small size design remote

very very very bad sound for music

I had a good audio system once - it was overall good sony reciever STR-DE425 and the very good sony speakers SS-126E. These probably was the best speakes sony has made ever. I was stupid that I sold them. It is sad they do not produce them anymore. Additionaly i had a good sony dvd player. After some while I thought, I want something else, something what ir more compact and has more soundield programs and is more modern. I sold old system and bought a sony DAV-S550. O may God!!! It was a mistake!!! Terrible sound for music, everything SUCKS except compact size and remote! I strongly recomend always test sound of these small compact sysetm and only then to buy! I will never buy home theater packages again. They are maybe good for movies, but they are realy bad for music. Practicaly immpossible to listen to music. Don't do my mistake.

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Will never use a home theater pachage again. this was one and only in my life.

Sounds nice if you like to get up off of the sofa everytime you want to do a function.

If it ever gets hung in manual mode you're screwed. Also, the dual remote isn't compatible with my 25 inch Sony TV monitor. This will be my last Sony purchase ever.

Got this unit for xmas. It SUCKS... The unit is hung up in manual mode which means that the remote control doesn't work with the unit. When you press the power on button it lights up in red. No display appears. If you get up to manually operate the unit it will work but the red power on light goes out. Don't bother calling Sony Customer Information Services Center @ 1800-222-SONY, because they don't have a clue as how this unit works.

The Good: The two main channel speakers are two-way designs (probably concentric) and the rest are one way. On the outside the speakers look identical but Sony carefully labeled and color-coded each one of them and their supplied wires so installation is a crystal clear snap. Wall mounting the speakers is easy but stereo imaging becomes pretty messed up by the back wall's proximity. I tested them both on stands and wall mounted. While on stands the CD playback had been quite satisfactory from the imaging point of view. Classic tracks (Beethoven's 9th for instance) were rendered quite faithfully despite the small speaker size. The whole orchestral layout (aka the stereo image) was also surprisingly good although the system lacks the power to reproduce the true scale of a full symphonic orchestra. Equally surprising was the relative ease with which the Sony negotiated difficult musical passages without ever sounding congested even at high volume levels. Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells 2 has some of the most difficult bass tracks I ever encountered. Sony's subwoofer performed incredibly well with this kind of material avoiding the characteristic "thumpness" so common at this pr

The Bad: Frequency response is only adequate. Sony states 20Hz to 10kHz. While the upper portion appears OK the bottom 20Hz end is probably wishful thinking. Consequently the sound with all other sources except DVD will miss some "sparkle" at the very top and some bass low level resolution. To add insult to injury tone controls are sorely missing. While the subwoofer output can be adjusted to match the room, treble is un adjustable. I'm accustomed listening to stereo material bypassing the tone controls on my main hi-fi system but the Sony still sounds "polite" at the top by comparison. To be honest I do prefer this fault by "omission" to the relentless and fatiguing treble quality of similar priced systems. Replacing the main speakers with a pair of Polk RT5s corrected the problem to a certain degree but the 5.1 coherence and integration is lost on DVD playback. Another solution is to raise the volume a little. The sound really opens up quite a bit without sounding harsh or congested at higher volume levels, however the ultimate top end resolution is still under the one displayed by my "dedicated" stereo system. Ultimately this is more a taste thing. I find the s

I was eyeballing this little Sony for sometime now. It seemed to be the ideal solution so my smallish living room where big speakers and a nasty web of wires would look definitely out of place. I do own a pretty good music system already so DVD replay was my main concern. When I saw the DAV-S500 on clearance at the Future Shop for Can$530 it was too good a deal to pass. This little Sony did not disappoint me. Yet...

Small size. DVD/TV sound excellent. Average to very good cd/tuner audio. Saves soundfields for different inputs. Saves soundfields for different radio stations. Plenty of sound customization except one.

NEEDS ONSCREEN PROMPTS for volume, soundfields, functions, inputs etc for us that can't read the small display across the room. No tone controls, I like to up the high end a bit. Teeny buttons on remote. Bass a little light.

Having high end audio/theatre in my den I was looking for a dvd player to match up with my new Toshiba TV in my bedroom. I have purchased Sony products before and been pleased. The $400 price range was just right too. I listened to this unit at BestBuy before I bought one but listening there is a pain, all the speakers piled on top of the unit- definately not possible to evaluate the sound. What I did like was the size of the unit (small) and the reviews I read mostly seemed positive. Setup was easy with the color coded stuff, mounted the speakers on the walls, put the sub behind the bed and ended up with a great sounding DVD player. Definately worth $400. -Probably not $700. A few pluses and minuses listed below... Can't beat the price/value for a small room!

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None

Beautiful vivid color and clarity on the dvd player Easy to store in the cabinent and small speakers don't take up much room in small apartment setting

radio and stereo sound is just average. Not bad sound but does not compare to the reproduction on my stereo system

I bought this system because I wanted to continue using my stereo system as it was.I have a vintage collection of LP's and some of the newer home theater receivers do not have phono input. I had also read many reviews that the home theater receivers are better for the movie sound than music sound and I as listen to my music more than I watch movies, I did not want to compromise. This little system is terrific for those of you in a small apartment, dorm room or condo. I keep the sound at about 10 or 11 position and it is more than loud to fill up my living room. The picture is beautiful on the dvd player, color is very vivid and the movie soundtrack is very realistic. I would not recommend this to anyone with a larger family room or den as the 40 watts would not be enough power to fill a larger room. It is not hard to set up as it is color coded but very time consuming. Since the speakers are so small you can easily move them around but it will take a few times of viewing to find the best place to set the speakers, you just have to experiment. The remote is not easy to learn how to use but after about two weeks it started to make sense how it is layed out. I was watching all my movies on a VCR and will never go back. The clarity and stunning colors on the dvd are just terrific. This little system was a good choice for me.

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None this is my first dvd player

Price, <$400 Sound quality for the price is fantastic Ease of use and setup Esthetics - it looks great

No brackets for wall mounting available anywhere on the web or at stores. I ended up making two from the hardware store for about $3.50 and they work great. Bass. If you want to rattle the floor and annoy the neighbors, upgrade to a more powerful sub.

I just bought this system for my girlfriend. She just bought herself a new TV and VCR and I wanted to buy her a DVD player for her b-day. I decided to go with a cheaper DVD player/Surround Receiver in one boxed deal and I didn''t want to spend a lot of money. She isn''t a huge audio enthusiast like myself, but DVD''s are pointless in my mind without the benefit of Dolby digital or the DTS experience. She liked the ease of setup, even though I did it all, but in case she ever needs to do it herself, the color coded wires make it super easy. I set it up so we have her VHS and cable box going into the receiver and it does a very good job of creating a pro-logic surround atmospheres for those mediums. We watched Pearl Harbor the first night on the system and the bombs dropping halfway through the movie sounded really great. I increased the dB on the sub to +6 and this made all the difference in bass. The overall quality for less than $400 is outstanding. I have spent over $3000 on my system which includes a Harman Kardon AVR 65 receiver, velodyne sub, and Infinity center, front, and rear speakers. along with a 32" Wega. So my basis for comparison is pretty high and I still thought that the little Sony cube speakers did a great job. This is perfect for dorm rooms, apartments, bed rooms and for the first time buyer of surround equipment. Music also sounds pretty darn good, a lot better than any bookshelf system. Plus the SACD sound phenomenal, she can''t wait until Sony starts manufacturing some of those on the market.

Easy setup. Great sound with movies and music. Good value for money. Very stylish. Excellent bass.

Runs warm to hot. Could do with more gain sometimes in larger rooms.

I have never owned a home theatre system before. My music system is of good quality (creek 4330/Klipsch KG5.5/cd player) set up in a study. My home theatre system previously consisted of an 84 cm television/vcr with a low cost bookshelf speaker and homebuilt amp providing the sound effects. I auditioned the Sony DAV S500 several times as I was making a decision to try multi channel 5.1. The other options seemed too expensive for my first foray into home theatre. I would have needed to purchase a separate multi channel receiver, DVD player and 5 satellite speakers and subwoofer. An all in one system seemed ideal. The Sony sounded much better in store than similar systems offered by other manufacturer''s and it offered multi channel SACD. So I purchased it. The system, correctly set up with the optional wall brackets and speaker stands, is surprisingly good. DVD movies are a revelation. DTS appears to offer better sound than dolby digital. The subwoofer works really well providing excellent low frequency rumbles and effects. The satellites are well designed and offer sparkling sound on movies. So the system sounds okay on movies - what about music? I was pleasently surprised. Two channel music is reproduced with excellent clarity and smooth easy listening sound. The overall fidelity can easily fool you into thinking you are listening to a dedicated mid-fi system. I have not tested the SACD multi channel facility. I expect this option will be another revelation. There are few negatives with this system, bearing in mind the cost and size of the components. On some early movies and the occasional cd, I''ve noticed a slight lack of gain - I''ve had to increase the volume to maximum to achieve sufficient listening levels. This should not be an issue in small to mid size rooms. The claimed 40 watts per satellite is probably optimistic. The main DVD unit gets very hot when setup inside enclosed cabinets. These are minor reservations. Highly recommended.

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Nil.

Sound is amazing. SACD I only have the sampler that came with it and Im looking forward to bands I like releasing SACDs (no more DL free music when that happens) Easy to set up. User friendly GUI. Many different sound fields to choose from including Cinema Stuido EX A (C.S. EX) C.S. EX B, C.S. EX C, Game, Live House, Small Hall, Large Hall, and several others. Sleek high tech design. Optical input. CDs sound excellent. Small speakers with big sound. Remote is one of the coolest Ive seen. I cant remember anymore strenghts but Im sure Ill discover more in time.

No component out. Why It is just stupid not put them on DVD players any more. Why Sony didnt its beyond me and Im sure its beyond most of you to. No MP3 decoder. Remote looks cool but its not set up very well. $600 price tag is kinda steep, $400 or less its a steal. Connections, it uses a reverse pin system instead of plugging in the tips of wire that plugs in like on speakers. Only 1 optical input and no coaxial input.

WOW this is a huge step up from Pro Logic! I have a mid sized room, the sound fills the air from all directions. I was going to buy Sony model HTD-DW830 for $399.99 but decided to hold out for a week because Circuit City was having a sell, Im sure am glad I did. The DAV-S500 doesnt have as much power as HTD-DW830 but the features more than make up for it. I dont think I would have payed the MSRP of $699.99 its a little out of my range. The sound is crisp and clear especially coming from a digital signal. I would strongly reccomend anyone get this product if the can find it on sell for about $400.

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Sony VVega model# KV-36FV16

For an apartment or condo, this is the best system. I have been casually looking for over a year and saw this one at $525, I took it and have been very happy. The choices of sound fields are amazing and the amount of surround effects you get when watchinga DVD make it worthy. The size is great also. I replaced a reciever, CD player and DVd player and my clunky large speakers that were not necessary. This system can get quite loud and is always crystal clear. The style is better than any old school-black units. This is the way to go if spending under $1000.

style, quality, ease of use, performance.

price - slightly, then again you get what you pay for eh?.

An excellent system in almost every category. GladI waited for the DVD S500 to be released.