Could anyone tell me which home theater is the best?

Question

I want to buy a home theater, l was looking into Panasonic SC-HT17, I need advice on which home theater is the best.

Answer 1

HTIB's are a great way to get into home theater. They are inexpensive, designed to work together, usually have great instructions and the remote is often pre-programmed.

When you look for a Home Theater in a Box (HTIB), you want one with parts that look like they can be bought as separate items off the shelf. This means:

- DVD player is external and stand-alone
- Speakers are 5 monitor-style box's that look like the speakers sold separately. Avoid the plastic,chrome-looking designer things.
- Subwoofer needs to be stand-alone with a power cord and a RCA input jack. Dont get a system where the sub has no power cord or only speaker-wire terminals.
- Receiver - this should have a complex forest of connections on the back to hook up your other gear (CATV, Sat, Game System, CD Player, etc.) To be current-gen it should have HDMI outputs and the better receivers offer something called "HDMI Up-conversion". This means if you plug your existing VCR, DVD player, Game system into the receiver, it up-converts everything to the HDMI Output so you just have to run 1 cable to the TV.

Here is the reason: if one part breaks, you can simply replace the DVD player, subwoofer, speakers or receiver a few years down the road. Some of these other units like the Panasonic one and many other fancy-looking ones have no upgrade path. One part does not work and the entire system has to be replaced.

I strongly recommend you look for HTIB's from Dennon, Yamaha, Kennwood - names that are mass-market, but well respected. Good ones run run from $500-$900.

Properly setup these systems give a great Home Theater experience.

Answer 2

The best home theater is one that you have subjectively listened to and compared to other systems. The one that falls within you set budget and has the inputs and outputs you want.

I suggest that you first make expectations, fact find and set a budget. Once that is complete you merely need to listen to a bunch and select ones that you want to audition, these you will subjectively listen to with critical listening in mind.

I also recommend some light reading so you may avoid the pitfalls common to those new to the home theater arena. Also good for those have been around a while as well.

Answer 3

i advise you to buy this Panasonic. It is about the same price as the Panasonic SC-HT17 but it will distort at full volume.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SC-PT1050-Deluxe-Theater-System/dp/B000PARRRO/ref=sr_1_16/102-3916241-6759342?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1192530668&sr=8-16

Answer 4

I have the Phillips hts8100 ambisound and let me tell you it sleek and pretty darn close to having all six speakers in one bar with an active subwoofer. all this for under a grand and no wire mess.

Answer 5

Well, I have seen many good deals on the Sony Bravia (40'' for $1499.99 and 6 free surround speakers).