[redstar]

Hi,
 
I would really appreciate any advice to help me figure out what combination of hardware to buy, to give me the best possible experience for watching bluray films, via my pc.
This is not for music listening.
I would say a light touch of gaming, but gaming is not my intent for this.
 
I have a flatscreen tv, via hdmi as a second screen for films.
 
I would love a surround sound experience, but have read that the 'surround sound headphones' are a bit of a gimmik.
Having speakers is not really an option, this is for the bedroom.
 
Headphone wise, I currently own two;
Beyerdynamic D7 770 PRO 80 ohms
Senheiser Momentums
 
I have heard that the Razer Tiamat 7.1s has had some positive reviews, but im not really too sure if thats the truth.
 
I am unsure on sound cards, I would like something to give a decent 7.1 experience
 
I have around £500 to spend in total.
 
Hope someone can guide me in the right direction,
Dan

 

[goldendarko]

Honestly just for watching films from your computer I think you are fine with what you've got if you are going to be using only headphones. I would definately recommend staying away from 5.1/7.1 marketed headphones because as you say they are gimmicky. A pair of Senn. Momemtums from your computer is more than adequate for movie watching. If you can add speakers, then and only then would I even consider upgrading your sound card.

 

[redstar]

Thanks for the reply. If I was going to add speakers, what would one suggest, same budget applies. Am I to look at something like the 'Edifier S550 5.1 Speakers'?
 
Would I be better looking at an AV receiver? Something like a Denon AVR-X2000 or X3000?
Speakers wise, something like Tannoy HTS101 5.1? 
If I went this route, I could use the PS4 with the receiver, as well as the pc.
 
One issue that is bugging me, if I add in speakers to my room I will have the issue of the cables running across the floor. The door to the bedroom is positioned in such a way, that the cables will have to cross the path way of the area one walks in front of the bed, risking tripping over the cables, or chair wheels rolling over them :/
The bed is also right up against the back wall, so the rear speakers will need to go either side of the bed-side tables, and would be parallel to head line.
 
I really want a decent bedroom set-up for watching my bluray collection, currently I am using my tvs speakers and/or headphones, mainly the beyers.
 
I could stretch the budget to around £800
I was planning on getting a better bluray drive and soundcard, I could cut them out, and just get a reciever and speaker setup and cut out these.
 
Would the Beyers or senheisers headphones that I have, sound any better when used with the AV reciever, than they do direct from the TV/PC?
 
As you can see, Im a bit lost on this :/
 
Hope you can help,
Dan.

 

[goldendarko]

Not familiar with those, I would recommend the below, all of which I've heard or owned and worked well with movies & music:

Audioengine A5+ ($400)
Emotiva Airmotiv 5 ($450)
Adam Audio F7 ($400)

I would recommend all 3 of those, all of which are under your budget, they are all powered too so no need for a seperate amp. Also, with the savings you can get yourself a decent sub which will help with movies particularly. I had used the Audioengine S8 for a while and really liked it for movies. Hope that helps.

 

[redstar]

Thanks for the reply
 
I notice these are sold as pairs, so I would by a double pair and a sub, then an AV Reciever like the Denon?
Any thoughts on a Sub?

 

[goldendarko]

No need for a seperate receiver or amp as these are internally amped. I liked the Audioengine S8 sub for movies, though I now use a REL T-7 sub myself which is much better for music, but both are about equal for movies in my opinion and the Audioengine is significantly less money.

 

[cel4145]

It's pretty easy to run speaker wire over a door frame instead of across the floor and use some kind of hooks to hold it in place along the top. Also, having the rear speakers in the corners aimed inward toward you is not optimum, but it will work OK (it's uber difficult to get everything setup optimum for HT usage unless one has a dedicated HT room).

If you want to get into surround sound, in the long run, going with passive speakers and a receiver will give you more options for building/upgrading your system and likely be cheaper, too.

I don't know much about Tannoy (those might be good?), but also look at Wharfedale Diamond series passive speakers, a popular UK brand in the UK (popular here, too, lots of good reviews), and then get a sub separately that best fits your budget and needs (sub doesn't need to match the same speaker brand, but all the speakers should be the same brand and speaker series). Sometimes, older Diamond series can be found on sale on clearance. Then get a receiver. Denon is definitely a good brand, and you can go with a lower Denon model and put more money towards speakers/sub for a bedroom setup--you'll get better sound with putting your money there instead of the receiver. Get a Denon that has Audyssey MultEQ (I think all but the lowest model has a version of it???). Audyssey automagically EQs your speakers and sub to provide a smoother in room response.

I use my PS3 as my bluray player, and it works great. I would imagine your PS4 would work even better. No reason to buy a separate bluray player. And for gaming, you'll love having a receiver because you'll be able to use your surround sound setup with your PS4, too. Run the HDMI from your computer to your receiver, and it will process the sound for your (no need for a new sound card).

 

[kraken2109]

For £500 (let alone £800) I think you could get a good surround set up with an AV receiver and passive speakers. A general rule is to spend double on speakers what you spend on receiver, so around £200 for the receiver and the rest for speakers would be a good idea.
Richer Sounds tend to have good prices in the UK (as well as price matching and offering a 5 year warranty on basically anything for 10% more).

 

[redstar]

Thanks everyone for the replies.
 
I was looking at various combinations last night;
Dennon X2000
Dali Zensor 5.1
 
This will be considerably more that £800, however it seemed to be getting very good praise. If I am to up my budget to pay for something like this, is it worth the money?

 

[kraken2109]

I'm sure that would be a great setup, but I think you could probably be happy for less money.
Obviously it's hard to say though. It really depends what you're after.