lionel@tle.DEC (Steve Lionel) (01/31/86)
Henry Perkins wanted recommendations on a 25" monitor receiver. He presented a long wishlist, which is impossible to fill completely at present. Based on my own eyes plus the testimony of many people who own these things, I would put the Sony KV25XBR, its digital cousin the KV25DXR and the Proton 625 at the top of the list. Sony doesn't make a big deal of it, but the DXR does have some nice digital picture processing that, while it doesn't make a big difference in picture, would tend to keep that good picture longer. Also, I think the DXR is amenable to some plug-in upgrades such as frame-doubling in the future. Being a Proton owner myself (600M), I prefer the 625's picture just a whit over the Sony, but that's because I like the deeper blacks and more saturated colors of the Proton. I know at least a dozen people who have one or the other Sony, and I hear nothing but praise. My Proton 600M is going strong after two years with no problems and a knockout picture. You can't go wrong with these. I have been less impressed with the NEC monitors, but some people like them and they're cheap. My local dealer is selling the XBR for about $1050, the DXR slightly more. The Proton is hard to find at a good discount, expect to pay $1200 for it. Steve Lionel