Sony DAV-FX80 Home Theater: Better Than Similar Models From Panasonic and Philips?
Written: Nov 09 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy of use and set up, price, attractive, great sound
Cons: None that I have found yet
The Bottom Line: A great home theater system for a great price.
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| hwz1's Full Review: Sony DAV-FX80 Theater System |
We have now reached a place in our lives where we have a nice TV and thought that a nice home theater system would also make sense. I am not talking about something that costs thousands of dollars or something that is to elaborate. Just something that would make the viewing experience a little more enjoyable. I have always been a fan of Sony so that was where we began our search.
The first thing I liked about this Sony home theater was the price. I saw systems that ran from $150 to thousands of dollars and wanted to come in somewhere in the middle in order to get a quality system. This model seemed to be the best quality for the least amount of money. When all was said and done we ended up paying around $550 including taxes.
The second thing we liked was the size. We did not want something that was too large and preferred something with small speakers that could stand on their own. The DAV-FX80 met both criteria. It measures 18.0 x 32.0 x 25.0 inches and weighs just 30 pounds. The woofer is just eight inches in size. In other words, it is small enough that you can place it just about anywhere. The speakers are small (About the size of the add on stock computer speakers.) but also range to large (About three feet tall). In other words, they are adjustable when it comes to size and can, therefore, fit the size that you are looking for in any given room. Along the same lines is the look. The speakers and system are an attractive silver color and will fit in with just about any room.
Thirdly, I wanted something that I could get up and running right away. There is nothing worse than buying something and then having to wait a few days until you can get it to work the way it is supposed to. This was an easy hook up. The manual is comprehensive and easy to follow- text and pictures- and the connections all make sense. You have the following hook ups to make: 2 composite in, 1 composite out, 1 S-Video out, 1 component out, 1 HDMI out, 1 coaxial audio in, 1 optical audio in. It does sound like a lot, but with our Sony TV everything went smoothly and within an hour we were up and running.
Finally, I was looking for a home theater that was easy to use once it was set up. My wife is not the best with these things and, hence, the easier to use the better. The theater has a five DVD and changer and up to 30 preset AM/FM channels. Very easy. There is a remote that contains plenty of options, but is well laid out and easy to understand. Everything with this theater is well thought out and makes sense.
One thing we did not need, but you get anyway is a bunch of different compatibility options. You can use the theater for the following formats: DVD movie, CD audio, SACD, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW, and VCD discs; MP3 and JPEG. We use it almost exclusively for DVD movies.
Ok, so how about performance? We love it. The sound is very rich, clear, and powerful. Is it theater quality? No, but the room where we have it is not theater quality either. What it does do is provide a great surround sound effect that really brings the sound of various movies home. You also find that you pick up a lot of little noises that you do not know you are missing. For instance, music in the background that you cannot hear or notice with normal speakers. We also found that sounds such as explosions, wind, bubbles, etc. sound incredible. We did find that further apart we placed the speakers, the better the sound. We now have them in a square pattern with two behind us and two in front. I think that we made a great purchase and wonder how we made in through so many movies over the years without a surround sound home theater.
The DAV-FX80 is a powerful home theater, but not overly so. The system has 1000 watts of total power and kicks 285 watts to the sub woofer. Again, powerful, but nothing that is going to break a glass. The key for us with this home theater was the cost/benefit analysis. You get a very good home theater that does not break the bank. You will also think you have an even better system because the improvement over what you currently have or do not have is so significant. I have no problem highly recommending the DAV-FX80 home theater system.
Recommended:
Yes
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hwz1
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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