Sony 5.1 Surround Sound System: A budget surround system that works.
Written: Feb 12 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good sound, acceptable volume, auto audio setting.
Cons: Subwoofer not very powerful, only 2 optical inputs, only composite inputs.
The Bottom Line: It is just your basic 5.1 system for those on a budget.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Sony HTD-DW830 Theater System |
We got this through our sony points after we bought ourToshiba 57” HDTV. I not only wanted a great picture to watch my movies on, I also wanted great sound. And being on a budget, this package fit the bill for what I wanted.
How it works.
Before you set this up you will need some speaker cable (I suggest monster) and some wire cutters/strippers. You will also need some stands. If you get wall mounted then you will probably also want some sort of conduit to run the cables through. If you just have the stands that you move the no special conduits will probably be needed.
I thought the setup was simple, my only issue was buying the mounting gear and installing the cable around my room. The hardest part (which isn’t hard) is to measure out the cable and strip it to expose the copper wire. The wires it comes with are pretty cheap so I would recommend getting better cable. Copper Monster speaker cable is what I use.
You have several channels to choose from.
You can also use this as a system selector if you wish, but you are limited to composite cable connections. No high-definition connections here so I don’t use this option.
What it comes with
The receiver.
A remote and 2 batteries.
5 satellite speakers.
1 subwoofer.
An antenna.
And I believe that it did come with some cheap speaker wire cable and a RCA style cable.
Connections
Starting from right to left.
There are 5 speaker wire ports (for a bare copper speaker wire) for the 5 channels.
There is a monitor/video out. It is a RCA port.
There is a RCA type port for the subwoofer.
Video in(yellow), 2 Channel sound in (red & white)
Video out(yellow), 2 Channel sound out (red & white)
DVD/LD (Red, White, and yellow)
TV/video (Red, White, and yellow)
Md/tape audio inputs and outputs (red & white).
Cd audio outputs (red & white).
Auxiliary audio outputs (red & white).
2 antenna inputs. One is a coaxial input and the other uses 2 bare wires that connect with the antenna.
6 RCA ports for 5.1 sound (if you don’t have an optical capable player.)
DVD/LD input using a RCA port.
2 optical audio inputs labeled DVD/LD and SAT/TV.
The front has the 1/4 inch jack for headphones.
The front controls
Speakers- shut off the speakers without shutting off the unit.
Power- turns it on and off
Display- cycle through information.
Dimmer- 4 brightness settings for the display. It isn’t bright enough to bother me so I never use this feature.
Preset tuning- Cycle through your preset stations.
Tuning- Manually tune into a radio station. It is just two buttons so it is a bit annoying to use. They really should have had a tuning dial instead of buttons.
Memory- Set station.
Shift- toggle through the 3 banks of preset (A, B, & C.) You can have 10 presets per bank, AM or FM.
Fm mode- Switches from stereo to mono.
Am- Select the AM band.
Fm- Select the FM band.
A wheel that makes adjusting setting a lot easier-
EQ- This allows you to control treble and base. You control both the volume and the frequency.
Surround- set to surround sound.
Level- Use this to balance the 6 speakers
Enter- input key.
Arrow keys- Allows you to navigate through the submenus.
Cinema studio buttons; A, B, C- switch through the different sound settings.
AFD- I usually leave this on. It automatically sets the sound to what it thinks it best.
Mode- Hit this button to manually control the sound enhancement setting. This turns off the AFD button.
2 Channel- Basic 2 speaker sound. Sometimes a station does not broadcast in 5.1 and you want to turn off the side speakers.
A large volume wheel- Easily control the volume.
Muting- Mute the sound.
In addition you have 7 channels that you can switch around to. They are…
CD- Composite audio
DVD/LD- Composite video, composite audio, optical audio.
TV/SAT- Composite video, composite audio, optical audio.
Tuner- Composite audio.
Video- Composite video, composite audio.
Mdtape- Composite audio.
Auxiliary- Composite audio.
Sound quality
I consider the sound quality to be average. Average to me is no defects, just a standard sound. Unlike some high-end systems, there are some sounds that get lost and are therefore not heard. If you don’t know what I am talking about then go out and listen to a pair of $20 headphones and compare the same song with a pair of $120 headphones. You will notice sound in the higher end headphones that weren’t there before. I would rate this system to the equivalent to a pair of $60 headphones. I will replace this system in a few years even if this does not die on me.
The subwoofer is not very powerful. I leave it on high and the bass is adequate. I am not rattling the windows, heck not even getting close. But for most people the bass power will be adequate.
Radio tuner
It has a built in radio tuner with an antenna jack. I get very poor reception in my neighborhood and so I do not get a good signal. But it does work. Since it does have an antenna port I suggest you get a good quality antenna if you intend to use this for radio play.
Surround sound.
I have not had any problems with any of my DVD’s working with this unit. It did not matter if it was Dolby Digital or DTS, I have not had any problems with the sound. I have even connected my XBOX to the optical port and it sounded great. Makes me wish I had more than two optical outputs.
Ergonomics and ease of use.
Everything is listed and easy to use. The controls in the main unit are also sectioned off into three parts that makes it easy to find. Although I’m sure they could improve the design, I don’t have an opinion on what it would be.
About the remote.
The remote is easy to use but is not a universal remote. Unlike other remotes, this remote controls everything on the Sony receiver. There are no features missing on the remote. The remote has one feature the receiver does not have, a sleep time. You can set the sleep time at 30 minute intervals to a maximum of 2 hours. The buttons on the remote are small but not a major issue. It also takes 2 AAA batteries
Who is this for?
This is an inexpensive 5.1 system. It is ideal for small rooms and small budgets. If you have the money then I recommend you get a nicer system than this, it makes your home movie viewing so much more pleasurable. If you are on a budget then I highly recommend this as a durable electronic device that does a fair job in the surround sound department.
Cleaning
The only cleaning I have had to do is some basic dusting. There are no filters to clean or any other issues related to cleaning.
Durability
I have had absolutely no problems with either the remote or the receiver. No broken or hard to use buttons, and no weird glitches to speak of other than the temporary issue listed next. It is a well-made piece of hardware.
Problems
The only problem I encountered is my subwoofer made a clicking noise for about a month. Once the subwoofer was disconnected then the clicking stopped. It only happened for a month then stopped completely so I am not sure if it was the receiver or something else interfering with the subwoofer. But it is fine now.
Dimensions and stats.
Depth: 11.5 inches (includes protrusions.)
Width: 16 7/8 inches
Height: 6 1/8 inches
Wattage: 220
Length of power cord: 60 inches
Summary
This is a lower end surround sound system. Since owning it for 3 years the only issue I had was a buzz that appeared to be produced by the subwoofer. That had since gone away. The speakers and subwoofer are adequate for any normal living room. But if you want speakers that will rock your world, go elsewhere. This system is ideal for the rest of us that are happy not owning a system that turns our couch into a vibrator.
Other Sony Products.
Sony Wega 34” HDTV
Sony Portable DVD player
Sony Handycam DCR-HC40
My HDTV antenna
Terk TV-55
Recommended:
Yes
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