Denon SD500 Vs Panny HT1500

[MrCisco]

Hi all..

I've been doing quite a bit of research lately.. and have come down to finding two quite good deals.. Now the only problem is I can't decided which to get!

I found the Denon SD500 and the Panny HT1500 both for £399

Obviously the Denon has had lots of rave reviews on here, but the Panny has DVD writer and Hard Disk Capability..

I know most will say it's down to what's important to you yada yada.. but was wondering if anyone has any advice, or knows a bit about the two models? For instance..

Is the DVD writer technology worth it at the moment?
Is 80Gig big enough these days, and is it a must have on todays DVD players?
Is the Denon far superior in quality to the Panny?
Should I maybe be looking to take up a cheaper option (Panny 520 at £150 or Tosh) as a stop gap for if the others come plummeting in price?

Would appreciate any comments or info on any or all of the above if you've got some time!..

Appreciated..

[Moncs]

Would be very interested in any advise on this as well, as I to have narrowed my choise down to these two kits.

[mishmash]

Hi I can only say that I've had my Panny SCHT1500 for a week now and I am very satisfied with it. I only have a small living room which sits a Sagem 45" DLP and my new Panny and I am very impressed with the compination. I got to say that the surround sound quality to my own ears is very impressive, I tried it out with Finding Nemo and Return of The King and am more than happy. I think for £399 the Panny 1500 is a bargain. If you are squeezing a home cinema set up into a standard living room you can't go wrong.

Just like to add, that if you crack the volume up on it, the neighbours will get annoyed, the base travels.

[shyewei]

80Gb is more than enough storage. You should get between 20 - 40 hours worth of recording into it depending on the recording mode.
Once you have experience HD recording you will never want to go back to VHS - believe me.
Let me know how you get on, as I am also interested in the 1500.

Sorry to hijack this thread guys.

Also looking at the Panny 1500. Do you know if the speaker stands are height adjustable? I need to know how low the fronts can go.

Anyone be able to help??

[mishmash]

Originally Posted by Simon44

Sorry to hijack this thread guys.

Also looking at the Panny 1500. Do you know if the speaker stands are height adjustable? I need to know how low the fronts can go.

Anyone be able to help??

The speakers can be height adjusted on the stands.

[MrCisco]

Ok.. Call me MrIndecisive rather than MrCisco..

But let's have a quick straw poll of everyone reading this forum.. The Denon 500 or the Panny HT1500?

I'm leaning towards the Panny currently because of the features.. but the Denon still looks real gooooood...

[svijay]

Does anyone know of a SHCT1500 replacement in the immediate future with DVD-RW ability? I guess even if there was one due, it would cost much more than £399, but it would help me to decide whether to get the SHT 1500.

[Moncs]

Does anyone know how easy it is to make either of these DVD players multi-region?

denon is a great kit but everyone says its 7.1, i went to buy 2 more speakers and was told i need an amp ? anyway the sound quality from the denon was the best i could find

[nathanhill69]

The Denon 500 has never claimed to be 7.1, yep, it can decode 7.1 but there is plenty of info around that informs users that it requires an additional amp for the rear two speakers AND/OR an active sub woofer to achieve 6.1.

As far as answering your other thread, if you've got a a spare amp knocking around you should be able to use that to power the rear speakers, you can also buy additional Denon speakers like the ones you've already got for £50.00 each.

1500 can be bought for £399 multi region - mine was. The 1500 answers all my needs- It looks ok, the speakers seam a bit large and plasticy, for the size of the cones within. Also upgrading to larger diameter speaker cable would be tricky with the cable routing.

Its a small gizzle, but as I use mine for everything, boot up time of about 20secs is a bit annoying when you just want to listen to the radio.

Overall though I can't complain. I'm sure seperates would be more flexible, upgradable and sound better; but for £400 or less it does all that you need for minimal outlay.