The compromise between looks and performance is an age old conundrum, and it is especially prevalent in home cinema.
Normally, there is one type of person who wants the best performance and is prepared to sacrifice looks for audio and visual supremacy, and there is another who wants something good looking, that will match with the decor etc. but still sound good.
If you one of the latter group, you have until recently not really been able to get either. Sure, lifestyle home cinema systems have been very good looking, but they've never been amazingly attractive. However, your problem is partially solved with the introduction of the Sony BDV-F500 and the Panasonic SC-BTX75 which are both extremely good looking 2.1 based home cinema systems. Firstly, the systems are vertical rather than horizontal which enables the two front speakers to be able to blend into the design better. Secondly they both incorporate a virtual surround sound system, so although you only get the two speakers and a sub woofer to position in your lounge, you get the effect of having an additional 3, or even 5 speakers. Like all systems these days, they both incorporate iPod docks and other whizz bang features to make them stand out from the crowd, but ultimately, they are both about the design. And both Sony and Panasonic have got it spot on with both these systems.
So which one to choose? There is very little between them in terms of price and features, so this is one of those rare occasions where you can safely choose the one you like the look of best!
