The ultimate All in one: SCHT855 vs DHT 500 vs HTSF 1000: Debate

radiowave

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Hi Folks, Ive shortlisted these 3 systems based on their reviews and popularity on this forum.
Good thing about the Panasonic SCHT 855 is its HDMI and compatibility if you have a Panny TV. Questions is: is HDMI upscaling worth it. I feel Denon has got the best audio among these 3.
So is getting panny with HDMI worth the small compromise in sound quality???
Is the Sony the answer to this question: with reasonable sound quality and with HDMI???
Owners of these systems, please contribute and tell us which one would you go for if you had a second chance.
 
I only have the Sony and not tried the rest so can't really compare. All I can say is that the Sony doesn't have reasonable sound, it has awesome sound!!! for a typical living room space. I would buy it again without a second thought :smashin:
 
The Sony HTSS1000 sound is very nice. Another good feature is the HDMI switching which is valuable if you've only got one HDMI input on your screen but a couple of HDMI devices to connect which is becomming the norm.
 
denon has the best sound by far and you can use component which some say gives you nearly as good pic quality as hdmi

i have the panny and the sound is awesome for an all in one, a lot of people have had sound problems with the sony (search this forum) I looked at the sony b4 i got the panny and it sounded good but not as good as the panny IMO
 
I doubt Sonys 1000 and Pannys 850 watts claim. But I bet Denons 6 X 100 watts claim is genuine.
So the key difference might be in being 'Loud' (Sony and Panny) and being 'Clear' (Denon) !
And what about picture quality? Denon recieved critical acclaim for its picture but not sure if the other 2s HDMI s do better.
 
But thats the thing, the Sony not only produces loud, space filling sound but also clear & sharp without distortion (to my ears) right upto max volume of 70. Need to see some proffesional reviews to see if it is technically good but to my ears I love the sound it produces (I did need to lower the subwoofer though as it was just too big a sound after auto-setup)
 
I have the Denon connected up via component (to Sagem 50") and am extremely happy with it.
The sound quality is (to my untrained ears!) exceptional.
I cannot fault the picture quality either. There was a definite improvement in picture quality changing from scart to component. Haven't tried the others so can't comment on whether the picture would be even better over HDMI.
 
I went to currys and did tryout the panasonic and denon, side by side, listened to the same CD, same song on the same volume. Must say denon felt better at lower frequency sounds, where you can really 'feel' the thumps. Apart from that, its difficult to delineate the two. I know many reviews gave 5 stars to Denon but, practically speaking, does it make any difference?
 
not sure if mentioning picture quality is based on the sony or the source passing through. surely the sony (not sure about the other systems as i have only used the sony first hand) doesnt do anything to the picture quality
 
The Sony HTSF 1000 doesn't include a DVD player, which is a plus as far as I'm concerned since that function's already covered by my Panny EX75 DVR. The other two systems do include a DVD player, still I don't suppose a second device capable of playing DVDs would hurt.:)
 
For many people, the HDMI socket in Panny and sony are factors which favour them.
Is HDMI 'upscaling' good enough or are we overplaying it???
Ive read in several articles that HDMI isnt always good. Since these players cant play a HD DVD but can only 'upscale' a normal one to HD quality, I really doubt if they can actually do this if your source picture is set at a standard and the player is trying to some how upgrade it. Is it really possible??
Now I feel if we are all being taken for a ride from these companies quoting HDMI on their machines!

So if you take off the HDMI out of the equation, Denon would probably be at the top.
 
What about the Pioneer DCS360? Is it worth putting it among these systems?
 
radiowave said:
What about the Pioneer DCS360? Is it worth putting it among these systems?

don't think the 360 has optical so it would lose out to the panny
 
Problem with panasonic and sony is that the bass sounds too harsh and excessive. I dont know if anyone had the same experience.
 
radiowave said:
Problem with panasonic and sony is that the bass sounds too harsh and excessive. I dont know if anyone had the same experience.

The sub on the panny can be adjusted - 4 different levels to suit personal taste.
 
Same with Sony. I have mine about 2 steps lower than autosetup as it was too boomy. Perfect now though.
 
Yeah , the subwoofer level is set to 4 by default for DVD video sources, I've set mine to 2 cos 4 was just ridiculously boomy! I also switched H-BASS off as well as that doesn't help. Once I did that the sound was very nice indeed!
 
I don't like bassy sounds, so I turned H-Bass off, turned the SW setting to 1 and reduced the SW output by the maximum 6 db. Most of the time it's fine, but occasionally I still feel that there is too much bass.
 
Went to the shop to checkout the panny (again). Guys, you gotta admit that the whole setup looks really cheap using plasticky silvery materials. Yest. I thought Im gonna order one of these and wanted to check out one last time before doing so....but just couldnt like the build quality. But otherwise the sound and conectivity are good.
So my loyalties are shifting again...denon1356?? YamahaAV 59?? Pioneer DSC 360???
Im gonna go completely mad now!
 
radiowave said:
Went to the shop to checkout the panny (again). Guys, you gotta admit that the whole setup looks really cheap using plasticky silvery materials. Yest. I thought Im gonna order one of these and wanted to check out one last time before doing so....but just couldnt like the build quality. But otherwise the sound and conectivity are good.
So my loyalties are shifting again...denon1356?? YamahaAV 59?? Pioneer DSC 360???
Im gonna go completely mad now!


the build quality for me is fine, pioneer doesn't stand out to be much better quality. Both systems are fine for build quality unless you're gonna be throwing them round the room!!
 
Build quality is fine, it costs £250 for gods sake it and sounds like it costs a lot more, that to me is far more important than whether it can stand being thrown across my room or not! Looks ok to me as well, I must be easily pleased lol!
 
Why does no one mention Sony DAV DZ810 among First two sets?

I really think it deserves a spot as a competition for the ultimate all in one.
 
refugee said:
Why does no one mention Sony DAV DZ810 among First two sets?

I really think it deserves a spot as a competition for the ultimate all in one.
Well...you may add if you think so...and ofcourse say why it should be added.
 
Well, it has basically the same spec as the Panasonic.

Great picture. Better then on my old NS405 which was then in the range of toshiba sd220 and pioneer.
Great sound all around.
Of course, DTS, DD, prologic2.
It reads divx and xvid, has titles, even eastern european.
Jpg, mp3.

Has really good rear wireless speakers.

Very good build quality.

And it is cheaper then DZ700W.

Oh yes, forgot to mention it has both optical and coaxial in, component, scart and hdmi out.
 
refugee said:
Well, it has basically the same spec as the Panasonic.

Great picture. Better then on my old NS405 which was then in the range of toshiba sd220 and pioneer.
Great sound all around.
Of course, DTS, DD, prologic2.
It reads divx and xvid, has titles, even eastern european.
Jpg, mp3.

Has really good rear wireless speakers.

Very good build quality.

And it is cheaper then DZ700W.

Oh yes, forgot to mention it has both optical and coaxial in, component, scart and hdmi out.

The words good rear wireless speakers don't go in the same sentence!!

wireless rears aren't a patch on wired rears
 

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