HI FI vs DVD home theatre systems

What is the difference between HI FI music systems and DVD home theatre systems.
Which one is better ?
Sony or philips?

HiFi typically means you only have 2 channels of sound (i.e. 2 speakers). This is usually for listening to music.

Home theatre systems have multiple channels of sound (e.g. 5.1 or 7.1, where the .1 refers to a subwoofer). As is obvious, these are used for movies, unless you're listening to SACDs or DVD Audio.

Unless you're on a serious budget, Sony and Phillips are terrible. High quality audio is stuff that you wont find in Croma/Vijay Sales/E-Zone etc.

Browse through this forum to learn more.

Does that mean home theatre is that not good for listening music compared to HI FI ?
I want to here quality music and see DVD movies also. Which should I prefer to get maximum advantage ? or is it necessary to buy seperately ?

actually hi fi simply means high fidelity, which means it is faithful to the original recorded sound. This is a much abused term, and it's staggering that people like Sony use it in relation to their all-in-one music systems, because they're pretty far from high fidelity.

So if I understand your question correctly, you want to know if a Sony or Philips "hi fi" music system (of the 1500 watts PMPO genre) or a DVD based home theater sounds better. While both sound not too great, the "hi fi" will sound better for music and the home theater for movies. Philips actually has some home theaters in a box, that are pretty decent for the price. the sony ones are mostly terrible.

What's your budget?

Thanks.
I am novice in this field. My budget is is around Rs. 15000 only.
My main purpose is to listen good quality music on CD and DVD's as well as see DVD movies.

1. My basic question is - Which better serves my purpose ? Hi fi music system or home theatre system ? I found that price of home theatre and Hi fi systms is same with similar features except number of speakers . I am confused here.

Once basic question is answered I can choose the brand.

if they can provide 5 speakers at the price of 2 then it means the 5 speakers are cheaper quality wise as well

that said, i have seen people who like the sound of 5.1s over 2.1 (from sony, philips etc)....think they like the surround sound much more....so its a matter of personal preference i believe...so if u like them, u may stick to that..however for advise regarding the best among them; this may be the wrong forum to ask...

on the other hand at around 15000 the one generally suggested here is the audioengine A2 (consisting of 2 speakers only)...check bajaao.com for delivery...there are some quality issues though, just browse the forum for details..there was another thread comparing audioengine to krk..k..here it is http://www.hifivision.com/speaker-re...engine-a5.html .... its audio engine A5(19-21k) vs krk (23k)

meanwhile you can go through this thread to get a feel of things http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/2...-pc-query.html

Hello,
I agree with the previous post. Audio engine for affordable, quality speakers.

But 15k is too small a sum... Unfortunately, good sound costs a lot of money and once you listen to 'serious' hi-fi, you will realize that 15k all in one box systems fail to present around 70% of the stuff that is there on the recording. (quality wise) The difference is just night and day... another option to enjoy premium quality audio without spending a fortune is to get hi-end headphones. If you have a DAP/iPod, get the Sennheiser IE8/Shure IEMs and you will be awestruck with the results.

15k for a home theater is very less amount.
You'll really be pressed for high fidelity audio from this.

15k from a stereo system is still approachable, and you may like the sound quality as well as the sound volume of such a system.

1. a borderline decent DVD/CD player would set you back by 5K.
If you already have a cheap DVD player (samsung etc), then you can postpone this purchase for later. This is basically a signal source, and you can as well use your computer for it.

2. you can get a decent powered stereo amplifier for 6~7K - Norge 2060 and 4242 are pretty well known here.

3. speakers - most important part. You will have to set apart 12K for these.

So what I am looking at for a budget stereo system which has good fidelity would be 5+7+12= 24, make that 25K.

at strict 15K levels - Sony and Philips etc music systems are the only ones available

Of the two my vote goes to Philips. Not because I am a fan of the brand but their stuff sounds way better than Sony Hi Fi and Home Theatre In a Box.