A year or so ago, I bought an Infocus 720p projector to replace an ailing Sanyo, whose sorely needed bulb replacement seemed likely to set me back more than the projector was worth. I took the opportunity to set up Virgin HD box and, more recently, a Blu Ray spinner to go along with this. I've been very happy with the picture, more than good enough for my needs. But never been 100% happy with the sounds, which have been handled by a Yamaha DSP-AX620 amp and Bose Acoustimass 6 series speakers and sub which I've owned for quite a few years now. So, I recently decided to pimp up my noise and set myself a £1k budget, which I nearly stuck to :). It's all in place now and I'm very pleased, so I'd thought I would record my journey in case anyone else is in the same boat. [U]Amp[/U] After quite a bit of research into what might be the most cost effective upgrade, I decided on purchasing a second hand Yamaha DSP-A1. I managed to get one on eBay for £150. Unfortunately when it arrived, the centre channel was not working (refund given by seller, no harm no foul). Second attempt was a Yamaha DSP-AX1 which I found online in a hifi store for £275. When this one arrived the bugger wouldn't even switch on. Again, amp returned and refund obtained but by this point I'd given up on the notion of running a 10 year old "flagship" - even if I'd managed to buy one that worked I'd be always worried about it breaking down... So, Arcam AVR350 here we come. £1500 when new but shortly to be superceded in the Arcam product range and currently retailing new at £599. Job done (with HDMI to boot which is a bonus), but budget somewhat blown already! [U]Front and centre speakers[/U] Despite much time spent trying to find an ls3/5a for £100, it seems they're just not available :D. So in the end I settled on Rogers LS7 - very good quality speakers, very reasonable second hand prices, excellent clarity for speech and reasonably good frequency range to boot. Got one pair with stands for the front pair off eBay for £110. Got another pair from HFFS for £70 - I'm using one of these for the centre speaker and I have a spare for Justin. [U]Surround speakers[/U] Happily enough, I had a pair of B&W CDM2 speakers hanging around unused. Not only that but they have the same sensitivity as the Rogers LS7. Easy choice - CDM2s back in service, nil cost. [U]Sub[/U] I ran the system as described above for a couple of weeks without a sub and it was fine - very clear, and a really involving sound. However, I did notice the bottom registers lacking. This week I've taken delivery of my sub - a BK Electronics Monolith at around £420 and now I'm done (once I'd managed to lug it upstairs, shirt off and brow mopped...). It's a total monster and exactly what I after - a visceral bass experience. I would add that this is definitely not a hifi sub, but by God it does the job of reproducing mortars effectively! Total expense in the end was around £1250 but the end result is well worth it. Complete immersion in the AV experience.
