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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
A great system with some limitations
By Joe D. Ramirez
I'm replacing a 420 watt Sony 5.1 system with this 1000 watt Sony 5.1 system. I'm not an audiophile and I can't detect the difference between the crazy highs and crazy lows.But I can say that this does sound good to my ears. The sounds is clear with minimal hiss. It plays well with my Sony tv (kdl55nx810). I really like the fact that it tells my tv to turn off its crappy speakers as the systems speakers are starting.Pro's1. Using my Directv remote, I can do a turn all off and it will turn of the dtv receiver, the television and the audio receiver.2. Great clear sound for the money3. Easy set up and installation. Sony has taken some of the "guess work" out of the process and it was easy to do. I took my sweet time, but you could easily be up and running in a matter of 15 minutes. I actually enjoyed the testing of the speakers using the provided microphone. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was cool, but it was neat.4. Excellent picture quality for the blu-rays. I already own a Sony blu-ray player and the audio system is on par in regards to picture quality.5. Sufficient imputs. Not needing to connect a blu-ray player basically opens up one hdmi imput. I can, though I don't, run the directv receiver through the audio receiver and a ps3 or xbox 360. So it isn't a ton of inputs, but it is more than I need.6. Works well with optical cable out from the tv. I run all of my devices to my tv and then the audio out to the audio receiver. It works fine and there isn't any lag.7. Wireless speakers were easy to install and I actually like their setup. I have a multitude of wifi or 3g/4g devices (2 mobile phones, 1 tablet, 2 laptops, etc.) near the speakers and I haven't heard any interference or feedback. Also, I'm not having to charge or replace batteries which is a plus.8. The bonus Homeshare wireless speaker is nice, not great, but you can listen to streamed music off of the network in multiple rooms and including outdoors. It too isn't truly wireless as it has to be plugged in. It was easy to connect to the network and I'm happy enough to listen to the radio over it. I have a reasonably sized house and it worked upstairs as well as on the same level as my wireless router.9. Setting the radio presets was easy.10. The usb ports play video files well. It's easy and simple enough.11. The user interface is VERY familiar from owning a ps3 and a Sony tv. It is simple and intuitive.12. Setting the DLNA with my computer was easy enough.13. The remote is good enough. It would be nice if it were rf or had a keypad or something, but that isn't really too necessary.Con's:1. The system takes about 8 seconds (give or take) to load. Usually my tv is on by that time and I'm waiting patiently for it to engage so I can actually watch my program.2. It could always be louder. But at its max audio, it does shake the house a little.3. I plugged in a crappy (play toy) karaoke machine via composite cables into the audio receiver and there was a substantial lag. I then plugged the composite cables into the tv and ran that same audio feed back to the receiver via optical cable and there was still a lag, but it wasn't nearly as bad.4. Wireless speakers aren't truly wireless. They have a signal receiver which plugs into the wall and the speakers are wired into that. It's not bad... but it isn't truly wireless.5. The homeshare bonus speaker doesn't work with Pandora or other internet radio options. It also doesn't seem to work with just the simple television mode. If I were to buy the speaker, the limitations would annoy me, but since it was basically free, I think it is a very nice bonus. This speaker also isn't entirely wireless considering it has to be plugged in. It would be nice if it were battery operated, but no.6. They give you 20 radio preset slots, but where I live only 7 or 8 stations really come in well. There doesn't seem to be a way to simply opt out of a preset, so cycling through them either means repeating stations, or quickly moving through non-stations.7. Strangely enough, my Sony tv remote doesn't seem to be able to control the audio system. And my directv remote doesn't have full control... but I think that is because I have to choose a different program code. I'll play with it to get it to work.Revision 9/29/12:Under 7 Con I was able to figure out which preset program mode for my DirecTv remote. So I have full functionality - pause, play, stop, etc. Also, the manual says that there is an app for your Iphone which allows you to control the blu-ray player. The manual appears to be a bit outdated because there is an app for Android as well, and it is pretty cool. You can use your phone's touch screen like a mousepad and you can go to a website and then send it to the tv via the blu-ray player. So you can show sites and pictures with ease. I really like what they did with it. While you can't send youtube videos directly to your tv, you can use the youtube program and then use the phone to type which show you are trying to watch. It is a really nice function.
56 of 63 people found the following review helpful.
Lacks ability to accept Dolby Digital Surround inputs over HDMI
By justingr
My main reason for purchasing this solution was the wireless rear speaker setup. To clarify "wireless", this system does not require you to run wires from the A/V receiver to your rear speakers. The rear speakers connect to a receiver box that gets the audio signal wirelessly from the A/V receiver. Once setup, this system is brilliant.- The front tower speakers are great for not requiring separate speaker stands.- The A/V receiver is compact (compared to most standalone receivers).- Audio setup is easy and very accurate- All the passthroughs allow you to eliminate wires over a normal setupThe big negative on this system is the lack of plug and play with Xbox360 and my Comcast cable box.- With the Xbox 360, if you want to pass the audio/video through this A/V receiver you must make a number of settings changes on the Xbox and the Sony receiver for it to work. This took me about 1.5 hours to figure out- With the Comcast cable box, you will not be able to pass the video through the Sony A/V receiver. This is due to something with HDCP between the Comcast box, the A/V receiver. You will need to run the HDMI for video directly from the Comcast box to your TV, then run Optical Audio from the Comcast box to the A/V receiver. This makes switching between TV, Xbox, and BD/DVD more involved.Before buying, I would check your cable box and with your cable company to ensure this will work seamlessly. I will be buying a TiVO to get around this issue. I would also highly suggest buying a programmable universal remote such as the Logitech Harmony One.EDITED REVIEW 6/28/2012: I returned this unit due to the fact it cannot accept a surround sound signal over HDMI from a Surround Sound source (i.e Dolby Digital 5.1 from an Xbox360 or Dolby Digital 5.1 from a TiVo). This was confirmed by Sony phone support. For such an expensive system this is really a huge oversight, and deal-breaker if you want to use it for the main system for your living room.
14 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
let me break this down
By James
ok so im not a fanatic that tests every high and low of a surround sound system, but i love sony, i have a sony tv and ive always wanted an all sony set up, now this buy was AWESOME, it is expensive but this was worth it, im selfish so i put this bad boy in my room, now let me explain the product how you will probably experience itSet up- set up was pretty easy, it just took me a while because i had to rearrange my whole room to fit this whole thing, basically all you do is connect the top part of the towers with the bottom part, you have to put in a little chip into the bluray player and this little box it came with (that gives it the wireless signal for the rear speakers, now the rear speakers arent TRULY wireless because you have to connect the back two speakers (the smaller speakers) to the wireless receiver box thing which isnt too bad to be honest, then all you have to do is put an hdmi cable for the best quality, i recommend the media bridge hdmi cable since it has awesome quality and supports 3d (havent tested 3d part yet but it says in the description), after that turn your tv on and itll ask you for language preference and all that jazz, now you have to put the calibration mic in the spot where youll most likely be sitting to truly enjoy it, its not as hard as it sounds, i was surprised at how easy it was, it tells you how far each speaker is and adjusts the sound so everything sounds even, and youre all setNow the fun part- This thing sounds awesome! i can hear things ive never heard before even my gf hears it (and she isnt smart with electronics) you will LOVE the sound of this thing, i get it a little past halfway and it bumps great, no need to go to max volume- The picture is nothing less than spectacular, i tested my toy story (3d, bluray, dvd,dc pack) on my living room dvd player and showed my gf and sisters, and i thought it looked great, but this bad boy puts the dvd player to shame, toy story bluray looked so beautiful i almost cried, even my gf and sisters noticed the HUGE difference. it was gorgeous- The extra features are awesome! it has built in wifi so you can surf the internet and i watched youtube and cartoons on the internet and the sound (to my surprise) went through the surround sound! awesomeness!-Netflix is also amazing on this thing, EVERY movie/show is through surround sound and trust me, i can now tell the difference between my tv speakers and this surround sound-hulu pandora and other doodads come too-Now i almost cried with this too. . . . . The ipod dock (included), oh my goodness, the sound is amazing through surround sound, i dont even use my ipod dock anymore, one bad thing is i have to go through A-R to get to the S section, the sound, when i bumped it loud enough shook my whole house, no joke and i was so happy i swear a tear came out. only down side is my ipod doesnt charge unless the bluray is on, so if im not on the bluray (which is rarely now) the battery on my ipod will dieThis also came with an extra speaker for the ipod but for some reason i cant get it connected to my ipod (dont let this change your mind to buying this since this speaker comes no where near to how beautiful the sound through the surround system is and this extra speaker has nothing to do with the system itself)The bluray player itself looks soooooo slick, all the buttons (except the power button) are touch sensitive, only complaint is the disc pops out and you cant fit your fingers under it and it doesnt reveal enough of the disc to get the center hole out, so you have to grab the outside of the disc, but thats too little to make me regret buying this systemPoint blank - BUY THIS SYSTEM, seriously best thing ive boughten even though its expensive its well worth the money and wait it takes to save up the money.I cant wait for the avengers to come out, i will be locked in my room having a bluray/surround sound/1080p picture/ marvel marathon!
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