Thread: Poor speakers let down 7.1 Dvd Player

Poor speakers let down 7.1 Dvd Player ,year or two, home cinema in a box systems have tended to comprise a compact all-in-one disc/amp unit, and a number of (oftenstyle-friencUy) speakers. These are sometimes bad, and sometimes very good, but in almost every case we'dreconunend a separates system for performance. This Onkyo package, tl10ugh, is effectively a number of bona fideseparate components in one hefty box. I nstead of compromised, compact all-in-one, you get a five¬star rated DVD player, a full-spec surround receiver, and 7.r channels' worth of full-size speakers. That's good, isn't it? Well, yes, yes, and no. So, the first 'yes' - that DVD player. It was only last month that the DV-SP 406 emerged victorious from a hard-fought DVD Group Test, and our opinion of it hasn't diminished since then. It might not be a luxurious design, but the 1080p upscaled picmre it produces is brilliantly detailed, natural and punchy, and motion is exceptionally well controlled for a unit costing this much. fact, when used as part of this system, the couple of reservations we had over me DVD player become less of an issue. The cheap, cluttered remote can be ditched in favour of using the far better one that comes wim the receiver, and the thinmess of the 'SPs06's sonic delivery is countered by me meatiness of the HT- R960 receiver.
The amp itself is accomplished, both in terms of specification and overall sound delivery - it's a typically meaty unit from me company mat reinvented the affordable surround amp. Unfortunately, me speakers ramer let down the very capable electronics.


The front tlvee speakers are The speakers are so ugly and basic, they actually make the electronics look vaguelystylish identical, orientated horizontally or vertically for use as a centre or front left/right. The four surrounds are fairly chunky, yet shallow, and me subwoofer is ramer massive and cheap-looking, even compared to me rest of me basic speaker package. The bass box is also the weakest link in terms of sonic delivery, producing low frequencies that lack power, weight and definition. This slight softness robs a soundtrack like mat of me Die Hard4.0 DVD of a fair degree of its drama. What's more, similar shortcornings also creep into me mid-range, which is a bit tl1in and short of body. Mid frequencies also seem to be a little recessed, wim a slight mugginess reducing the clarity of dialogue. It's not all bad of course, and me Onkyo impresses by producing a fairly sweet and detailed treble, which avoids harshness, and almough me system can't compare wim me best in terms of coherence, it steers effects pretty well. It sounds as if we're being harsh on tl1is system, given its specification for me money, but there's a minimum performance quality you should expect, and tl1is system, manks to those speakers, falls short. If you want a decent, full-sized surround system, you should simply be prepared to pay a bit more.