Hi all,
Unfortunately I don't have much experience when it comes to audio/home theatre setups.
We currently have a 2 year-ish old Sony TV with Fetch TV & couch quite far away.
I'm primarily looking at a system with wireless rear speakers due to having an inquisitive toddler.
Maybe in the future connect a PS4 or PS5 as well, but mostly would be used for inbuilt TV Netflix/USB playback.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you
Surround Sound/Home Theatre (5.1?) below $600
Ljv1988 on 16/12/2020 - 11:17
Comments
Creative SoundblasterX Katana. They sell them as 5.1 setup for gamers, but perfect for a budget home theater setup.
It's $500 stereo soundbar with low power for a living room. It connects via USB, which pretty much no TV will use. It's also very short compared to a 65in TV so the sound of left/right won't be separated enough. Not a good idea for living room, IMO.
Optical is available as well as aux-in. Surprised by lack of HDMI. Not a great option without HDMI. There are better options. I agree
Wireless rear speakers aren't typically wireless - they both have wires going to a base station, which needs power cable. An exception is something like this with battery-powered rear speakers: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/jbl-bar-9-1-channel-sound…
Soundbars are insanely expensive cos it's the latest craze and everyone is buying them. To get actual 5.1 surround with wireless is pushing up in price quite a lot. Have you considered a 3.1 system? Left, right, centre channel, and subwoofer. Centre channel is absolutely KEY to getting good sound from movies, as it's dedicated for the dialogue. It'll be the difference between turning up volume cos you can't hear them talking, then later turning it down cos you got blasted out ears from effect noises.
This is the cheapest 5.1 soundbar I see at JB: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/sony-ht-rt3-5-1-channel-h… Next is $700, next is $1200.
You can get something like this for $450 https://www.harveynorman.com.au/yamaha-5-1-channel-home-thea… Will have many HDMI slots, that's always handy. Price has been lower.
Atmos is a thing, but you really want rear speakers. And then you'll get 5.1.2 atmos usually (2 front up-firing speakers) which will do the job depending on the room, but ideally you want the rears firing too with a 5.1.4. You start talking very high prices.
IMO, the main thing to think about is how much you value 'wireless' rears, or if they need to be battery like the JBL above. If wires are fine, a 'home theatre in a box' like the Yamaha above (maybe go a little higher model) will offer best bang for buck and provide many HDMI ports. If wires are an issue, a good 3.1 channel soundbar will be okay-ish.
Gumtree/FB marketplace
I've been using a Samsung HTIB (home theatre in a box) for a few years, which was an upgrade from a previous Samsung system (just to get the tall speakers and wireless rears). First set was free with my TV, second set was a couple hundred bucks on Gumtree.
Now looking to go a 7.2 receiver with atmos speakers, but in the meantime those Gumtree systems will do you well. Just make sure all speakers work (ask them to have it plugged in).
Thanks all, very much appreciate the info. I'm sure that powered wireless speakers shouldn't be much of an issue, due to a PowerPoint behind the couch.
You can get a whole surround sound setup second hand for peanuts. Sony Muteki 7.2 setups with original Sony receiver usually crop up for $200 or so. Original RRP $1,500+.
If I was doing this again, I'd probably go Gum Tree / Facebook for Second hand Speakers and then depending on requirements buy an AVR new so that you have the latest feature set e.g Atmos, HDMI 2.1 etc.
Personally I've been checking out the LG Soundbar 3.1.2 Channel 380W as it has Dolby Atmos, you might be able to get one for just under $600 but for 5.1 you'd need to spring another $200 for the rear speakers.
Getting 5.1 for under $600 is going to be stretch, if you get an older setup it might not have 4k pass through which means you won't get 4k from your console through to your TV.