 Great value! Best cheap surround sound i've owned yet. |
| Review Date: October 7, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Steven, Colorado, USA |
I've always had cheap surround sound systems. Usually i'll get one as a gift for xmas or something, over the coarse of a year it'll break just in time for someone to get me another cheapie the following xmas. Well, I finally invested a healthy sum of money into a 61 inch DLP televesion, so I figured... what better to go with my new TV then another cheapie surround sound system! (but this time I would buy it). My previous system had a couple busted speakers, so it wasn't worth much. I had limited funds because I spent so much cash on the TV, so I ended up buying this.
I believe people are being too critical about this system. People seem to expect a flagship quality system when they buy a system that costs less then 1/2 as much as a decent receiver alone.
I saw this system at Best Buy for a mere $150.00. Perfect. They had a model on the floor so I gave it a listen, was impressed and decided to buy it. I was happy that it came with an actual receiver rather then a crappy DVD combo type of deal (experience shows me that these always go faulty).
Setup was a snap, much easier then i'm used to thanks to the handy mic that comes with the system that helps your receiver automatically calibrate your speaker settings. I was happy with what I heard at the store, but I was blown away when I heard this in my own home (no sound pollution, like at the store). For a $150.00 system this sounds great! The audio is mostly clean, bass is pulse-pounding, mids and highs are good. So how does it compare to the $6,000.00 high end system my buddy has? Well, obviously not even close.
Here's what you can expect with this system:
The sound is mostly clean. The mids and highs are good, but someone seeking perfection may be a bit disappointed. Don't expect eye-blinking highs and super-rich mids. The bass is surprisingly powerful, but at higher volumes you will get "bass belching". The bass does thump pretty well but this bass module is passive so you wont get those strong soul-shaking bass thumps that you hear in high end systems. Worth mentioning is the form-factor of this system, well the speakers anyways. The speakers are nice and small, making this system discrete. The speakers have a nice feel to them, they don't feel like super cheap speakers. The receiver isn't as attractive because it's quite large and lacks substance because the buttons are very tiny - there's a lot of empty space.
So there are some issues with this system, why did I give it 5 stars? Well, first off, these issues are to be expected. One reviewer said that sony cut corners, I say - duh! Of course if you're going to build a complete 5.1 surround system including a receiver and price it around $150.00 then you're going to cut corners. Anyways, it deserves 5 stars because this is the best cheapie 5.1 system i've ever owned. I went in expecting crud and ended up with something that actually sounds pretty darn good! My movies are very immersive and my music sounds pretty good. That's all I need right now. |
An awesome system
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| Review Date: September 26, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Keith Russell, Minnesota |
| I've read a lot of review here, wow! Some people are so critical. This is a great system, especially if you're a college student on a budget. Someone said that it had so few imputs, do your research before you buy buddy. My only real gripe was the fact that the speaker wire is connected to the speakers, and it wasn't long enough. I took care of this problem by buying a Rocketfish wireless reciever and plugged the rear speakers into it, problem solved and works great (if you do this, autocal your system direct before using the wireless unit). Another person had a gripe about playing music on the system. I have a Zune with the media dock plugged into the system, the sound is crystal clear, I'm amazed by the clairity of sound. Several people have had gripes about having to turn up the volume way high. For music 35-45 is perfect for most styles of music. For movies around 55 is a great setting. I live in dorm, people live above and around me, and I live in a smaller space, insanely loud volume settings aren't necessary. If your viewing spot is in a large room and you've got a lot of money to work with, this system probably isn't for you. However, if your a college student living in a smaller space on a lower budget, I highly recommend this system, it's perfect. |
Best Small-budget System for 2008
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| Review Date: April 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: HT Pro, Ohio, USA |
I have a large and powerful component sound system that I use with my 120-inch home projector system. However, I needed something small and convenient for use with my 50-inch plasma TV. The reasons that the Sony HT-DDW790 meets my need perfectly are listed below:
1. LOW PRICE: I paid less than $100.00 for it at a Best Buy closeout special.
2. EASE OF USE: The HT-DDW790 is a breeze to set up and use. Not much to it.
3. SOUND QUALITY: I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to sound quality. My main system boasts speakers costing well over $15,000.00. When it comes to sound, I know what I'm talking about. The HT-DDW790 has above average sound quality when compared to systems in a comparable price ranges. I listened to it in the store sitting side-by-side with other home theaters (Panasonic, Onkyo, Philips, and Yamaha) costing upwards of $400.00, and the HT-DDW790 sounded every bit as good as any of them and better than some costing over $350.00.
4. LIMITED EXPANSION: Yes, the Sony HT-DDW790 is limited in inputs, outputs, and doesn't have any HDMI ports at all but that's part of its beauty - making it simple to set up and simple to operate. If you're looking for a system to use as a video switchbox that routes video from all your components to your TV, then this is not the system for you. However, if you simply want good sound, simple set up, and easy operation, (and can route your video directly to your TV or are using a separate video switcher), then this is a dream system (especially when you factor in a price that's about the same as a standard DVD player.
I pulled my Sony HT-DDW790 out of the box and had it set up and running in under 20 minutes. I'm more than satisfied with my purchase.
Incidentally, you can also connect the Sony HT-DDW790 via its digital coax or fiber optic inputs to your computer and use it as a blazing computer gaming sound system should you ever decide to upgrade your home theater sound system. In fact, connect your computer or gaming system to your TV and let the Sony HT-DDW790 handle the sound for some truly great gaming.
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Highly satisfied
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| Review Date: September 30, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Scott Allan, St. Louis, MO |
I hooked this up a few days ago, and let me just say... Wow. I am blown away at how great this system sounds. I'm on a budget, but I didn't want to go the super cheap route. This has everything I need. The satellite speakers are nice and clear and can be adjusted to any tone you like. The 8" sub pushes out some serious bass for being relatively small. This system has really brought my DVDs and video games to life.
Amazon has the best deals and amazingly fast shipping. I love you Amazon! |
Great sound at a cheap price but I have questions
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| Review Date: December 17, 2007 |
| Reviewer: L. Castellanos, CA United States |
This is my first home theatre system ever.
I hooked everything up and calibrated the speakers. I didnt get any errors.
Few questions.
1. When i use the fm radio, sound comes out of only the sub woofer, and the front Left and Right speakers. Is this normal?
2. When watching a dvd I have to turn it up all the way near 50 to get any sound. And I need to play it full blast just to be pretty comfortable watching a movie. Is there something off here? The specs are 800 watts and well, it sounds like not even 100 watts are pumping out of the system at full blast. I set the dvd on dolby MV. The rear speakers are barely noticable.
Keep in mind i didnt didnt have a cable to hook up through optical digital, i have it hooked up with the white red and yellow wires for now. Also, i didnt use the orange wire that came with the system either. Am i supposed to?
any help would be great, thanks |
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