HTiB - Replacement Receiver DVD combo?? (1 Viewer)

Hi All,


Newbie to these forums.


I have a modest 5.1 Panasonic HTiB with a 5-DVD changer and very happy with it. After some 7 years of daily use, (don't have TV, but we use CDs and DVDs a lot) the changer is starting to jamb up. So far I have been able to turn it off and wriggle it loose and it will work for a few more days.


Time for a new main box. The speakers that came with it are just fine and integrated into the lounge room. What I am looking for is a replacement single-unit receiver and multiple DVD changer instead of having to buy another HTiB and toss all of this away.


Does such a thing exist?


Thanks


HH

Can you provide the specific model number of the unit you have been using?


There's a pretty good chance that you won't be able to simply "replace" the main unit and still use the speakers that came with your original system - at least not without risking damage to the new receiver, or really poor performance.


Many of the lower-end "All-in-one" systems, particularly those with DVD players built-in to the receiver unit, use speakers that have low impedances (3 or 4 ohms, as opposed to the typical 6 or 8 ohm speakers that come with the higher-end units, or are purchased separately).


I can't be certain if your system falls into this category without the specific model number.


Also, you can check to see how the speakers are connected to the receiver unit. Is it bare speaker wire that is screwed into cylindrical "Binding Post" terminals, or are there square, plastic, color-coded connectors for each speaker? Proprietary plastic connectors are another common indicator of speakers that are specifically designed to work with that exact model receiver.


If (by chance) your system can use a different model, we can help find one that will suit you, but to be honest, you should prepare yourself for the possibility that you may have to scrap the whole system.


Sorry... hopefully we'll have good news when we know what system we're dealing with.

Hi Jason and thanks for the quick reply. I failed to mention I am not a newbie to electronics and I fully understand the need for matching speaker impedence to those of the amp but I appreciate you considering it.

I, of course would check out those features before making the purchase. I am having trouble finding a reasonably priced mulit-disk changer of any kind, let alone built into a receiver.

In my youth I went through the Hi-Fi phase and am very conversant with, Klipsch, Cerwin Vega, B&W, Nakamichi, B&O, Denon etc etc. In my calmer old age I no longer have the need to hear the tiny nuances of "quality" equipment. {grin}

HH

Ah, gotcha.


I don't think you'll be able to find any combo receivers/DVD players that aren't part of a HTiB system, at least I can't recall ever seeing any.


What sort of budget did you have in mind?


Do you absolutely require a DVD changer? A quick look on Amazon.com shows a very limited selection of changers that seem to start at $135 and are more along the lines of $200+, whereas a standalone single-disc DVD player can be had for under $50.


Provided your speakers are compatible with a standard receiver, you could consider this refurb. Onkyo 308 receiver from Accessories4Less (an authorized Onkyo dealer) for $150.


I think you're likely to get pretty frustrated pretty quickly if you limit yourself to just trying to replace a single component of a system that may not be designed to be broken up.

DVD changers are getting real scarce. Sony makes a mega dvd/bluray changer but I'm not sure anyone makes a dvd changer/receiver anymore. Even then it would also come with the speakers. Motorola made the DCP-501, a traditional receiver with a built-in single disc dvd player smack dab in the middle of it. It was priced as low as $100 new. They can still be found used on ebay once in a while. I think NAD made one as well. So did Meridian ($$$). Onkyo made a stereo dvd player/receiver that came with a pair of speakers a few years ago. But I don't recall anyone making a dvd changer/receiver that wasn't part of a htib.

Thanks guys, the important bit for me is the multi-disk changer. My SO has her CDs and I have mine and it is all just a press of a button. Well, it was. I had checked Amazon and saw the Sony things for 500-bucks and 400 disks. Sounds like way too much hard work setting all that up. Certainly way too much cash too. I will check Panasonic spare parts and see if the changer is a single unit I can swap out. Their parts prices are usually pretty fair. Looks like it is a single disk unit from here on in. I have an older player here and can just feed that into the inputs of the Panasonic of I have to have single-disk. Thanks for the replies and suggestions. HH

You can find dvd changers on ebay. Buying used players can be risky but I've had pretty luck in the past. Yamaha's (like the 6770, 6860, etc.), Pioneer's (C36), Marantz, Onkyo/Integra and Denon's are pretty good players. But many people feel buying used components, especially one with moving parts is just too risky.

Thanks again Guys, There are two things I do not buy in electronics and they are Refurbished and Used. Having worked as a Service tech for a couple of years, I am well aware of the reality of intermittent faults. Things that do not show up in the refurb process. Back in the days of Valves I replaced an audio amplifier valve three times and still the TV would not sound right. I kept coming back to that valve being the problem and in sheer frustration I replaced it with a fourth one and viola, it worked. The Q (Gain) spread on the others were obviously not to the liking of other other components in the sound section. Since that day, it is new or nothing. I recently returned a 42" TV as about every three days it dropped the set up and had to scan hundreds of channels again before it would let us watch anything. That would have never shown up in a refurb test. Anyway, Panasonic have the changer mechanism for $70 shipped so the problem is solved. When I first posed the question here, Panasonic told me I would have to buy all of the discrete parts that make up the changer. However a kind person there checked with their Service department and they gave me a part number for the complete changer. Whheeeee HH