Excellent Home Theater for a Small Room
Written: Oct 02 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: All-in-one design, ease of use, value, unique look
Cons: Underpowered, a little pricey, few inputs
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| mikemac's Full Review: Sony DAV-S300 |
This system is being advertised as The Sony Dream System, and I can see why. It is one of the easiest systems to like, and it is clearly aimed at a niche of the market between the true "entry-level" systems and the "audiophile-snobs."
Before I start getting flamed for that last description, let me explain. I would love to be able to spend a big chunk of my income to put together the best system out there, but, alas, my kids already take care of any disposable income that exists. I also think that I would be disappointed in a $200-$300 entry system. Enter the "Dream System." I picked it up on e-bay for $510.00 -- (It seems to be going at the Circuit City for $599.00)-- so it is not cheap. When you really look at what you get for the money, however, it turns out to be a spectacular deal. Remember that most "Home Theater in a Box" systems do not include the DVD player. Also, most of the entry level systems do not include DTS decoding. The Dream System has both. Before I bought this, I planned on buying a Cambridge Soundworks speaker system for around $350.00, a Sony receiver/decoder (without DTS) for about $250.00 and a Cambridge Soundworks DVD player for $199.00. This adds up to $800, and, with each component, I *really* wanted the next model up. I would have spent over $1000.00 to get the system I wanted. As I said before, Enter the "Dream System."
For $510.00, I got a decoder that includes an am/fm tuner (which I consider a throw-away), that decodes BOTH dolby digital and DTS. The receiver puts out 30 watts per channel, which is fine for my small family room. The DVD player plays all DVDs I have, including dual-layered. It also plays CDs (but not CD-Rs). It includes 5 identical small "satellite" speakers and a passive subwoofer. You can see that in the picture in the description, the system is a "cool" silver color that matches Sony's Wega TVs (not the usual black).
One important point: Sony has "idiot-proofed" this system. The speakers have color-coded labels on them: "center", "right rear", "left front". The other end includes the same color-coded proprietary plug that snaps into the color-coded slot on the back of the system. I could have let my 5-year old do it.
The ease of use is great, with everything being pretty obvious. Pop a disc in and it starts playing.
On to the cons. Some might consider 30 watts per channel with a passive subwoofer to be underpowered. I have it set up in a small family room, and it has more than enough power. I have only cranked it up a couple times, and can't imagine listening to a movie at that level. I did not hear any noticeable distortion at a high volume level. As far as the subwoofer: it is not separately powered, but I find the bass to be fine. I do not have another system to compare it to, but if it is a concern, the system has a separate outlet to plug in a powered subwoofer, so you are covered.
One major concern: the outputs. There are few. You can plug a digital satellite into the optical input, but there are only two other inputs, and they are RCA -- no s-video ins. This is not the system into which you will plug all of your components. I have the satellite, the VCR and one open. This could cause a problem for people who want to plug in the CD player, minidisc player etc . . . It's not gonna happen.
Pro and con: the remote. It has lots of buttons. This is good and bad. You can do almost everything with out getting off your duff. Like most remotes, however, you will not use 90% of the buttons after the first couple weeks. Also, although it claims it can control most TVs, it is really useless because you have to key numbers in and hit enter or use a channel up and down that is behind a swing down panel. It is very inconvenient.
In all, this is a perfect first system (it's mine), and a good second system for real junkies to put in their bedroom or basement. While $500 is a lot, it actually saves you money compared to purchasing similar components separately. The sound quality is excellent and the ease of use is great. I would recommend this system without reservation.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mikemac
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Member: Michael McLaughlin
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
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