Are you "Branded" ??

[Iguana Man]

Do you buy moreso based on the 'brand name' or not? If two comparable items in the A/V world came out at the same time and had identical features, and capabilities, would you opt for brand A vs. brand B based on the name alone?

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Do you buy moreso based on the 'brand name' or not? If two comparable items in the A/V world came out at the same time and had identical features, and capabilities, would you opt for brand A vs. brand B based on the name alone?

That would depend on the brands in question and whether or not I had personal experience with either brand or not.

I will tend to choose Pioneer over anything else except in the case of my Toshiba HDTV, since I couldn't afford a Pioneer HDTV.

Peace...

[Taxi]

Yep, unless price were a major factor. I'll always try to buy a brand I'm familiar with (in other words, that I already own) over one I've never heard of, if all other variables are the same. (Which, honestly, is rare, right? There's usually something different between similar pieces of equipment that give the slight advantage to one over the other.)

[elwood731]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Do you buy moreso based on the 'brand name' or not? If two comparable items in the A/V world came out at the same time and had identical features, and capabilities, would you opt for brand A vs. brand B based on the name alone?

I do. I like to keep things i have all one brand. There's this thought in my head that things will work together better that way, though I'm not sure I have any proof of that beyond what's in my head.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by Taxi

There's usually something different between similar pieces of equipment that give the slight advantage to one over the other.)

I hear ya, but if there wasn't....what would you lean towards? That's what I'm driving at here...just how much does a Brand name you are familiar with influence your purchase?

I tend to think "most" would opt for familiarity.

[Titleist]

Not at all, I don't follow one brand or another.

Speaking of which...who wants some denon?

[plissken99]

As for recievers, I lean heavily towards Denon, and would probably not have anything else(well, maybe a Sunfire). Speakers, same story with Klipsch. I have heard nothing that sounds... I won't say as good, as there are many speakers that sound really good, but nothing that sounds as unique, and real.

With DVD players, brand name doesn't matter much(hell I'm about to buy a player made by Oppo), though Denon makes 1st rate DVD players, sadly their prices match the quality.

[SilentBob]

I'm not branded but i like to keep up with the names i know who are trust worthy for purchasing. Not one thing in my room matches really except for the speakers that come in 2/pair. I have Toshiba, Mission, JBL, RCA, Velodyne and now Hitachi in my HT setup.

[Pirate]

I'm a Pioneer whore!

-PH

[med]

I go through brand phases, but they don't usually last long enough to get more than one piece of gear.

I started off with Panasonic/Technics all around, but I got the uprgrade bug pretty quickly.

I had a little Denon phase, which yielded a great dvd player, but just before I picked up the matching receiver (3803) I changed my mind to Rotel. Over the next few years I plan on moving to an Anthem pre/pro/amp combo, and my next disc player will likely be Pioneer Elite.

As for speakers, I've been partial to Paradigms ever since my parents picked up a pair in the late 80s. I currently have Studio series all around, except the subwoofer (Velodyne).

[sub780lime]

i always investigate first the specific brands I prefer, but its different for different components, like im fond of Samsung Televisions of any kind, i prefer Denon recievers and amps, and prefer B&W speakers, now in my case when i recently bought a new TV, i was looking for an HDTV but only really could work in a 34 inch, now Samsung doesnt make a 34 only a 30, so i went with Panasonic because i have had good experiences with the two previous panasonics i have owned

[dugpa]

Yes, I have Denon's name tatooed on my ass. Oh wait, you meant a different kind of branding. I don't really stick with any one brand. Usually when I'm ready to buy something I research it over and over on avsforum. I'm always paranoid about buying new gear because I always know it's going to be outdated the minute I get it. So before I drop my hard earned money I check and re-check. I still usually have buyers remorse, but it thankfully goes away in time. There's really no one brand I buy from. I have gear from Denon, Pioneer Elite, Panasonic and Sony. If someone pointed me in the direction of a good piece of gear, the brand doesn't really matter.

[firestorm]

I try not to be brand loyal, but do have a tendancy of leaning towards familiar, known-good brands when making decisions. I generally try to research things, and use pro and consumer reviews to help guide me, but it often comes down to a tight race in the end, and the familiar brand gets the final nod. Being half dutch means cost is a bit factor for me as well! :P

With more and better resources on the internet, virtually everything purchased in the last 6-7 years has been researched on the internet and heavily influences what we buy. Everything from our electronics to our garage door opener!

[MARVEL]

Originally Posted by piratehunter

I'm a Pioneer whore!

-PH

I am also I Pioneer slut!

[MJZ]

I always look first to brands I'm familiar with and then compare to the equivalent model of other brands/'no names' to see what they offer.

In the scenario you posted though, it depends on the quality of the components inside each item. If the branded one was proven to have better quality components, despite both items having identical features, then I believe you get what you pay for, but if both were identical in features and quality then I would buy the 'no name,' which I assume would be cheaper, therefore the same performance and money in my pocket.

[Wurms]

Ever since I first heard Energy Speakers I fell in love with them. I would listen to others like Klipsh but for some reason Energy just pulled me towards them. Nothing would convince me otherwise. So now I have all Energy Speakers. I just ordered a Mirage Omni S8 sub ($180 at Amazon.com w/ free shipping if anyone wants one, hehe), but its made by the same manufacturer of Energy So that is close enough, lol.

Receivers, I haven't really heard enough to be "branded". I really only have experience with Onkyo and Pioneer.

[akrycek]

I used to be Sony's B^#!*, but not anymore. Their quality has really gone down IMHO for most of their products. Their worst stuff seems to be stuff that has their name on it but wasn't built by them. I still like their LCD TV's though from my experience of watching a friend's.

I would love to get one of Pioneer's Elite DVD players, but I'm not spending $2000.00 for one.

Krycek

[Dave McFly]

For audio Im a Pioneer man, through and through.

Pioneer AV amp for my home theater, Pioneer head unit and speakers in my car.

And Sony for their KICK ASS bulletproof DVD players (I have 3 in my house, one is 7 years old and still spinnin the discs )

[sub780lime]

Originally Posted by Dave McFly

And Sony for their KICK ASS bulletproof DVD players (I have 3 in my house, one is 7 years old and still spinnin the discs )

its funny because i still have a pioneer player thats 7 years old and still going, just interesting with you being a pioneer man