I'm buying a new house and all I can think about is that this may be my chance to finally get my hands on a new Bang & Olufsen audio system for both listening to music and enhancing the sound from my main television in the lounge. I think I am going to buy a Panasonic Viera TX-P50VT30B 50" Full HD Plasma TV. I can't afford £20k for the B&O TV I saw in a store last week.

So, I've got a brochure, visited the B&O website but I still can't quite work out what I really need for a super sounding system at the lower end of the price range. I would like a system that can grow as my budget allows and therefore enables me to expand the system in other parts of my new house. This probably means that I need to ensure that the house builder runs the cables when they build the house rather than waiting until I can afford all parts of the sytem and having to retro fit cabling.

My new lounge (where the Viera and the new main system will be) is 17ft x 12ft. So, what options do I have at the lowest end of the B&O price range. Beolab 5 and 9 are too expensive for me. What would you recommend? Beolab 3 and 4 speakers are affordable. Would I need 2 of any of these or I guess 4 if I want surround sound? I assume that I would need a sub woofer too. Would that be a Beolab 2 or 11? To drive these speakers would I need a BeoSound 5 Encore if I want to potentially add more speakers in other rooms later? Have I missed anything? How would I need to store my music? Currently it's on iTunes on a Macbook. Should I be getting a dedicated server or hard drive?

I would really appreciate your help and advice.

Your money will go along way with any of the used dealers. Beolab 8000 front, 6000 rear i find are a very stylish but affordable start. The Beolab 2 is an amazing earth shattering thing at times, but a hopeless oaf at others. Primarily music.

You will need a AV processor as well to distribute the sound so don't put out of your mind a Beovison 7 mk 3 onwards. Remember with this you get the screen, the stand, the Beosystem 3 AV system, and a first class centre channel speaker. If you add the price of your tv and then start building up seperates it would be interesting to know how much financially different the 2 projects would be.

Good luck anyway.

unless you can get your hands on a beosystem 3 and plug your plasma into that?  Later you can get hold of a B&O tv and just swap the panasonic, as for speakers beolab 8000's as fronts and beolab 4000 or 6000 as rears will be more than ideal.  As for an audio master (to link music in other rooms) get anything after the overture, beosound 3000 etc otherwise you will need a convertor you need to masterlink the beosound and beosystem3 and then you can master link cable products in other parts of the house.

Most of this stuff can be sought 2nd hand, it mostly depends on your budget check out lifestyle av and take a look at what you like

For the purposes of fairness and balance seek advice from Ian at morethanAV and Jason at Iconic AV amongst others.  Personally if you have made up your mind with the Plasma go for an AV amplifier with pre-outs and drive Beolab 3's and Beolab2 with a 7-1, 7-2, 7-6 or 7-4 (PREFERRED) as your centre channel.

Thank you for taking the time to reply Chris. Good advice...

Great advice - thank you

Thanks B.A. :-D

Will check out Lifestyle AV