Canada extra: information from Consumer Reports[R] for Canadian readers.(Buyers guide)

How to use the Canada Extra section

Every month, Canada Extra provides Canadian pricing and availability information about products tested for that issue. The Ratings in this section are based on this month's reports, but they narrow your choices to the products sold in Canada.

You can use this section in either of two ways: Start with the main report, read about the products that interest you, and turn to this section to find whether they're sold--and for what price--in Canada. Or start here, find products sold in Canada whose price and overall score appear promising, and read more about them in the main report and full Ratings chart; page numbers appear with each Canadian report. (For some products, the Canadian model designation differs slightly from the one used in the U.S.)

In most cases the prices we list here are the approximate retail in Canadian dollars; manufacturers' list prices are indicated by an asterisk (*). Red key numbers identify models designated Quick Picks in the U.S. Ratings. "NA" in a chart means that information wasn't available from the manufacturer. We include, in the Contact info list on page 38D, the manufacturer's phone number and Web address in Canada, so that you can call or go online to get information on a model you can't find in the stores. (Many products that aren't available in Canadian stores can be bought online.)

home-theater audio | Report: page 26; Ratings: page 28

Nine of the 14 tested home-theater systems are available, including 3 of the 4 Quick Pick models.

 
In performance order 
 
KEY   BRAND & MODEL                      PRICE       OVERALL SCORE 
NO. 
 
 1#   Onkyo  HT-S790 (6.1, 7.1)           $1,000               79 
 
 2    Panasonic  SC-RT50                   600 *               77 
 
 7    Sony  DVD Dream System DAV-FX500     800 *               69 
 
 8#   Panasonic  SC-HT740  CR BEST BUY     500 *               68 
 
 9#   Samsung  HT-Q45 CR BEST BUY          430 *               68 
 
10    JVC TH-C50                           600                 67 
 
11    JVC TH-C30                           430                 64 
 
13    Philips HTS3450/37                   270                 63 
 
14    Sony HT-DDW900                       450 *               63 
 
Note: Quick Picks in the U.S. Rating's indicated as #. 

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