Re: Why not home-theater-in-a-box?
Quote:
| These companies have expert engineers who know the best combinations of speakers, subs and amps. |
Even if this were true (see above for some sceptical takes on
that idea) it doesn't remotely follow that "the best combination of speakers, subs and amps" is what would end up in "the box". An HTiB system is designed to provide a basic level of HT performance
at a given price point. So the odds of anything in the set being "the best", much less the whole thing being "the best combination", are vanishingly small. Now consider that a Bose or Sony (or anyone else) isn't selecting from the entire universe of components, but only from their own product lines. And the fact is they may not
make a very good mid-range DVD/receiver combo, or their low-end speakers may really suck, or their only decent subs may be their top-shelf models. Which means what goes in the box is going to be a lowest-common-denominator compromise from an already limited menu.
Again, by shopping outlets, sales and refurbs and going after lesser-known but well-regarded brands (I'm a big fan of Atlantic Technology speakers for mid-priced systems, especially because of their ability to nail both music and movies, which is rare in their market segment) you can easily buy a better quality system for the same money or less than a typical HTiB. You can also end up with better components in every category and leave yourself with more options for adding to or upgrading your system. (While audio-only HTiBs are limited, the ones that combine the DVD player and Receiver/amplifier are even worse in terms of both connections and future upgrades. Not to mention the fact that if either your receiver
or your DVD player breaks you lose both until you've fixed and/or replaced them.)
So low-end HTiBs almost never
really save money even in the short term. Apart from some convenience in initial hook-up (good for the technically inept, but that's not who tends to read the HTF) they have essentially
no advantages over better packages or separates and they have a host of disadvantages. In the long-run they tend to cost
more because you can't just add a Blu Ray player to your existing system, you end up having to buy the Blu Ray
and a new receiver. Or buy a whole new 5 or 7 speaker set when you decide to upgrade because your HTiB uses non-standard connectors running through the sub (or "bass module") so you can't just upgrade your front speakers or your sub when the money comes in.
Of course, I've made
some of these points before.
Regards,
Joe
.
