Philips Fidelio E6

[HEXUS]

Surround sound without the hassle.

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[neonplanet40]

I don't mean to be picky, but most reviews these days seem to get some type of award at the end. TO differentiate the best maybe standards need to be increased?

[wazzickle]

Right sort of product at the right sort of price point for me, but hardly the most effusive review. I would probably consider the second version of it, but would need better than 'Excellent upgrade for a flat-screen TV' as my current solution is a <£200 (albeit 2.1) significant upgrade on the 20W I get out of my flat planel.

On this subject, roughly how long do people expect to have each audio system for? I usually end up getting dissatisfied with mine for a number of reasons after only a couple of years, I think my current setup is my 3rd in ~ 10 years.

I don't mean to be picky, but most reviews these days seem to get some type of award at the end. TO differentiate the best maybe standards need to be increased?

Does indeed reduce the weight we, the readers, would give such an award.

[Saracen]

....

On this subject, roughly how long do people expect to have each audio system for? I usually end up getting dissatisfied with mine for a number of reasons after only a couple of years, I think my current setup is my 3rd in ~ 10 years.

....

Well, I bought my turntable in the late 70s. Ditto headphones. Some other bits are certainly newer, but my philosophy is to :-

- buy quality
- buy once
- upgrade/replace ONLY when necessary (kit failed) or to get a MAJOR improvement.

[Tunnah]

Saracen same philosophy

I bought a pair of Wharfedale Zaldek S1000s about 15 years ago, and they are powered by an amp that is older than me. My dad bought it in the 70s or 80s, my older brother had it for the 90s, and I got it in the 2000s.

I've never cared for surround sound, I prefer the powerful sound of full sized speakers.

[wazzickle]

Well, I bought my turntable in the late 70s. Ditto headphones. Some other bits are certainly newer, but my philosophy is to :-

- buy quality
- buy once
- upgrade/replace ONLY when necessary (kit failed) or to get a MAJOR improvement.

That's what I figured. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, or I'm just getting unlucky. I don't cheap out on purchases, and read plenty of reviews beforehand, but something usually goes wrong. Can't remember what I had before the Klipschi iFi which was also an iphone/ipod doc, but that one stopped working after a couple of years, connections went a bit loose or something, in both the remote (which was small enough to get lost on the regular) and the main console, which didn't seem suited to switching. So the latest which has probably actually lasted about 4-5 years is an Onkyo all-in-one HDMI switching machine - 3 HDMI inputs, 1 output, but there were again problems with the hdmi connections, and it was annoying when I had a source (wii) that wasn't HDMI. So now I just use the multiple inputs on my flat-panel. I already have an overabundance of remote controls, so I bought a logitech universal remote (new) that promptly after a year or two one of the volume buttons just straight-up stopped working.

Yeah, I'd guess, on reflection, I've been getting unlucky. Happy to keep my current system for a while as it produces decent sound but it certainly could be better (struggling to hear voices sometimes) and it's not 5.1.