ivan Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 REDUCED TO £150 Sony XB8AV HiFi system. Dolby Pro Logic Surround sound. 10 x DSP effects plus 5 x user programmable effects. SAW Super Woofer system with 5 front, centre and surround speakers. Turntable. RDS Tuner. Twin tape decks. 5 CD autochanger with programme playback. Karaoke, Loop and Flash CD. Sleep and Wakeup Timer. Aux input. Ideal for adding surround to existing tv/video system. Original price over 700gbp. Best collect as it's a big setup. Dorset. A review: FIRST LOOK SONY LBT-XB8AV, £700 Why’s it here: The LBT-XB8AV appears to have been designed to appeal to vinyl record fans, with a good collection of CDs, that are also interested in home cinema, and enjoy the occasional sing-song... A kitchen sink is about the only thing it hasn’t got -- but it is eye-catching and possessing one definitely says something about the owner... Sony know their customers well and judging by the reaction of a lot of people who have seen it, it’s going to sell like hot cakes. Any unique features: The CD section has a set of features called DJ Mix which ‘loops’ and ‘flashes’ during replay, and the colourful display can be made to wink in tune to the music in a variety of ways. Five Sony badges seem a bit over the top! The main unit has been designed to look like a stack of separate components but only the turntable on the top is a stand-alone device. However, it’s the main speakers which really grab your attention. How does it perform: It’s not clear how much of a contribution the shape of the speakers play in the final sound, but it’s big and beefy, with plenty of low-down rumble on tap. The Dolby Pro Logic operation seems to have a relatively minor role to play, it occupies just half of one page in the 52 page instruction booklet. Frontal resolution is fine, effects are crisp and well defined; loud, dynamic sounds are very well presented. Dialogue is sharply focused and sounds move smoothly across the soundfield, the rear channel struggles a bit though and sometimes has difficulty keeping up. Karaoke and the 5-CD autochanger are great for parties, though simply playing a few tracks on a single disc can be a lot of bother. CD sound is fine, well disposed to heavy rock, subtle pieces fare less well, with treble frequencies sounding a little muddy at times. The tuner, tape player and turntable all turned in respectable, middle of the road performances. Our Verdict: It’s very loud, in all senses of the word. You’re either going to love or hate the way it looks. The sound is less contentious, it stacks up reasonably well against most other mid-market midi hi-fi systems. The source components all do a fairly good job, though the industrial-strength sound coming from those cavernous speakers is more at home with movie soundtracks, rock and pop. In the end it all depends on your priorities, if uncomplicated and uncompromising hi-fi performance is top of the list forget it; on the other hand, if you’re after a system that can turn its hand to almost any home entertainment job, including being a conversation piece, you’re looking at it! Features midi hi-fi system with Dolby Pro Logic processor, DSP, karaoke facility, 5-CD autochanger, twin auto-reverse cassette decks, AM/FM tuner with RDS , turntable, clock, alarm, sleep timer, CD replay effects (‘flash’, ‘loop’ ‘wave’), super woofer, high-speed dubbing, 2 x 120 watts RMS (right & left stereo), 42 watts (centre), 2 x 21 watts (rear) Sockets line-audio and phono input (phono), speakers & AM loop aerial (spring terminals), FM aerial (coaxial) Dimensions 355 x 425 x 435 mm, including turntable Sound Quality **** Build Quality *** Features **** Ease of use *** Overall value **** I can confirm that this is indeed a LOUD system. We hired a hall for my daughters 18th party and this was all the sound system needed to fill the place with choons. EDIT: I chose Mint condition as it's much better than Good but there's no Very Good option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted August 30, 2007 Author Share Posted August 30, 2007 Bump (he said hopefully) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted September 20, 2007 Author Share Posted September 20, 2007 Still for sale and reduced to £150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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