[appuchan]

I think Philips has some very good products. Recently came across a "sound Bar" HTS8100 at one of my friends home. It sounded very good for its size even though at about 50k it looks a bit pricey to me. I have also listened to HTS6515. For a 2.1 system thats an excellent buy.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

HDMI cable through a 1 inch pipe, it could not pass. Even a component cable with the 3 heads will not pass through. Could someone guide me on this ? Electrician will come in the morning and finish the work by lunchtime. Suggestions please !

Rectangular "channels" of PVC would be available. You stick / hammer one part of the channel on the wall, insert the wire, put in the other half of the channel, and you are done. But these are not used for concealed wiring, at least, the channel is not concealed here.

[madbullram]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I checked few Music audios and 2 movies just to make sure the package contains working piece . The DTS print of 'Johny English' brought from Muscat showed 'wrong region', it didnt play too ! Then I checked 'The Lion King' bought from Singapore. It worked well, I could see the quality difference on the HDMI cable from my past 6 years of S-Video usage for DVDs.

Now a very practical question to friends here. I need to chip the wall from the cabinet to the centre of the Plasma for all the cables to be concealed behind the plaster & paint. My carpenter suggested 3 pipes put together of 1 inch size each. But I wanted to be more practical than being sorry after all the work is done. Just tried the HDMI cable through a 1 inch pipe, it could not pass. Even a component cable with the 3 heads will not pass through. Could someone guide me on this ? Electrician will come in the morning and finish the work by lunchtime. Suggestions please !

Q1: Region is not an issue, when the Philips Demo guys comes ask him to make it region free. They usually do it without asking but just remind him. Else u can always google with the model number and you will get it.

q2: NO for 3 pipes, wish i was in chennai to post my house picture. I have run on big pipe dont remember the dimension which fits the hdmi head easily. I would suggest one big pipe running from the TV unit to the plasma. The reason is you will be adding 2 HDMI (DVD + PS2 etc), one component for STB. So run just one big pipe which can hold all cables. Get a mason to conceal the pipe and run your cable through it.
Will ask fiance to get the pics this weekdend and will PM it to you.

[madbullram]

Originally Posted by appuchan

I think Philips has some very good products. Recently came across a "sound Bar" HTS8100 at one of my friends home. It sounded very good for its size even though at about 50k it looks a bit pricey to me. I have also listened to HTS6515. For a 2.1 system that's an excellent buy.

Yes, they are very good and they look clean. Its available in US for 700$. Its pricey but its aimed at people who want a sleek product and don't want four speakers and messy wires etc. So that the price you pay for small ones

[guha_2001]

Went to Ezone yesterday and auditioned some home theater systems...HTIBs from Sony and Philips and an Onkyo component system

Philips HTS4750 (abt 25k) was definitely more impressive than Sony, however the sound appeared to be a bit more 'jarring' with trebles on the higher side (I hope this can be tuned out). The looks and build quality were avg though, the DVD player/receiver looked like a chinese/burma bajaar brand

Sony DZ777 (abt 25k) - the sound was average (relatively)....the least impressive of all the systems i saw. However the speakers look big and impressive and the fit/finish was way superior. If I hadnt checked out the philips i wud have gone for this

Onkyo system (abt 1 lac) - Dont remember the model nos....it was a philips DVD player with Onkyo amp & speakers. Sounded the best of the lot...with subtle sounds also coming through. The Philips system was a LOT closer to this in sound quality than the Sony so I'm going for Philips

Will probably go to the Philips Arena in Jayanagar 5th and finalise the model this weekend. Thanks everyone for ur inputs!!! If not for this thread I wud have never considered philips

[shajufx]

I got Philips HTS3569 from Philips arena Jayanagar this week. I like everything about this model, specially the 4 wooden towers that add beauty to the living room. Pictures posted on the LCD thread. I am used to the 5 band equalizer for music in my previous HT. My favourite setting is usually with the vocals reduced with decent bass and treble. On the new Philips HT, I can only reduce vocals on the standard audio CD, not possible on MP3s. I am still searching if my usual setting can be possible. Present options are 'Surround, Party, Rock, Concert, Sports, Games, Classic etc. which are already there by default, not possible to personalise.

[VSG12777]

Hey Shajufx

Even I'm used to my Kenwood 13-band graphic equaliser and spectrum analyser unit (pics attached at the bottom of this post) which is connected to my Pioneer integrated stereo amp (1992 model and still going strong) but unfortunately we can't get this functionality in home theatre systems. This is as far as I know.

Maybe high end expensive systems do let you equalise the sound.

Which model of Sony home theatre were you using before you got your new Philips ? I am using a Sony HTiB, model HT-DDW840 (100w RMS/ch x 6) which comes with 5 satellite speakers of 100w RMS each and a powered active subwoofer of 100w RMS power. It's been pretty good till date at my parents' place. Got it in 2003 for about 33k. Decodes Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Picture attached at the bottom, of a black one but I have the silver coloured one.

Warm regards,
Venkat

[shajufx]

Even I had very decent Sony HT since 2003, may be with half of your power output (4000 watts PMPO). Now I have put it in our classifieds too for potential seconds buyers , selling it for 30% of what I paid. Picture attached there, I will put it here for you. Its a simple system with too many options and out/in ports. I could easily adjust a 5 or 6 point equalizer on that with a very soothing, comfortable setting for the music, that too with the option to save upto 4 or 5 personalised settings. My new Philips do not have even 1 personalised option for music. In other words, you are forced to listen to the whole music with the vocal coming into your ears in its full power. Watching movies is a great feeling though ! Its perfectly balanced and suttle with clean bass and picture quality through HDMI. I agree with what you said, if we want everything in one piece, we have to pay high, in any gadget.

My previous system: Sony MHC DP 1000 D

[VSG12777]

Shajufx

Yeah. With your Sony music system type of DVD HT system, equalisation is of course possible. The same EQ settings used for audio CDs / MP3s can also be used when playing DVDs I am sure.

However your Philips is a dedicated home theatre system and these types generally don't have the EQ option, except for some preset modes which won't give you the kind of sound you are used to hearing thru a proper EQ unit. Maybe the higher end A/V receivers like Denon 1909 / 2308 etc which cost upwards of 40k just for the receiver, have some equalisation feature built in.

[VSG12777]

Hi everyone

After reading so much on this forum on the Philips HTS 4750 system, I decided to check it out and I went to Philips Arena here in Chennai last evening (Mount Road opposite Spencer Plaza). They had a demo room and this system was setup there.

I was impressed with the build quality, user interface, menu navigation etc. The subwoofer is a powered active one, but strangely no bass level / volume level control on the subwoofer itself like most active subs !! This has to be done only through the main system remote.

And the worst part - speaker volume levels, including bass adjustment for the subwoofer - can only be done after stopping and ejecting the disc !! If the DVD/CD you are playing is still in the unit, and you press the stop button and get into the system settings menu to adjust the speaker volume/bass etc, the speaker volume section itself is greyed out.

This is such a nuisance. Otherwise the system is really good and fantastic value at 22k. This one point really put me off. Different discs would require different bass levels and even with a powered active subwoofer, I am shocked that there is no external knob on the subwoofer for bass adjustment.

Otherwise the interface, features (with HDMI upscaling to 1080i and not 1080p) etc are pretty good. The main unit looks good too and very modern.

The subwoofer is one huge longish unit and I at first thought it was some home UPS/Inverter !!! The speakers connect to the rear of the subwoofer and a subwoofer out coaxial cable connects this sub to the main unit.

So in essence, buying this unit, you would be stuck with it and god forbid if anything does go wrong, you are in for some trouble. However as long as nothing goes wrong, it is a good system.

Just wanted to share my view on this system since I had a reasonably detailed demo on it last evening. All your comments / views on the same are welcome.

Sound quality / picture quality were very good in my opinion - I tested mp3 CDs, 2 DTS 5.1 audio CDs of Tamil movies and 2 DVDs. Did not have any DivX with me to test. The DTS 5.1 audio CDs sounded lovely. Except for the bass adjustment which I had to increase, but had to eject the CD and then adjust and play the CD again, which was a real pain in the wrong place

Warm regards,
Venkat

[sammyboy]

Thanks for the wonderful review Venkat. I really wanted to audition this one but just wasnt able to find the time.
Sounds like a good system in the price range but having to eject the cd to adjust the sound ? Just doesnt sound practical . What were they thinking ? or maybe they realised that they forgot the base knob after having completed the product

I think I will drop this from my list. Too inconvenient.

[VSG12777]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Thanks for the wonderful review Venkat. I really wanted to audition this one but just wasnt able to find the time.
Sounds like a good system in the price range but having to eject the cd to adjust the sound ? Just doesnt sound practical . What were they thinking ? or maybe they realised that they forgot the base knob after having completed the product

I think I will drop this from my list. Too inconvenient.

Yeah Sammyboy

Having to eject the disc to adjust speaker/bass volume is a pain. Big flaw in this system. A powered active subwoofer just CANNOT do without a bass level knob on the subwoofer itself. If it's a passive subwoofer, this level control through menus is understandable. Overall a nice system but for this flaw. I am sure some people can live with this inconvenience but I definitely can't, especially after having been used to a bass knob on my Sony HT-DDW840 5.1 HTiB bought in 2003. I have also ruled out this system though otherwise it is very nice features and sound/video quality wise.

Madbullram:

You had purchased this system last year right ? Please tell us how you manage to live with this inconvenience. Ram had given a good review of this system since he'd decided to purchase this after using expensive HT systems like Yamaha/Polk etc in the USA. Ram, please give your views on this one. I was shocked when I realised the bass couldn't be adjusted without ejecting the disc. I actually tried this on the system myself to realise it.

Warm regards,
Venkat

[muralisk]

HK AVR 3550
JBL Studio's for the front
JBL Control One for surround
JBL StudioPro for Center (Yet to buy)
JBL StudioPro Sub (Yet to buy)

It's rocking fro the last 5 years.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by muralisk

HK AVR 3550
JBL Studio's for the front
JBL Control One for surround
JBL StudioPro for Center (Yet to buy)
JBL StudioPro Sub (Yet to buy)

It's rocking fro the last 5 years.

Now how did I just miss JBL Completely ? Thanks Muralisk for bringing this up.Could you please share some specifications and prices of your HT?

[shajufx]

Venkat, I wonder how you got the 4750 in the demo room ? I too was interested in that model as suggested by ram. But when I checked with the showroom they only had Philips HTS3569 or various versions of the same, claiming 4750 is outdated and no more in stock. Mine has a passive sub (as I understand), so no worries about stop/eject etc. Overall music experience has been fantastic so far. Bass levels greatly depend on the quality of music in the disc though. Real feel of the bass is felt when the DTS print is played. It has a max volume upto 40. I dont dare to try going above 15 as that itself shakes up the whole floor, lest neighbours throw me out of the 3rd floor. Showroom I had checked it at 20, there was not a single distortion in all the formats (MP3, CD, DVD etc). May be you could take a look at this model.