[Help] Sony 2.1 SRS D8 vs Philips CSS2123/05 Soundbar

rbmaster

rbmaster

Audiophyte
I want to buy something to hook to my Sony Bravia KDL-32EX600 on a small bedroom, with a small budget (<100€).

Sony SRS D8

Experience the high quality and powerful sound from SRS-D8 speakers, with a powerful output power of 60W, high quality digital amplifier and MDF-equipped subwoofer.
60W total output power
High quality digital amplifier
Bass reflex port sound system to boost base sounds
MDF-equipped subwoofer for clear and natural base sound
15 degree upward design for easy listening
RCA / Stereo mini jack input

Speaker System (Satellite) Magnetically-Shielded
Power Output (Satellite) 15W + 15W
Power Output (Subwoofer) 30W
Speaker (Diameter) Satellite: 60mm, Subwoofer: 160mm
Speaker Impedance Satellite: 8ohms, Subwoofer: 3.6ohms
Amplifier Input Impedance 6 kohms (at 1 kHz)
Input Stereo mini jack x 1, RCA jack x 1
Output Stereo mini jack × 1
Power Source DC 18V (supplied AC power adaptor)
Dimensions (W x H x D) (Satellite Speakers) Approx. 109 x 212 x 140 mm
Dimensions (W x H x D) (Subwoofer) Approx. 240 x 310 x 318 mm
Weight Satellite Speakers: Approx. 650g (Left), Approx. 600g (Right), Subwoofer: Approx. 4,000g

Price - 89.9€

Note: It has a feature that auto turns on or off the system.



Philips CSS2123/05

Low-rise profile for the perfect fit in front of your TV
Ultra-compact soundbar—just 70 cm/28" wide
Virtual Surround Sound for a realistic movie experience
Dolby Digital for ultimate movie experience
DoubleBASS technology for fuller and deeper bass
Separate subwoofer adds a thrill to the action

Front/Side connections Music iLINK
Rear Connections AUX IN 1, Digital coaxial in, Digital optical in, Subwoofer out
Sound Enhancement DoubleBass, FullSound, Night Mode, Treble and Bass Control
Sound System Dolby Digital

Accessories:
Compatible accessories: Screw x 2, Wall plug x 2
Included accessories: 1 x CR2025 Battery, Power cord, Quick start guide, Remote Control, Safety and Legal Leaflet, Trademarks Sheet, World Wide Warranty leaflet

Connectivity:
Front/Side connections: Music iLINK
Rear Connections: AUX IN 1, Digital coaxial in, Digital optical in, Subwoofer out

Dimensions:
Main Unit (W x H x D): 708 x 47 x 65 mm
Main Unit Weight: 1.03 kg
Subwoofer (W x H x D): 165 x 295 x 240 mm
Subwoofer Weight: 2.6 kg
Subwoofer cable length: 3.3 m
Packaging (W x H x D): 756 x 395 x 220 mm
Weight incl. Packaging: 5.4 kg

Loudspeakers:
Loudspeaker types: Integrated with main unit
Speaker Drivers per side: 1 x 5" woofer, 1 x 1.5" Mylar tweeter
Speaker Impedance: 4 ohm
Subwoofer type: Passive
Subwoofer driver: 1 x 6.5" woofer
Subwoofer freq range: 20–150 Hz
Subwoofer impedance: 8 ohm

Power:
Power consumption: 20 W
Power supply: 220-240 V, 50 Hz
Standby power consumption: < 0.5 W

Sound:
Sound Enhancement: DoubleBass, FullSound, Night Mode, Treble and Bass Control
Sound System: Dolby Digital
Speaker output power: 15 W x 2
Subwoofer output power: 30 W
Total Power RMS @ 30% THD: 60 W

Price:100€
_________________________


What's the pros and cons of these systems? I play a lot of movies (laptop with xbmc - hdmi) and games (Playstation 3 - hdmi)

Please help me to decide what's best for me.
 
H

hizzaah

Full Audioholic
What's your location, room size (dimensions) and space requirements? posting on a forum like this will get you looking in a different direction.

I see this is also posted at AVS and that you already bought the Sony. I imagine you'll get it soon, so try it out and see if it does what you want. If not, then maybe you can return it and we can help you find something else..
 
rbmaster

rbmaster

Audiophyte
What's your location, room size (dimensions) and space requirements? posting on a forum like this will get you looking in a different direction.

I see this is also posted at AVS and that you already bought the Sony. I imagine you'll get it soon, so try it out and see if it does what you want. If not, then maybe you can return it and we can help you find something else..
Yes I already brought the Sony D8 (should have it friday) but I still don't understand what difference those speaker systems provide. I mean, one is a soundbar with Dolby Digital support and many sound enhancement capabilities with a separate subwoofer, the other is a 2.1 multimedia speaker system , with the same RMS power but with large drivers and seem to have a better built quality. Below 100€ I found these systems but my buying options are not limited to these two... other example of a speaker I was looking for is the logitech z523.


My room is about 4X6 meters with two doors on both ends (so 5.1 speakers are out of question because of the wires), no windows and I have little space left.

Previously I had a very good sony floorstanding speakers with built in amp and built-in subwoofer on each of the front speakers, worth more than 1500£ (~1999) but I replaced my tv with a bigger one and now I don't have the proper space for those speakers in this bedroom.

In the meantime I'm using the 20£ logitech 2.1 ls21 and I can tell you even those provide a much better sound than my new tv.

About the location I'll draw it and post it here tomorrow (or post some photos if you prefer)
 
H

hizzaah

Full Audioholic
It's hard to give much advice as these aren't generally the type of speakers that are dealt with on this board. As far as the difference between the two, I'd say you did ok with the Sony system. It's sounds like you'll enjoy its sound over that of your tv speakers.

As for location, I was referring to country/state/providence.. That way we can tell what options you would have as far as dealers/stores.

But, like I say, report back Friday with what you think of the Sony system and we'll go from there.. With that budget though, your options aren't much as far as quality. I'd recommend some bookshelf speakers and a mini stereo amp to drive them for a while. Then when you can afford to add a dedicated sub, pick one up with stereo input/output and replace the amp with it.
 
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rbmaster

rbmaster

Audiophyte
It's hard to give much advice as these aren't generally the type of speakers that are dealt with on this board. As far as the difference between the two, I'd say you did ok with the Sony system. It's sounds like you'll enjoy its sound over that of your tv speakers.

As for location, I was referring to country/state/providence.. That way we can tell what options you would have as far as dealers/stores.

But, like I say, report back Friday with what you think of the Sony system and we'll go from there.. With that budget though, your options aren't much as far as quality. I'd recommend some bookshelf speakers and a mini stereo amp to drive them for a while. Then when you can afford to add a dedicated sub, pick one up with stereo input/output and replace the amp with it.
So a mini stereo would be a better option than a multimedia speaker system or a soundbar for this price range?

As for the location, sorry I misunderstood you before, I live in Portugal.
 
H

hizzaah

Full Audioholic
I'm not the most experienced around here, but generally with limited budgets I see recommendations to build up a system. Buy some speakers first, then add a subwoofer later, then see if you need more. It wouldn't be a mini stereo, they'd be bookshelf speakers and you'd need an amp of some kind that supported stereo.

An example of speakers might be
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10904&cs_id=1090407&p_id=8251&seq=1&format=1#largeimage
Amp
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PCA1-30-Watt-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B0012KZNP4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1354820236&sr=8-4&keywords=Stereo+amp
Sub
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10904&cs_id=1090407&p_id=8251&seq=1&format=1#largeimage

These are just examples though as I don't believe those sites serve Portugal.

You might not need a system that's going for audiophile quality though. If you're goal is only to improve your listening experience over the stock tv speakers, then I believe you'll be plenty happy with your choice.

I've got a Logitech X540 5.1 system that was my first speaker system. It was a massive improvement over tv speakers and I was really excited to have them. I got the audio itch after that though. Almost exactly 12 months later I bought an Onkyo 7.1 system and it was even better! I knew it was just another stepping stone as it had a decent receiver but the speakers aren't anything to write home about. Finally, about 5 days ago I picked up the Ascend Acoustic speakers and HSU sub in my signature for $500. It was an incredible deal and I don't plan on needing new speakers for quite a while! I'll move my Onkyo speakers and a spare receiver i got into the bedroom to replace my X540. Now, however, I'm itching to replace my Bluray player now though lol. And next will either be a new tv or a new receiver....

My point is that everyone has to start where their budget/space allows. If the Sony meets your needs, then perfect. Sit back and enjoy them! People on here can't tell you what you need, we'll only suggest what we might do in a similar situation. When I was buying my Onkyo system, plenty of people here suggested that I not but it and instead just buy two speakers and add to them as money allows. I'm glad I didn't because the Onkyo system met my needs (it was in my budget, had HDMI, was loud enought to make my neighbors angy and fit well in my dorm room) I had at the time.

The other issue is that I wouldn't even pretend to know what to recommend in Portugal.. I'm in the US and I could probably help a bit with Canada. I'm there are some others on here though who could help you out.
 
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rbmaster

rbmaster

Audiophyte
About my location, I'm used to import stuff from other countries in Europe, such as UK, Spain, Germany, France, etc. because generally stuff here is a lot more expensive despite the very low wages we get here (80% of the working population have less than 500€/month).

I always though that cheap bookshelf speakers plus a cheap amp would be best suited for listening to music, not movies and gaming because of the lack of sub-woofer and lack of crisp and clean highs (for voices and such). Am I wrong here?

So, I have the Sony D8 now and I have to say that they are very good, specially compared with the Logitech Z523 or the Altec Lansing Octane. The overall build quality is very good for the price, the sub is huge and doesn't distort even at high volume levels. The treble control was very useful because with treble set to ~50% the highs were not clear, but setting it to around ~70% fixed that and now they are crisp and clean. It can fill a medium room with sound without a problem, the only problem is the lack of virtual surround of any kind, which would be notorious in a medium size room when watching movies or gaming but for a small space like my bedroom it's not a big hassle but it would be nice to have 3d positional sound. So, overall I'm very satisfied with my new speaker set, but I would like to know if this is the best I can get for less than 100€.

BTW, I think I may had an old but expensive pioneer cd recorder with built in amp. Could I use it to amplify the signal of my Sony D8? Would it improve sound quality?

Later today, I'll take some photos and post them here so people interested in this speaker set could see it, and maybe you could give me some sort of advice for the setup I had in this room :). I'm really thankfully for your help hizzaah. :)
 
H

hizzaah

Full Audioholic
Wow, that sucks. At least you have the option to import from a few places though if you needed to.

The bookshelf speakers would be a stepping stone remember? They'd have some bass, but not close to what you'll get when you later added a subwoofer.

Since you wanted a complete system for under 100, I think you made a good choice. It sounds like you're happy with the sound quality, and at the end of the day it only matters what you think.. Maybe in a few years you'll have the itch to upgrade to a true 5.1 to get that 3d positioning you desire ;)

I don't think it would be viable to run the D8 through the Pioneer. I think you're better off leaving it as is :) If it hooks up correctly you could hook the two up and you could play cd's through the D8 if that's what you're asking..

Glad I could be of some help!
 
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