Bottom-The Complete Series (1991) |
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English comedians Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson may never be knighted but they are considered national heroes by their fans for pioneering alternative comedy in the early 1980s alongside Ben Elton, Rowan Atkinson, Dawn French, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Peter Richardson, Jennifer Saunders, Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and Alexei Sayle. This new wave of comedy focused on observational humour, political satire, breaking social taboos, intellectual humour, extreme slapstick and surreal whimsy. Shows such as The Young Ones, Not The Nine O'Clock News, The Comic Strip Presents... and French & Saunders incorporated this new form of comedy.
Bottom, which originally aired between 1991-1995 and spawned several stage shows, had its origins in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which Edmondson and Mayall co-starred in at the Queen's Theatre. Bottom, like Waiting for Godot, was centred on the pointlessness of life and would incorporate what Mayall and Edmondson are best known for – crude, violent humour. Bottom seems like all the characters Mayall and Edmonson are known for have come full circle: In Mayall’s Richard Richard (Richie), Rick Pratt of The Young Ones can be seen as Richie is hung up on his upper-class conservative background and he is an insincere, tantrum-throwing attention seeker. Richie is so self-absorbed he is pretentious and occasionally a snob. In Edmondson’s Edward Elizabeth Hitler (Eddie), The Young Ones Vyvyan B******’s violence and inhuman strength can be found in Eddie’s creative alcoholic. Furthermore, the comedians' other characters such as The Dangerous Brothers (Sir Richard Dangerous and Sir Adrian Dangerous), Filthy Rich and Catflap (Richie Rich and Eddie Catflap) and Mr Jolly Lives Next Door (Richie and Eddie) can all be referenced in Bottom. While Bottom is certainly not for the faint of heart it is momentous comedy. Over a decade old, the portrayal of the degenerate characters with good and not so good intentions has not aged. This box set is recommended for fans of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson.
There are currently three box sets of Bottom available:
R1 is missing nothing in comparison with the R2/R4
R2/R4 are missing the following extras in comparison with the R1 :
All releases are complete and uncut. It is disappointing that the R4 is missing two interesting extras from the R1 box set which demonstrate the first phase of the characters of Richard Richard and Edward Elizabeth Hitler. Depending on whether the purchaser wants the complete series of R1 or individual releases of R2 and R4 or discounted box sets of R2 and R4 there are a number of options to suit the purchaser’s budget. A best-of DVD is also available in R2 and R4 which features five uncut episodes and a photo gallery.
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Overall |
Bottom-Series 1 (1991) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy | Outtakes-Bottom Fluff | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1991 | ||
Running Time | ? | ||
RSDL / Flipper | RSDL | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By |
Jon Plowman Bob Spiers Ed Bye |
Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall |
Case | ? | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music | None Given |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English for the Hearing Impaired Danish |
Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
In 1982 a new British comedy, The Young Ones, burst onto the scene, successfully bringing a whole new level of crass comedy to television. Nine years later, Bottom was introduced to audiences, also via the ABC in Australia. Unfortunately, the humour is gone but the crassness remains. With Adrian Edmondson (Edward ‘Eddie’ Elizabeth Hitler) and Rik Mayall (Richard ‘Richie’ Richard) starring in Bottom as well as the earlier Young Ones, comparisons are bound to be made, with The Young Ones coming out the clear winner. The two actors basically reprise their Young Ones characters, with Mayall as the slimy virginal loser, and Edmonson as the violent, carefree nut-job. What there is by way of plot for the series involves these two characters eking out their dodgy lives in a squalid London apartment, and the trials and tribulations they go through.
Where The Young Ones was new and fresh Bottom is old and stale, much like Richie and Eddie’s apartment. Edmonson and Mayall struggle to carry the show by themselves (whereas The Young Ones had four regular cast members with frequent guest stars) and by the end of the first episode I was wondering what else they could do for the remaining five. The answer was - not a lot. The same set (I’m sure it’s the same set where The Young Ones was filmed), and the same jokes, by the same actors.
But if words like tits, botty, rectum and knacker bags make you giggle then this could be the show for you.
This is one of those TV shows you remember being a lot funnier than it actually was. I remember staying up late to catch it on the ABC, but on viewing this DVD I can’t see why I would have bothered. There isn’t a lot of diversity amongst episodes or plot, with most of them being set entirely in Richie and Eddie’s dingy apartment (occasionally they venture out to the pub), and the plot revolving around their pursuit of sex, alcohol, beating on one another, or similar.
I have to admit the violence in the show really startled me – I remember it being quite violent, but the scene in Episode 2 (Gas) where they absolutely bludgeon a hapless gas man to death with a frying pan (and then sink the boots in too) just goes beyond the point of slapstick black comedy and becomes a bit sickening. Or maybe I’m just getting squeamish in my old age.
As KC points out, the jokes that don’t revolve around people hitting one another are of the typical British ‘naughty’ variety. It's amazing that Mayall and Edmonson got not only three seasons of a TV show, but also a Bottom stage show and movie (Guest House Paradiso) from this material. But with episode titles like Smells and Gas (tee hee, how naughty) you can’t say you know what you are in for – there are people who still love this stuff, know all the lines and will no doubt buy this DVD. To be fair, there are a few laughs here and there but this is really one for the fans.
Smells (28:27)
In their never-ending, yet completely futile, quest for some hot lovin’, Richie and Eddie try out some pheromone perfume that is supposed to drive women crazy. Needless to say, it doesn’t work no matter how many litres of the stuff Richie sprays all over himself (I’m sure you can guess some of the jokes already).
Gas (28:31)
Possibly the most notorious episode of the series, mainly for the savage beating that is applied to the gas man who foolishly tries to read Richie and Eddie’s meter (they have been diverting gas from next door).
Contest (28:16)
Eddie and Richie have a massive row revolving around whether they should or shouldn’t watch the Miss World contest on their TV. And you thought Seinfeld was the show about nothing…
Apocalypse (28:06)
Richie and Eddie are in desperate need of money (again), and plan to ring Richie’s rich Aunt. Upon finding her dead, Richie is ecstatic to find he has inherited 600 pounds and so it's off to the local fair or circus. It's here that Richie is told his fortune by a fortune teller and discovers he will die before the moon rises three times …
S’UP (28:30)
Richie is up Sunday morning, looking forward to getting the most out of his day. Eddie is camped in front of the television and settling in to watch three dirty movies. The day takes a dramatic turn for the better when Mr Harrison asks the boys to mind his shop for the afternoon …
Accident (28:26)
It's Richie’s birthday, and while putting up some birthday decorations he suffers a bad fall and breaks his leg. Eddie does his best to rustle up a birthday crowd and arranges for Spudgun and Hedgehog (Christopher Ryan, who plays Mike in The Young Ones) to drop over.
In general, the disc looks like what it is - standard early 1990s low–budget television: 1.33:1, a high level of grain, pale colour tones and with some seriously dark scenes in the dull studio-based settings. But BBC shows tend to have a fairly reasonable DVD transfer and this disc offers the best that can be expected from the source material.
The DVD is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.29:1, with the original aspect ratio being 1.33:1. It is not 16x9 enhanced.
Detail was acceptably sharp across the series, but episode 3 (Contest) was noticeably more grainy than others. This episode appears as though it may have been filmed first, with the hair styles and appearance of the characters slightly different to the rest of the series. Possibly it was filmed as a pilot on cheaper equipment, as the difference in quality seems more related to the source material rather than the DVD transfer.
Colour is not especially vibrant, but it needs to be taken into account that the studio settings, be it Eddie and Richie’s grimy apartment or the dimly lit local pub, do not lend themselves to particularly bright, lively colours.
Artefacts are not a source of distraction across the series. There is some minor aliasing such as at 4:49 in Episode 1 Smells, but this is never a big enough problem to be noticeable if you aren’t looking for it.
The movie features both English and Danish subtitles, although for some reason the Danish titles are not selectable via the subtitle menu.
Bottom is a single layer disc only.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
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Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
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The general sound level is very quiet and we found we had to turn the amp up to a much higher level than you normally would with a standard Dolby Digital 2.0 disc. Probably this is more a result of a sub-par audio transfer than with the original source. The soundtrack is primarily dialogue driven, and was easy to understand once the volume was set to a sufficient level.
The film features just one audio track, English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s).
There were no audio sync problems noticeable.
There is some incidental music throughout Bottom, usually around scene changes, but it never lasts long enough to raise interest. The track which closes each episode, with Richie and Eddie dancing in between beatings, is the most prominent use of music in the show and is quite a catchy little track.
There is no surround sound.
There is no LFE channel.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
A Region 1 edition titled Bottom - Not Another Half-Arsed DVD Set is available which combines all three series of the show, plus some extras not featured on this release. These are listed as:
From a value for money perspective alone, this Region 1 collection seems to be the best option, given that it includes all three seasons and is available for around US$27.00.
But for our money, its hard to maintain interest over 6 episodes let alone any more...
Fans of The Young Ones, Bottom or Mayall and Edmondson will find value in this disc. Others may want to stick to more recent and sophisticated British comedy, like The Office.
The video transfer is acceptable considering the source material.
Sound was clear and passable, with the exception of being quite low in volume.
The extras are fairly light but how much of this stuff do you really want?
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-533K, using S-Video output |
Display | Panasonic TX-51P15H rear projection TV (136cm). |
Audio Decoder | Built in to Amplifier. |
Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS494 |
Speakers | Krix Lyrix front speakers, Krix KDX-C centre speaker, Krix Equinox rear speakers, BIC D-121OR 12' 200 watt powered sub-woofer. |
Bottom-Series 2 (1992) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy | Outtakes-Series Two Fluffs | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1992 | ||
Running Time | 178:29 (Case: 207) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By |
Jon Plowman Bob Spiers Ed Bye |
Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $24.95 | Music | The Bum Notes |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English for the Hearing Impaired English |
Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, the masters of anarchy and the perverse, return to the violent bliss of Bottom for a second season. All six episodes of this season appear uncut on this DVD release although not in the original broadcast order:
Digger - Richard Richard (Mayall) and Edward Elizabeth Hitler (Edmondson) visit a love bureau in search of being set up for a blind date. During the interview Richie pretends to be the Duke of Kidderminster and astonishingly Richie is matched with a Moldavian countess (Helen Lederer). Since Richie isn’t a Duke and needs to appear wealthy and sophisticated he sells a few of his internal organs to finance the romantic dinner and persuades Eddie to be Jives the butler. Episode 1 - Original UK Air Date: 1 October 1992.
Parade – After Richie, Eddie, Spudgun (Steve O'Donnel) and Dave Hedgehog (Christopher Ryan) scam a few quid from the police they venture to The Lamb and Flag for a pint to celebrate. Richie tries to flirt with the new barmaid Veronica Head (Julia Sawalha) but in between his lies of being a Falklands veteran and trying to appear charming and refined he finds himself inadvertently sharing war stories with a one-legged Falklands veteran played by Robert Llewellyn. Later that evening Richie and Eddie try to steal the war veteran’s priceless wooden leg in hope of financing a ‘dead cert’ bet. Episode 4 - Original UK Air Date: 22 October 1992.
Burglary – An inebriated Eddie returns from a night at the chemist's to a worried Richie who tries to take Eddie up to his bed. During the commotion of trying to pull Eddie up the stairs with a rope he hears noises downstairs – could there be burglars in the flat? Episode 3 - Original UK Air Date: 15 October 1992.
Culture - The television is confiscated because Eddie failed to pay for the television licence and instead bought some magic beans. Equally Richie is at fault as he let the rent get behind after paying for organ enhancement. While trying to pass the time a crossword proves to be tedious, while Tiddlywinks proves to be violent so the terrible twosome agree to play chess. Only thing is they don’t have a complete chess set and Richie doesn’t know how to play. Episode 2 - Original UK Air Date: 8 October 1992.
Holy – The uncut Christmas episode begins with an animated Richie unwrapping his presents – individually wrapped Brussels sprouts. Violence ensues during the morning after Richie is disappointed with Eddie’s pathetic gift giving. Still, Richie tries to keep the momentum going by preparing a Christmas meal as he is expecting guests Spudgun and Hedgehog. After the meal proves to be repugnant, something miraculous (or so it seems) happens. Episode 5 - Original UK Air Date: 29 October 1992.
‘S Out – After losing a bet Richie and Eddie are forced to rough it on Wimbledon Common for a week. The camping experience proves to be a weird and wonderful one as Richie and Eddie forget to bring any food and the tent proves too small. The two have to become resourceful in order to survive as Eddie is convinced Wombles are lurking in the bushes. Episode 6- Original UK Air Date: 10th April 1995 - this episode was not shown until 1995 (after the 3rd series) due to a murder on Wimbledon Common in 1992.
All the episodes are presented in Full Frame 1.33:1 on a dual layered single sided DVD. Overall the picture quality is commendable. While there are minor incidents of grain and one incident of blooming in the source material the transfer features no incidents of Film-To-Video Artefacts. The colour scheme itself is dull with muted browns and yellows but this is an artistic choice. Skin tones remain natural and black levels are average. There is a single English subtitle track which is presented in a clear white Arial font. There are 6 chapter selections for each episode.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The single English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) audio track is adequate for the dialogue driven situation comedy. There are no audio synchronisation problems and the audio remains clear and audible. Other than the dialogue the show features exaggerated sound effects and segments of the main theme during the episodes which is performed by ‘The Bum Notes.”
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
A still image with a practical menu featuring a play all feature, episode and chapter selection and a subtitle option.
Entitled “Bumfluff,” this is a montage of outtakes from the show. It runs to a length of 28:41. This is recommended viewing. This feature can be viewed with subtitles.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
There are currently three box sets of Bottom available:
R1 is missing nothing in comparison with the R2/R4
R2/R4 are missing the following extras in comparison with the R1 :
Also in R2 there is a yet to be released The Big Bottom Box (7 DVDS). Unfortunately this DVD set does not include the television series:
All releases are complete and uncut. It is disappointing that the R4 is missing two interesting extras from the R1 box set which demonstrate the first phase of the characters of Richard Richard and Edward Elizabeth Hitler. Depending on whether the purchaser wants the complete series of R1 or individual releases of R2 and R4 or discounted box sets of R2 and R4 there are a number of options to suit the purchaser’s budget. A best-of DVD is also available in R2 and R4 which features five uncut episodes and a photo gallery.
An all round excellent release of a guilty pleasure.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Denon DVD-1910, using DVI output |
Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |
Bottom-Series 3 (1995) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy |
Outtakes-Bottom Fluff Main Menu Audio |
|
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1995 | ||
Running Time | 174:30 (Case: 185) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By |
Jon Plowman Bob Spiers Ed Bye |
Studio
Distributor |
Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $19.95 | Music | The Bum Notes |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English for the Hearing Impaired English |
Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
The depravity continues as Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, the masters of mayhem and the sadistic return to the violent bliss of Bottom for a final season. All six episodes of this season appear uncut on this DVD release although not in the original broadcast order: The episodes originally aired in the UK in January and February 1995.
Hole – Eddie and Richie go to the fairground for a night out with only three pounds to spend. The most worthy ride is Western Europe’s tallest and oldest Ferris wheel – otherwise known as an “illegal death trap.” Unbeknownst to our foolish heroes the wheel is to be demolished in a few hours and they have been abandoned in the top compartment. Episode 1 - First broadcast in the UK on 6th Jan 1995.
Terror – Eddie arrives home beaten and bruised as he was attacked by some trick or treaters. Richie, realising the financial potential of Halloween, then plans to go out, and with the use of an electric cattle prod, terrorise Hammersmith residents. Episode 2 - First broadcast in the UK on 13th Jan 1995.
Break – Eddie and Richie plan to go on a holiday to Dorchester which only costs four thousand pounds. Being the bachelors they are they realise the holiday is a chance to meet members of the opposite sex. Richie decides he has to lose some weight in 12 hours in order to fit in a thong while Eddie has to sew his legs back on. Episode 5 - First broadcast in the UK on 3rd Feb 1995.
Dough – Eddie has mysteriously locked himself in his room for a week leaving Richie lonely and bored. Richie, in an attempt to pass the time, sets himself on fire. Eddie eventually lets Richie in on the secret; Eddie has been counterfeiting indecent money in the hope the shopkeeper will be so distracted by the indecency they won't refuse the counterfeit money. Their plan, surprisingly, works at The Lamb and Flag until the bar owner Dick Head (Lee Cornes) tells Skull Crusher Henderson ‘The Master Counterfeiter of Old London Town’ (Nick Scott) of the new competition. Episode 3 - First broadcast in the UK on 20th Jan 1995.
Finger – Richie and Eddie seek revenge on Cannonball Taffy O’Jones for ill treatment at a cricket match. The plan is to steal Taffy’s car keys; they then find Taffy’s honeymoon tickets. The two decide to take the tickets and pose as Mr and Mrs O’ Jones for three days to work up a bill, leaving Eddie to disturbingly be the latter.Episode 4 - First broadcast in the UK on 27th Jan 1995.
Carnival – It’s the annual Hammersmith riots and Richie and Eddie have the best seats as they look upon the injured and volatile below their flat. The two decide to steal a BBC film camera and create an “accidental” comical home video in hope of a financial reward from a Funniest Home Video Show. After many rehearsals it takes a year for Eddie to set up one of the stolen VCRs. When they can finally view the final product it turns out the VHS has compromising footage of the Prime Minister. Richie decides to blackmail the Government. Episode 6 - First broadcast in the UK on 10th Feb 1995.
All the episodes are presented in Full Frame 1.33:1 on a dual layered single sided DVD. Overall the picture quality is commendable. While there are minor incidents of grain and one incident of blooming in the source material the transfer features no incidents of Film-To-Video Artefacts. The colour scheme itself is dull with muted browns and yellows but this is an artistic choice. Skin tones remain natural and black levels are average. There is a single English subtitle soundtrack which is presented in a clear white Arial font. There are 6 chapter selections for each episode.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The single English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) soundtrack is adequate for the dialogue driven situation comedy. There are no audio synchronisation problems and the audio remains clear and audible. Other than the dialogue the show features exaggerated sound effects and segments of the main theme during the episodes which is performed by 'The Bum Notes'.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
A still image with a practical menu featuring a play all feature, episode and chapter selection and subtitle options.
Entitled “Bumfluff” this is a montage of outtakes from the show. It runs to a length of 13:17. This is recommended viewing. This feature can be viewed with subtitles.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
There are currently three box sets of this series available:
R1 is missing nothing in comparison with the R2/R4.
R2/R4 is missing the following extras:
Also in R2 there is a yet to be released The Big Bottom Box (7 DVDs).
Please note this boxset does not include the television series. Rather it is focused on the 'spin-off's' of the television show:
All releases are complete and uncut. It is disappointing that the R4 is missing two interesting extras from the R1 box set which demonstrate the first phase of the characters of Richard Richard and Edward Elizabeth Hitler. Depending on whether the purchaser wants the complete series of R1 or individual releases of R2 and R4 or discounted box sets of R2 and R4 there are a number of options to suit the purchaser’s budget. A best-of DVD is also available in R2 and R4 which features five uncut episodes and a photo gallery.
The final series is released in commendable fashion
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Denon DVD-1910, using DVI output |
Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |