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Basically, I'm looking at spending around £300 - £400 on a home theater system that would be used for my PC, TV and my Xbox 360. However, the only problem is is that I have absolutely zero idea about them at all, and I've had a little problem looking for recommendations that I can find in the UK.

So all I'm asking for is some suggestions in that price range, or if I'd have to go higher? And if so, how much higher? And is it worth it?

Thanks.

The general consensus on HTIBs is: No.

There are some that are good out there, but the limited connections and lack of features make them more of a pain than a Godsend.

You're really better off getting a good receiver and "suffering" with only two good speakers than getting an HTIB. Individually selecting your components mean that you'll truly have something that you'll be happy with for a long time.

First I was considering Z-5500s as everyone does, then I changed my mind to a HTIB and now I don't even know anymore. XD

I can't reccomend z5500's, I think they're pretty pathetic IMO.

Well this is the list of top selling HTIB units in amazon uk: LINK

Some come with DVD players, some with BD.

GhostNinja wrote:

First I was considering Z-5500s as everyone does, then I changed my mind to a HTIB and now I don't even know anymore. XD

What size is your living room? If it's small and/or you sit pretty close to the screen, then the Z-5500s might actually do the trick at a pretty low price.

It's really quite small tbh, Although there are definitely possibilities it could be moved to much bigger rooms. Nothing ever massive though. My current room is around 3.5m x 3m. Here's some pictures to give a rough idea, ignore the mess.

First is from the doorway and the second is in one of the top corners of the room. I currently have a Logitech X-540, but I just feel like an upgrade.

http://i28.tinypic.com/cntox.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/e9hzs9.jpg

Sorry for the blurriness, but all I have is my 5MP phone camera and I'm just about to go to bed so in a bit of a hurry. I'll take some better pictures tomorrow if necessary.

I also sit about 5/6 feet away from the TV. My chair is the cream one and the tv is on the far right hand side of the pictures. And don't worry, my room is getting a major sorting out next week.

Thanks for the help though.

As the owner of the Z-5500s:

- They're awesome for games and movies. The sub is just about the only proper SUBwoofer I've ever seen in an HTIB. Then again, it's freaking HUGE .
- They're not so awesome for music. Most of it sounds nice, but stuff with a treble-aggressive sound will sound harsh then played loud. They can get pretty loud before that happens, but in a small room you should be ok.
- The default bass config is WAY too high. Mine's at 10-15%-ish. Also keep the front speakers pointed out straight instead of pointing to you. This helps ease the "harshness".
- The included remote and control pod are very neat/intuitive/easy to use. DTS and Dolby decoding is a MAJOR plus if your soundcard has Dolby Digital Live or DTS-Connect.

As nice as a proper HTPC setup would be (which I would heartily recommend in a bigger room with a big TV, etc), I thing an HTIB like the Z-5500 will be a much better investment for your specific case.

Something like this isn't that much more than the Z-5500s, and it's not like it's going to sound bad in a small room. Gives you some future proofing in case you do move the system to a bigger room.

True. I've read good things about Onkyo before but before that I'd never heard of them. But then again I was never really into getting a proper sound system so..

To put it more simply, what would be the best thing I could buy (Mostly for Music and Gaming), for between £300 and £400? I have never been big into sound systems so I really know very little on the subject which is why i'm looking for help.