0309WHC22 System 1

7/24/03

3:06 PM

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Components System 1: 950
Thomson DTH-Panasonic SA-XRPanasonic SB-TP55 550
The first contender in our separates system group test provides well-matched components and a digital amplifier for just 950. But is it cheap and cheerful?
he growing popularity of home cinema and the plummeting cost of one-box systems has had a knock-on effect with the separates market. A budget DVD player will now set you back around 100 less than two years ago, it was 250. The systems boom has also affected the cost of amplifiers, which now have more features, at competitive prices. If all-in-one solutions arent for you, constructing a system of separates is cheaper than ever. The budget bundle featured here comprises the Thomson DTH-211 DVD player and two perfectly matched Panasonic items the SA-XR25 digital amplifier and SB-TP55 speakers. The overall price of 950 is not much more than youll pay for a high-end all-in-one system.
What is immediately striking about the system is just how compact and discreet it is. The slender silver DVD player looks anything but budget, and complements the swanky silver finish of the amp and speakers. Thomson has been prolific in driving down the cost of DVD players and the DTH-211 is its cheapest. It is connected to a display using the RGB Scart to deliver high quality images, while theres also a composite video output. DVD and CD soundtracks are fed digitally to an amplifier using the electrical digital output. The player is compatible with a myriad of discs including WMA files, JPEGs and MP3 files on CD-R/RW discs.

Slimline stunner

Believe it or not, the stunning SA-XR25 is an amplifier and not a DVD player, although it measures just 74mm high. Digital amps are more efficient than analogue varieties which need large heat sinks to dissipate heat
and this allows them to be much smaller. But theres been no compromise on features. This amp can handle 6.1 channel DVDs, supporting DTS ES and Dolby Digital EX decoding, along with Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II. The latter creates almost-5.1 surround sound from stereo or mono sources, which is handy when watching TV. Power output is a generous 100W, while there are also 5.1 analogue audio inputs for SACD and DVD-Audio players and an optical output for making digital audio recordings. The SB-TP55 is designed for use with the SA-XR25 and its bigger brother, the SA-XR45. Yet the speakers are a 5.1 package, so those wanting to utilise the amps 6.1 capabilities will have to buy another Panasonic centre speaker, or get a 6.1-channel package. Pleasingly, theres a designated centre speaker, although the towers are a little wobbly and you have to be careful not to knock them over.
What Home Cinema September 2003

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The main criticism levelled against digital amplifiers is that while they deliver lashings of detail in the high frequencies, they lack presence in the lower end. This is the biggest weakness of the SA-XR25. The opening scene in Gladiator exposes both the strengths and weaknesses of the system. The fire-tipped arrows launched by the Romans sear from left to right and front to back with delicious detail, and whistle through the soundstage. The giant burning boulders catapulted by the Romans also race through the sky, but when one smashes into the trees, the expected boom is a hard crack. PERFECT PARTNERS
The subwoofer struggles to carry the rumble off and distorts under the depth of the effect. It is overworked and has to take midband load off the speakers a task with which it struggles. The speakers are adequate at conveying the information they are being fed from the amplifier. They deliver high frequency sounds with aplomb and there's enormous texture and detail. But they lack presence in the midrange, and rely heavily on the subwoofer to give low-end presence. The overall result is that the soundstage appears a TEST SCENES
little thin. Take the recreation of the battle of Carthage as the chariots shoot around the arena, the hooves of the horses make a weak thud and not a relentless deep pounding. Also, when the one of the chariots is overturned by the slaves, the moment it crashes into the wall is met with a huge grumble from the sub, which lacks any sort of control.

GOOD POINTS

Crisp sound separation is provided by the SA-XR25, while the DVD player delivers colourful pictures

Boxed in

The main weakness, however, is the clarity of dialogue, which, although audible, is a bit tinny and boxy, with little atmosphere or depth to sounds from the centre speaker despite the fact that its a dedicated model. On the video side, pictures from the DVD player are bright, colourful and very clean for such a low-cost player. But it's not perfect, and occasional patches of picture noise in the form of blocky backgrounds can be seen. The weakest link in this system are the speakers, which rely on the sub and fail to push the SA-XR25 which is capable of holding its own with stronger speakers. For such a cheap deck, its also hard to pick faults with Thomsons DTH-211. We chose our speakers badly. Both amp and DVD player would benefit from a better system, like the Elacs on p22. WHC

BAD POINTS

Speakers dont push the amp hard enough, and rely on the subwoofer

OVERALL

Expensive speakers are the Achilles heel of this system, while the DVD player and amp are fine performers

CRT TV or PROJECTOR

GLADIATOR

RATINGS

Style Ease of use Features Picture Sound Value Overall 5555555566
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE TOSHIBA 28ZD26 800
This stylish performer includes three Scarts, progressive scan and excellent picture and audio quality The subwoofer struggle to cope with the resonant sounds of the exploding fire balls

FURTHER INFO

Call Thomson or visit www.thomson-europe.com Call Panasonic or visit www.panasonic.co.uk

HITACHI CP225 2,000

Admittedly its twice the price of the system, but this LCD projector boasts awesome cinema-sized 5ft pictures

VOICEOVER

Dialogue sounds tinny and boxy, with little or no energy from the centre speaker