Sony DVD Home theatre

Does anyone know about the performance of Sonys integrated HTiB systems - DVD players with in built amps + speakers. My friend wants to get a Home theatre, says these syatems are worth - although i think a component system will be better - although costlier.

regards,
Raja

Hi,
Dont have much idea of HTIB but i guess the same logic of having seperates for ur two channel set up would apply to ur AV set up too.Generally these kind have poor internals and apart from the convenience of all in 1 box dont offer too much. I guess people here would be able to give u more model related information.
Regards.

Really? Are you sure its for your "friend" you are asking for? LOL

yes unleash_me - u are unleashed! he thinks my component system is a waste of money - as do everyone of my friends and my family.

the point here dinyaar is that all-in-one systems are more popular among the people because they offer 'more' in terms of looks, price and some bloated pmpo figures - with fancy speakers to match.
components are more subtle - dont (normally) extrude fancy features and looks, but deliver promptly and completely. i have always had a component 2 channel audio at my place, but this as u know is not accepted by people in general.

while i personally desist multichannel sound, i feel that a proper component system is the answer, although sony's staff at sony world insisted that the components used inside are at par with the standard components. after all price becomes the decisive factor.

thanks anyway.

Raja

I have heard the Sony all-in-ones in a few homes - both the entry level DVD+speaker combo and the more expensive HTiB units -- equally and greatly disappointed by both. Same goes for some Sony "component" floorstanding speakers that were being demo'ed by a NAD dealer (!). Especially when you compare it to a component system - that feeling of "being there" or the music sounding "live" is completely absent. Instead you are very aware you are listening to music on speakers and not the real thing. With prices of components dropping it really is not advisable to get a dvd+speaker combo type unit.

I should add that multi-channel does have its place in the music world. SACD is a good case in point. Although a bit hard to come by, a well recorded multichannel SACD/DVD-A does give you a new perspective on some recordings and can be quite enjoyable. But yes, if I had my pick of the lot, I would prefer to stay with good old component stereo.

Hi, One of the very good all in one Home theatre system I Know is Marantz ER 2500 model...very good in picture quality, very musical in sound and the small speakers are too precise the sound reproduction, I mean you get the real reproduction of the originals. Also It cost you around 40K in India. And its not comparable with Sony or Philips or Samsung kind of products.

Also I am sure anyone who having demo in this won’t make any comment like its waste of money. They may buy it if they can afford it.

yes particleman and skt. thanks. thats exactly what i had in mind too - the all-in-one systems on offer do not sound anywhere close to component audio.

after going thru what skt has to say i wud like to listen to the marantz model if its on demo anywhere in mum.

but i have eventually left it on my friend to choose for himself. after all there is a saying which goes something like "u can lead the horse to the water-hole, but u can't make it drink" right?

Sony's entry level 5.1 all-in-one systems are worth the money. C'mon, they make more noise than you'd expect from an HTIB costing 14-15 thousand bucks.

I had just been to an exclusive Sony Showroom just to check out their HTIB systems; but came back totally disappointed, both with the performance and the staff at the showroom. They did not bother to keep the remote control handy to change the sound settings; and when asked, replied that they did not keep it alongwith the system on display. Secondly, all the speakers(5 + subwoofer) were kept very close together completely defeating the purpose of a surround sound system. The sales staff seemed to know nothing about surround sound, and they were repeatedly trying to keep the sound down when I tried to take it to the maximum volume.

The sound was nowhere near a true tower speaker system coupled with an AV Receiver, and as pointed out earlier in this chain, it feels like sound just coming out of speakers and is far from a "Live" experience.

On the other hand, when I visited a showroom selling component based systems, the first thing the guy did was to ask me the size of my listening room. Then he gave me several options in terms of amplifiers, speakers(towers, bookshelves, the works...), etc. and then proceeded to give me a live demo of the systems available with him. What I liked was, that he played the part of an advisor rather than a salesman.

Still I would suggest that, if at all you decide to go for such HTIB systems due to budget constraints, since they are definitely cheaper than separate components, please follow some basic guidelines.

1. Take some of your own music to test the system. This guy played me some Marathi tracks on the 1000 W system (DUH !!), and I had to stop him midway in order to play my own CD's.

2. Gradually increase the volume to the maximum and see if it jarrs, or sounds harsh. A good speaker will not jarr at high volume levels.

3. Audio and mp3 CD's will never produce a surround sound, so do take some DVD's to test the 5.1 channel effect.

4. The dealer is always in a hurry to sell you the system, this one kept asking me when I wanted to finalize, and offered to reduce the price and give me a good deal, without even asking me the size of my room.
Take your own time, play as many diverse tracks as possible to test how the system handles all the frequencies. The best system may not always be the most expensive one. See what appeals to your ears, each listener has his own perception.

Many of us do not know what is available in the market in terms of component based systems, since we are conditioned to believe that some mainstream brands are the "best". However, if you have a real ear for music, I would suggest you stretch your budget thinking of it as a long term investment rather than a simple purchase of a Music System, do some research on the Net (incidentally this site is one of the best resources for doing that) and go for component based systems. I am not promoting or even criticizing any brand here, but just conveying my thoughts on what I have experienced first hand.

Folks, Folks, Folks,

I really appreciate the postings here, but I must add that all of us seem to have a very narrow mindset. Remember you go to a Sony showroom, it is a place where equipment is sold in huge numbers and the type of people who come in are not audiophiles or videophiles. Even the sales guys are people with very simple knowledge, trained to eulogise Sony and only Sony. They will not understand SNR, THD and things like that. I once went to a video shop and asked for 'X Files', the science fiction TV serial. He tried to sell me a blue film !!!! He had a beeeg smile on his face as he asked me white skin or Indian. And here I was like an idiot wondering what he was talking about.

On the contrary I saw an advertisement of a specialty audio shop that said 'by appointment only'. Here of course, you would expect to get a different treatment. I once remember I once went to a shop in Rome. The first question he asked me was my budget and REFUSED to show me any equipment that was outside the budget. His point was that he would be wasting his (Yuck !!!) time even though there were no other customer in the shop. Real snooty he was, and put me off from auditioning even equipment within my budget.

I once went to the Sonodyne show room in Chennai. He demonstrated the equipment with fans on, and windows and doors open but covered by heavy drapes. When I asked him the logic, his answer was simple. He asked how many people will spend 1 lakh and above doing room room acoustics and even air conditioning for equipment costing 30 to 40K? "What we are demonstrating here", he said," is the 'live' situation of a middle income house in India." Made tremendous sense to me.

I see that there are lots of inquiries for HT in a Box (HTIBs??). Some of us must take the effort of shutting down our 'golden ears' and provide unbiased opinions to help these people.