REWIND FEATURE: PURE DIGITAL DIGITHEATRE ZXR
| Reviewed by: | Craig |
| Review equipment: | Pioneer 525 DVD player, Philips 24" Widescreen TV, Roy Orbison, Godzilla, Ronin, Speed DVDs |
| PRODUCT TYPE: | Home Cinema System featuring both decoding and amplification |
| MANUFACTURER: | Pure Digital - www.videologic.com |
| RRP: | £179.99 |
| SIMILAR PRODUCTS: | Pure Digital Digitheatre DTS - more details here and review here |
| SUPPORTED SOUND FORMATS: | Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Pro-Logic, Stereo and Mono. |
| NUMBER OF SPEAKERS: | 5 satellite speakers and 1 subwoofer. |
| SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES: | Speakers (as above), main control unit, credit card sized remote control unit with watch type battery, all required cables, a good and easy to understand manual. |
| REPORTED PROBLEMS: | None |
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I originally reviewed the Digitheatre DTS system in 2001 and was very impressed that a £400 system could sound so good. Well, Pure Digital have come along now with a £180 system so will this still sound as good? With Pure Digital's track record I was expecting good things and again, I was proved correct.
INSTALLATION
In a fairly heavy box, you get the main control unit which is exactly the same as the standard (i.e. non-DTS) version of the Digitheatre. This is in a box of it's own together with the credit sized remote control which comes installed with a watch type battery. In the rest of the box you have the 5 satellite speakers including speaker stands and all the required cables. The speaker stands are optional as you can just pull them off the speakers. The subwoofer is also in the box which includes front, rear, centre and sub control levels on the front. You also get all of your required cables.
I found some of the installation a bit confusing because you get one manual that applies to the old Digitheatre system and then one manual for the Digitheatre ZXR speaker system (you can buy the speaker package separately from this complete unit if you wish). For example, I thought you had to connect the speakers to the back of the main control unit but you don't. You connect the speakers to the subwoofer unit and then just one cable connects the main unit to the subwoofer. Once I had sorted this out (and to be fair, looking back on it, it was quite simple really!), everything else was a doddle. There is the usual white noise test tone available so you can check the level and balance of the speakers and to sort out your positioning. Once you have sorted this out, it is on to using the system.
EASE OF USE
As with all Pure Digital products, the manual is very clear and the general operation is easy as well. The main control unit can be quite difficult to see if it is positioned far away from you due to the kind of display screen used but most of the initial settings you will perform when you first get it, so you won't need to see the display on day to day use. The remote control may be a bit too small and fiddly for some and sometimes when you press a button once, it registers it as if you have pressed it twice. I found pressing it lightly rather than hard sorts this out. Both of this points are very small and do not detract from what is otherwise a very good product.
PERFORMANCE
To use this system with an analogue source, I chose to use it with Sky Digital. At first the sound was distorted but I fixed this by turning the volume down in the Services/System Setup section of the Sky Digital Electronic Programme Guide. After this, performance was good with the Surround Sound on Sky's football matches kicking in to great effect. The music channels also sounded especially meaty with the subwoofer notched up a bit!
Using this with a Pioneer DVD player via the coaxial connection was again very impressive. I tried the Roy Orbison "Black and White" DVD and the Dolby Digital 5.1 was amazing. Whilst you could tell it wasn't in the same league as the Digitheatre system, there wasn't the massive difference I was expecting. The sound had bass, had clarity and had depth.
Movies were just as impressive. Both the opening scene of Godzilla, the bus explosion in Speed and the car chase in Ronin all sounded amazing. At some points, explosions didn't sound as meaty as the Digitheatre system did but after turning the subwoofer up a bit, it compensated parts of it.
CONS
- Some confusion with initial setup
- Remote control may be fiddly for some
PROS
- Impressive performance for a budget price
- Perfect partner for either DVD, games console or PC
- Easy to use
OVERALL
Pure Digital have done it again. At more than half the price of the Digitheatre DTS, whilst this unit doesn't offer DTS compatibility and performance obviously isn't as good, it does come very close. Another outstanding product.
THE PURE DIGITAL DESCRIPTION
Experience DVD movies as they were meant to be heard with amazing Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 surround sound. DigiTheatre ZXR is a winning combination of DigiTheatre Decoder and the ZXR-500 that brings you stunning surround sound from your DVD player or NICAM VCR/TV.
ZXR-500 is a powerful 5.1 channel speaker system, engineered to provide all the thrills of surround sound audio, whether it is enhancing the earth-trembling sound effects in your favourite movie, blasting out gut-wrenching explosions in the latest games or immersing you in stomping music. An ideal partner for your Xbox, PlayStation 2 or GameCube, the DigiTheatre ZXR is easy to connect and adds a whole new dimension to your gaming with its five channel surround sound.
Using the high-performance Zoran DSP, DigiTheatre Decoder provides full Dolby Digital (AC-3) decode for the 5.1 soundtrack found on the latest DVD movies. DigiTheatre Decoder is also fully compatible with earlier surround sound standards, it produces Dolby Pro Logic sound from Pro Logic-encoded material played on your NICAM VCR or TV, and spacious surround sound stereo from any standard stereo input.
With a full range of speaker/bass management modes, system test function, LCD and slimline remote control it's easy to fine-tune DigiTheatre ZXR's output for the acoustics of your room. Using years of professional audio experience, gained through development of our award winning DigiTheatre and Sirocco ranges, the ZXR-500 has been engineered to outperform systems costing twice as much. With five powerful discrete satellite speakers and a mighty 25W RMS subwoofer, ZXR-500 pumps out some serious sound.
The comprehensive package includes everything you need to get up and running quickly with connecting cables, satellite speaker stands and a clear, comprehensive instructions. Just connect up to your DVD or video player and enjoy.
Buy the Pure Digital Digitheatre ZXR from Pure Digital direct.