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| JVC | THL1 | This sound system is absolutely unbelievable. For around £200 you WILL not get a better sound than this.
I have had this for over 2 months now. And Ive been using it for PS3, Blu-ray and DVD, and during nearly every film and game I get shivers purely because of the phenomenal sound this system produces. Plus it isnt so loud it disturbs your neighbours (however turn it up max and it probably would)
It is incredibly easy to set up, just prop up your speakers and clip the wires to the control box. The remote allows you to adjust each speaker individually as well as adjust the settings for movies, games and music. Its so easy to use that no-one with any experience with a TV/remote couldnt figure it out.
Buy this, and you will not regret it. Trust me. |  | Amazon Reviewer | 03/10/2008 01:01:01 |
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| ONKYO | TXSR606 Black | I brought this amp about a month ago, I needed an upgrade as I had brought a blu-ray player and my old Denon amp couldnt process the new Hi-Def audio tracks on blu-ray discs. The improvements in performance over my old Denon was very pleasing not only in Tru-HD and DTS Master Audio which you would expect really but also in normal DD via DVD and Xbox 360.
Contrary to then prior reviewer I found it very easy to setup, anybody with prior experience of setting up this kind of equipment will find it a breeze. You simply connect up your speakers in the traditional way, connect up your A/V equipment (this amp has 4 HDMI inputs, a big selling point for me as well because my plasma only has 1 HDMI, so this feature comes in real handy), then you start the amp up and connect the setup microphone which you place in the listening position and then start the automatic setup procedure (takes about 10 minutes) and thats it the amp does the rest, of course you may need to tweak the setting here and there if you like and assign the A/V inputs but thats all pretty straight forward.
The remote whilst nice too look at is a little tricky to setup to work with your other equipment and obviously will not have all the individual features to work with everyones kit (how could it, it would have to be the size of a sheet of A4 or a touch screen type and no amps remote at this price is going to be that fancy), definitely not worth knocking a star off.
All in all Im very happy with my purchase and wouldnt hesitate to recommend it, for further proof check out What Hi-Fi magazines 5 star review and subsequent award win. | | Amazon Reviewer | 31/07/2008 01:01:01 |
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| Pioneer | VSX1017AVS | This receiver is a real pleasure to own and quite a pleasant surprise for the price I paid. If you have multiple sources: ipod, PSP, PS3, DVD etc. then this is a good choice. The supplied ipod cable allows full control of your ipod using the remote. Plug in a pen drive into the front USB port and the receiver finds any compatible music files and plays them. Inputs conveniently located on the front panel allow me to plug in my PSP without fiddling around the back of the unit.
Coupled with some quality Monitor Audio speakers I get a powerful tight sound. Amp pre-outs on the back allow a dedicated musical amp and active sub to be used if youre an audiophile. It is also possible to bi-wire and bi-amp using this unit.
As for instructions, pretty good. They dont explain the technical side of AV but they do clearly state what the unit can and cant do.
| | Amazon Reviewer | 26/06/2008 01:01:01 |
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| JVC | THL1 | I bought one of these and it fits my needs perfectly.
I have 2 PS3s attached, 1 Xbox 360, 1 Wii and a TV Tuner. On the out I have 2 LCDs and a Projector. I can select which Machine passes the sound into the System and pass through the image of all systems at the same time on to various screens.
The system has 2 to 1 HDMI.
It has 2 to 1 Component Video.
It has 3 to 1 S-Video.
It has 3 to 1 Video (yellow only)
For Sound it has 2 Optical, 1 Digital Coaxial and 3 Stereo.
Thing to note.
1) The video in and outs act as a Bridge, so you can not pass in S-Video and pass out along the Component output. There is NO monitor as many systems have. So if you have one screen and multiple inputs you need to run leads from the System for each output type.
2) It does not carry HDMI sound. It will pass image only, for HDMI devices such as the PS3 you will need to take the sound out with an Optical cable into the system.
Hope this helps. | | Amazon Reviewer | 06/06/2008 01:01:01 |
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| Sony | STRDA1200ES Silver | Just bought it. Its the badgers nadgers.
Not as HDMI friendly as some newer but does sound excellent and does the the job via coax or optical inputs.
Fantastic for the price. | | Amazon Reviewer | 11/05/2008 01:01:01 |
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| JVC | THL1 | Brought this system because i wanted 5.1 for my playstation 3. It is a great system, crystal clear surround sound, great bass. needed a system that wouldnt annoy the neighbours as i live in a terrace house and this is right on the money! Excellent feature to raise and lower the individual volume of each speaker, which really helps if the bass is shaking your house. ipod connectivity is an added bonus, cradle and cable in box. Each speaker has a plethora of connect features for adding them to stands. 3m of cable for front speakers/centre and sub and 8m of cable for rear speakers. Remember to buy a digital optical cable to connect it to your playstation. very pleased with this system. | | Amazon Reviewer | 05/04/2008 01:01:01 |
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| ONKYO | TXSR606 Black | I bought the 606 one month ago to replace my Pioneer Pro-Logic processor. I have connected a Samsung 40" full HD TV, Sky HD, a PS3 (for use as a Blu Ray DVD player), a video sender, a video ipod (via a Logic3 dock), a LG DVD/HDD recorder and Kef 5005 5.1 speakers.
Because there is a multitude of ways that AV can connect, the 606 has to have a variety of inputs (optical, co-ax, composite, S video, component, HDMI). If you are only using HDMI, its pretty simple. But it soon starts to get complicated as you attach different sources. This isnt the fault of the 606, its just the way things are. For instance; SKY HD doesnt transmit Dolby Digital via HDMI, hence you have to add an optical lead and assign that separately via the set-up and Digital switch on the front of the box. To optimise performance you may also have to change the settings on your source components (such as the Bitstream/PCM settings on the PS3).
The 606 upconverts all input connections to ouput via HDMI but doesnt do the reverse. Hence if you want to connect a non HDMI monitor, or in my case a recorder and a video sender, you must also input the signal to the 606 using the same connection type.
Having done all this the performance is excellent and the difference between, Pro-Logic and, Dolby Digital 5.1 and True HD sound, is quite stunning.
Just a few minor gripes that preclude a 5 star rating. Firstly a hum/buzz when using the PS3, which is a fault that requires the return of the 606 for a mod (evidently corrected in very new versions - so worth checking with the retailer). Secondly the remote is very fussy. Thirdly the manual isnt clear/comprehensive and can be a little confusing. Lastly, the design is not very aesthetic.
But once you are past the techy stuff, its a superb performer for both AV and music - but itd be a waste if you dont have all the right AV sources. |  | Amazon Reviewer | 13/10/2008 01:01:01 |
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| Nad | C272 | Takes a few weeks to come into it"s own,but is worth waiting for. | | Eric R. | 03/01/2005 11:00:34 |
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| Pioneer | VSX1017AVS | First impression was great, this is just the job, 3 hdmi cables, hook up my HD Set Top Box and PS3 to my Samsung LCD and Bose Surround system and bingo, full 7.1 sound, no messy cables and top notch audio and video, simple right....wrong.
Here are my gripes....
1) The amp does not process the HDMI audio as 7.1 and simply passes it to the display - so you have to hook up SPDIF cables to get the digital sound and then obviously you dont get the full uncompressed digital audio, just the standard 5.1, 6.1 DTS and Dolby etc. Not to mention that this means 2 otherwise unnecessary cables as well.
2) Despite the fact this is an AV receiver that supports AV switching and can effectively be used as a HDMI hub, to get the on screen display you have to connect an S-Video or RCA style Video Lead to your monitor. The amp will NOT pass the on screen display through the HDMI out cable connected to your monitor. So another pain in the backside quirk and one more extra cable.
3) On the Pioneer Website it states the amp is built for Ipod and using the cable provided you can simply hook it up and play using the on screen display to control the ipod.....If only! Theres no cable in the box - apparently you only get it if you live on mainland Europe. it IS NOT provided with the UK model (depsite the fact there are umpteen instruction books in the box in every European language you can think of-and a few you probably cant) and the cable is not cheap to buy either coming in at around £99.
4) Multi function remote control can be used to control yout TV/Monitor - so you can dispense with the TV remote - The samsung TV I have was manufatured in Feb 2007 its a 40" LCD 1080p top notch jobby, and is backwards compatible with older samsung remotes - I know because when I bought I got a few bob off the list price because Currys couldnt find the remote. Anyhow, using the codes pre-programmed in the Pioneer remote it was NOT possible to control the Samsung TV. So 4 Extra cables and One extra remote so far.
5)Assigning Names to the Sources is not possible....why? My old Sony had this function and it was 5 years older, it just makes life easier, so hence this is probably why it was left off the software for the Pioneer.
6) The instructions are terrible. I pride myself on being a sad chuffer who reads all instructions before battle commences with setting up items such as this. I am not an expert, but then I am no novice either. That said, the layout of the instruction book is terrible, the instructions often refer to front panel buttons without making it clear, so you are left gawping at the remote trying to find them, but never will. The sections refering to assigning sources etc send you off all over the booklet (see page ... refer to page .... see footnote....) rather than in a chronological order, and every single page has at least 2 footnotes in type that you need a microscope to read.
That lot said, it is a great amp, its powerful, very stylish, has a multitude of connectors and a very handy array of front panel connectors - including USB - too. However its let down by some glaring ommissions and diabolical instructions.
Verdict, dont buy this amp if you are expecting to just hook up your PS3 / Blu Ray player with HDMI, it wont do the job. However, if you are looking for a reasonable price AV amp with good sound output, then its up there with the best of them.
Craig Elwell (craigelwell@msn.com) |  | Amazon Reviewer | 21/07/2007 01:01:01 |
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| Denon | PMA655R | I consider myself an Audiophile and own brands like Roksan, Arcam FMJ, Cyrus, Sherwood Newcastle, HK and of course most of the Japanese brands. Of every bit of kit I own, this is the most underrated and always amazing piece. I bought the new Cyrus 8VS2 after it came out and won many awards. I sold the Cyrus! The Cyrus was cleaner in the top end up loud and dug up more detail. The Denon trumped it in every other area, especially the big one, musicallity. These are splendid amps and can be found for a song. Nothing under $1500AU will touch it! Great build. Full Bass. Good detail. Plenty of power. Good input count. Musical. Musical. Musical. I will never part with mine. | | GCBofAUSTRALIA | 30/12/2008 10:57:31 |
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| YAMAHA | CDRHD1500 Titanium | Superb machine, Ive had one of these for about 4 months now. Cant fault it, its a bit difficult to get your head round, but the manual is pretty good. Buy one and enjoy. | | Amazon Reviewer | 16/11/2008 01:01:01 |
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| DENON | PMA700AE silver | I initially had unpleasant experience with my previous Denon (AVR 1306), but somehow I haven`t quit on my interest in Denon in the hopes that I might hit upon a good Denon for the price I am willing, knowing well Denon`s fine reputation. This did ring true when I bought PMA 700AE Denon stereo integrated amplifier few days ago. Connected it to Bose 301V and out came galloping (read powerfully) from the speakers high quality, pleasing sound! It has nice build quality for an intended entry-level high quality amp, not to mention its simple and shipshape look. In this price bracket, I do recommend this stereo amp. Let me phrase - can`t go wrong with this baby! Excellent work on this one, Denon! | | Matchline | 04/03/2007 16:45:16 |
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| TECHNICS | SUA909 | The Technics SU-A909S amplifier to my experience is sublime. Combining detail, mid-range clarity with a sizeable (but not offensive) level of clout. The combination of seperate pre and power sections is normally found with real high-end equipment due to the direct effects of seperating two fundamentally different roles. The dividends this pays is fantastic. The styling of this piece is excellent and looks truly classy. It doesn`t quite look as good as a musical fidelity or tag maclaren audio item, but at a fraction of thier prices it is excellent. When cranking up the power not only can you hear and feel it, but you can see the two power needles dancing on the power amplifier. | | John Southall | 16/02/2007 18:09:23 |
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| Harman Kardon | HK670 | Excellent amp,it is aut of it`s price kategory maybe 2 or 3 tames bigger price amp`s can compare with it or,maybe not!.It`s speciall class of producte,Hi-end for reall price,J think that after hk 670 in reall hi fi worlld(J don`t mean on magaz.hi fi choise or what hi fi it`s no realle,J hope you undersstand what J mean)need a new standarde for audio. | | Peco Kochoski | 26/01/2006 09:39:43 |
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| Nad | C350 | Cheap and powerful with great ranging sound worthy of amplifiers more than twice the price. | | Bernard | 24/04/2005 21:33:54 |
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| Creek | OBH22 | Excellent little passive, and so cheap! Totally clean undistorted sound allows you to turn the musuc up very LOUD, but also reveals any shortcomings in the original recordings. Personally I had no problems matching the unit with my other kit. Dumping my Audio Research LS7 in favour of this little beauty. | | Bez | 26/02/2005 11:18:43 |
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| Sugden | Headmaster Headphone Amp | i use the headmaster with a set of senny HD650"s. the source is provided by a rotel 965BX CD player. the result is outstanding. i am delighted with the headmaster. and it looks as special as it sounds. | | frenchmann | 01/02/2005 10:03:33 |
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| Marantz | PM4200 Black | I bought this to give me a reasonable level of quality when recording my records to CD (for the car etc.) and it"s pretty good. I don"t claim to be an audiophile, but I love music(!) and it doesn"t let me down. The only downer is that it"s a little complex to understand the input selector, but that might just be me not being an audiophile! | | Mr man | 05/11/2004 10:29:37 |
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| Marantz | PM7200 Gold | Excellent build, excellent facilties, excellent sound. A true bargain. | | R J Fallon (Dr) | 12/10/2003 18:50:01 |
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| YAMAHA | AX-496 | Just a great amp ! Gives a stong tight sound at high and low listening levels. | | Marc Vermeer | 03/09/2003 16:50:00 |
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| NAD | C370 | Great amp. I have Wharfedale Pacific Pi40 speakers and Nad 541i cd player. This amp is the only one I have used that can take grip of my speakers and make them dance. | | Colin R Hopper | 28/02/2003 19:17:51 |
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| Harman Kardon | HK670 | Excellent value for the money. Lots of power and good detail. Very hard to beat even for much more expensive amps. | | Tommy | 01/10/2002 10:30:09 |
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| Harman Kardon | HK670 | Excellent amplifier,like nothing I've ever heard before! It gives the sound you can touch with your hand. Hi-end for hi-fi money.
Disadvantages: 1)cheap remote control. 2)It has no sleep function. 3)No cooler. | | Igor Belash | 12/09/2002 17:19:10 |
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| JVC | RX5032V | Please I need help about this product JVC RX 5032V,I bought it in January 2005.It was fine,then in 2008 the two speakers couldn`t produce sound.At least if there is a way of reseting it to factory defalt,please help.Tama is my name. | | mpulubusi@yahoo.co.uk | 22/04/2009 20:21:39 |
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| JVC | RX5032V | Please I need help about this product JVC RX 5032V,I bought it in January 2005.It was fine,then in 2008 thte two speakers couldn`t produce sound.Atleast if there is a way of reseting it to factory defalt,please help.Tama is my name. | | tama@yahoo.co.uk | 22/04/2009 20:21:37 |
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| JVC | RX5032V | Please I need help about this product JVC RX 5032V,I bought it in January 2005.It was fine,then in 2008 the two speakers couldn`t produce sound.Atleast if there is a way of reseting it to factory defalt,please help.Tama is my name. | | tama | 22/04/2009 20:21:36 |
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| YAMAHA | RX397 black | This is a good all round unit and has phono input also. Very clear power output. The only thing I am not happy about is the AM tuner side. I can onlt get one channel if I am lucky. I have other AM/FM receivers that are perfect no matter what the cost. This unit just does not receive AM signals well at all, if any. Buyer beware. Andy, Vancouver, BC, Canada | | Andy JW | 13/02/2007 08:41:51 |
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| Harman Kardon | HK670 | The HK670 is a good amplifier. If you like the Harmans sound with the rich bass, HK670 will be a good choice for you. I wanted to buy it, but could not accept its appearance. Its front panel looks quite absurd. Such a design not for me, because i like amplifiers with the standart metal made front panel without too much lites, with the normal size tone controls. Anyway i will wait for the next model with better appearance. Now i am using the older model HK630 HarmanKardon amplifier. I like it both for sound and appearance. | | Chris | 05/11/2004 10:30:09 |
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| SONY | TAFB940R | great buy! runs a bit hot but once there sounds great. i never turn mine off | | Anon | 20/08/2004 17:11:55 |
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| Marantz | PM7200 | Excellent mid-range and low-level detail, clear treble, fair bass, especially in Class A mode. Goodish phono pre-amp and solid, quality build. Well worth the cash. | | Classical Music listener | 02/11/2003 15:55:38 |
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| Marantz | PM7200 Black | A precise, detailed treble and mid-range with a lot of low-level definition. An excellent phono-stage and very solidly built. Well worth the money! Only am still not sure about the value of the class A option. | | Classical Music listener | 05/08/2003 14:08:34 |
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| Harman Kardon | HK670 | The H/k 670 is undoubtedly a good amp, well worth the money given all the features it sports and the power being at 75wpc. It's solidly built, looks good and sounds nice.
But in my view, this is not the best sounding amp at the price.The Rega Brio I borrowed at a local store sounds better then the H/k. The differences are subtle but still audible. The Rega is simply better balanced and bass lines are slightly warmer. On the other hand the h/k has a remote and could be a better choice if your room is spacey (more than 30sm ). My old Nad302 rated at only 30wpc and at half the price of the h/k sounds just as good. I guess that you can find amps under 300$ that sound just as good as the h/k and still have considerable amount of controls. | | ivica, music lover from Croatia | 13/02/2003 10:45:08 |
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| NAD | C320BEE | Pick the right speakers, try AE Aegis Evo Three, this amplifier is unbeatable at the price. | | Rover | 01/12/2002 19:00:14 |
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| NAD | C320BEE | A very nice amp however its predescessor is cheaper and in my opinion a little more crisp. | | J.D | 16/10/2002 15:49:37 |
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| Marantz | PM4200 | Even with its 30wpc, this amp gives good sound. The build looks good but feels cheap.
For its price it is a sure steal!! | | Glau | 02/09/2002 09:26:05 |
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| Teac | AR600 | Good value for money. Typical Japanese integrated amp sound - Clear, detailed & smooth (if a bit bass light). Quite well built, lots of inputs (inc 2 tape). Only speaker set A has binding posts.
Remote poor - you need to be directly in front of the amp for it to work. Amp/remote use a 'UR' system connector (standard phono) to control matching TR460 tuner and power up other Teac units from standby when selected.
Used it for over a year now with no problems. | | Zaidstone | 13/02/2003 21:39:14 |
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| Roksan | Kandy MKIII | the roksan kandy is awesome excellent sound stage and stereo seperation plays acoustics with smooth precision the only problem i have found is the remote is very cheap and tacky and befalls its £649.99 price tag |  | Barry Littler Manchester | 10/07/2006 10:21:23 |
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