# GPX brand ok?



## Trashman (Jan 1, 2006)

Does anybody have any experience with the GPX brand of video/audio electronics? I've noticed that Fry's has a GPX 5.1 surround DVD home theatre system on sale for $47. Are they as bad as the price leads some to believe (some, meaning my dad), or are they ok? I just broke my DVD player last night (which, thankfully, was a freebie) and want to get a cheap one that works, and the GPX branded ones often go on sale for cheap. Fry's had a "Black Friday" sale where they were selling a DVD player for $14.99. I would have bought one then, but unfortunately, I starting feeling a little sick, and decided not to go (arggh). I think they often have these same ones on sale for between $20 and $40. I just need something that will play, and something that will show the subtitles.


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## wylde21 (Jan 6, 2006)

GPX is a lower price point brand. Quality is relative. Generally, I would say that GPX is not as good a brand as Phillips, Panasonic, or JVC (to name a few), but more in line with Radio Shack's Optima brand. Should be fine as long as you don't expect the best quaility and features.


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## larrymz3 (Jan 6, 2006)

GPX is not very high quality.


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## Trashman (Jan 6, 2006)

Well, I saw this sale on "Cyperhome" DVD players at Best Buy -- $39.99 -$10 rebate, so, eventually, $29.99. The poor thing didn't even work when I got it home! I returned it immediately. The following day my dad surprised me by buying me a Toshiba from Costco for $79.99. So, I guess I lucked out, although I think it would have been just as good for him to have gotten me the $44 Toshiba that they also had. I have a feeling much of the price of the one he bought is wrapped up in the HDMI capability (cable included), which I have no use for. In fact, I'm still not completely sure what it is. I'm guessing it is just a high quality signal used by Plasma TVs and the like.


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## geek (Jan 6, 2006)

My experience with GPX has been that it is the cheapest, crummiest, lousiest equipment available. If you gave me GPX equipment of any sort, it would go immediately on my cannibalize-for-parts pile.

Despite its reputation, I've found Radio Shack's Optima brand to be surprisingly decent. A high school friend of mine bought an Optima add-on CD player for his car. It would not skip, ever - you could literally hit it with a hammer and it would not skip. At one point, he accidentally connected it to power backwards. Wisps of smoke came out of the CD slot and we were both sure it was boned. Nope - it still worked great!


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## AJ_Dual (Jan 6, 2006)

Radio Shack brands Optimus, Archer, Realistic etc. Are an odd lot.

I guess it depends on where they're getting the OEM stuff from. Some of it is of amazing quality, some is junk. Although most "RatShack" brands are better than most people think IMO.

GPX is a low-tier brand. I allways associate them with "fake" component stereo systems. You know, the cheap ones for teens that are molded in the front to look like individual stacked components, but are just one big plywood box in back. 

Although, I have to admit, all the DVD players in our house are Apex cheapies bought when DVD players hit new price-point lows. Although I made it a point to buy Apex for our first player because it was a model for which you can "hack" it by burning firmware off the Internet to CD to turn off the copy-protection, and make the player "regionless". The second was an Apex just because it happened to be the $28 special at Wal-Mart that week. 

Sometimes 90% of the functionality for 1/4 the price is a strong inducment.


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## Skyclad01 (Jan 6, 2006)

I must be the odd one of the bunch. But all my experience with GPX has been quite good. My friends sister had a GPX radio, and for a cheap brand, the sound it got was high quality - very crisp and clear. I've had a GPX walkman and that was of good quality and sound for the price as well. I use the word "had" because that was over 5 + years ago. although in all that time, neither I nor my friends sister have had any problems with our GPX.

Currently my mom has a GPX CD player boombox, and I have used it outside when doing yardwork. And GPX's quality has still stood the test of time. The sound is just as crisp and clear. It plays CD's well and the digital tuner is excellent. For me, GPX is the best of the no name brands for those on a budget that want quality.

I'm sorry that others on this thread have had such bad experiences with GPX. But for me, its a great budget product. Though, I may be the rule to the exception. :shrug:


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## CLHC (Jan 6, 2006)

Isn't *GPX* kind of like Walmart's *Durabrand* of electronics? Or am I associating this with another company?


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