Have your say & ask the experts

Is it worthwhile buying a surround system if I am unable to
have the volume up loudish ?
If the volume is down lowish would I get the full benefit
I am in a rented flat and cannot annoy the neighbours :-)

I have a Sony40w2000 tv and a Panasonic BD30 and wanted better sound

just be very very carefull with your sub purchase!

The surrounds will still give you a level of immersion you won't be used to, even at low volumes (I'm assuming low means standard TV watching volume rather than whispering!). Wouldn't worry too much about the sub as you could either turn it down or just not even have one and get a decent set of standmounts / floorstanders for the fronts and let them handle the bass.

I agree - when i've lived in smaller/less sound-proofed flats, i've still had surround sound: just don't choose speakers that are hard to drive/thrive at higher volumes, and choose a receiver that has a 'night' mode.

I was thinking along the lines of the Sony HT-IS100
http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4145
Hopefully WHFS&V will review it soon