Sony RHT-950 soundbar/combined stand thingy
Discussion
I've just noticed this http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/sony/rht-g950.html and am wondering if they are any good. I'm after a fairly basic home cinema system and this seems like an interesting idea, though I have no idea if it's a good one or not.
So, can anyone help? Failing that what would people suggest for a fairly basic system? (PS3 and Sky Box will be the inputs and the TV will be a Panny 42G10.) Budget upto £500, though I'd prefer to spend less if possible.
An LG HT904 seems alright for the price.
So, can anyone help? Failing that what would people suggest for a fairly basic system? (PS3 and Sky Box will be the inputs and the TV will be a Panny 42G10.) Budget upto £500, though I'd prefer to spend less if possible.
An LG HT904 seems alright for the price.
We have one of these Sony RHT systems. I forget the exact model number, but it's from around 2008.
It's quite an elegant solution and most people who saw it didn't actually pick up that it was a speaker system - they thought it was simply a stand. We got it to put in the main lounge as we don't watch much TV in there and didn't want that room filled with ugly AV equipment.
It does the job and is a vast improvement on the inbuilt TV sound. However, it doesn't sound anything like as good as the conventional 5.1 setup we have in the other main TV room. It can't deliver the surround effect anything like as well, but this is to be expected as it's an all-in-one unit and no amount of fancy processing can overcome the speaker location constrains. The bass is also lacking somewhat. But, this is an older model I'm talking about; the newer models might be better.
It's also worth noting that it'll struggle in larger rooms. It was fine in a medium sized living room, but when we moved it to the larger lounge (about 40' x 30' with a double height ceiling) it doesn't fill the room well at all.
If you want something which will fill a medium sized room and don't want the hassle of ugly speakers and running cables, then it's a very good compromise and I'd recommend it. Just don't go in thinking it'll sound as good as a conventional system of the same price.
It's quite an elegant solution and most people who saw it didn't actually pick up that it was a speaker system - they thought it was simply a stand. We got it to put in the main lounge as we don't watch much TV in there and didn't want that room filled with ugly AV equipment.
It does the job and is a vast improvement on the inbuilt TV sound. However, it doesn't sound anything like as good as the conventional 5.1 setup we have in the other main TV room. It can't deliver the surround effect anything like as well, but this is to be expected as it's an all-in-one unit and no amount of fancy processing can overcome the speaker location constrains. The bass is also lacking somewhat. But, this is an older model I'm talking about; the newer models might be better.
It's also worth noting that it'll struggle in larger rooms. It was fine in a medium sized living room, but when we moved it to the larger lounge (about 40' x 30' with a double height ceiling) it doesn't fill the room well at all.
If you want something which will fill a medium sized room and don't want the hassle of ugly speakers and running cables, then it's a very good compromise and I'd recommend it. Just don't go in thinking it'll sound as good as a conventional system of the same price.
Our living room is 25X15 with a 12ft ceiling, so it's not exactly massive. So that shouldn't be too much of a problem, do you mind if I ask what surround system you have in your other room that is far superior?
The lack of clutter and the simplicity of the idea appeals to me, though I'd obviously like the sound to be as good as possible too!
The lack of clutter and the simplicity of the idea appeals to me, though I'd obviously like the sound to be as good as possible too!
IforB said:
Our living room is 25X15 with a 12ft ceiling, so it's not exactly massive. So that shouldn't be too much of a problem, do you mind if I ask what surround system you have in your other room that is far superior?
The lack of clutter and the simplicity of the idea appeals to me, though I'd obviously like the sound to be as good as possible too!
In the other room we've got a Yamaha RXV-465 amp with a set of Q-Acoustics 1010i Cinema speakers. By the time you've included the speaker cables for this system, it works out to be pretty much the same price as the Sony all-in-one system. The lack of clutter and the simplicity of the idea appeals to me, though I'd obviously like the sound to be as good as possible too!
The separate system sounds quite a lot better than the all-in-one Sony system, and they're comparable in price. However, it took much longer to setup the separates system, as speaker wires have to be run behind skirting boards or chased into walls, to look neat. There's also a million wires coming out the back of the amp; the Sony gets rid of a lot of this spaghetti. The separate system is also very obviously a speaker system when finished, whereas the Sony just looks like a stand.
We weren't too fussed with the clutter from the separate system, as the room it's in is really just a TV room. But, I'm not sure I'd want all that clutter in the main living room though; that's why the Sony stand is in there instead!
If you want something neat and subtle which still sounds pretty decent, then the Sony is a good bet. However, for the same money, you'll get a nicer sound from a separates system.
Bear in mind my experience all relates to an older Sony all-in-one model. The newer ones have probably come on leaps and bounds. Hopefully somebody familiar with the latest model (Plotloss or Derestrictor?) will come along to advise in a bit.
Edited by wiffmaster on Tuesday 29th December 01:55
I've heard one of these ~
http://www.johnlewis.com/230683294/Product.aspx
It has decent SRS surround surround similar to the Sony and uses 4 channels of active sound. Big step up from any inbuilt speakers I've heard - surround effects are limited but there is enough max volume and low end for most.
Worth auditioning at full retail and sale price is buttons.
http://www.johnlewis.com/230683294/Product.aspx
It has decent SRS surround surround similar to the Sony and uses 4 channels of active sound. Big step up from any inbuilt speakers I've heard - surround effects are limited but there is enough max volume and low end for most.
Worth auditioning at full retail and sale price is buttons.
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