Most people who choose a HTIB system over separate components do so because of simplicity, high apparent value for money and price. Many may not have been exposed to separates and are often not aware of the pros and cons of going either route or are aware and are simply not interested in separate components for various reasons.

Pros

HTIB systems do indeed have several things going for them. Simplicity and ease of use is an important asset. Compactness is another. There may only be one or two neat looking slim components and there is no need to choose speakers, receivers, DVD players, etc., as the one manufacturer provides everything.

In most cases, speakers are either diminutive cube-like things or if you go slightly more upmarket, there are some packages with trendy super-slim towers. Cabling is included too and is often colour coded to ensure a near foolproof hook-up.

Low price is usually another draw card. With everything supplied, and often for prices less than one third of component packages, HTIB solutions are the only game in town for some. They range from under AU$300 to over AU$2000 " i.e. well into separate component territory.

Cons

When buying a HTIB you have to be aware of their chief limitation - performance.

It is not unreasonable to expect that the goal of any home theatre system is to sound like a theatre in your home. However to do this requires good speakers and amplification " traditional weak points for HTIB systems.

Unfortunately the cute plastic speakers that are commonly found in HTIB systems are rarely able to deliver the goods. Most use poor quality drivers that easily overload and are further hampered by being poorly placed in highly resonant enclosures that colour the sound.

Good low frequency performance is also hard to achieve on a tight budget, so carefully check out how the system fares in this area. The amplifiers that power these speakers are also generally of a lower quality than found in separate components and most are underpowered to the extent that only small rooms can achieve a high clean cinema style volume level.

If this is important to you, listen carefully to the system in the store in the manner that you would at home and keep in mind the size of your room " bigger rooms need more power to fill with sound. Manufacturers are aware of the power limitations and often tout very dubious power specifications for these systems. Study their specs closely. For example, continuous power figures should not have distortion levels more than 1 percent to be meaningful.

The other major disadvantage of HTIB systems is that most are not very flexible. They tend to have few connection options and you can't change or add speakers. The connection issues become important when owners try to add a DVD recorder or a games console only to find there is nowhere to connect them.

When choosing HTIB systems, of course listen to them carefully, but also think about what you may want to attach down the track. For those wanting to add more than one or two devices, separate components will be a better investment in the long run. It is for these reasons, aside from sound quality and power, that most enthusiasts end up with separate components " despite the greater cost and bulk.