Crisp detailed sound.

Defective Subwoofer at purchase. Extended time for replacement.

I highly recommend this speaker system as a companion to any Sony ES or STR-DB series home theater receiver. The sound is very bright and clear without being harsh. Details of orchestral music are very evident, as when listening to CD's with headphones.

I use the subwoofers as stands for the left and right front speakers. The sound from the subwoofers blends seamlessly with the main speakers. The subs when properly calibrated (I use the AVIA disc for setup), are incredibly dynamic. The subwoofers, while probably not as smooth as a Velodyne are very distortion free. The bass extention on the main speakers is amazingly good. The sound is very good without the subwoofers even being on.

Saving Private Ryan (DTS) on DVD really shows what this speaker system can do. The sounds of bullets and shells are reproduced crisply with great impact, and the tanks will rattle the walls. John William's musical score is reproduced with great detail.

System

DVD and CD: Sony DVP-S550D
Receiver: Sony STR-DB930

I used the supplied Sony speaker and subwoofer cables, and use a Sony optical cable for connection between the DVD player and receiver.

While I had a problem with one of the two Subwoofers at purchase, this has since been corrected, and is not being considered in my overall rating. One of the two subwoofers obviously produced considerably more distortion than the other. Sony attempted a repair, unsuccessfully, before replacing the unit. It was difficult to explain just what the problem was. The sound while distorted, was still as good as many cheaper subwoofers on the market. It would have been difficult to detect it as a defect without an identical subwoofer to compare it to.