Yo,

I thought this would be the best place on here for this kinda stuff..i have just bought a house with my girl friend and ill be buying a new system for the lounge room..ill have about \$2500 to spend on it and i was just wondering what you guys use and if you can recommend some sort of setup.

Ill be looking at a 50" Plasma but the audio side is what im mostly worried about. Im not sure if i should buy one of those Lg package deals i saw for about \$1,000 that comes with the 5.1 set and blu ray player..or try and get an amp and get the speakers seperate and buy a PS3 for Blu ray..its painful thinking all this stuff though haha.

thanks

LG in audio? I'd probably say no.

I think this thread would be better off in the tech section.

I was not sure due to Rrunner and Gir etc who seem to know alot about audio..its not a PC tech related question and thats all that seems to happen in there..plus its pretty much a dead forum

i was looking at this system

http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/hi-fi-ho ... tem/436370

Muteki
if you're after volume, they're a good choice
if you're after quality, look elsewhere

I second the Muteki. Very loud, very theatrical. Or even the Pioneer setup. If your after decent audio quality for cheapish, maybe an Accusound pack. They are like an Australian B&W (though B&W is alot better still) - very natural sound and excellent bass response off their small subs. Their big subs are nothing short of epic too.
As for flat panels: barter. Find one you like. Even try playing around with the different picture modes and picture settings to get something you like. Brand name isnt always everything. IE, LGs usually look overblown or have white bleed but settings can be changed to minimise and improve the picture.
Anyway, food for thought

I saw these ones as well..

http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/hi-fi-ho ... ver/462779

Ive heard Jvl stuff is really good as well..?

Yeah Muteki are really just for the impact and not for quality. In fact they are really just Car speakers slapped into a box.

But overall it is the best value as the Receiver set you get has many decent digital ports that offer expandability.

If you buy one of those all in one systems be careful with how many inputs they have. If its an amp and dvd/blu-ray all in one then there will probably only be one or no hdmi inputs and audio inputs. If you want to expand you're setup later these systems will definately limit you. I would go for a seperate amp with a few extra inputs for future use and then add a speaker pack.

2500 to spend and you want a proper audio setup AND 50" plasma? You might be able to haggle a good quality 50" 1080P TV for 2k, I saw a Panasonic 50" plasma for 2400 at the Good Guys..

The Australian dollar is becoming stronger and imports will drop in price, hold off for a bit if increasing the price of your setup is a no go. You can't go too wrong with the PS3 slim as a Blu Ray player though..

Hey Benno,

Whatever you do don't rush into any decisions. Take your time, audition as many different setups as you can within your price range & also take the time to get comfortable with the local sales staff, sure they are trying to sell you something but a well informed enthusiast can save you a ton of money & time with some of the decisions you make.

Make sure you're amp has the latest (futureproof) hdmi connections 1.3b???

don't be afraid to go back & listen to your preferred setup again & again, take your favourite music / dvd / bd & get comfortable & listen to as many different sources as possible.

I have a bias for marantz gear, even their low end amps have a warmth other receivers can't match but like I said, I'm biased.

let us know how you go.

HDMI 1.4 came out in may. But I don't know how widespread it is yet.

It's not widespread what so ever
1.3 is, at this time, the only HDMI connection worth having.

I wouldn't go LG...

I've been building my home theatre for a while. I got a 55" Samsung LED and a PS3 for bluray. I'm still yet to get my audio but I'm probably going to grab this

The next model down, you would be able to get for around \$1100 which is found here

Here is a thread on the Yamaha HTIBs

And this is a thread I made a while ago with some decent feedback.

Looks promising krypton, 4 HDMI in, pick it up & let us know what you think.

You will love that amp. I have the same one. It is a beautiful piece of equipment.

Ended up increasing my budget and picked up a Onkyo 607 receiver and a set of Jamo 606 s6 speakers.

Loving it so far

^Talk about 3month reply lag.

3.5