Too many speakers!!!

[Unregistered]

Hi. I spent the day shopping for a DVD/VCR combo and a shelf stereo system. I found out that there is such a thing as an all-in-one, DVD/VCR systems with tuners that obviously also play CDs. The only problem is, every such home theater system comes with 5 or more speakers. I do not want speakers and wires running all over my living room regardless of that making things sound really cool. Is there such thing as one of these systems that doesn't come with bajillions of speakers? Ideally I'd like to buy just one piece of equipment, one of those all in one gadgets, that only has 2 smaller speakers I can set on either side of the TV. I am CRABBY because I got all excited about these inexpensive all-in-ones only to find that you can't seem to find them without all sorts of dang speakers. I'd go back to my original idea of a DVD/VCR combo and a seperate stereo system except that now the idea of having good quality sound when I watch movies intrigues me, and because I hate looking at electronic equipment, I would be thrilled to only buy one piece of it. Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[smith101]

Not a conspiracy theorist yet?

What a reasonable request! But as far as I know, no one in the industry has such a product--an all in one with just two speakers. It certainly could be done, because my DVD player has "virtual surround" that is supposed to mimick all those extra speakers with just a stereo pair.

In my case, I got a separate DVD/CD player, connected it to the TV, then got a plain old stereo receiver and speakers and ran the sound in from the audio outs on the TV, and turned off the internal speakers in the TV audio setup menu. When I play a CD I do have to have the TV on, but not for FM, since that doesn't go thru the TV. And keep in mind, to get "sound effect" type bass out of two speakers, they're going to have to be large. You might want to consider the advantage of two small satellites with a subwoofer (which you can hide--location doesn't matter for bass). So, I still have three remote controls: the TV, the DVD/CD player, and the stereo receiver.

Yeah, I know, it's a conspiracy.

 

[Westrock2000]

5 minutes on BestBuy.com

Panasonic DVD/CD Bookshelf system, $249 (free shipping)

Pretty crazy actually, that they can cram all that junk in there

I think the Panasonic one would be better, you get better looks (in my opinion), a real subwoofer output (like the $99 Sony Subwoofer they carry), every kind of video output, and the ability to replace the speakers easily. The remote also looks easier to get used to in the dark.

RCA 2Ch DVD/CD contemporary unit, $199 (free shipping)

 

[Unregistered]

Thanks

Thanks to you both for the good advice, it's getting me closer to what I think I want. I'm still thinking about things. With pets too many wires isn't a good thing, why can't someone invent wireless speakers or something.

I'll ponder these options...

 

[Mudcat]

You obviously have not been shopping for some time (like years). Wireless speakers have been around for a while. They have battery powered speakers, wall wart powered speakers, and real powered speakers with built in amps. Most of them sound like crap though.