01.Introduction
If you want to enjoy cinema at home, where the space ship in a movie sounds like it’s roaring over your head, you need a home theatre system with multiple speakers and a system that can process the sound. However, a true cinema experience at home can cost several thousand dollars and often complex speaker adjustments.
If you don’t want to spend this much on a custom system, you may be satisfied with a combination player/receiver setup with speakers included. These systems, also known as cinema in a box (CIB), offer a value compromise that should satisfy many users.
CHOICE tested eight CIBs around the $1000 mark, five of which have a DVD/BD (Blu-ray disk) player built into the receiver unit. All the models on test have something to offer; some have multiple analog inputs, some have an iPod dock, while others allow you to stream internet video.
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Home theatre audio is a complicated business. Chris Ruggles talks you through 5 of the 10 most common surround sound mistakes.
Brands tested
- # Kenwood SAT5422TW
- # LG HB905TAW
- Onkyo HTS5305
- # Panasonic SC-BT737
- Pioneer HTZ-808BD
- # Samsung HTC 6950 W
- # Sony BDVE 970W
- # Yamaha YHT 694AUB
# Discontinued models
See part two of our home theatre audio video.
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