Teac DRHN200

The TEAC DRHN200 is a 2.1 home theatre system, including a DVD receiver. With powerful bass and a slightly unusual design, the DRHN200 is a system geared towards a certain type of user. A heavy focus on punchy bass and a strong mid-range compliment the system's futuristic looking design, making it perfect for action movie lovers, and those that want a home theatre that looks a little different in their living rooms. A limited range of connection options somewhat limits the system from performing as a fully fledged home theatre; however, for those wanting a powerful upgrade to their current TV's speakers, TEAC may just have the answer.

Audio quality is dominated by powerful, thumping bass and a strong, clear mid-range. Treble is a bit of a letdown, with a lack of distinction and general flatness in the upper ranges. Nevertheless, bass is strong and although quite punchy, definitely capable of holding longer, drawn out rumbles. A clear and sharp mid-range really helps to round the system's sound out nicely, making it great for movies and vocals in music.

The DRHN200 also manages to produce a lot of noise with minimal levels of distortion. Even at levels bordering on excessive, the audio remained relatively clear. Although the utmost extremes of volume produced a much more noticeable level of distortion, these could hardly be considered reasonable listening volumes. The sub is quite large, and definitely capable of driving some serious noise and wall-shaking to go with it.

Design is one of the most interesting aspects of the DRHN200. The subwoofer is a standard cube affair, with connections on the back. The rest of the system, however, is far from normal. The speakers can probably best be described as resembling futuristic turrets, with three cylindrical drivers stacked on top of each other, joined by plastic tubes. A slim support connects the drivers to the stand. The receiver is quite small, and designed to be able to either stand alone, or be wall mounted, which is an attractive feature. A plastic front panel houses a circular LED screen, and a glass touch-screen list of buttons juts out one side. Cables can be neatly organised at the rear while power and eject buttons rest on the top, as does the DVD tray slot.

One of the biggest downsides to the DRHN200 is its relatively limited set of connection options. Video output is limited to either composite or HDMI, which essentially constitute the best and worst extremes of video connections. Audio inputs for other devices comprise of a single RCA auxiliary jack, meaning that users will only be able to connect two channel analogue audio to the unit. Although the connections are still sufficient, for a system in this price range it would have been nice to see at least a couple more options.

DVD playback is good, with all the necessary playback options, such as changing audio, subtitles, and chapter and title searching supported. Its addition adds an extra layer of usefulness to the product, but if you already have a DVD player it may be wasted. Still, the product as a whole is well suited for use with a second TV set in a bedroom or kid's room.

Overall, the DRHN200 is a fairly solid product. Although its connection options and treble performance are lacking, a strong bass and powerful volume levels make it an excellent unit for most movies and music. If you're an action movie buff and the design suits your taste, this system is a good choice.