Hi there, am looking for a home cinema system for the flat I am living in. What should I look for? Don't care whether it is particularly loud or not but would like the sound to be very clear and with no interference and of good quality. Does the wattage matter much? Ho much should I be paying? Are there any brands renowned to be good? Have beeen interested in BOSE as they seem to have good sound but very pricey!! Thanks for the help

Go and buy What Hi Fi Magazine or something like that. They have the answers to all your questions in there. They also list the top systems for different price ranges.

I think there's a general feeling among 'experts' that BOSE are over priced and not as good as their reputation would suggest. My surround sound system uses Kef speakers, which I really like. B&W are supposed to be good too

Yeah, I like Mission, KEF, Bowers and Wilkes etc - but they are more for hi-fi.

Alex

It can also depend on your existing stereo. If you have a good quality stereo system (eg. amp, cd speakers) that you like and you are planning on using the home cinema setup in the same room, you are a little bit stuffed. Most home cinema systems use a receiver instead of a processor. (Your DVD player feeds a combined amp/radio/digital decoder which feeds 5 speakers) This means you need a complete new setup independent of your existing stereo. I have a Yamaha E800 Digital processor which decodes and feeds my proper stereo amplifier to supply the front left and right speakers and decodes and feeds the centre, rear and sub dirctly. If you have a good stereo in the same room then I can highly recommend this option, it's a dedicated processor so much better than a scummy Sherwood receiver from Richer sounds. They are still £350 new, (they went up in price) Moorgate had one s/h a bit ago but Ebay have them quite often, then all you need are some quality cables and 3 more speakers. Otherwise as mentioned, get What Hi-Fi mag and check out some of the packages.. The Panasonic shop in town seem to have some receivers that look like DVD players on offer at the moment which are quite discrete, I would still advise getting the model numbers and searching What hi-fi and the internet for reviews. Shout if you want any more info.

Also, have a browse through www.avforums.com. It's a UK based forum for all kinds of AV stuff with plenty of helpful peeps and a classified section too that's worth checking out

I happen to be a fan of the Sony all in one systems that you can get. I have had the Sony DAV S800 for about 3 years now and it hasn't failed me once either in picture or sound quality. Also I think they look quite swish.
You can pick them up now for less than £500 and it plays Dolby 5.1 and DTS which is all you relly need unless you are a total film conniseur and want Lucasfilm THX or whatever else exists.
For a room in a flat this sort of thing is more than adequate.

speak to richer sounds (whitham rd) or for latest stuff go see sevenoaks (queens rd) richer for end of line at bargain prices or sevenoaks for a shopping expeirience like you`ve never known as far as amps go yamaha are the daddys like a1, a2, a5, imo anyway !!!

I've just bought a BOSE and it is fantastic.

OK the price on their website is £450 - don't even think about paying that! BOSE have a shop at Mac Arthur Glen on the outskirts of York. the price they charge for brand new CD/Wave radios is around £375 - don't even think about paying that!

BOSE sell their equipment on a 30 day return basis, a lot of people get them for 30 days to impress their friends then return them - they sell those at Mac Arthur Glen for 10% less than their price. But if you are crafty and have a helpful salesman he'll tip you off that there is a trade in of £50 for any radio. You dont need take a radio with you - I bought a 'radio pen' for £3.99 from another outlet in the same complex and got £50 off! I also got a free pedestal, usually £75, with the rest of the stuff.

Altogether I paid £287 for goods at a list price of £525. When I got home I checked Ebay and proper 2nd hand BOSE were going for £350.

I've not only got my CD and radio playing through the BOSE system but also my television. The beauty of it is all I had to do was plug the power plug into the mains. Only drawback is that you'll be up half the night listening to your CD's which you won't have heard properly before!

Erm, are you sure you're not Mr. Bose himself?

Wish I was mate!

I spent five quid wiring my tv to my existing stereo, and it doesn't sound as tinny as some of the cinema systems I've heard

Originally posted by Strix
I spent five quid wiring my tv to my existing stereo, and it doesn't sound as tinny as some of the cinema systems I've heard
I've done that.
Two PCs, VCR and telly all in an old Sanyo stereo with 4 speakers, excellent stuff, cost my 4.5£ in wiring.