Bose Cinemate or separates system?

by Antony phillips
(u.k.)

I want to buy a home cinema system to go with my toshiba lcd tv. Does the bose cinemate system rely on the quality of the audio signal it receives from the t.v. to produce a quality surround sound, or would i be better off buying a separates system with an amplifier.

The sound from my t.v. is very disappointing.

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Hi

Well, the sound from most TVs is disappointing! So, the first thing to say is that both of the options you suggest will be better than using the speakers on your TV.

Secondly, if you are intending on sending the sound from your TV to a speaker system, make sure the TV has got an audio output. Many TVs don't. Make sure you understand this before you buy anything.

You may want to check out our guides to surround sound systems, or the AV receiver guide, to understand the basics about sending audio to external speaker systems - you can find links to these in the box below. You need to be sure you can send your sound source to a speaker system - and how easy that is depends on how your receive your TV signal.

The signal from a TV has no real effect on the sound quality you hear - it's all to do with the quality of the amplifier and speakers you have.

In my case, I would always prefer to get a dedicated AV receiver and speaker system. However, systems like the Bose can sometimes be easier to setup.

The best thing to do with sound systems is to try and visit a shop that lets you demo the systems. That way you can hear the sound quality for yourself. You don't have to buy it from there!

Failing that, check out some reviews online and see what other people are saying.

All the best.

Paul (Site Editor)

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