Video Asylum

Posted by howardarbutus@yahoo.com (A) on January 02, 2007 at 16:32:59

In Reply to: Best budget HT-in-a-box? posted by Frank25 on December 31, 2006 at 10:29:55:

I would bring him to Best Buy or Circuit City or a local stores that sell a number of these systems. Have him do a listen with a DVD that he is familiar with. A good DVD with some low bombs going off, and some highs so you can judge which system sounds the best across the spectrum. Sony DAV-FX500 is $350 with DVD player. Onkyo, a very respectable hifi company, has the HTS790 at $400. It is compatible with ipod and XM radio. Bring some CDs that you are familiar with and play them on the system to see their sonic flavor. Each would be a little different. Your preference may not be his. Ideally, you want to go at a time that the store is not very busy. In the morning or something so that you can truly listen for the differences. Do not expect high fidelity sound, but you can get a respectable system for DVD and TV for $300. Do some shopping around and have fun. If you are like me, I go audition in the stores. Then, find it online. If you like, you can go back to the store and ask them to match the online price as much as possible. Happy hunting.