Home Cinema setup

[Paddy]

I am looking to buy a set of speakers to go with my TV.
The TV is a mid-range 60hz 28" Sony with 'reasonable' picture quality. However, the sound is absolutley terrible.

It supports virutal dolby but when enabled it drowns out the speach. With it off you get very little bass.

In any case, I'd like to buy a 5.1/7.1 setup with amp and I want to spend less than £700.
I know that I won't get anything mind-blowing for that, but anything will be better than this.

As it is going in my living room it has to get clearance from the wife - which means it can't be too obtrusive. The smaller the better.

I have seen this package which looks pretty, but I can help but wonder if I'd get something substantially better if i bought the speakers seperatley.

I am no audiophille, but I know that a large proportion of the cash will be going for the Sony brand.... what do you think?

[Fluff]

I'm not sure to be honest.

http://www.avland.co.uk/speaker/package.htm#package

Is a list of speaker packages.

[KvHagedorn]

Firstly, you are a discerning fellow to recognize the limitations of TV speakers. Secondly, I'm not sure what that much cash would buy in the UK, but something that small is likely to be nothing but TV speakers repackaged. Tell the wife she will have to live with real speakers. Do it right and she will enjoy the sound enough to not care. Look at my recommendation here. The best speakers in the world are built in Worthing, West Sussex. Go down there and see.

[KvHagedorn]

..and DON'T buy online!

[Paddy]

If i went down a custom seperate setup, then i'd definatley be getting better quality, but to the expense of the asthetics.

Th combination you listed in your post KvH should come in under budget (assuming it's not priced £ for $)..... I want something relativley discreet

[xortam]

If i went down a custom seperate setup, then i'd definatley be getting better quality, but to the expense of the asthetics. ...

Damn the aesthetics. I'll even buy silver components to mix with my black components when the price/performance/integration makes sense. You can just stuff everything in a closet and use IR sensors/repeaters to control it all and not even worry about what the equipment looks like. I prefer to have things blend (black components in my case) but that’s secondary to quality and such.