Excellent entry-level system
Written: Nov 15 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: DVD playback with surround sound, size, all-in-one
Cons: lack of inputs/outputs, upgradeablility
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| Expert150's Full Review: Sony DAV-S300 |
The DAV-S300 is a complete home theater package. It includes a DVD player, receiver, 5 speakers and a subwoofer. I will discuss all aspects in this review.
1. DVD player - I have been very pleased with DVD playback. It is certainly a step up from older models that I'm used to. Picture quality is very good and it also has some nice features including slow motion and an easy-to-use onscreen menu. Also, it has some good error-correction (my copy of The Matrix is scratched and does not play well on older players. The DAV-S300 plays it flawlessly).
The most important feature of the DVD player (although this could also be counted as a feature of the receiver) is that it has built in Dolby Digital and DTS decoding. This means that you will get discrete 5.1 channel surround sound. More on this later.
2. Receiver - The biggest problem with using the DAV-S300 as a receiver is its lack of inputs and outputs. It only has 2 sets of RCA inputs and no coaxial input. That means that if you want to hook up your cable, N64 and VCR, you're going to have to do some clever wiring. There are no S-Video inputs and there is also no digital out. That means that you can't upgrade later and use the DAV-S300 only as your DVD player and use another receiver. If you wanted to upgrade you'd have to start all over with a new DVD player and a new receiver.
The receiver also has some built-in sound modes. These include hall, live-house, Dolby Pro-Logic, etc. Not really much to say about these other than that they're there and they can add something if you're playing video games, listening to CD's, etc. Generally, if I'm not watching a DVD, I leave it at 2 channel stereo for the TV and N64.
As mentioned previously, DTS and Dolby Digital decoding are the most important feature. Without DTS and DD decoding, DVDs would not sound much better than regular TV. But with decoding, DVDs can sound better than your local multiplex. If you've never heard DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, then this system should really impress you. I've noticed that DTS sound usually sounds crisper, deeper and just better than Dolby Digital, but unfortunately most DVDs are in DD format.
Speakers - The best part about the speakers is that they're small. I use this system in a small common room in my dorm. The back wall is only about 9.5 feet from the TV, and I don't have room for large speakers. However, these speakers still pack a lot of punch. Even though they're only 30 watts each, we almost never have to turn the volume to the more than half of its max, and our neighbors still come over and complain. If you're planning on using this system in a small room, don't let the size of the speakers fool you. The sound will definitely fill your room.
Subwoofer - It's incredible how much a subwoofer can add to a speaker system. I was a little worried about this one since it's passive (which means it does not have its own power source) and it's only 30 watts, but I was pleasantly surprised by the bass that it produces. Again, if you're in a small room, this sub will provide more than enough.
If you are looking to take your first step into home theater, this system is really an excellent choice. It's an all in one package, so you don't have to worry about how to hook everything up, or buying the right components. The system has enough power for most rooms, but if you're looking to put this in a really big space then you might want to try something else.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Expert150
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 2 members
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