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[TheBoy]

Whilst you will pay a premium for Brands, there is another saying that rings true here - you get what you pay for....

To a degree (which is not easy to qualify) this is true - however it is a fact that well known or respected brands mantain their position by pricing their products based on 'What the Market Can Stand'. They will of course have to produce a reliable product before they can get away with it. This marketing strategy is used by many Blue Chip companies. Sony is a classic example and latterly Apple with their overpriced gadgets which consumers are more than happy to shell out hundreds of pounds just to say that they have an Iphone or pod or book etc....... These guys are clever marketeers 
But yes if you're going to buy Far Eastern imports then do your research first adhering to the 'All that glitters isn't Gold' principal. 

And accept high return rates, and that the manufacturer has no reputation to uphold 

Its a bit of a lottery imho

[Lampynoiseboy]

I've had very little experience with Sony ice, but the rest of the stuff they make seems to be overpriced rubbish imho. The Bravia TV's are nice, but so much of there other stuff seems only to work properly when connected to other Sony stuff.
Personally would avoid anything with VAIO on it like it had the plague.

As Dave notes above (and they're not the only one), once they made a name for themselves, they seem to stop caring about quality in manufacture

Yep, they are as bad as crApple when it comes to trying to lock their customers in to buying their products exclusively.

Kevin

Oh come on, be fair, no-one's as bad as crapple! 

[Budgie]

Well - after finally deciding to buy an Xtrons TD714 DD Unit and almost two years on I'm pleased to report that the unit has exceeded my expectations both in terms of its performance and the much doubted reliability factor. (or did I just happen to buy one that was made properly by a discerning and conscientious Chinaman!!)

I grafted on a JBL power amp and 12" sub unit and both work well alongside the factory fitted Bose amp and Omega standard speaker set.

The sound is clean (depending of course on the recorded quality of the source audio/video) and volume levels more than adequate for the Omega interior. The 7" display is clear and reasonably bright during normal daylight conditions and blinding (but can be adjusted) at night!!.

Touch screen and Menu controls are good although the Operating System is a little dated.
Bluetooth works well with my Android phone on both hands free calls and streaming MP3s, although a little laggy (switch over response) but acceptable when receiving a call whilst playing audio.

It has given me what I was looking for at an affordable price.
I would recommend this unit to anyone on a limited budget and it won't break your heart if it gets stolen!!,

[Dave DND]

just to add to this, whilst you may have indeed found the only good one, I would like to state for the record that our failure rate with that brand is 100%. I would also like to point out that NO SPARES are available in the UK and that shipping back to the manufacturer is cost prohibitive. For an extra £35 you could have had a Pioneer with full European support.

[Stallion]

 

[Budgie]

just to add to this, whilst you may have indeed found the only good one, I would like to state for the record that our failure rate with that brand is 100%. I would also like to point out that NO SPARES are available in the UK and that shipping back to the manufacturer is cost prohibitive. For an extra £35 you could have had a Pioneer with full European support.

Well - that's a very positive and supportive post Dave. It's such a good feeling to be told that I've got it all wrong.
Thank you