Sony HT-DDW740 Theater System
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- Front Speaker: 2 Way
- Main Speakers Power Output: 90 Watts
- Included Components: DVD Player
- Number Of Speakers: 5 Speakers and Subwoofer
- Subwoofer Power Output: 100 Watts
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All form, no function
Pros
Great looking, the subwoofer's almost a showpiece for your living room!
Cons
Audio systems are all about sound, and this one lacks punch.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Don't buy this if quality of sound is more important than aesthetics.
UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM (12/10/2003)
I got the Sony DAV-C770 yesterday from my local Sears store after doing all the research, reading all the reviews and thinking I had made an informed decision that can't fail. I wanted something that would reduce the size of my home theater stack. I have 6 components (receiver, DVD, CD, VCR, satellite, playstation) in my current setup, all bought separately. Well, after spending 5 hours last night unhooking my current home theater setup, unpacking and installing the new Sony setup, testing the sound, and then having to unhook everything, pack the Sony back into its box and re-connecting my old home theater setup again, I realized how far from my expectations this HTIB is.
I'll try to be extremely objective in my rating.
1. Form - I have to be honest, I fell into the trap of buying this item more for it's looks and simplicity than for it's sound. The finish is very nice, the combo receiver/DVD player looks very sleek and the subwoofer is almost a showpiece! Plus, this has a 5-DVD/CD/MP3 changer. For looks alone, I give this a 9 (out of 10).
2. Function - When I checked it out in the store, the audio didn't sound too great sitting on the rack, but then what does? So based on all the great reviews here and on other sites, I brought it home, expecting my current Dolby Digital setup to be dwarfed in sound quality. The experience was painful, and it was anything but what I hoped for. The cube speakers are ok, the clarity with SACDs is excellent. However, the passive subwoofer (no, it is not powered) almost seems like an afterthought to the Sony engineers. It lacks punch (even at max level) -- I felt a faint bass sound compared to my 200W powered AIWA subwoofer. And any discerning home movie watcher knows that the rumble you feel in your chest when the T-Rex walks in Jurassic Park is what makes or breaks a good sound system. For good measure, I tried my Matrix, T2 and Ice Age DVDs. All same results, even after extensive tweaking of the speaker settings. Also, on max. volume (50), this system isn't half as loud as my old Sony amp. My wife's comment on the loudness was - "That's it???". For audio, I give this a rating of 2 out of 10.
4. Other - The unit does not have the ability to exchange other discs while one is playing. The speaker cables have proprietary connectors in the back of the receiver, which is a headache if you have to replace or upgrade the speaker wires.
**** All in all, if you're more about form than function, want guests to ooh and ahh about your gorgeous looking HTIB, this is for you. However, if you're like me, and hoping for a better listening experience, then you need to look somewhere else.******
Hope this helps!
UPDATE: Just bought the Philips MX5600D after 3 months of research. Check it out at http://www.consumer.philips.com/global/b2c/ce/catalog/product.jhtml?divId=0&groupId=AUDIO_GR&catId=HOME_AUDIO_CA&subCatId=RECEIVERS_SU&productId=MX5600D_37
Just as sleek looking as this Sony, and sound-wise, much more superior. And now available for $399 at http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Section_Id=1&Product_Id=3704966 -- I highly recommend it.
I got the Sony DAV-C770 yesterday from my local Sears store after doing all the research, reading all the reviews and thinking I had made an informed decision that can't fail. I wanted something that would reduce the size of my home theater stack. I have 6 components (receiver, DVD, CD, VCR, satellite, playstation) in my current setup, all bought separately. Well, after spending 5 hours last night unhooking my current home theater setup, unpacking and installing the new Sony setup, testing the sound, and then having to unhook everything, pack the Sony back into its box and re-connecting my old home theater setup again, I realized how far from my expectations this HTIB is.
I'll try to be extremely objective in my rating.
1. Form - I have to be honest, I fell into the trap of buying this item more for it's looks and simplicity than for it's sound. The finish is very nice, the combo receiver/DVD player looks very sleek and the subwoofer is almost a showpiece! Plus, this has a 5-DVD/CD/MP3 changer. For looks alone, I give this a 9 (out of 10).
2. Function - When I checked it out in the store, the audio didn't sound too great sitting on the rack, but then what does? So based on all the great reviews here and on other sites, I brought it home, expecting my current Dolby Digital setup to be dwarfed in sound quality. The experience was painful, and it was anything but what I hoped for. The cube speakers are ok, the clarity with SACDs is excellent. However, the passive subwoofer (no, it is not powered) almost seems like an afterthought to the Sony engineers. It lacks punch (even at max level) -- I felt a faint bass sound compared to my 200W powered AIWA subwoofer. And any discerning home movie watcher knows that the rumble you feel in your chest when the T-Rex walks in Jurassic Park is what makes or breaks a good sound system. For good measure, I tried my Matrix, T2 and Ice Age DVDs. All same results, even after extensive tweaking of the speaker settings. Also, on max. volume (50), this system isn't half as loud as my old Sony amp. My wife's comment on the loudness was - "That's it???". For audio, I give this a rating of 2 out of 10.
4. Other - The unit does not have the ability to exchange other discs while one is playing. The speaker cables have proprietary connectors in the back of the receiver, which is a headache if you have to replace or upgrade the speaker wires.
**** All in all, if you're more about form than function, want guests to ooh and ahh about your gorgeous looking HTIB, this is for you. However, if you're like me, and hoping for a better listening experience, then you need to look somewhere else.******
Hope this helps!
UPDATE: Just bought the Philips MX5600D after 3 months of research. Check it out at http://www.consumer.philips.com/global/b2c/ce/catalog/product.jhtml?divId=0&groupId=AUDIO_GR&catId=HOME_AUDIO_CA&subCatId=RECEIVERS_SU&productId=MX5600D_37
Just as sleek looking as this Sony, and sound-wise, much more superior. And now available for $399 at http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Section_Id=1&Product_Id=3704966 -- I highly recommend it.
