*technically* a surround sound system, but...
Written: Dec 21 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: cost (used), good bass from subwoofer
Cons: no surround sound decoding, all analog audio inputs and outputs
The Bottom Line: i would not recommend this system, only because you can find much more for your money these days. only consider it if you can find it for under $70.
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| collegegrrl's Full Review: Kinyo R-565 5 Speakers |
i bought this system from a friend for only $50, so it wasn't a huge financial loss. otherwise i never would have bought it, had i known what exactly it was.
the kinyo r-565, from the outset, is a pretty low-end 5.1 surround sound system, with a 40w subwoofer and five 5w satellite speakers. for more technical specifications of the system, check out http://www.digit-life.com/articles/kinyo/ - it's got a full rundown of this system and its sister, the d-565.
i've had this setup for over a year now, and i have to say that i really like it. the subwoofer is wooden and provides fairly clean, rattle-free low frequencies, as long as it's not touching a piece of furniture or the wall (which is fairly typical among any large wooden box that vibrates). i've noticed with my particular sub that, if i have the sub turned up too much, the sub itself will give off a rattly sound, unless i prop up the front of it with a phonebook or something similar in size. then again, it's a used system, so i can't complain.
included in the box are the five satellites (extra long 8m wires for the left and right rear speakers, which was plenty for my needs), five wall brackets and the hardware necessary to use them, a remote control, and a receiver box.
this system is touted as having a "dolby digital-ready receiver". what does this mean? why, it doesn't decode a surround sound signal! most home DVD players today have a Dolby Surround and DTS decoder in them, but only output the signal in a digital form (by way of an optical and/or digital coaxial output). Most surround-sound systems like this, that are composed of a smallish sub and even smaller speakers, are meant to be connected directly to a dvd player or video game console. unfortuately, that's difficult with the r-565.
the receiver is fairly simple : on the top is a standby button, which will cut power to the sub and speakers enough to prevent any loud pops and the like when plugging various cables into your audio devices (dvd players, etc). however, you will still hear "white noise" that a speaker typically will output when plugged in. the front of the box has two buttons for turning up and down the volume, as well as an indicator to show the location of the remote control IR receiver.
there are also LED indicators to show when the system is in standby, mute, 6-channel or 2-channel input mode, and surround sound (for 2-channel input - if surround is turned off, no audio will come from the center and left/right rear channels).
the back of the box shows this system's immediate downfall. there are six female RCA audio outputs, a 9-pin mini-DIN analog audio input, and two RCA stereo audio inputs. if you're running just stereo sound, this will be find. simply use RCA cables to connect your dvd player or computer to the system, and set the input to "2-channel" mode. using "surround", as i said, will output a signal to the left/right rear, as well as center, speakers, but it's an odd-sounding, garbled signal that i found to be annoying when the volume was turned up.
the 9-pin mini-DIN is an obsolete connection, and there are virtually no dvd players with this connection for analog 5.1 audio. more on that in a moment.
the six RCA inputs are there to connect the subwoofer to the receiver, since the five satellites connect to the sub. on the rear of the sub is also a power button (to cut all power to the system, thereby silencing the white noise and anything else), a power jack to run a cord from the sub to the receiver box, and another 9-pin mini-DIN. this system comes with two cables (one long, one short) that have on one end six male RCA plugs, and on the other a male min-DIN to match the jacks on the sub and the receiver. one of these cables is used to connect the sub to the receiver's six RCA inputs. the other connects the receiver to your audio device.
herein lies the complication. you have two options, one of which will be costly. the first is to find a dvd player that has a built-in DTS and Dolby Surround decoder, and has not only optical and coaxial outputs, but 6 analog RCA outputs as well. this will allow you to connect the receiver directly to the dvd player. unfortunately, if you want surround sound with anything else (eg your playstation2, xbox, computer, cd changer, etc), you're pretty much screwed. the more costly option? eliminate the receiver entirely, and buy a bunch of couplers and cables to connect the subwoofer/satellites to an audio receiver with built-in DTS and Dolby Surround decoding.
the interesting thing is, only low-end, generic dvd players have 5.1 analog audio outputs. the dvd player decodes the surround sound signal on the dvd in a digital format, and reconverts to analog for these audio outputs. if you want an expensive dvd player (by expensive i mean the high-end players you can buy in retail electronics stores, not the $2000+ players you can find online), you'll have to connect this system to a receiver, and connect the player to the receiver with a coaxial or optical connection.
i did find that a surround sound card (reviewed at : http://www.epinions.com/content_114057645700) will work with this system; you only need to purchase three 3.5mm-to-RCA adapters from radioshack.
the conclusion? i have a lot of complaints about this system, largely stemming from the fact that it's almost completely worthless with today's technology in video gaming, dvd, and audio equipment. additionally, it still retails for $170 on amazon.com, and you'd be better off just buying an all-in-one home theatre system if cost is an issue.
however, i have found this system to provide what i need, and after finding a dvd player that has the outputs i need, i see no reason to upgrade until i have money to buy the $200 speakers i really want.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
collegegrrl
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Location: Indianapolis, IN
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
I'm a tech head. So sue me.
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