i'm trying to decide on my first home theater system, and want to spend $400 at the most, although I'd like to keep it around 300 if possible. its going to be used in my bedroom, which is small. both of these systems seem pretty good, but i'm leaning toward the sc-ht700 because of 4 audio inputs (vs. 2 on the samsung) and more raw power than the samsung, even though the panasonic is more expensive...any suggestions/comments on these two models, or is there another model I should consider?
I have been looking around at these exact same models. From what I can tell, the Samsung is a good deal, though the subwoofer is passive (which is usually not as good as powered). A good HTiB that I've found, the one I'm most likely going to buy, is the Pioneer XV-HTD520 (also listed as just HTD-520). It's $350 at Sears (of course you can find all these cheaper online and Sears will match the price minus 10% of the difference), and from the reviews I've read, the sound is very nice for 5.1 or just 2.1. It's around the same price as your Panasonic, with a little more power and better balance (in my opinion).
There are also the Philips MX3900D at $300 and the Sony DAV-C450 at $350, but after some research they don't look as all-around good. Also, if you want your DVD player to be compatible with burned CDs or DVDs, and if you want it to be able to read VCDs, MP3 CDs, etc. check vcdhelp.com. I know that the Pioneer I mentioned is compatible with everything except MP3 playback. Also, if you can make use of progressive scan, you should definitely look around for that feature. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.
Anonymous
Posted on
There is a new model from Pioneer with MP3 playback and progressive scan: HTD-330DV