Which Speakers - new user!

[firstlineresponse]

I have just joined after reading many reviews, advice notes and experiences.

I have just purchased a new ONKYO SR806 Receiver, Samsung BP1500 Blu-ray player and Samsung 50" TV for a new home set-up. I used to have a set of Bose Acoustimass speakers some years ago and got rid of them - not sure if this was a wise choice now!

I am looking at getting some speakers to compliment the set-up which will get put together in the next month as waiting for the builder to come move sockets and put cables in the wall etc. and would like some advice!!!

I love the size and design of the Bose cubes and i have to admit the sound quality seemed good enough for me, the downside is the cost! Does anyone know of anything that compares for my budget in terms of looks and sound quality?

The other dilemma would be what colour to have, i am going to decorate and paint the walls white from their current boring magnolia. TV is going on the wall and is of course black - as is the receiver etc which is sitting further along the wall and not under the TV. Black or White speakers? Wall mounted or on stands?

I wait in anticipation for your advice and thoughts.... much appreciated!

Budget: £400 otherwise i will get shot!

[ISLAND1000]

Hi Shawn, welcome to the Shack.
The Bose systems are unique and I don't think there are any others quite like them. When correctly setup in a 5.1 arrangement they are adequate for small listening areas getting the surround experience to the listener. However, here at the Shack there are an awful lot of members that just don't feel the Bose systems deliver enough POWER. For myself, I think the BOSE sub module works amazingly well for the size of the box and especially the small size of the driver. However I own a high power 18" sub powered by a Pro amp with advertised thousand watts! But I'm not anywhere near the most massive and powerful sub system. There are others you can read about and see the build process.
But for you and your circumstances and listening desires the expert members your asking for help are going to need more info IE: size of room, real budget constraints, available space for speakers, etc.
I see you're having the HT area wired special. My recommendation would be to consider an upgrade from Bose equipment. An upgrade leaves you with an endless selection of equipment and varying price ranges. I see spending too much may get you shot . . . . be careful how you decide.

[drdoan]

Welcome Shawn. Have fun, Dennis

[eugovector]

I haven't heard them, but for small speakers, check out the HSU Ventriloquist or the Emptek EMP ECA system.

If you can go bigger, you'll get better sound for your money.

[tonyvdb]

Hi Shawn, Welcome aboard.

Small speakers give you small sound I cant tell you how many times I have heard people who have had a Bose system and they "upgraded" to something less costly and were blown away by the difference in quality.
For the price you pay for Bose you can easily get into a much better speaker system that will properly fill your room with sound.
The subwoofer is a key part in any system if you want true bass that shakes your chest if a sub cant reproduce the frequencies below 25Hz your missing out on a huge part of the soundtrack. The Bose subs dont even come close.
SVSound not only makes great subs but also have a fantastic line of speakers that will fit any budget.
As Marshall mentioned above me Emptek seems to have some great speakers and so does Yambeka

[nova]

Hello Shawn, Welcome to the Shack.

There are a number of these types of speakers out there:
JA Audio 3.5 Mini Cubes
Pure Resonance MC 2.5
KLH TW08B
Bose Acoustimass
also a number of very small speakers from the likes of:
Sony Bravia Micro
Infinity TSS-500
Boston Acoustics MCS 100
Polk RM705
and many others. I personally would not recommend any of them, because small speakers = small sound, but any of them should be as good or better than the Bose in a very small room.
Don't let my opinions or anyone's sway you too much,... if you were satisfied with the Bose then any of these mini systems should satisfy your requirements.
Of course my opinion is that you would enjoy the system much more if you could get a little bigger speaker. Only problem is price,... a couple small speakers I would recommend:
SVS SBS-01
RBH MM-4 or MC-4C
Aperion Intimus 4B

[rgk5]

Why not look at the inexpensive KEF setup, the 1005.2? It can be had within your price range and is much better than the Bose equivalent.