Alternatives to Home theatre system for awesome deep rich sound?

Question

This may sound a pretty naive question but my objective is simple - I have a flat panel 40" LCD TV and a DVD player. I got good video and now i want to add audio components both for watching movies AND for listening music by plugging in my mp3 player.

I started looking at home theatre systems but looks like it got too many individual pieces and my living room cannot accomodate all of them and my wife will kill me for introducing any more wires flowing cross the living room..

I aint crazy for any surround sound..just neat tall (or shelf) loudspeakers maybe on each side of TV..which can produce real good bass and clear audio...and can hook into my ipod shuffle...what minimum setup do i need for this?

Answer 1

All you need is a good integrated amplifier, a 3.5" stereo to R and L RCA adapter, and two good floor speakers.  Here's what I would recommend to put on your short list...

INTEGRATED AMP:  Arcam (any model you can afford, new or used)

ADAPTER CABLE:  Audience, DH Labs, or a good one from your local consumer electronics store (speaker cables too)

SPEAKERS:  Silverline Audio Prelude

Just plug the RCA connectors into the int amp's CD in, select that option on the amp's control panel (same idea with plugging your TV into the amp), and it should sound really nice.  Allow some time (perhaps a couple of weeks) to break in the speakers for them to perform at their optimal level, but they should sound good right out of the box after a couple of hours (applies to brand new mid-fi to high-end speakers and electronics).

H a p p y

L i s t e n i n g !

Answer 2

Any way you go you are going to make a compromise. DVD sound is 5.1 meaning 5 speakers (front left and right, center, and surround left and right) and a sub-woofer. You will not get awesome sound with less. You can, however, get better sound than just a TV set using a receiver, 2 or 3 speakers, and a sub-woofer. But you will loose any surround sound.

The reason home theater has gone to 5.1 is because there is really no way to fake it with less. There are sound bars that attempt to create surround sound from a single source and that might be what you want to look into, but they don't equal true surround sound. There is simply no way to fake sound coming from all directions by using a single or two sources. I believe Yamaha makes a sound bar. It won't be surround sound but it may be what you are looking for.

Answer 3

You've already answered your own question.

Buy a good stereo receiver , and two speakers. Some of the newer receivers can also accommodate your mp3 player. You might want to add a sub for the deep bass of the movies, but even that is not necessary.