Audio system advice

anrkyuk

Estimable
Sep 15, 2014
4
0
4,510
Hi,

I am stuck and in need of advice.

Currently my mother has a 32” Sony TV KDL-32CX520 connected to a Virgin media cable box and a Sony BDV-L600 Blueray system with 2.1 sound.

I am planning to replace her TV with my old Samsung UE32F5000 and replace her Blueray system with a HTPC, probably an Intel i3 NUC or mini ITX homebuild running XBMC connected to a HP N54L microserver.

The sammy has an optical out and ARC.
The Virgin Media box has HDMI and Optical out.
The i3 NUC has 3.5mm and HDMI out. ( homebuild would have more options )

Which just leaves the sound system.

Due to factors of space and running costs a reliever and separates system is out of the question.

A lack of space and design of her TV stand rules out a sound bar.

Which as far as I can see only leaves a PC speaker system as an option. There are a pair of QED original cables running under the carpet from the TV to behind the sofa so a 5.1 system could be considered if the cable is not proprietary.

Based on the above can anyone recommend anything that will be at least as good as the sound system she currently has output from the BDV-L600.

Her TV stand will have a free shelf which is just under 8” high, the current speakers stand in from of the TV stand on the floor as they are thin they are places where the stand struts are and block nothing. If the speakers are taller than 8” they must be thin.

Can anyone recommend something around the £200 mark

I would love to get her something like these http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HR1AWVC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1CBU2QTNXUQ25&coliid=I28HL7TEN82606 which I have on my TV / PS3 but there are far to big to go anywhere in the room let alone near the TV.

Many thanks in advance for you time and any advice offered regarding this.
 
Solution
I needed to save space and I came to the same conclusion, PC speakers were the way to go. I have the following setup:

Freeview box (optical)
Xbox 360 (optical)
HTPC with an Asus Xonar U7 sound card (coaxial)

Plugged into this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Optical-Coaxial-Dolby-AC3-DTS-Digital-To-5-1-Analog-Audio-Gear-RCA-Sound-Decoder-/200666397350?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

Which in turn is plugged into Logitech Z5300 PC speakers which I picked up from Ebay for cheap, about £40 IIRC (apart from the sub, the speakers are all wall mounted).


It's a bit of a bodge but it met my requirements: I have no room for a separates amplifier, the DD decoder is tiny so can be tucked away anywhere. The speakers are wall mounted which saves loads of...

Alex Cranz

Estimable
Jul 21, 2014
45
0
4,580
I'm not entirely sure why you're ruling soundbars out though? There are a couple that should fit just fine. Vizio in particular. They make a 29-inch soundbar (S2920W-C0) that should fit under a 32 inch tv just fine.

Bluetooth speakers are another good bet. They're heads and tails better than they used to be. Just find one with audio in.
 

gopher1369

Distinguished
Jan 20, 2012
100
0
18,660
I needed to save space and I came to the same conclusion, PC speakers were the way to go. I have the following setup:

Freeview box (optical)
Xbox 360 (optical)
HTPC with an Asus Xonar U7 sound card (coaxial)

Plugged into this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Optical-Coaxial-Dolby-AC3-DTS-Digital-To-5-1-Analog-Audio-Gear-RCA-Sound-Decoder-/200666397350?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

Which in turn is plugged into Logitech Z5300 PC speakers which I picked up from Ebay for cheap, about £40 IIRC (apart from the sub, the speakers are all wall mounted).


It's a bit of a bodge but it met my requirements: I have no room for a separates amplifier, the DD decoder is tiny so can be tucked away anywhere. The speakers are wall mounted which saves loads of space compared to my old floor standing speakers.The downside is that the DD decoder has to be manually switched between inputs, it doesn't have a remote control. But apart from that it works as you would expect and the sound quality from those Logitech speakers is good enough - for music it's definitely not as good as full range floor standing speakers, but for games and movies they sound great.
 
Solution

anrkyuk

Estimable
Sep 15, 2014
4
0
4,510


TV stand is oval in shape and sat in a corner, the stand on the TV I am giving her does not swivel and so to get it to face her on the sofa will be at an angle and the edge of one corner of the stand will be quite near the edge of the stand. So unless it can actually be mounted on the TV either the top or bottom it will not fit
 

anrkyuk

Estimable
Sep 15, 2014
4
0
4,510


I have looked at a few systems already and not found one that suits, I first looked at the high end 2.1 systems Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 THX Certified Speakers, Logitech 2.1 Speaker System Z623 & Corsair CA-SP211UK SP2500 Gaming 2.1 Speaker System neither which have the required connections. I looked at the Logitech Z-906 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers which do but are over budget and appear to have reliability issues.

I sadly can not find a paid of Z5300's for sale in the UK. I can find some used Z5500's but they are all collect only and I do not drive.


 

gopher1369

Distinguished
Jan 20, 2012
100
0
18,660


Yep I know them, as you've probably already realised the Z5500s are pretty much the same speakers but also have an optical input as well as analogue. They've long been discontinued, which is why I bought mine second hand on Ebay. I simply asked the seller to box up their Z5300s and I booked my own courier to go pick them up (cost me £16 via Parcelforce).