First System

[Natty]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to get my first surround sound system, but I'm in need of a little help. I am a total noob when it comes to audio, I admit it. Now don't worry I AM NOT ASKING IF A CERTAIN SET OF SPEAKERS ARE GOOD , only I can answer that question !

So like I said I need a little help. I am after a 5.1ch system to go with my Samsung 32" TV - LE32B550A5WXXU and PS3 (which I use as my player).

What is an AV receiver? Haha, sorry but I really don't know the answer to this question and every site I check out just goes into a long winded answer which baffles me. I just need a simple answer as to what it does

Ok, so I have been looking around and I am looking at these:
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hcs-ho...TechnicalSpecs
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hcs-ho...iver/str-dh510

I'm on a budget so I would buy the speakers first I'm assuming :P

I was just wondering if you think this would be a good setup on a budget in a 12-12ft room?

I would really appreciate any help

Thanks in advance

[LordoftheRings]

A receiver nowadays comes in two flavors;
1. A simple Stereo receiver which includes a preamp section, an amp section and a tuner (AM/FM radio).
2. An A/V Receiver, or Multichannel Audio/Video Receiver which includes a power section with several powered channels (5, 7 or 9), a preamp section, a tuner. But now, it also includes a video processor, a DSP section for various sound effects and audio decoders, with Dacs, for the digital section, also an analog section of course, plus various other capabilities like Ethernet port for a computer connection in the goal of streaming several audio and video streams from the internet (radio & all that stuff), and also newer upgrades from that same port, plus USB connectivity, iPod connectivity, AM/FM radio of course, XM radio, Sirius radio, HD radio, and all that Jazz from the internet already mentioned. It is now becoming also a music server, a video server, and pretty soon it would become also your computer with capability to add audio and video cards as well more storage capacity and all that Blues.

If you want a mutichannel A/V receiver (5.1-channel) perhaps, look for brands like Marantz, Denon, Pioneer, Onkyo, Yamaha & Harman Kardon.
Those are much better bets.
But if you want the full set of speakers and that receiver from Sony shown in your links, that is not the best choice in my book.
Sony is OK, but certainly not the best for receivers and speakers.

Me personally, I would recommend a HTIB from Onkyo, or Yamaha, or perhaps Panasonic.
But Onkyo would be my first choice, because they are good, great value, and I like it.
Or an Onkyo receiver with some Kef speakers perhaps, or Mission speakers, or Celestion, or Tannoy.
And don't forget that subwoofer, it's very important.
Just take your time and do some research on the brands that I just told you about, and try to stay away from Sony receivers and speakers, they are simply not up to the level of those other brands.
For TVs and BD players, Sony is fine.

Anything else?

[Drew664]

Originally Posted by Natty

What is an AV receiver? Haha, sorry but I really don't know the answer to this question and every site I check out just goes into a long winded answer which baffles me. I just need a simple answer as to what it does

In very simple terms, it takes your players (in your case, PS3s) audio and video information and relays it to the TV and speakers. This allows for the disk's audio track to be decoded as surround sound. (see lordoftherings post for more detail - AVRs are great! )

I'm on a budget so I would buy the speakers first I'm assuming :P

You need both speakers and an AVR in order to get surround sound, so best case scenario is you get them at the same time.