New Home Theatre

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a new home theatre to replace my current Yamaha.

I'm pretty happy with the Yamaha, but want something with bluetooth connectivity and preferably wireless speakers and a powered sub.

What's the current recommendations?

Budget is around 1400 but if I can do it for less that'd be great

Was looking at a few Pioneer options from Kogan, but not sure on their value?

Receiver
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/pionee...-4k-upscaling-wifi-bluetooth-vsx-832-philips/

Speakers
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/pioneer-todoroki-50-speaker-pack-srs88tb-pioneer/

 

LSK kit speakers in the Price Check forum. Maybe option. Good gear.

 

LSK?

Is buying separately a good option?

 

That's not a home theatre... For $1400, you'll get mostly junk (unless you are willing to look second hand).

There are no such things as wireless speakers - unless you're talking those little ~$100 Bluetooth things you take to the beach, they'd be battery powered, and anything battery powered that's audio related at home sucks.

I'd keep what you have, and find a Bluetooth dongle to attach to it, save your money for a proper upgrade, or do some research and find a bargain on the second hand market.

Actually, for $1400, you'd probably be best off buying a Sonos Beam and a pair of Sonos One speakers. That'll give you surround (up to Dolby Digital 5.1) , "wireless" speakers, and brilliant streaming capabilities, and it actually sounds pretty good for the money, I install a lot of them, and the clients are really happy with them. I've even got one set up in my bedroom.

On a side note, people really need to look beyond Bluetooth for home audio - it's not fit for purpose. You want something that works over wifi - significantly better in every way for a home system. Bluetooth is for cars, you headsets, or a speaker you want to take to the beach or park.

Z...

 

Bluetooth/wifi either would be fine for me.

What I have I got for $550... And it sounds pretty good.


I wasn't even aware you could get bluetooth/wifi dongles to attach to home theatres?

What brands should I be looking at?

 

Something like this would be fit for purpose- connect to an input on your current setup and off you go
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers...tech/logitech-bluetooth-audio-adapter/560263/

Does your current amp have pre-out for a sub? If so, just buy a powered sub and update the config on your amp... same if you need a center, rears

 

Pre-out? As in where you put the sub cable into? It's got a dedicated channel for a sub that's called sub? So I could just plug in a new powered sub using the same channel?

It's got center and rears.

 

Yes that's the one. You can pick up an s/h sub fairly cheaply too, expect to pay a bit for new however

 

There are some absolute smashing bargains in the second hand market. For me, personally, for anyone looking at a small 2ch system with reasonable sound and great features, I suggest a Sonos Amp (the new model), with 125w/ch and a good set of bookshelf speakers. I have a pair of old Boston Acoustics CR8's at home, and they sound fantastic, you'd have to work hard to pay more than $100 for a pair in excellent condition, and they'll punch well above their weight. late 90's/early 2000's Kef, B&W bookshelves are also worth looking it for similar bang/buck. Not to mention, the CR8's are Made in the US of A!

As for dongles - you bet. Usually about the $50-$100 mark for something that works well, and plugs into an RCA socket. If you like what you have, save the cash, seriously, and just do that. You'll be happier that way! If you want to upgrade, upgrade properly.

Remember, though, speakers age REALLY well. Great speakers form the 70's and 80's still sound great - and will be purchasable for small amounts of cash second hand. AMps and receivers, a 2 year old AV receiver of a reasonable spec will be a quarter of the brand new version, if you are willing to wait and look, but have just about everything a brand new model has.

Amplifiers, like pure amplifiers, also age reasonably well. A decent 2ch power amp from the late 90's or early 2000's is still going to sound great. I have a 300w/ch Adcom 2ch power amp, and it sounds sensational powering my Legacy Victorias. The Legacy speakers were an $8k/pair speaker that I got for $2k, and the amp was.. Erm.. Free... Because the client was upgrading and told me to just take it. Whilst you won't likely get one for free, I have seen them for $150 on Gumtree from people that don't know what they have (the benefits of obscure brands).

Z...

 

Is it for just Movies and TV?

Or will you use it for Music a lot too?

The Sonos soundbar is actually pretty good as mentioned. The compatibility and ease of use are big wins. Even a Sonos SB and the Sub do a decent job.

 

The other nice thing with the Sonos Amp (new one) is the HDMI Arc support. If your TV supports it, it means that the TV's remote will control the Amp's volume, via the TV. It will also auto-turn on the amp etc. Been working really well with our LG B8 TV. Can then use the phone app to start streaming music/radio etc.

Got it connected to some nice bookshelves I DIY'd (Seas drivers etc) and it's a very nice, subtle system. Will add some Play 1 rears in time.

 

Yeah, we have one running our lounge room - my flatmate is an older lady, not very tech savvy, and has made her life infinitely easier vs the old Marantz AV receiver setup. Apple TV 4k, Sonos Amp and LG TV super easy to use with only the TV remote.

Z...

 

Just go for the Beam, not the Playbar, it's cheaper, sounds about as good, but has HDMI/CEC, much better for future compatibility. Most TV's also don't do 5.1 through opitcal out, but will do with the ARC over HDMI. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal etc all work natively from the Sonos app, too.

Z...

 

Movies and music. About an even split of both (which is why I wanted bluetooth support).



My current amp is only 120w (is that per channel or split between all channels?).

2 channel isn't going to be enough for me, but Zee you've given me some stuff to think about!

 

I once bought a pair of Dynaudio DM2/6 speakers, heavy duty steel stands and a 1980 TEAC Stereo Amp that was super heavy for $1100. That 2 channel setup would smoke anything we're talking about here

Depends on what you are placing most importance on, and how picky you are with audio.

 

Love clarity with no speaker buzz. Volume above all else.

 

Pretty basic requirements these days.

Just go demo the Sonos.

 

So I grabbed a bluetooth adapter for my current, and honestly, it sounds pretty shit... It only does 2 channel which is absolutely rubbish.

 

Pretty sure BT only ever did 2ch, I can ever remember seeing 5.1 BT, and can't imagine it has even close to the capability to deal with it.

It is one of the reasons to go with network vs BT for home audio, though.

Which BT adapter did you get? Was it a good one? Or a cheapie? Cheapies are probably going to suffer in the audio quality department, though, honestly, BT has never been known for high quality audio...

Z...

 

It was a Logitech one.

See that's what I don't get. I have a bluetooth soundbar that is apparently 5.1 (and it does sound sooo much better than what I'm currently listening to).