For that movie hall experience

BUYER'S CORNER

This is the first in a series of articles on buying gadgets and products.

If you don't have a budget constraint and are willing to shell out cash for that "movie hall" experience at home, read on.

To be sure, home theatre systems are becoming cheaper. After all, the all-purpose DVD with five speakers is available at a fairly affordable price. But what of the aficionado who is willing to mix and match and builds high tech systems?

What you need is a DVD player, an audio video receiver (AVR) and a set of speakers (between five and seven). And you need a new television set that will make the experience worthwhile. We won't deal with TV sets here "� we leave it to you to choose one from the array of TVs available in the market.

But first consider two factors before buying a home theatre system. First, how big is the room in which the home theatre system will be kept. Look too at what else it will it be used for? Secondly, where will the seats from which you will watch your TV set be placed? Consider too the acoustics of the room, which will determine the quality of sound as well as the positioning of the speakers.

Having got that out of the way, let's look at the heart of the home theater, namely, the AVR and the DVD player. If you are looking at the top end, the choice narrows down perhaps to five major brands "� Marantz, Rotel, Onkyo, Denon and Yamaha (these are not the only brands "� others exist, and you'd do well to look at them too, if you so wish, depending on your preferences). Since all of them have distributors in India, after sales servicing is not a problem.

Marantz DVD players range from a base price of Rs 18,000 to over Rs 2.5 lakh for a top of the line player. And if you also buy the Marantz AVR, prices range from Rs 30,000 to Rs 3 lakh. Even Rotel AVRs are available in the market at prices ranging from Rs 84,000 to over 1.28 lakh. Toss in a DVD and your bill will go up by another Rs 26,000 to Rs 54,000.

Onkyo has a great range that encompasses several segments of the market "� you can pick up both an AVR and a DVD and pay less than Rs 40,000. If you're feeling rich, you have the option of forking out over Rs 3.78 lakh "� Onkyo's hottest product, the TX-NR-100 AVR, is priced at a hefty Rs 3 lakh.

Don't want to pay so much? Look at the Yamaha and Denon. A Yamaha AVR and DVD combo or a Denon combo could be yours for around Rs 32,000. Yes, both of them have high end products "� your tag for these could be below Rs 1 lakh.

When it comes to speakers, you have an array of hot brands to choose from "� Jamo, Definitive, Tannoy, B&W, Wharfedale and Boston Acoustics. Many would add Bose speakers, but some audiophiles argue that these are best for listening to music, not for seeing movies.

You can spend a fortune on buying speakers and prices vary dramatically, depending on what you pick. If you are looking for the equivalent of a BMW, the choice is pretty clear "� the B&W's 700 series speaker systems, one of the finest available in the market. But this carries a price tag of over Rs 4 lakh.

That's stiff and if you want something that's half that price, opt for either Definitive or Jamo speakers. Both won't disappoint you and both also have very high-end models. Another high end speaker system worth looking at is the Tannoy brand.

In short, if you want crystal clear sound and want your room to feel like a movie hall, earmark Rs 2 lakh for the simple joys of life.