System:

          The following components are parts of my home theater system:

COMPONENT	DATE OF PURCHASE
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-405RDS Dolby Pro Logic, 4 x 50 WATT, Sub Out	October 1996
VCR: JVC HR-A637EH PAL and NTSC playback (VHS), Nicam/A2 Stereo, Showview, PDC/VPS	January 1997
Main speakers: Wharfedale Valdus 200 100 W, 4-8 Ohms	October 1996
Center speaker: Wharfedale Centre 100 W, 8 Ohms	October 1996
Surround speakers: Wharfedale Valdus 100 100 W, 4-8 Ohms	October 1996
Subwoofer: PSB Century SubSonic 2i 12", Active 130 W RMS, 300 W peak, 25-150 Hz, High pass / Low pass, phase switch (0°/180°), +++	December 1998

 

Well, those are the main components of my current Home Theater system [changes have been made; this page will be updated later]. In addition, I also have this connected to the receiver:

• Cassette Player: Pioneer CT-W350R (double decker)
• CD Player: Pioneer PD-204 (w/remote)
• Cables and stuff: Monster Cable (Interlink Junior) (to sub), Prolink 24k (from VCR), the rest are low-quality standards

This is it, folks - the front part of it, at least.

Movies:

I own lots of movies, most of which have been recorded from TV-broadcasts, but I also own the following titles on original VHS:

• Die Hard With a Vengeance (1994) (Norwegian title: Die Hard i New York)
• The Rock (1996)
• Contact (1996)
• Executive Decision (1996) ("Norwegian" title: Critical Decision)
• Howard Stern - Private Parts (1996) (Nowegian title: Howard Sterns edle deler)
• Under Siege 2 (1995) (Norwegian title: Kapring i høy hastighet)
• ID4: Independence Day (1996)
• 187 (1997) (Norwegian title: 187 - koden for drap)
• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) (Norwegian title: Fryktens Sommer 2) (Thanks, Nina!)
• 007: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
• US Marshalls (1998)

 

Being able to reproduce the sound and music of a movie somewhat correctly, like I can with my abovementioned system, the quality of your movie experience increases drastically. Dolby Surround sound gives you the opportunity to hear (for example) from which direction objects appear on screen, and you will discover elements of the movie that you have never seen or heard before, especially with a subwoofer. The sound produced by the TV itself is usually not worth much more than the air it's moving through, believe me! And a system like mine can be used for regular hi-fi music as well. My equipment is not exactly "state of the art", but it'll have to do for now, and I am rather satisfied with it, given that my alternative would be crappy mono sound. I will have to get a DVD player and a Dolby Digital decoder soon, though...

If you would like to know more about Home Entertainment, visit sites like John Ariel's Home Theater basics site. You can find more links on my link page.  

JHE, February 2000

 

[Main Page]    [Biopage]    [Pictures]    [Essays]    [SlamBook]    [Links]    [Contact]