Recommendation For A Decent Sound System.

[Ely1 0]

Firstly bring wife for a nice lunch at Fullerton hotel. Then say casually why not stroll for a walk to Adelphi. Go KEC and look for Allan and see what he can offer for your budget. Sit down and have a listen. I have a soundbar at home, and I fully regretted buying one.

WTH? I feel so cheated of SEVERAL lovely lunches and nightly strolls...

- Ely

[RimBlock 0]

WTH? I feel so cheated of SEVERAL lovely lunches and nightly strolls...

- Ely

I thought with you being the big enthusiast your hubby should have been expecting you to take him to lunch .

RB

[Defelio 0]

Hi Defelio,

OCs can be demanding. Finding a decent system that will match with the loving wifes specifications can be difficult if they are also to sound good. Style usually comes at the price of sound quality. Did you try the KEF KHT2005.3 (eggs) setup ?. Without a budget, it is difficult to recommend.

Budget of mid $2k bah. Iwas only expecting to spend mid $1k but deem it a tad too tight.

Room acoustics do play a big part in demoing equipment. The Wharfedale sub range is here. A better idea of the sub you demoed will help.

Whoa thanks. Think i gotta go down and have another listen at it which sub was it.

SVS . Myself and a few other members here have SVS subwoofers which are great. Again, it depends on your budget but you may want to take a look at the PC-13 (around S$1.4k) and the SB-13 NSD (around S$1.3k). They also pop up on the Xtremeplace 'for sale' boards so it may be worth taking a browse there.

I think the velodyne sub was priced at around $800+/-. Sorry to ask, what is this Xtremplace?

Quite hard to tell from the description but I would guess the rears wire is the same S$2/mtr I am using. It is fine, especially at this level. The fronts cable I do not know by your description but I use Chord Classic which is around S$7/mtr and have no problems at all.

Well the cost he told me was $6.50 with the branding label on the cable but forgetful me can't recall the brand..

No. From what I recall, you will get issues with phase and reflections. Get a decent center speaker as this will handle around 70% of the sound in movies. Centers with the drives not all on the same plane (i.e. not all in a strait line) will be better but a decent center speaker will make a world of difference to a entry level setup.

I doubt she will agree with a center speaker looking different =S

This depends on your and more importantly, your OCs tolerance. Ideally they should be mounted at seated listening level by wall brackets, stands or shelves. I do not have any side walls to my living room and so have mounted on the beams either side of the listening area. My speakers are around 7ft up and sound great. Ceiling mounting also helps hide the wires. You may get some difference by mounting at ear level but I would suggest it is not as big a difference as to have to suffer more cables running down the walls.

Ya i guess so, better to hide the cables running down the wall. Tks alot for this advice! lol

It is good to ask. If you have though and asked then there is bound to be may others who have thought about the same things and haven't asked.

RB

[RimBlock 0]

Sorry to ask, what is this Xtremplace?

It is a forum where they discuss HiFi and have quite active 'for sale' boards

You can check it out here.

I would recommend listening to the kef kht 2005.3-k1 set which should be around S$1.5k. Add the Onkyo 508 and you should have around S$500 to spend on upgrading the sub and / or cables, stands etc.

RB

[vjcs20 0]

CO only has approved a minimalist setup i.e. soundbar. Is yamaha, in particular, the ysp-2200 the only choice?

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/aud..._g/?mode=model

Quoted at S$ 1499 at most big stores.

Hi Spikey,

Just to add on about soundbars. There are 2 main types of soundbars - active and passive versions.

Active versions are those sold by LG / Philips / Samsung / Yamaha which are all-in-one systems, meaning it consists of speakers and the AVR in one setup together.

These kind of systems are not advisable as the speakers are not the best quality, neither is the amp.

In order to get surround, the speakers rely on sound processing or using walls to bounce sound to the back in order to get the surround portion. However, this is not real surround and you need to have an ideal room (i.e. walls on both sides of your room to bounce the sound to the back).

In Singapore, room shapes are typically less than ideal so it's very hard to get good surround from such systems.

Lastly, you cannot upgrade any part of the system when new technology arrives.

So these kind of active soundbars are not recommended for audiophiles.

The lesser known type of soundbars are actually passive soundbars. These are manufactured by the more well-known speaker manufacturers like Definitive Technology, Polk Audio, B&W, Atlantic Technology just to name a few.

These are basically a soundbar which consists of multiple channels in one single unit.

Some are LCR in one unit, while others are 5 or even 7 channels in one single unit.

These speakers need to be powered by an amp or AVR, and driver size are much bigger than those found in the active versions, so sound quality is way better than the active soundbars.

The really good ones are considered audiophile quality.

The good thing is that when new technology arrives, you can just upgrade the AVR or amp and the sound will be even further improved.

A sub will also help to improve the low frequencies alot.

If WAF is a must, I recommend passive soundbars coupled with a good AVR or amp.

They do not take up as much space as floorstanders or bookshelves but yet will sound much better than any active soundbar from Yamaha / LG etc.

My recommendation is to get a 3 channel Left-Center-Right passive soundbar coupled with a pair of Mirage Nanosats (these are really small and can be wall mounted) for surrounds. In Singapore where many pple stay in HDB flats, the Mirage Nanosats are highly ideal for surround duties.

Couple that with a good AVR or amp and you will be in audio nirvana, plus your wife won't make noise that your speakers are taking up too much space.

Some passive soundbars to consider are as follows:

- Defech SSA-50 (best sound quality but very big in size, low WAF)

- Polk Audio Surroundbar (very good sound quality, slightly smaller in size than the SSA-50 but still relatively big)

- Mirage Uni-theater (very stylish, very good sound quality, relatively small, very high WAF)

- B&W Panorama (very stylish, good sound quality but VERY expensive)

They are a few others out there but these are the more highly rated ones.

I have had quite abit of experience with passive soundbars so feel free to ask me questions.

If you are interested in getting a passive soundbar instead, do drop me an email at vjcs20@gmail.com as I may have what you are looking for.

Hope this helps.

[RimBlock 0]

Hi Spikey,

Just to add on about soundbars. There are 2 main types of soundbars - active and passive versions.

All good points.

Spikey, you can have a look here for some details on some of the soundbars available. They have some over view info and may help you shortlist.

If you want minimal then how about the flat speakers from either Kef (T105) or DefTech (Mythos XTR50). Expensive but may have a better WAF if the speakers are more or less flat with the wall. Would match the slimline TV.

RB

[Spikey 0]

wow - thanks guys for all the advice. Where can I audition the Kef T105? I like the Kef setup as shown in the link below

http://www.google.com.sg/imglanding?q=kef+t105&hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbnid=LoVFkOvS0MpRDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.musicmatters.co.uk/kef_t105_51_home_theatre_system_2.asp%253Fc%253D19&imgurl=http://www.musicmatters.co.uk/products/p1869_2_xl.jpg&w=800&h=595&ei=3JfCTd-8EYanrAehpLTgBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&page=1&tbnh=122&tbnw=179&start=0&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0&biw=1920&bih=955

[farkingnuts 0]

wow - thanks guys for all the advice. Where can I audition the Kef T105? I like the Kef setup as shown in the link below

http://www.google.com.sg/imglanding?q=kef+t105&hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbnid=LoVFkOvS0MpRDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.musicmatters.co.uk/kef_t105_51_home_theatre_system_2.asp%253Fc%253D19&imgurl=http://www.musicmatters.co.uk/products/p1869_2_xl.jpg&w=800&h=595&ei=3JfCTd-8EYanrAehpLTgBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&page=1&tbnh=122&tbnw=179&start=0&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0&biw=1920&bih=955

brudder.........stop wasting your money on KEF.........they look good.........that's it.........

all made in China with cheapo drivers..........

go listen to Cabasse............super high-end brand making affordable 5.1 systems...........made in France !

[Spikey 0]

the more i look at the T105, T205 and T305, the more I think they will suit my home decor to the 'T'...haha. Do I go to Adelphi to take a look? Any recommended retailers?

[Defelio 0]

It is a forum where they discuss HiFi and have quite active 'for sale' boards

You can check it out here.

I would recommend listening to the kef kht 2005.3-k1 set which should be around S$1.5k. Add the Onkyo 508 and you should have around S$500 to spend on upgrading the sub and / or cables, stands etc.

RB

Thanks alot! The KEF seems to have a good review. Will check it out. =)

[RimBlock 0]

the more i look at the T105, T205 and T305, the more I think they will suit my home decor to the 'T'...haha. Do I go to Adelphi to take a look? Any recommended retailers?

Thanks alot! The KEF seems to have a good review. Will check it out. =)

According to the KEF 'find a retailer' here, GPAcoustics at 01-01a Adelphi are their stockists in Singapore. Could also try calling around Adelphi and see if anyone else stocks them.

Let us know how you both get on and what they sound like compared to other brands / models.

RB

[Drexter 0]

Someone selling Wharfedale onyx300 is it good?

[Spikey 0]

According to the KEF 'find a retailer' here, GPAcoustics at 01-01a Adelphi are their stockists in Singapore. Could also try calling around Adelphi and see if anyone else stocks them.

Let us know how you both get on and what they sound like compared to other brands / models.

RB

Thanks - i went to Adelphi on Saturday. They were closed. KEF was at #01-01 but I didn't see any T series from outside their shop.

[RimBlock 0]

Someone selling Wharfedale onyx300 is it good?

Based on the website he has referenced, their prices here (pdf) are 500 Euros for the 300s and 325 Euros for the center 2. That makes 825 Euros which is around S$1.5k. He is asking S$1850 for a set that is not new.

Things I would ask is why is he selling just after buying. Presumably he found something better...

Although they are probably pretty good, I would be wary at the price. Also remember you need the rears and possibly a sub if you want a full setup.

I tend to find that if people have just bought and are selling off then their new purchases either are not as good as they thought or they have broken the bank. In either case the discount they offer is usually very small (maybe S$100) and if that is the case I personally would rather buy from the distributor.

With older high level items, especially speakers, bargains can be found at much reduced prices as long as the speakers have been looked after. My Opus Tri-center I got for S$850. The new Opus2 tri-center currently sells for 850 Euros or S$1.5k (based on same price list).

RB

[Drexter 0]

Based on the website he has referenced, their prices here (pdf) are 500 Euros for the 300s and 325 Euros for the center 2. That makes 825 Euros which is around S$1.5k. He is asking S$1850 for a set that is not new.

Things I would ask is why is he selling just after buying. Presumably he found something better...

Although they are probably pretty good, I would be wary at the price. Also remember you need the rears and possibly a sub if you want a full setup.

I tend to find that if people have just bought and are selling off then their new purchases either are not as good as they thought or they have broken the bank. In either case the discount they offer is usually very small (maybe S$100) and if that is the case I personally would rather buy from the distributor.

With older high level items, especially speakers, bargains can be found at much reduced prices as long as the speakers have been looked after. My Opus Tri-center I got for S$850. The new Opus2 tri-center currently sells for 850 Euros or S$1.5k (based on same price list).

RB

Yup, I am also quite skeptical of him selling right after purchase. Many questions pop up. Haha... You had a good deal as you know what to look out for. As for us first-timers, not confident in getting 2nd hand products with little knowledge. How about Definitive Technology Mythos Nine?