Page 1 of Any suggestions on "Home Cinema" packages for less than £550 ?

I am looking to buy a "Home Cinema" package. My budget is £550. I`ve seen the Sony DAVS500 for around that, at the other end is the scale is the Goodmans for £199 and several priced in between. I usually go with the "you get what you pay for" theory, is the Sony twice as good as the Goodmans ? I put this in the General Forum at first by mistake and had a reply asking has I considered buying separates instead of an "All in one" (thanks RichardH, hope this message gets your approval, unlike the other one) I am open to suggestions on both types. I`m fed up of comparing specs and would appreciate some help. Thanks.

I got the sony dav-s500 last week after posting a few questions on here.I was going to get the 300 but was told to go for the more expensive 500 cos as you have said you get what you pay for. I had a tv with pro-logic before i got my philips 32" and wasn`t that bothered about surround sound as I didn`t notice a great deal from the rear speakers, after getting into dvd and hearing about dolby digital I made my mind up to go for it.
What a difference ,the sound just blows you away whizzing past your head .The only problem is keeping an eye on the film as you listen with wonder.Sorry to whittle on but I was sooo impressed.
I havent heard any other system bar the pro-logic to compare to but thought I`d let you know what I thought of the 500.
cj
p.s. bought from multiregion magic for £499 chippped to play any region + rce and macro off.delivered next day ,very impressed

I have got a Sony DAVS300 and am more than happy with the system. but if you can stretch to the DAVS500 then its totally go for it. Each satellite has an extra 10watt power (30-40) and the sub has increased power too. The system is Super Audio CD compat aswell which sets it above the 300. So yeah go for it, my 300 is for an non-audio/cinephile all i want and need and the 500 exceeds my spec.
HTH
Flo

Hi Steve - not a matter of approval, but I think the number of responses you got in this forum speaks for itself!
Sounds to me like you fancy an all in one - nothing at all wrong with that. I was just mentioning that there might be other avenues to explore, but it also sounds like you don`t want to do too much exploring - just get on and watch some movies!
I think that the Sony 500 will do the business for you. It got a rave review in the What HiFi awards this year, (Home Cinema in a Box Product of the Year). Quote from the review:
"Yes, it`s £600 [retail price!!] but you`ll know why as soon as you open the box - it`s exquisitely styled and the build quality is excellent [can you imagine anyone saying that about the Goodmans?].... Feed in a disc ans it`s in a league of it`s own - typical Sony with stunning picture quality, backgrounds with scale and depth......excellent effects steering. It`s stereo performance is equally impressive".
Also, you`ve already seen a couple of people here recommending it. The Multiregion Magic deal looks good - helpful to have a retailer recommendation. The Sony S300 is less well thought of (and I think is being phased out) - not enough power to do the job.
Personally, if I were you, I`d go for the Sony 500, rather than compromising with that Goodmans - I think you would regret spending the money on the Goodmans, and wish you`d gone for the Sony. ("The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten").
Only thing to watch out with with the Sony kit is that it doesn`t have a SCART output - not to worry, though, all you need is a SCART to SVideo cable. The Sony will come with an adapter, but the video will only be composite, which will not be as good quality a picture. Try http://www.beyondhifi.net.
One last thing, when you get your kit, take some time to follow the instructions on setting it up, placing the speakers and getting sound levels right - it makes a massive difference!
Happy watching/listening!

I would really go the full hog and spend £650 on the DAV S800 purely because you get more power and also you get the speakers already with stands, the four satellite speakers are actually connected to brushed aluminium speaker stands. They look very inconspicuous not like some surround sounds speakers.

I have heard that decent speaker stands for the DAV S500 speakers are about £60 a pair.

I suppose as the end of the day, make the choice, can you put your speakers sensibly somewhere the 800 also has a rectangular centre speaker that sits pertly on the top of the television rather than an ugly little box speaker. THE CHOICE IS YOURS!!

Hi

If you can stretch your budget slightly to £600 than I would consider checking this site:

www.homecinemaheaven.com

In AV/Systems they are offering the following:
Pioneer 444K player (multiregion)
Pioneer SVX-C300 receiver
Pioneer S-V50 speaker package

at £599.99. All the benefits of seperates in a package designed to go together. If you look at all the reviews then the I would say the Pioneer rated equally as good as the Toshiba.

Even better - just spotted this. If you register with www.thedvdforums.com then in the bargain forum under Upgrade Heaven thread (Upgrade Heaven and homecinemaheaven are the same place) then you can get the above for £580 as a member. Would recommend them as a place to go as the service I have just received from them is excellent.

Just being buying new toys myself and was seriously considering the Pioneer gear.

Sorry just to expand a bit - its listed as the Pioneer Superslim package.
As far as I can remember the player and amp are approx 13cm together when stacked. Would say its equally as stylish as the Sony.