you in stereo. Even the early surround sound systems like Pro-logic were not true surround sound...they used a stereo signal and processed it to give you a surround effect from the speakers behind you but there wasn't any discreet rear channels.
So depends what you want to compromise on...movie audio or music audio, but if you have a 5.1 system then you can always have two 'proper' speakers up front and just use those in stereo for music playback.
If you're building an area from scratch then why wouldn't you configure it so it can do both rather than building in compromise from the start?