SONY DAV-C450 VS Bose 321 (1 Viewer)

[Mark__T]

I currently have a Bose 321 and am thinking about saving $600 and getting a SONY DAV-C450. What are some opinions??

 

[Brian Burgoyne]

Keep reading....

 

[Mark__T]

Keep reading....


I don't get it. What type of answer is that?

 

[Brian Burgoyne]

Sorry Mark, I don't mean to be flippant. Just take your time and read other posts on this forum and others. There has been a lot of activity lately on $400 to $800 entry level systems vs Home Theater in a Box systems. So take your time and do some comparing. Do you live near a variety of stores where you can audition some systems?

 

[Mark__T]

I thought that is what you meant, but the truth is that I have been reading this forum and alt.home-theater.misc for days and days. The more I read the more confused I get.
Here is my situation:

Small condo
No real room for rear speakers and the Mrs. does not want speakers on the walls. (Thus the Bose 321)
I may be able to run the wires under the floor, so it remains imperative that the speakers be small.
I love the idea of the dvd/receiver combo.(Again the lack of space problem)
The system does not need to BOOM, but clarity would be nice.

Somebody suggested the following:

In a previous post a suggestion was made that, if rear or surround
speakers were not an option because either there is not enough room or
the Mrs. says no or a combination of the two, that the following might
be a good option:


An acquaintance of mine solved this with surprising effectiveness.

Using a HTIB setup (I think it was a Kenwood) he simply set up the
front
three speakers normally, with the mains toed-in towards the listening
area.
Then he set the rear speakers just outside the mains, but toed them
out so
that their sound was directed towards the side walls and up toward the
ceiling.

The result, especially on movies, was remarkable. The surround
speakers'
output reflected off the side walls and ceiling and created a very
convincing surround effect. I think this worked mainly because the
rears
were not aimed at any listeners, and he had to (counterintuitively)
set them
for very short delay times (the "distance" setting).

The best part, of course, is that he always will have the option of
rearranging the speakers more conventionally if he ever moves into a
more
conducive apartment.



I know that KLH and Kenwood and Onkyo are all supposed to be good.
The problem is everybody has a differing opinion except for despising Bose.

So all that being said

HELP!!!!

Thanks
Mark

 

[John Garcia]

For just a little more than the MSRP price of the 3-2-1 POS, you could get a complete system of separate components. 321 is not easily upgradable. Waste of good money, IMO. If it were more like $400, I might feel different...
The DAV-C450's weak point will most likely be the speakers.
KLH? Not at the same level of Onkyo or Kenwood for HTiB.
[rant] Why do so many men let their wives dictate their HT? That is REDICULOUS. Just try to tell them how to decorate the bedroom... If she's dictating the HT, you might as well just let her pick it based on the fact that it's "cute". That'll work :rolleyes. [/rant]
>steps off soapbox<
If you want better quality, go inexpensive, quality separate components, one or two pieces at a time. If you don't care so much about quality of sound or picture, or upgradability in many cases, an HTiB will do.
Inexpensive options to consider is the JBL NSP-1 5 speaker package, the Sony SA-WM40 sub, and an inexpensive receiver & DVD. Do a search on NSP-1 in the Speakers forum, you will find tons of info. The NSP-1 is going for as little as $200 right now.
Also various priced speaker packages can be found here: Home Theater Direct.

 

[Brian Burgoyne]

A nice looking package the wife may like is the Acoustic Research HC6. They are compact and finished in a very nice gloss piano black, quite elegant looking. Also have silk dome tweeters which should sound nice and smooth. 5 speakers and sub for less than $400 online. Check out www.etronics.com
You would be much better off with a seperate receiver and dvd player. There are not many combo's out there anyway. They usually come with the HTIB.
Look at www.audioadvisor.com and www.partsexpress.com for speaker stands and audio racks.

 

[Steve Berger]

As an electronic service tech for 30 years and business owner for 23 and as much as I like Sony products and support >standing on soapbox< NEVER buy combo products. They feature compromised design and generally inferior components and sub-assemblies. With current low cost and moderate quality replacement devices; almost any failure will cost more to fix than it would have cost to buy a new single item. [DVD/CD player, cassette deck,low power receiver/amp , etc] But you won't have that option since you've tied them all together. Would you want to pay $175 to replace the optics in a DVD player that could be replaced as a stand-alone for $150 with the latest features? A selection of even low quality separates will usually outperform most combo's but will be very easy to upgrade or replace individually. Also , if one of them breaks they are easier (less costly) to repair than a similar failure in a combo unit.The 3 ohm speakers found in some HTIBs can't be substituted and generally can't be used in any other system , potentially destroying your entire investment with a serious failure of any sort.
OK , I'll don my fireproof suit and hide in a corner but my opinions are based on a lot of years under the hood of these things. I'll admit the current HTIBs outperform the Mini-Systems they replace but seem to have forgotten durability, reliability, and serviceability. (the terms Marketting hates and will not utter)

 

[David Dhaus]

I keep reading advice about getting separates because they are easy to upgrade, etc. While that makes sense, aren't there HTIB that HAVE separate, upgradeable components? The Onkyo 650 has a receiver and 8 ohm speakers. The DVD would have to be purchased separately. Unless I'm missing something, I can upgrade those speakers down the road, then the receiver (or visa versa), and the dvd is separate to begin with. While I know the amp/receiver/preamp aren't separate, that is usually a combined unit anyway, is it not? I believe there are other HTIBs in the $500 range that have separate receivers and dvd players which appear to be upgradeable.

 

[John Garcia]

Steve is referring to units that have the preamp/amp/DVD/tuner, etc... in one unit. Some HTiBs do come with a separate DVD and receiver, but they are usually the equivalent of the lowest models of a given manufacturer, and the speakers are often not very good.

With respect to the speakers, in the all-in-one units, they tend to be designed low resistance and high sensitivity so that they can be easily driven by a low power amp, which is why they often do not work well with "normal" receivers.

On the other side of that is the receiver itself, which is designed to power these easily driven speakers, and upgrading to speakers that might draw more current could drive the amp to clipping or overheating. This is just as true for the entry level models for most manufacturers.

IMO, look for a unit that has a powered sub or at least a preamp out for the sub, otherwise the system is not easily upgradable, period.

A setup that has a separate receiver and DVD player is a good start because it IS easier to upgrade, because you would be able to get a better receiver while retaining the DVD player and speakers, etc... It does not mean that it will be as simple as it seems.