Tag : w auto, home theater, sony 850w, dx155, calibration dav, 5 disc

Company : Sony List Price : $0.00 Amazon Price : Used Price : Average customer review :

Customer reviews

Buy with caution
I got this because of the calibration feature and was not dissapointed. It set up super easy, the wires are color coded for each speaker and the instructions are easy to follow as well. I set it up in about half an hour and played the fast and the furious on it to see its range. Wow! what sound. After the movie, I went for dinner and when I got in my car, I kid you not, I felt like I was living the movie. It may not be Bose but the speaker sound is increadible! The surround sound is amazing and is so clear. The only draw back to this system is that it has clips for the speaker wires. I had bought higher grade wires to get better sound and then found out after I cut the wires to size that the system has clips for the connection to the system and since it’s new, I can’t cut and splice the new wires yet in case something goes wrong with it and I have to exchange it. The system does not come with speaker stands either and that’s an extra cost, but to be expected. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars for the high end, this works great!

UPDATE!!! As great as this system was, after three months of use it started switching the movies from black and white to color. I found out that this model has been discontinued. I did return it and bought the new model because I love the sound quality, Memoirs of a Geisha was incredible with that system, but this time I bought the extended warranty just in case.

My assessment
OPENNING STATEMENT:

I’ve never been one in the past to render a written statement in the form of a review for a product until now. So this will be a debut of my thoughts, assessment, and opinions. I actually caution anyone not to read reviews unless you are a confident consumer, know what you want, don’t want, and not easily dissuaded by the opinions of others with the product you are interested in. If you’re not than reviews will only further confuse you, cloud your thinking, frustrate you, and discourage you from moving towards a purchase. Based on my own personal experience and others, I’ve done my research on Home theater systems and became more inclined to buy several I liked, until the day I sat down and read reviews. I think reviews can be helpful but also detrimental to the process of making a purchase.

REASON: We all tend to have different preferences and performance expectations from the same products. Some of us may have higher standards for a Sony H.T.I.B., as a large portion of reviews are just strictly personal opinions and very few have any professional validity. Some reviewers will knock the star rating down lower because there was no way to hook up their IPOD or not enough outlets to hook up every video game system and device etc they own. So this begins the momentum of finding as many negative strikes as possible to discredit the product. And for those reasons among others is why I’m sharing my insight and stating that it is wise to not read reviews, unless you are a confident consumer not easily dissuaded by personal opinions and experiences of others.

MY ASSESSMENT:

I’ve just recently received this Sony Home Theater System as a gift. I love the color and look of it as it blends in very well with anything! I thought it would take me half of 30 days to test it out before writing this review but in the 3 days I’ve had it my likeability factor has increased quite rapidly! Once I took, it out the box the hook up was fairly simple and fast. The speaker cords are color coded with corresponding colors on the back of the receiver and the spliced wires that go into the actual speakers had the positive end clearly identifiable as to which was which. Once I got to the on screen menu, I succeeded through the steps, until I reached the calibration mic step. I did it several times and continued to get a failure message. So I double checked to make sure I hooked all the speakers and receiver up correctly, which I did and still got the failure message. After changing the placement of the cal mic several times with no success, we soon found out the cord’s post was not fully inserted!! Once we did that, the system automatically calibrated and adjusted all of my speakers and I was done. So if you find yourself having trouble with the cal mic step you may need to apply a bit more force when inserting the post into the socket. After that, I began to enjoy the crisp rich sounds from the speakers! I also like the fact I have the option to mount my speakers but I prefer the speaker stands, so I’m free to move them around at will! The sound field option on the remote is great that allows you to find the best listening quality! I favor the Dolby 3 that gives you great panoramic sound from all the speakers and each speaker playing a different role in the audio performance! I’ve watched 2 movies so far and on my 3rd right now and I’ve experienced big bangs, booms, realistic explosions and the helicopters sound awesome, felt like I had a military airbase indoors! Bullets sounded as if they were bouncing off of speakers! Each speaker was delivering certain sounds from time to time, such as helicopter flyovers, explosions, wind, rain and gunfire in the distance to name a few! I love that! You also feel surrounded by the music as it plays in the background of the movie enveloping the room in sound! If you really want to test your speakers with this system, put in “Tears of the Sun’! The reason I suggest this movie if you have it, is because it offers the most variations of sounds from the ambience of owls, exotic birds, waterfalls, wind, rain, explosions, music and helicopters etc. I was constantly hearing effects being flushed out of every speaker or each speaker projected a specific sound like distant thunder and a chirping bird was played through only 2 rear speakers, I actually can hear the flies amplified through the speakers that made me feel as if I were really in a jungle, AMAZING! I would like to debate a previous complaint about the 5 disc CD changer, by saying it doesn’t take any longer to switch discs as it does my disc changer for my radio. Again this is where people differ, as some are very impatient and must have immediate gratification. So don’t let any review urging the disc changer takes too long dissuade you because I found that not to be true!

MY STAR RATING:

The only reason I gave this system 4 instead of 5 stars is because nothing is perfect and there’s always room for improvement to make even a great product better! So I conclude by saying in writing my first review I wanted to be as thorough and accurate as possible, to be more of a help and service to the needs of curious consumers who are in the market for a H.T.I.B. and considering this one. Because if I could have found someone to be as accurate and lay out the benefits and consequences of reading reviews, it would of helped me tremendously not only to make a buy but sooner! I hope that now my review will enlighten anyone who reads it and if you should purchase this system as I did, that you will find the same prosperity and enjoyment as I am!

CONS:

I have none!