The Mandate : Find a small 5.1 home theater box (HTB) system in a box for the “In laws” – It should be easy to use, builtin dvd player, USB port, not expensive and preferably have small speakers (wireless connectivity if possible). So out I went in search of a HTB which would fulfill their requirements and have decent sound to boot – it is very important to please the "In laws", your marriage is dependent on that!!!!
The benchmark was the Pioneer system at Rs. 9,000 (price excludes customs) – with no printed or any online/mouthshut review, it was time to do some groundwork. Considering the “In laws” already have a
Samsung LED Tv – having a Samsung HTB might solve some interface issues and the pleasure of only one remote control. So I looked at the Samsung HT-D550/D650 series. The 650 being able to play additional formats (from a USB). Loved the metal look of the speaker cones and the sleek head unit. It sounded decent in the dealer shop. They are wireless speaker ready but require an adaptor costing an extra Rs.5k. With the D550/650 costing in the range of Rs.13,500 – Samsung got shot down. Another big factor is that I really do not trust Samsung with Audio (their recent foray into this area) although I’m confident of their capabilty – with a price reduction and with some latest tech, they’ll soon compete with the best.
Next was the big daddy of budget audio music, Sony. The unit was Sony Bravia DZ 170. On first looks the unit seemed better built – the metal grills of the speakers shouted quality (unlike the cloth grills of others in this range) – It’s a Sony. Sony units however have a tendency of being “Bass” heavy – and this was no exception. Overall the sound was not impressive especially the clarity/highs. The unit being Rs.1,000 more than the pioneer sealed its fate. It was no more going to be "a Sony".
Looked at a Phillip’s unit and then just looked away – the look itself was not appealing and looked really cheap - Didn’t even bother listening to the system. LG faced the same fate as Samsung – do not trust their audio equipment at the moment.
RATING: 4/5
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