all in one home cinema kit, which one?

Jae · 27-11-2001, 14:12

Hi,

I am on the verge of buying an all in one home cinema kit, but am not sure which to go for. The room it's all going in is only medium, so a "separates" system with big speakers and an amp are a no-no.

So I was looking at something like Videologic DTS system, would anyone recommend this? The size of the units is ideal, but I have seen similar set ups from Sony, etc.

So, any recommendations for my mini home cinema set up?

Thanks,

Mark Hughes · 27-11-2001, 15:08

The Videologic DTS kit does sound gorgeous (well, the one I reviewed a while back for dvdnews did - if you go to http://www.dvdnews.co.uk/ there's a link from the main page to the review, if I remember correctly). For a small-to-medium size room, it is more than loud enough, and the quality is excellent, especially on good DTS titles.

Mark

pointon · 27-11-2001, 22:02

Please, please stay away from All In One systems. You'll end up back in forums like these warning other people away. The Videologic system Mark suggests is an excellent budget audio system. DTS and DD both sound great. But do not - and cannot emphasise this enough - bother with All In One systems of DVD player, amp and speakers. They are extremely poor systems.

For the same amount of money you can get a decent seperates system from somewhere like Richer Sounds that will out perform an All In One system by a long way. The Videologic systems are a very good choice though, when paired with a decent DVD player.

cylmax · 07-12-2001, 11:37

This may be a little late, but I have the Pioneer NS-DV55 all in one system and I am very pleased with both it's AV performance and compatibility.

Sure, it's always better to use seperate components but sometimes there is just no alternative. Before I bought the Pioneer, I did test out rival products from Sony & Panasonic and the Pioneer cruised in an easy winner. The sound is big and the picture is pretty much faultless. I would recommend that you replace the supplied bell-wire with a higher performing cable such as QED Silver, even just for the front speakers.

Some of my friends have seperate systems which cost around the same as the Pioneer, £550, and I'm not at all disappointed with the comparison. I have replaced the supplied front speakers with a pair of Mission M74 floorstanders and the quality of sound can not be matched by that of my friends set-ups. Ease of use is also a huge plus and when you are limited for space then the one box solution can really work. Most people agree that the seperate system works better but if you invest a little more in decent upgrades (Cables, Speakers, Interconnects etc.) you can get what you need and more from the Pioneer.

Try it out, you may be pleasantly surprised. Also, there are some great offers on the net which could save you £200 on this piece of kit.

Rathion · 09-12-2001, 17:31

I don' t think the sound quality is the only thing you need concern yourself about here.
My main concern would be that if ANY ONE part fo this system packs in you need to buy another WHOLE new setup also it leaves you with a very limited upgrade path. If in the future you find yourself wanting a better dvd player you need to buy a new amp and a new decoder aswell.
At least with seperates if one component packs up or you want to upgrade then you can do it one piece at a time.

27-11-2001, 14:12	#1
Jae Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: London Posts: 3	all in one home cinema kit, which one? Hi, I am on the verge of buying an all in one home cinema kit, but am not sure which to go for. The room it's all going in is only medium, so a "separates" system with big speakers and an amp are a no-no. So I was looking at something like Videologic DTS system, would anyone recommend this? The size of the units is ideal, but I have seen similar set ups from Sony, etc. So, any recommendations for my mini home cinema set up? Thanks,

27-11-2001, 15:08	#2
Mark Hughes Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Somewhere near London Posts: 2,936	The Videologic DTS kit does sound gorgeous (well, the one I reviewed a while back for dvdnews did - if you go to http://www.dvdnews.co.uk/ there's a link from the main page to the review, if I remember correctly). For a small-to-medium size room, it is more than loud enough, and the quality is excellent, especially on good DTS titles. Mark

27-11-2001, 22:02	#3
pointon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 20	Please, please stay away from All In One systems. You'll end up back in forums like these warning other people away. The Videologic system Mark suggests is an excellent budget audio system. DTS and DD both sound great. But do not - and cannot emphasise this enough - bother with All In One systems of DVD player, amp and speakers. They are extremely poor systems. For the same amount of money you can get a decent seperates system from somewhere like Richer Sounds that will out perform an All In One system by a long way. The Videologic systems are a very good choice though, when paired with a decent DVD player.

07-12-2001, 11:37	#4
cylmax Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 466	This may be a little late, but I have the Pioneer NS-DV55 all in one system and I am very pleased with both it's AV performance and compatibility. Sure, it's always better to use seperate components but sometimes there is just no alternative. Before I bought the Pioneer, I did test out rival products from Sony & Panasonic and the Pioneer cruised in an easy winner. The sound is big and the picture is pretty much faultless. I would recommend that you replace the supplied bell-wire with a higher performing cable such as QED Silver, even just for the front speakers. Some of my friends have seperate systems which cost around the same as the Pioneer, £550, and I'm not at all disappointed with the comparison. I have replaced the supplied front speakers with a pair of Mission M74 floorstanders and the quality of sound can not be matched by that of my friends set-ups. Ease of use is also a huge plus and when you are limited for space then the one box solution can really work. Most people agree that the seperate system works better but if you invest a little more in decent upgrades (Cables, Speakers, Interconnects etc.) you can get what you need and more from the Pioneer. Try it out, you may be pleasantly surprised. Also, there are some great offers on the net which could save you £200 on this piece of kit.

09-12-2001, 17:31	#5
Rathion Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 17	I don' t think the sound quality is the only thing you need concern yourself about here. My main concern would be that if ANY ONE part fo this system packs in you need to buy another WHOLE new setup also it leaves you with a very limited upgrade path. If in the future you find yourself wanting a better dvd player you need to buy a new amp and a new decoder aswell. At least with seperates if one component packs up or you want to upgrade then you can do it one piece at a time.

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all in one home cinema kit, which one?