Just wanted to share a few points about this product that weren't clear to me before I purchased it.
1.) The receiver does not decode Dolby True HD or Master DTS HD. HOWEVER, the receiver accepts LPCM signals. So, if your Blu-Ray player can send an LPCM signal and it has onboard decoders for those codes (and I believe they all do), then you can still experience everything Dolby True HD and Master DTS HD has to offer. If you're lost at this point, I'll put it this way. If you have a PS3 and this sound system, you're getting the full "HD" sound offered by Blu-Ray discs. Just make sure your PS3 is set to send Blu-Ray audio via LPCM, not Bitsreaming. Also, you need to connect your PS3 with HDMI to make this happen.
2.) The sound from this system is excellent. 1000 watts is plenty of power for your typical home theater. In fact, it's more watts than most home theater systems on the market currently offer. In my experience, a good rule of thumb is "more watts the better". This is true even you don't plan on cranking up the volume.
3.) The rear speakers on this system are not automatically wireless. That is, this system is CAPABLE of wirelessly transmitting to the rear speakers, but in order to do this, you need to purchase a transmitter to plug into the back of the receiver and an amplifier for the rear speakers. Sony calls this system AIR. So, in case it isn't clear, this system is only "wireless ready". I haven't purchased the transmitter and the amp needed, but installation looks like it would be very simple. It's nice to have that option in the future.
The only downside to this system, as I see it, is that the remote is overly complicated. Lots of buttons and I only seem to use about 8 of them. If my home theater had more Sony BRAVIA compenents, then maybe all of the extra buttons would be of more use. Overall, however, the bad remote is definitely not a dealbraker. The positives of this system greatly outweigh this one minor negative. Sony HT-SS370 Surround Sound Home Theater System, Black
I can't accurately express how great this product is in a few paragraphs, but I'll try. I'll start by saying that I already had a Blu-ray player (PS3), so I was looking for a surround system that was affordable and easy to set-up, actually sounded good, and felt like a quality product. After using the system for a few days I can tell you that it has more than accomplished these things.
I paid full retail price, which was $350, but again, I only needed a surround system by itself, no DVD or Blu-ray player, which is what the majority of systems seem to be these days with BD becoming more popular. That said I was willing to pay a little more if it was a good system. The system comes with a central speaker, two front speakers and two surround speakers to achieve 5.1 surround, which is plenty for an apartment like mine. There is also a very powerful subwoofer included as well, so when I have a home I can really pump the bass. Additionally, the power is 1000w.
Knowing a bit, but not a whole lot about surround sound setup, this system made it ridiculously easy for me to set it up and get going. Each speaker is color-coded for easy installation, which seems like a no-brainer but this is not always the case. So anyway, you plug the wires into each speaker and then into the receiver and plug in the subwoofer and you're done with the wiring, it's really that simple. The wires are plenty long for the two surround speakers as well, so that's not an issue. There is also an auto-calibration microphone that comes with the system that you place where you sit when you watch TV and it does its thing in less than 30 seconds and you're system is calibrated positionally just like that.
I've watched a few Blu-rays so far and the sound really is great, top-notch really. If you've never had a surround system before, you don't know what you're missing! I could never watch a movie again without it. Its a very powerful system as well, I'm waiting for my neighbors to say something soon lol (which is why there is night mode included) There are many modes you can use as well, such as Dolby Pro Logic with 5.1 support, sports, games, music etc... Sports gives you a reverberating sound as if you were at the stadium listening to the announcer, pretty cool minor stuff.
Now, there are also 3 HDMI inputs included, which is partly why this system is a little pricier than others, but it is well worth it. So I have my PS3 and DVR hooked into the receiver with one to spare. It's nice to just switch the receiver to which one I want rather than the tv, I basically don't need my tv remote anymore. I know there is no ipod dock included, but you can buy an $8 cable (red and white tips) and play it through that, so it's not really worth the $100+ Sony DMP dealy.
So there you have it, a great system for the price from Sony, who comes through in the clutch once again. Ignore the reviews that say they thought this had a Blu-ray player with it, I am not reviewing Amazon, rather I am reviewing this product.
Pros: 3 HDMI inputs, great sound, sleek and compact, easy set-up, auto-calibration.
Cons: a tad pricy but the quality is there
If you don't need a blu-ray player and you don't want to deal with annoyingly complicated set-up, this is the system you want.
I bought this system yesterday. It has great, even sound and multiple sound fields for different situations (movies, games, sports, etc). I like that the speakers are small (the center channel speaker) disappears in front of my television. Also, there are 3 HDMI inputs for everything I need (Blu-Ray player, Computer, etc) and one output for the television. There are also inputs for analog and digital audio sources. One drawback is that the 'wireless' rear speakers are only wireless when coupled with the optional AIR EZW-T100 Wireless transmitter and the Wireless amplifier for the speakers (WAHT-SA10). This wasn't a problem until I found that the amplifier doesn't seem to be available anywhere. Even the SonyStyle store shows 'out of stock'. Aside from that, this is a great-looking and sounding system for a reasonable price. As long as you don't demand wireless rear speakers in the immediate future, I highly recommend it. - Sony Home Theater - Home Theater - Surround Sound - Sony'
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