Sanyo Pure Flat Wide Screen TV

Sanyo Pure Flat Wide screen TV. Model number CE24WN5-B.

I bought this TV several months ago so by now, I guess I’m qualified to judge it properly.

My old Ferguson was showing its age, the picture looked “tired” and the remote was so worn, there were no symbols left to read next to the buttons. If anyone apart from myself tried to use it, they wouldn’t know where to start ..!

Time to invest in a wide screen ...
...paid for the 24” version. Sanyo are the lower end of the market so I wasn’t expecting brilliance but I was happy with the price, especially as it had a wide flat screen, Teletext and “Active 3D surround sound” and “Super Bass”.
The TV IS stylish, no doubt about that. A nice silvery grey colour with matching stand. However, I was horrified to discover that the stand came in a flat pack and I had to assemble the damned thing myself ..! I need ... more

Sanyo Pure Flat Wide screen TV. Model number CE24WN5-B.

I bought this TV several months ago so by now, I guess I’m qualified to judge it properly.

My old Ferguson was showing its age, the picture looked “tired” and the remote was so worn, there were no symbols left to read next to the buttons. If anyone apart from myself tried to use it, they wouldn’t know where to start ..!

Time to invest in a wide screen all singing, all dancing model. I didn’t have a fortune to spend on a Sony or Hitachi model so I opted for Sanyo, mainly because it was cheaper but also because it looked so stylish compared to the others. I paid £399.99 for the 24” model. They’ve come down in price since then and in fact, a 28” set now costs less than I paid for the 24” version. Sanyo are the lower end of the market so I wasn’t expecting brilliance but I was happy with the price, especially as it had a wide flat screen, Teletext and “Active 3D surround sound” and “Super Bass”.
The TV IS stylish, no doubt about that. A nice silvery grey colour with matching stand. However, I was horrified to discover that the stand came in a flat pack and I had to assemble the damned thing myself ..! I need not have worried though, it took just 15 minutes with a screwdriver to assemble the stand, wood not plastic and the wooden pillars come in the same silvery grey colour as the TV itself. A base shelf for a video, a glass shelf for the digital box and there ya go. It really does look good.

Set up is all “on screen” and very user friendly. Channel tuning is automatic and simple to set up. There are two scart sockets at the back so you can add videos and digital boxes and there’s also a headphone socket neatly hidden behind a pull down fascia on the front if you want to watch TV without disturbing anyone else with the volume. The remote is not the best I’ve ever used and it does look a bit “messy” but, as with all remotes, it soon becomes second nature and switching to teletext, adjusting volume, channels and picture shape can easily be done without having to look at the buttons these days. Don’t expect a stylish Sony type remote though.

The picture quality is SUPERB and many people have commented on it. Brilliant colours and razor sharp, edge to edge on a flat screen but as for the sound quality .. well, don’t be taken in by “surround sound and super bass”. The effect IS there but don’t expect it to be the same as a separate surround sound system. There are just two small speakers either side of the screen. I was looking for additional speakers at the back of the set or underneath but nope, just two little ‘uns. The “super bass” is also disappointing. In fact, it has LESS bass than my old Ferguson set.

From day one, I noticed the sound was tinny and distorted and the quality didn’t seem to match the rest of the TV. Nothing to do with the volume, in fact, the distortion was there whether the volume was high or low. The only way I can describe it is sounding something like a loose bit of wire in the speaker cones. I decided to call in the engineer as it was still under guarantee.

“Well, yes, I see what you mean but there’s nothing wrong with the TV ..!” I was NOT amused and was about to insist he take it back to the shop and refund my money but then he went on .. “You have to understand that these days, TV’s are not what they were .. the cases are thin plastic and there are hardly any components inside them”. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the sound quality of your old TV is far superior .. that’s because the old sets were more solidly built ..!”
I wasn’t convinced by this argument and insisted he check the speaker cones for a possible tear or damage. He did but found them to be in perfect working order but as they were attached to a thin, plastic TV cabinet, there was little hope of a deep, quality bass sound as described in the manual. This was HIS theory.
I was told that a refund was possible but I should expect similar sound quality from any new TV whatever the make. This is NOT the case.
His final advice was that I purchase a separate surround sound system if I wanted quality sound. I was appalled and he left with his tail between his legs.

As it happens, three weeks later, I DID buy one. A Grundig surround sound system for £195.00 connected to the TV. I’ve never looked back. Everything from the adverts on ITV to James Bond movies take on new meaning for me now ..! It really is like being in the cinema.

Would I recommend this TV ..? Well, yes I would but the fact is, you get what you pay for. It IS stylish, it DOES have a pure flat wide screen and the picture quality IS excellent but as for the sound, forget it, its crap and sounds like something you’d expect from an old record player from your teenage years. Having said that, maybe in a small living room or bedroom, it may not sound so bad but would you really WANT a 24” wide screen TV in your bedroom ..?
For a total of £595 I now have a TV which compares favourably with the best around but only because I’ve “added” to it. I’m still happy with the total figure but feel annoyed that I had to purchase a “Home theatre kit” merely to make up for the dreadful quality of Sanyo’s own sound.

The moral of the story ..? Don’t believe EVERYTHING you read in the glossy literature …

 

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