Audio can be considered 50% of the movie experience. Therefore, its seriously worth considering a quality audio setup to complete your Home Theater. A few popular quality audio specialists to look out for are; Kef, Cambridge Audio, Mordaunt Short and Acoustic Energy.
We'd love to hear your recommendations of audio setups, as audio can such a personal thing. There is no 'perfect' setup, as some prefer to hear different frequencies from their speakers than other. And of course the shape of the room can have a big impact too. However, the following will give you a good idea of the general opinion of a good system to get for your money.
Q1 2007
All in One Package - Yamaha AV59
If your looking for an 'all in one' 5.1 surround sound package on a budget, the Yamaha AV59 setup is getting excellent reviews.
They are actually seperates, but sold as a package
at a lower price. It can be had for between £200-£250
online.
Alternatively Richer Sounds sell them seperate, and you could try
to get them to price match an online package. Yamaha RXV359 and Yamaha NSP110.
There are equally priced Sony and Panasonic (etc.) packages in this price bracket, but don't offer the kind of connectivity you get here.
It comes with the Yamaha NS110 speakers, and RXV359 A/V Receiver pictured below:
As you can see, for a budget package it offers an amazing amount of inputs an outputs.
Seperates
The next step up would be to buy your speakers and Receiver/Amp seperately. First up, lets look at some speakers, working our way up in price and performance.
Speakers - Entry Level
If your looking for a decent set of 'entry level' speakers, don't look at anything less than the Kef 1005 5.1 speaker package. Currently you can pickup them for £299 from your local Richer Sounds. There was a deal on at Superfi where they were offering them at £249, which has unfortunately finished. Note; many dealers report they are not allowed to ship Kef products, and can only be purchased in store. However, If you do spot a deal else where, your local Richer Sounds actually should price match any internet store.
These really are an excellent set of speakers, don't be put off by the small size of the satellites. We have them hooked up to the Sony 1200ES A/V Receiver and cracked up the volume to around -5db, and they were still asking for more! All aspects of films are handled superbly. During loud explosions, you can literally feel the floor shake, and voice clarity and high frequencies remain crisp.
To see how the brackets are fixed to the wall, and how much rotation they offer, click here.
Speakers - Mid-Level
The next level up from the 1005's it can be a tough decision, and it would be a good idea to go listen to following speakers at your local audio specialist. The award winning Kef 2005's, the Mordaunt Short Genie's and the Acoustic Energy Aego T's.
You can currently find the Kef 2005's over at Play.com. It also appears that they will deliver these, which is unusual for a Kef product.
Lastly, the Acoustic Energy Aego T's
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