A few years ago I bought a Sony all in one system for about £150. I spent the next 18 months wishing I had paid a little more.
Just before Christmas I subscribed to AVForums and did a lot of reading. From this I purchased a Yahama RX-V765 and a set of Q Acoustics speakers (and a Panasonic BluRay). Comparison with the old system is like day and night. Admittedly, the new one is a lot more but it is an order of magnitude better.
In general, AV receiver makers make good AV receivers. Speaker makers make good speakers. AV receiver makers don't generally make good speakers and good speaker makers don't make good AV receivers. I stress "generally" as this isn't a hard and fast rule. All in one systems seldom work well.
You also should try to get a receiver which complements the speakers. A bright receiver works better with warm speakers. A warm amp works better with bright speakers. All in ones tend to compromise.
As somebody said, an all in one tends to use lower impedance speakers. There is nothing wrong with this but, if you decide to upgrade your receiver at some stage, you may find that a separate receiver will not be able to drive the lower impedance speakers without risk of damage at higher volume. Try to buy speakers with a nominal rating of at least 6 ohms if you are considering a later upgrade.
Your best bet is to go to a specialist. At the very least, avoid Comet and Currys and go to somewhere like Richer Sounds. Be aware though that some places will push a brand even if they claim to be neutral. Richer Sounds, for example, are known to push Onkyo. Nothing wrong with the brand ... just be aware of what is happening.
If you go separate, get something with at least 3 HDMI inputs and an HDMI output. This will cover you for most peripherals (BluRay, XBOX/PS3 and TV source (such as Sky or V+)). The HDMI output feeds the TV.
Finally, buy yourself a Harmony One remote control and stick all of the other remotes in a drawer (but remove the batteries first!).
Good luck.
Just before Christmas I subscribed to AVForums and did a lot of reading. From this I purchased a Yahama RX-V765 and a set of Q Acoustics speakers (and a Panasonic BluRay). Comparison with the old system is like day and night. Admittedly, the new one is a lot more but it is an order of magnitude better.
In general, AV receiver makers make good AV receivers. Speaker makers make good speakers. AV receiver makers don't generally make good speakers and good speaker makers don't make good AV receivers. I stress "generally" as this isn't a hard and fast rule. All in one systems seldom work well.
You also should try to get a receiver which complements the speakers. A bright receiver works better with warm speakers. A warm amp works better with bright speakers. All in ones tend to compromise.
As somebody said, an all in one tends to use lower impedance speakers. There is nothing wrong with this but, if you decide to upgrade your receiver at some stage, you may find that a separate receiver will not be able to drive the lower impedance speakers without risk of damage at higher volume. Try to buy speakers with a nominal rating of at least 6 ohms if you are considering a later upgrade.
Your best bet is to go to a specialist. At the very least, avoid Comet and Currys and go to somewhere like Richer Sounds. Be aware though that some places will push a brand even if they claim to be neutral. Richer Sounds, for example, are known to push Onkyo. Nothing wrong with the brand ... just be aware of what is happening.
If you go separate, get something with at least 3 HDMI inputs and an HDMI output. This will cover you for most peripherals (BluRay, XBOX/PS3 and TV source (such as Sky or V+)). The HDMI output feeds the TV.
Finally, buy yourself a Harmony One remote control and stick all of the other remotes in a drawer (but remove the batteries first!).
Good luck.
