Home Cinema-in-a-box...worth getting or not?

[ArtyCarl2]

Ok so we've all seen the adverts for one box home cinema solutions. So, as an uninitiated, audio unsophisticated kinda guy, are they worth having or is the extra cost really justified for an all-singing, all-dancing set up?

Opinions please.

[TODGE]

You've just answered your own question really?........Home Cinema in a box type setups are ok some sound really good, but they will not beat a dedicated seperates setup, even at the lower end of budgets. I have had a chance to hear quite a few cinema in a box setups and they just don't seem to cut it, there seem's to be no sonic separation compared with dedicated systems imo, just five tiny speakers that sound to ''tinny'' and a medium sized sub that ''thumps'' rather than intergates with the rest of the system.
But, on the plus side, they are unobtrusive, they do not dominate a room like full setups do, they are generally cheaper, they are not such a pain in the arse to install.....it all depend's on how serious you are about sound quality.
so ''all singing dancing systems'' do exactly what is say's on the tin;)

[Urban Tiger]

Arty, its like most of these things. If you set a budget, you can almost certainly get a much better set up buying seperates.

If you let the forum know what your budget is, you will undoubtedly get suggestions as to what is good to buy.

Give us a clue to budget and what equipment you already have, and see what happens :)

[Andy_Hurst]

As my first step into the world of dvd / home cinema I have gone with a "cinema in a box" system (pioneer dcs100) and have to say that for the money what you get is pretty good, plus the missus is happy as it's very unobtrusive. At the end of the day it came down to how much I was prepared to spend, how much it would be used and what it would be used for. Not being a particularly "vigorous" ? film watcher nor an audiophile and just wanting to watch a movie a week with some half decent sound I decided that an all in one would suffice. If at a later stage I decide I want more from my setup I will go with seperates but as a starter setup I would recommend it and there are plenty of other good units out there. There are also some crap units out there as well so choose carefully :)

[Tyler Durden]

Originally posted by Andy_Hurst
Not being a particularly "vigorous" ? film watcher nor an audiophile

What are you doing in here then ;)

[The-tonemeister]

Arty: I also think the size of the room can also determine which solution is the most appropiate.
My living room is 2m x 3m (v. tiny :( ) so the only solution for me was the more compact Cinema-in-a-box one. Also in a room my size, there is simply no need to crank the system to it's limits. A bigger room will need bigger sound volumes to convey the experience, this is where separates would probably work out better.
As for specific systems, I can only say that I have been a proud owner of a Sony DAV300S for just over a year now, and I can quite happily say that it has fulfilled all my requirements, and suprised me on many an occasion :D

The-tonemeister

[ArtyCarl2]

Thanks for the replys gents.

I've just bought a Toshiba 43VJ13P Rear Projection TV and have owned Pro Logic TVs in the past and would like the enhanced sound. My room is quite large though I dont know the measurements as I type this.

As far as budget is concerned, if I could get away with spending a few hundred quid then i'd be happy....if it cost more then i'd buy it and lie to the missus. If a couple of hundred quid made a reasonable difference then i'd probably go for that too.

[The-tonemeister]

Another point possibly worth considering is how discrete do you want the whole thing to be (I'm thinking more of speakers and subs).
The Cinema-in-a-box system tends to shrink the speakers down (roughly to the size of PC speakers, with the subs remaining quite large).
These, and those mentioned above are all the things I thought about last year when I was choosing which would be the better option for me.
Yet another thought would be for future upgrades, Cinema-in-a-box solutions tend not to be upgradeable (if that's the word) whereas seperates obviously can. Sorry if this is a bit obvious, but the question was asked
I can tell you that I have seen my Sony system (DAV300S) for as little as £420 on-line (www.techtronics.com I believe), personally I don't think you can buy separates that beat the system in terms of performance for the same price. And as such I would recommend this system as an introduction.

The tonemeister

[Adventure2]

Arty, I posted a similar question on 5th November as I wanted a home cinema package with small speakers for my parents. I received a number of replies suggesting the Pioneer NSDV-55 was good value for money (if you can still get one). Try this address below.

http://thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30362

[Urban Tiger]

Originally posted by ArtyCarl2
Ok so we've all seen the adverts for one box home cinema solutions. So, as an uninitiated, audio unsophisticated kinda guy, are they worth having or is the extra cost really justified for an all-singing, all-dancing set up?

Opinions please.

OK, lets clarify something here. Arty hasnt said he wants an all in one box. His question is, is it worth paying extra to get a seperates system (in his words, all singing, all dancing).

The simple answer is yes. Lets look at some facts.

1) The speakers in all in one systems are small. You cannot get a fully developed sound from a small speaker ie in comparison, they sound tinny COMPARED to dedicated full range speakers

2) Arty has a large room - where small systems will not fair very well

3) He has a 43' TV ie he's not short of a bob or two ;)

If you compared all in one directly next to a seperates system, the difference in quality would be very very obvious.

As for cost, and only as an example, you could by a MR Toshiba SD110e DVD player, Yamaha RXV420RDS receiver and the Tannoy MXAV3 speaker package for around £700. Probably cheaper if you shop hard. Most shops would probably do a deal on some speaker wire if you buy the lot from the same place. This system would murder the all in one solutions for not alot more money.

Like anything else in this world, you get what you pay for, there are no shortcuts here. If you decide to spend more money later, you have to junk the whole all in one, whereas you can upgrade the seperates in parts.

If in any doubts, go and demo some systems side by side and let us know what you think. Most of all, have fun! :)

[ivj]

The only reason that I can see for buying an "all in one" is for aesthetic purposes but I don't suppose that with a 43" RPTV Arty is worried that his significant other might object to speakers larger than matchboxes.

Below a certain figure, all in ones are rubbish and above that figure better sound quality is available from separates. Have a look at Richer Sounds for some ideas.

[ArtyCarl2]

A few things for me to ponder thanks very much.

Yes it is true that, for the sake of a quiet life, the smaller (more subtle) system the better as I have had to lie like an Afghan TV Show Host about the size of the telly.

My other halfs interest in things AV is limited to looking at the TV above the book shes reading and telling me to 'turn it down, what will the neighbours think'.

Expressions like...

It's barely bigger than the one we have, thats all casing and no screen.... and

Its thinner from front to back so will be flatter against the wall...

...had to be trotted out

Maybe my next thread will be:
WHAT AV LIES HAVE YOU TOLD YOUR PARTNERS?

[TODGE]

Maybe my next thread will be:
WHAT AV LIES HAVE YOU TOLD YOUR PARTNERS? [/B][/QUOTE]

What a good idea!...i am sure it will get a big response, oh the lies i have told, if she knew how much i spent on home cinema, she would leave me:nuts: