New home theater system? (1 Viewer)

[donau]

which of these would you recommend? Sony bdv-e380 Sony strdh520+ssfcr4000 Samsung ht-d7200

 

[Al.Anderson]

If you are looking for audio quality and flexibility, of the three, definitely the Sony strdh520+ssfcr4000 combo. the other systems are more or less gimmicks and compromises. You can't pack much amplifier power in those small systems, so you won't get the kick from the other two. The Samsung is a 2.1 system and is more meant for a bedroom or office. The other Sony isn't bad, but it's an all-in-one, which is generally frowned upon for many reasons; chief among them is that if any one section breaks you'll be replacing the whole thing. Also, it has limited connection options (only 2 HDMI, no component). I'm not familiar with non-US pricing and availability, but for receivers you can usually do better in quality and cost than Sony. I'd recommend looking a Onkyo for the best bang/Euro, and Pioneer, Yamaha, Marantz, and Harman/Kardon. Speakers are another matter entirely, but it usually considered best to not go with major electronic manufacturer supplied systems. But if you're just loking to get decent quality with future expansion options, that combo is fine.

 

[donau]

If you are looking for audio quality and flexibility, of the three, definitely the Sony strdh520+ssfcr4000 combo. the other systems are more or less gimmicks and compromises.

wouldn't I need to buy a seperate subwoofer to the combo?

 

[Al.Anderson]

wouldn't I need to buy a seperate subwoofer to the combo?

I think you're approaching it the wrong way. You want to consider how each system will sound compared to the others. Or to put it another way, just because a system includes a "subwoofer", it doesn't make it better. The reason I quoted subwoofer is different for each of the other systems. For the Samsung, that sub is so small as to not even be realistically considered a sub. The sub's job is to move air at very low frequencies, for that it needs area. A decent sub has to have about a 10" diameter to even play the game. Most have 12-15" diameters. What you're seeing is manufacturers including a "sub" just because they know people think they should have one. The sub on the other Sony is okay for a low end system (probably 8"), so no obvious complaints there, but that system is using satellites. I'm not opposed to satellites, I use them for my movie based system (but not my music targeted system). The problem with satellites is the same as before, being small they can only move so much air. So in this case, the sub is needed to compensate for the satellites. The combo system has standard 5.25 or 6.5 inch drivers (they don't say which and I can't tell for sure). They are standard speakers and will provide good sound all on their own. Sure, you could add a sub to the combo system, and that will make it even better. But for now they can stand on their own. Speaker-wise, the two Sony systems may be similar (for movies, not so much for music); but the combo Sony adds the better receiver. Plus you can expand and get a true sub when you feel the urge.

 

[donau]

thanks for the advice. I think I will go for the combo. its for sale for about 269 euro.