Got some new speakers and amp - need advice

[G4Z]

So Today i got some new kit at a knockdown price froma mate who is moving to south africa,

the kit is :

Marantz 74PM
Sony DVP-NS405
Some speakers

I have limited home theatre experience and I was hoping some of the kind people here could help me out.

My first question, is this setup capable of doing 5.1? (think its not..)

Looking at the amp I see only enough outputs for 4 speakers and no centre/sub channel.

Thats ok, I can ditch the amp if necessary, my question is do I need to?

If I decide that surrround from these 4 speakers is acceptable is it easy enough to use the optical input on
the DVD player for my shuttle and then output to the amp?

The other thing is, is it possible to get a decoder that will split the coax from the DVD into
2 stereo channels and then output that to the right speakers?

Any advice on how I can best use this equipment would be greatly appreciated.

Here are the pics of the stuff

http://liz.servepics.com/albums/Misc/gaz_0116.jpg

http://liz.servepics.com/albums/Misc/gaz_0117.jpg

http://liz.servepics.com/albums/Misc/gaz_0118.jpg

[G4Z]

Well, I got it all working






Its LOUD

[mart_haj86]

OI YOU GIVE ME MY SPEAKERS BACK!!! jk, the Mission 700's are great sounding speakers very very crisp and loud, unfortunately i havent got the full set like yourself and just the bookshelf ones running through an old Technics Grade A Amplifier, sounds fantastic with a nice warm sound

[G4Z]

Sorted

[G4Z]

The front set are not mission, they are 100W JPW. sounds pretty good tho, great for the football.

[Howard]

That's a normal stereo amp, not surround sound. Those are JPW Radiuses. I have a pair. Not bad for the price. I'd take those over a pair of Missions

[G4Z]

Howard, yes your are 100% correct, I already figured that out and got it setup.



at some point I might replace the Marantz with a 5.1 decoder/amp and geta centre/sub.

I want the sub as I feel the bass is a little lacking, but these babys are clear as a bell at really really stupid volumes.

[G4Z]

Update :

Added a wireless PCI card to my shuttle and shifted it from my main computer room, leaving it looking a little bare...

Added a 9250 PCI card to main rig so I could use all 3 TFT's on DVI.




Bought a wireless keyboard and mouse, I may get a media centre reciver and buy MCE at some point but for now i am quite happy just using it like a large computer screen to play my media on.

Connected to the amp via analogue at the moment, I have an optical cable, however I think its been bent as i cant see any light coming out of it when plugged in.

This is a pic of a music vid playing on it.



Next step, new amp and 5.1...

[Zak33]

don't necessarily sell that amp. Keep it for another room one day. Yeah...it's old....but its not bad amp and amps never really age. If they sound goodon day one, they normally still sound good on year 20.

Amps: keep and put in storage until needed.

I still have a rather nice Ariston 2x30w in the loft. It sounds stunning for the price I paid, and I love it

[G4Z]

Well, I certainly have no complaints about the sound quality, it is very very good, however for DVD's I would like 5.1.

I could keep the amp for my planned purchase of some decks.

On the other hand I could just work out a way to wire everything through a new amp and same speakers and have a whole lot less clutter. who knows but it stays for now.

[BenW]

Its general knowledge that a £1k 5.1 amp wont be as good on music as a £250 stereo amp (What you have at the moment) so be prepared to shell out on a 5.1 amp if you want to play music

[schmunk]

Its general knowledge that a £1k 5.1 amp wont be as good on music as a £250 stereo amp (What you have at the moment)

You really think so, really...

[BenW]

Well, its the general opinion at avforums.com IIRC

[schmunk]

£600 5.1 Receiver and £250 2.0 Amplifier might be about right, but £1,000 is stretching it a little, I feel.

[G4Z]

I am sure this debate is as old as the hills, I however have not really had it yet. This is pretty much my first forray into "hifi". Previously I have used computer speakers for 5.1 and now 7.1 suround.

The advantages i see in the computer speakers for games and DVD pretty much outweigh the sound quality issues I find, but only in a confined space. The 7.1's sound amazing on my main rig, but they were carp upstairs in that large space. This new setup upstairs really fills the room with sound so I think I want to stick with hi-fi quality but I really want that 5.1 for DVD. I am really pleased you think £600 is enough because the thought of spending £1k on it isnt exactly fantastic. In the end its just a device to hook your speakers up to, I am no audiophile I just want a good balance between performance and cost. One thing I will confess to is that I hate bottlenecks, I like to use whatever kit it is to the full. any suggestions on what I should be looking at regards a 5.1 amp would be appreciated.

[BenW]

Of you're not looking for audiophile sound then something like this should be fine: http://www.hifibitz.co.uk/product.asp?id=4755

Or even cheaper, i can recommend this: http://www.richersounds.com/showprod...MB-540R-V2-SIL