My plasma has terrible in built speakers and i’d like to fill the room out a bit more with sound on movies/sport etc.

The room is about 6m (wide) and 3m deep.

The 42cm Tv sits on a sleek entertainment unit, so a soundbar is not something im keen on as it really just messes up the look of the room. A 5:1 with wires/speakers etc is out of the question – i just dont want or need all that kit.

I’m after a very discrete set up that gives the TV a little extra punch it needs. I dont have a hi fi/mini system and would be interested in a set up that can also provide dock for ipod and internet radio. Are high end mini systems with small speakers an option? If so, what recommendations are there for hooking up to the TV?

Or, so i have to go down the path of an amp, dock and separate speakers? If so, what set up would recommed?

Thanks

Play the telly sound via a mini hifi set up would be the best option – but depends whether you want 2 channel or 5 channel TV sound
I am not aware on any mini AV amps – though no doubt Onkyo have something.

It played mine through a Denon mini system and some 100 GBP speakers from Richer Sounds. The TV sound was really crap initially.

If a soundbar isn’t discreet enough, I think you’re going to struggle. Kinda difficult to get “home theatre” without any speakers.

What’s the source, is it just the TV itself or do you have some sort of player (Sky box, Blu-ray etc) connected?

I use PC speakers plugged into the headphone socket of the TV and hide it all behind the telly.

I bought a set of these and they are right good for the little money they cost – and just add that bit of bass that you need…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006CQ1OCE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Depends what you want though – I just wanted better sound for day-to-day telly viewing. I don’t watch movies a great deal.

I looked into a sony system that would hook up with my Bravia – not sure if it would be discreet enough for you but the sound off the bookshelf speakers was pretty impressive and it would integrate with the TV very well. Also had an ipod and wifi connectivity to wrap it all up. Still considering it but it’s even harder to justify than a new bike!

THESE could work for you, may be worth a demo.

You cant get much cheaper and simpler to set up than this.
I just got one and I like my bass, and its great for the price.
It all depends on what “on the cheap” means, as its going to be different for everyone!

They have telly in perth?, i didn’t know it was that advanced rich, 😉

Some bargains on ebay. A Tannoy 5.1 speaker set like mine is only £50 or thereabouts.

I have the older version of this:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packages/onkyo/htx22hdx/onky-htx22hdx-blk

It’s fab, and you can add extra speakers later.

It really is good.

It’s more like a free-to-air advertising service with a few excerpts of programme in between Marcus – thank god for smart TV’s and the internet 🙂

I visited the local Hifi imporium last night to discus my similar requirements. Newly decorated room; need to improve TV sound without clutter of additional speakers etc. I wanted ability to play music but my wife said this was secondary and was not going to happen unless it was discrete (proper Hifi is in another room supporting another TV so I/we can go in there to listen to music).

I’d looked at a few Hifi options but the speaker and clutter issue makes it a non starter. I’d also looked at a few soundbars in the past week and dismissed the cheaper ones as little better than the TV speakers; and the more expensive ones I liked the sound of (Yamaha) tended to be too bulky to sit in front of our TV. I also wanted it to be good with music and ideally be able to stream music without the TV on (without using an apple TV or the like). Music was where the ones I tried struggled… but much of that could have been the showroom but when it sounds tinny or the bass is disjointed as it can be from a subwoofer I’m not interested.

At the suggestion of the staff I sat down and was treated to the Sonos PlayBar. At £599 it was more than I wanted to pay but it was a very impressive piece of kit sonically and functionally (and not ugly like many of the soundbars).

TV must have an optical output and you need a tablet/smart-phone and ethernet port (or wireless bridge) etc but the world of music is at your fingertips.

I bought it and (shock-horror) my wife likes it 😀

Check out the Cambridge Audio “Minx” range.

http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/pages/minx-speaker-systems

After this thread I dug out my old PC speaker system,a Roth Audioblob setup, probably not the best when judged against a good specific TV system but it really highlighted how bad the sound is on the standard speakers. I paid 40 quid for them when I was in the UK so why can’t a TV come with something more decent than they already have…..

so why can’t a TV come with something more decent than they already have…..

Oh tey can – you just have to pay more 😉

A small 2.1 system would be fine. The Bose Companion 3, for example if the budget and sound grabs you. I have a £12 Tesco 2.1, which is also OK.

Personally, I’d go the soundbar route for an integrated system these days. SWMBO has already made grumblings about the centre speaker obscuring the Victorian fire place 🙄

why can’t a TV come with something more decent than they already have…..

Because modern TV sets are now only a few cm thick and there’s not enough depth for speakers that produce decent sound.

Aint gettin no beefy speakers in here – hopefully my next tv, Samsung F8000 55″. Reviews actually state the sound as being acceptable though, albeit not an issue to me.

NXT Panels, bro…