REVIEW
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DOLBY PRO-LOGIC SYSTEM
HEAD
GOODMANS GCH-40 Home Cinema Console
COPY
The cost of owning a Dolby Pro-Logic
surround-sound system has been falling steadily for at least the past five
years but recently it took an almighty tumble with the launch of the Goodmans GCH-40
home cinema console, selling now for just under £300.
It’s an unusual concept, a bit like the console-type
stands supplied with some home cinema TVs, but in his case the DPL processor,
amplifier and four of the six speakers are all built in to the box. In the
middle there’s shelf space for a VCR and satellite receiver, this is enclosed
by a pair of tinted glass doors. Above that is the main control panel, topped
by the centre-channel speaker. An 8-inch sub-woofer is built into the base of
the pedestal. The stereo speakers are mounted on the sides of the console; they
can be moved a few degrees either way, to alter the shape of the soundfield, to
suit room size and seating position.
All of the on-board speakers are
magnetically-shielded, to prevent colour staining on the TV screen. The
sub-woofer is rated at 40 watts RMS, the right and left stereo speakers get 6.5
watts a apiece, 7.5 watts goes to the centre-front channel, and 2 x 7 watts to
the outboard rear-channel speakers. Installation is very straightforward. The
GHC40 package comes complete with two sets of phono leads and one phono to SCART
lead; the only minor irritant is the cables for the rear channels speakers are
way too short, and will probably need to be extended to reach around most
average-sized living rooms.
Part of the reason it’s so reasonably priced
is that Goodmans have done away all the usual cosmetic frills, winky light
displays and superfluous features. In other words it is quite basic with no
digital effects or sound-bending gadgetry; the audio options are Dolby Pro
Logic, pseudo-surround (for mono sources) and direct. Front panel controls are confined
to volume, tone adjustment, mode and input selection, there’s no level
indicators at all, just a solitary on/standby lamp. The DPL white noise
sequencer is switched from the IR remote handset, this also has front-rear
level and balance adjustment. There are four stereo line-audio inputs, with
three pairs of phonos on the back and one 3.5mm minijack on the front, for
video games and keyboards etc.
Performance is generally very reasonable. The
DPL processor does a fine job of resolving dialogue and rear-channel sounds. The
sub-woofer lacks any real muscle but it helps to beef up the otherwise thin-sounding
left and right channels. The stereo speakers are not large enough, they’re
underpowered and too close together to generate much of a soundstage, even when
pointing outwards, but external speakers can be easily added and they will help
to reduce the congestion. As it stands it’s most suitable for small to regular-sized
rooms, anything larger and those extra speakers will definitely be needed. Great
value and a good introduction to home cinema if space and finances are in short
supply.
ALBA BUSH ELECTRONICS. Telephone 0181-594 5533
2.
STRAP
DOLBY PRO-LOGIC SYSTEM
HEAD
SONY SA-V55 Home Theatre Active Speaker
System
COPY
Let’s face it -- and without wishing in any
way to sound sexist -- home cinema is still pretty much a guy’s thing. The
number-one spousal criticism of surround sound equipment has to be the extra
boxes and cables. And rightly so, they’re unsightly and trailing wires can be treacherous.
Sony have clearly been keeping their ears close to the ground and in the
interests of domestic harmony, have come up with the SA-V55 Home Theatre Active
Speakers.
It’s a complete Dolby Pro-Logic system, costing
£800, but unlike traditional component set-ups, the amplifier, processor,
sub-woofers and all the other gubbins are built into two tall loudspeaker columns.
The rear channel speakers contain their own amplifier, audio information is transmitted
to them by an infra-red beam sent from the main speakers.
It’s not exactly a ‘wireless’ system though.
The speaker columns are connected to each other by a fat cable, the IR emitter
is on the end of another wire, the rear speakers are also joined together, and
they have to be plugged into a nearby mains socket, so there’s still plenty of
opportunity to trip over things...
Nevertheless it’s very neat and has been well
thought out. The Left speaker stack contains the DPL decoder, sound processor
and front channel amplifiers. Inside each column there’s a 10 cm driver, for
the centre front channel (25 + 25 watts RMS), a 12cm speaker and 2.5cm tweeter
for the right and left stereo channels (25 + 25 watts), and a 16cm sub-woofer
in the base (25 + 25 watts). The amplifier and IR receptor is built into one of
the rear channel speakers, which each contain a 10cm driver; they’re rated at
10 + 10 watts.
In addition to Dolby Pro-Logic there are
three other surround-sound options -- hall, theatre and stadium -- plus a
simulated surround mode for mono sources. Unfortunately it has only two
external line-audio inputs, sufficient for a VCR and satellite but not enough
for a full-blown home-cinema set-up with laser or video disc players as well,
and for the same reason it’s not an alternative to a DPL component hi-fi system.
Other points to watch out for include the positioning of the IR emitter, which
has to be aimed directly at the main rear speaker. These require careful
positioning too, as they make annoying clicking and buzzing noises if they pick
up IR beams from remote handsets. Our sample was also susceptible to
interference from a cordless telephone.
We found we had to spend a fair amount of
time on speaker placement, particularly when using the built-in centre channel speakers.
If the columns are too far apart the centre-channel dissipates; too close together
and the soundfield becomes confined and lacks impact. The DPL processor copes well
with noisy set-piece effects; explosions, gun fire etc., and the sub-woofers give
them added depth, but quieter sounds can be a little subdued. The rear channels
speakers have to be pushed hard to make themselves heard and could do with a
little more power.
The cordless rear speakers and smart space-saving
columns are perfect for smaller installations or where wires might be a problem.
Dolby performance can be quite good, provided the speakers are carefully
positioned. The downside is the steepish price, and the limited scope for
expansion.
Sony UK. Telephone (01932) 816000
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Ó R. Maybury 1995 0609
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