Evesham is slashing the price of its range-leading 42in Alqemi HD ready LCD TV set, making big cuts to its recently-launched TX Alqemi models and trimming prices on other Alqemi sets.
Biggest saving is £400 with the Alqemi 42SX range-leader, which now goes out for £999 (inc VAT), compared to £1,399 at launch. Better still, the 42SX comes with a free upscaling DVD player, the Evesham DVD1000.
That HDMI-equipped player normally sells for £70 and is also a freebie with a second 42-incher, the Alqemi 42S. The 42S has also been cut in price - by £50 - to £899, as has the Alqemi 37SX, now pitched at £799.
However, the price reductions that may make the most impact are the £100 that's said to have been trimmed from the Alqemi 32TX, bringing it down to £499, and the £150 cut from its 37in companion, the Alqemi 37TX, now pitched at £749.
We can see the 32TX, especially, being a massive hit.
Other firms sell 32-inchers at the same £499 price point but there can't be many competitors that offer the wide spread of worthwhile features that the 32TX has and shares with other TX models.
Alqemi 32TX
The TX sets support 720p and 1080i high-def resolutions - though native resolution is only 1366 x 768 (WXGA), as is normal with budget models - and have claimed response time of 8ms; twin tuners (one analogue and one Freeview digital); Nicam stereo and virtual surround sound; and an under-screen speaker housing that can be removed if you already have AV speakers in place.
Also worth noting are P-i-P (picture-in-picture); a Cam slot for accessing chargeable Top-Up TV digital channels; a supplied wall-mount; and a decent spread of inputs.
There's a single HDMI port, plus component video, S-video, composite video and two Scarts, along with VGA and DVI ports for computers.
All sets in the TX range are delivered free - though Evesham offers various chargeable installation options - and are backed by a three-year at-home warranty which is reckoned to be carried out by the company's own engineers and to offer the peace of mind of a swap-out guarantee.
Significantly, because the 32TX - like its TX companions - has its detachable speakers below its screen, the set is going to be easier to accommodate in more living rooms.
Even ignoring all the hole-drilling, wall-mounting can be a messy business. It enforces an awkward separation between the set and associated AV gubbins that typically sit below in a housing unit. That separation of the set from the digibox, PVR, AV amp, VCR, DVD player/recorder and all the rest can result in a lot of ugly wires trailing down the wall unless you're prepared to dig cabling channels and redecorate, too.
But, at 830(w) x 590(h) x 125(d) mm, the 32TX offers a far simpler installation, since it will fit it into the sort of TV housings that currently hold old, large-screen CRT-based sets and AV hardware.
That's in contrast not only with many competitors but also with Evesham's own £599 Alqemi 32SX, which we currently have in for review. This model has fixed, side-mounted speakers and its excessive width - it measures 927(w) x 528(h) x 122(d) mm - meant we were never able to bring it out of our lab to properly test it in living-room conditions without causing mayhem.
Alqemi 32sx LCD TV set
with
optional GT stand and iplayer Freeview PVR.
Watch out for our upcoming reviews!
optional GT stand and iplayer Freeview PVR.
Watch out for our upcoming reviews!
As our review relates - and it will follow close behind next-week's warts-n-all take on the Evesham iplayer - the 32SX produces rather beautiful pictures.
We're kind of hoping that the 32TX will do the same even though it has slightly inferior specs, notably contrast of 1000:1 rather than 1200:1; and viewing angles of 170deg, rather than 178deg.
Thoughts on the TX range and the new, lower prices? Share them with us in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle.headlines :: Yes - Evesham's iplayer PVR does seem the stuff of wet dreams!
HEXUS.community :: Evesham iplayer - the Freeview PVR you've dreamt about!
HEXUS.lifestyle.headlines :: Evesham - more bangs-per-buck with Alqemi LCD HDTVs?
External.links
Evesham - home pageLowestOnWeb - Evesham buying site for Alqemi sets and other CE lines
