Fantastic All-In-One Solution
Written: Dec 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Price, performance, versatility, features/functions, appearance
Cons: can't play all CD-R's, passive subwoofer (only a problem for larger rooms though)
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| nick1326's Full Review: Sony DAV-S300 |
When I began searching for an all-in-one, plug-n-play DVD home theatre system I didn't quite know what to expect. On one hand I wasn't certain if I should simply buy the seperate componentry and abandon the idea of an ideal out of the box system, however, having fallen in love with this unit, let me put your apprehension to rest by saying that this is a stellar product with a very fair price tag.
Up until this point, I was using my computer as a DVD player using my vid card's TV out. This has obvious limitations and for exactly that reason, I started looking at better ways of monitoring. However the overall sound quality was my major concern, and the concept of budget versus performance was a huge factor in making my decision to buy. There are many factors which make this unit such a great buy, performance, appearance, size, versatility, features/functions and of course, the cost.
Performance: The receiver/DVD unit has beyond ample capabilities in the surround decoding department. with both DTS and Dolby Pro-Logic you should be well covered for all your 5.1 DVD needs. What makes the unit so adaptable is the ability to adjust almost every aspect of your speaker placement and tonality. You don't need the perfect room to make the surround sound "believable" -- Adjustments are made very quickly and easily, so for the first-time user it should be no problem to make the changes and find yourself right in the action. Remember, this was designed as a simple/quick-to-use DVD solution and Sony has certainly succeeded at providing exactly that. I realize people might be apprehensive about two aspects of this product: passive sub and relatively low wattage... Let me put this to rest. The sub actually comes through very well in my room, which is 12' x 15'. Of course, having an active sub would be nice, but this one does a very good job and is also nice and compact -- it handles the lows very well and provides a good bass foundation for the rest of the system. As for the wattage, again, the satelites really amazed me -- I myself was a little skeptical about how much these little guys could put out. One viewing of Gladiator at medium volume will have you convinced -- just listen to those horses come in and those catapults load up at the beggining of the movie. Watch the battle scene- with a half-way decent setup you'll feel like you are right in the fight....with some thought and effort, a great setup will really impress you.
Appearance: SILVER not black, what else can I say. Certainly more progressive looking, and goes quite well the a WEGA TV. Also, everything about this unit is small. The satelites are tiny and the receiver is about as big as a large-size hardcover book. It will fit almost anywhere and looks great.
Versatility: It fits anywhere, it sounds great and has more adjustments than necessary to make your surround experience bring you into the screen. Go see this thing and I can pretty much guarantee you'll not walk out of the store empty handed.
Features: Again, the home-theatre aspect of this product is where Sony really shines. We all know Sony makes fantastic video electronics. This is not an exception. Aside from the adjustment/adaptability department, the receiver has your AM/FM stereo built right in and also has room to add 2 external devices. Many of you (I'm sure) are thinking that with only 2 inputs, you are quite limited. I myself was a little deterred by it myself, however if you consider that most likely you would want to add a VCR, most VCR's have 1 or 2 seperate line inputs as well. So now you want to add a videogame console, stick it through the VCR and bingo -- No problem! Where there is a will there is a way -- if you had a ton of high-end componentry that required many inputs, you probably would not be considering this unit anyway. As I see it, it has ample inputs. The only feature which I was unhappy with is the inability to play CD-R's. Actually, this is not set in stone - supposedly they can handle certain CD-R's -- the unit does not differentiate between CDR and "real" CD obviously, its just that playing a CD-R was not in the required spec for the unit, therefore it is hit or miss. Sony recommends that you burn your discs in as high quality as possible with a disc with GOLD media and gold or silver dye - NOT BLUE.
Cost: For under 600 bucks (By the way, many places selling for 500 now) you are going to be very hard pressed to find this kind of performance in an easy-to-use and setup, one-shot package. I am very impressed, and with exception of the CD-R issue, I think this product is as close to perfect (for its intended application) as possible. Good luck, happy shopping, make sure you check this baby out, it is well worth the time.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nick1326
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Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 232
Trusted by: 93 members
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Music, Motorcycles, Drumming, Surfing, the finest cigars and living life to its fullest...
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