Home Theater in a Box - On a Budget
Many times I have wondered why the home theater in a box has not gone the way of the dodo. Usually these combinations are comprised of leftover electronic parts, thrown together at the last minute before a holiday (Christmas, July 4th), or special occasion (Superbowl, Olympics, etc.), along with some of the worst excuses for speakers ever foisted upon the public.
HS 300 Home Theater
Lately, some manufacturers have been trying to remove the stigma from the designation HTIB, and actually produce something a person could buy with no regrets. These are usually adequate for a small living room, and can be later moved to work very well in a bedroom situation, where volume levels are lower, and the viewing audience is limited to two.
Harmon Kardon delivers the HS300 system with no excuses. It is complete with the exception of television for a list price of $999. This is usually a comfortable price point for many, and a good starting point for entry into quality home entertainment.
The system is a 5.1 choice, eschewing more speakers and amplification for complete ease of setup and use. The five channels are small satellites, easily placed, with sound quality much like H-K’s line of computer speakers (not a slam - H-K computer speakers are among my favorites). The satellites are a 2 way design, with a 3/4″ tweeter and 3″ midwoofers. The subwoofer is a small enclosure with a 200 watt amplifier. Nothing to rock the nation, but as spec’ed, good for a small living room or bedroom.
The DVD player in the receiver combo is of the upscaling variety, also progressive scan, with an HDMI out put as well as all the other usual connectors. A full function remote control is included, and seems to work very well.
To complete the goodies in the box, a set of color coded speaker cables, AM & FM antennas (don’t get too excited, we’re talking t-wire), and an HDMI cable are included.
A decent system for a decent price.
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