What do you think of this spec from independant dealer

[anonymous-user]

So after putting together this "wish list" ( http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...) I went to see an inde' dealer near my office.

He put three options together for me, would be interested in your thoughts. The guy there has been very helpful (and I will be buying it from him, rather than going to currys with a shopping list), but he has blown my budget in two of the three options and I am unsure about the idea of a refurbed tv (I do get a free one year warrenty and can buy longer), but is this the current or even the best model in my price range?

1) I asked him to include a sony (or similar) surround system as the others he was keen to suggest were too expensive and I didnt like the look of them - monitor audio (they did sounds great though)
Panasonic TX-P50S20 50" refurbed £800
Harmony one £160
Sony BDV - IZ1000w blu-ray and suround sound £1000 - looks great, but haven't heard it yet.
Stand £300
Cables and sundry items £200
Total £2490

2)Panasonic TX-P50S20 50" refurbed £800
Harmony one £160
Yamaha 667 AV £450
Yamaha YDS-12 iPod dock £70
Sony BDP-s770 blu-ray £280
Bose Acoustimass 10 speaker system £850
Stand £300
Cables and sundry items £150
Total £3,090

3)Panasonic TX-P50S20 50" refurbed £800
Harmony one £160
Yamaha 667 AV £450
Yamaha YDS-12 iPod dock £70
Sony BDP-s770 blu-ray £280
Monitor floor standing R270HD (pair) £600
Monitor centre R250HD £250
Monitor rear R90HD £300
Monitor sub R370HD £500
Stand £300
Cables and sundry items £200
Total £3,940

He has offered an install service at £70 an hour to set it all up for me, which I though reasonable, but then he said they "should" be able to do in one day so would be around £550!! Now I'm no expert but I could do a hell of a lot of reading up and playing with settings for £550! There are no cables to run in the wall, simply under carpet - which I can certainly do.

Any pointers or alternative suggestions would be great.

[kazste]

I had a refurbed TV as my last one and it was still showing signs of ill health and struggled with getting it fixed, that said as long as you can inspect it (i couldnt) and its okay it seems a decent bargain.

if your interested in a different remote control and fancy something special pm me as i have a Phillips Pronto 990 I am interested in selling due to a new system and creston remote. Ignore the silly internet prices of £500+ i would not be offering it if it wasnt an affordable alternative to what you have already been offered.

[StormLoaded]

there's a bit of a difference in those setups. what is it you actually want/need?

i wouldnt pay someone 500quid to plug in some cables and setup a remote control (for a couple devices) thats for sure.
its really not that hard, and decent modern amps will configure the sounds automatically for you (eg. my 3yr old [budget] Onkyo [7.1] has audyssey mic setup.. so im sure these newer systems will do that. simply plug in the mic, and it'll setup the sound levels etc for you based on your seating position. very simple).. the most complex thing "may" be sync'ing the sounds to visual. which isnt difficult either.
I assume your not paying for wall mounting the plasma or anything? in which case i would say have a crack yourself.

Edited by StormLoaded on Monday 25th October 16:59

[anonymous-user]

StormLoaded said:

there's a bit of a difference in those setups. what is it you actually want/need?

i wouldnt pay someone 500quid to plug in some cables and setup a remote control (for a couple devices) thats for sure.
its really not that hard, and decent modern amps will configure the sounds automatically for you (eg. my 3yr old [budget] Onkyo [7.1] has audyssey mic setup.. so im sure these newer systems will do that. simply plug in the mic, and it'll setup the sound levels etc for you based on your seating position. very simple).. the most complex thing "may" be sync'ing the sounds to visual. which isnt difficult either.
I assume your not paying for wall mounting the plasma or anything? in which case i would say have a crack yourself.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 25th October 16:59

This is pretty much the email I sent to them at the outset

Hi

Having just finished renovating my house, it's only fair I get myself a nice set up (this will be my first) to go with her nice kitchen! I would be very grateful for any recommendations, if it helps my details/requirements are.

Crude room plan below to give you an idea of sizes


TV Currently have sky + (would like to get HD) mainly watch sport and films. I would like at least a 42 or 50 inch screen (or more if 4m distance dictates)
Player Would need a dvd player as a min, but very interested in BluRay
Sounds Would like a surround sound / cinema set up, would I have enough or need 7.1? Can I wire this to play everything I watch through the extra speakers?
Gaming I have an Xbox 360 and would like to get the HD cable and for it to play through the surround sound.
Remote Would like to be able to change settings with one button to what ever I am watching/playing
Budget I was thinking £2,000 to £2,500 am I being realistic?
Optional Can I connect to my wifi and access internet or even YouTube etc?
I have the chance to run basic speaker wire tonight (yes i know I have left it late) before carpets go down tomorrow, based on my plan can you tell me where I should run the wire to, and will basic 2.5mm be ok?

[StormLoaded]

how big is the room?
have you already sorted out your av furniture? > much space for amps, players etc?

i dont quite understand why they have quoted systems with ipod dock.. yet you never asked for that, and ignored your htpc query.

[anonymous-user]

Room sizes are on here ( http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...)

Now going to have tv on a rack/stand on wall facing sofa rather than in corner

iPod dock was a request after I met them.

HTPC?

Thanks for your help

[900T-R]

The third system with the 'proper' hifi speaker set up will be the only one that's any good for playing music IMHO -not sure whether thats a concern but thought I'd bring it across anyway. Wouldn't touch Bose milk cartons or low-end Sony multichannel 'hifi' offerings with a bargepole myself.

[anonymous-user]

900T-R said:

The third system with the 'proper' hifi speaker set up will be the only one that's any good for playing music IMHO -not sure whether thats a concern but thought I'd bring it across anyway. Wouldn't touch Bose milk cartons or low-end Sony multichannel 'hifi' offerings with a bargepole myself.

Music not a massive issue, just a nice to have really. Whatever I have can't be much worse than the dock I have now. Is the sony bad for its price and class, or just bad in comparison to the "proper" speakers. I don't really have the budget for the latter, thought I may upgrade in future years.

[900T-R]

MRSNEAK said:

Is the sony bad for its price and class, or just bad in comparison to the "proper" speakers.

The latter - having said that, you shouldn't need to spend 600 notes for front speakers, and another 600 for center and rears to get decent quality far beyond what the 'all in one' packages from mainstream electronics manufacturers or the Bose milk cartons - half that would do nicely.

[anonymous-user]

Are the Bose cubes not as good as they should be? Found it hard to work out how something so small could be!

I keep hearing about Kef, what price range are they in and do they look better than the monitor speakers? They look really ugly and just too big for size of room.

What do you think of tv choice? Better off with a pan G?

[Elroy Blue]

John Lewis do the S20 for £899 brand new.

[sprouting]

Get yourself on here http://www.avforums.com/forums/ Plenty of good offers on the classified section.

[gilla]

MRSNEAK said:

Are the Bose cubes not as good as they should be? Found it hard to work out how something so small could be!

I keep hearing about Kef, what price range are they in and do they look better than the monitor speakers? They look really ugly and just too big for size of room.

What do you think of tv choice? Better off with a pan G?

The kef 3005se range are great, look good and sound good. I've fitted a few systems with them in for friends...

My 2p

Onkyo 608 - richer sounds - £450
Kef 3005se - shop about can be had for £500 sometimes (rare deals mind) normally c. £1k
Tv - as above - JL with 5 yr guarantee - £900
Remote - c.£150-£200
Cables etc - c.£200

Total - c.£2,250 job done

Edit: missed stand + BR... add to above figure

I don't rate the Bose but the last ones I had were several years ago to be fair... some like them some don't.

Edited by gilla on Tuesday 26th October 16:04

[m3jappa]

50" screen from 4m will look tiny if i have read that correctly.