After a lot of research on Speaker system in general and about this product, I decided to give it a try. So far I am very happy with the purchase. I live in an apartment with living room size of around 20x20. So adding a high end true surround sound system (as many experts would suggest) was not in my plan. So I decided to get a soundbar system (which many experts frown upon), for the compact, portable and decent sound which was sufficient enough for my Apt. I am already a Sony TV/BD player owner and so the first choice was this product. It is very easy to setup. And the biggest draw for me this product (other than being Sony product to match with my TV/BD) was it has 3 HDMI inputs. In its class, I believe this is one of the products that gives 3 HDMI input which is good enough to hook up my Cable, BD & Media player. All the Cable, BD or PS# etc. HD output goes into the receiver and there is one output to TV HDMI in. So you don't need to change TV input, only the receiver input changes. Also there is a optical cable provided to connect the TV audio output back to receiver in case you use another component connected directly to TV instead of the receiver. Also once the reciever is turned on, the TV audio is automatically muted and the vice-versa, which is a very convinient feature, say if you like to just have TV speakers and not the big sound from this system when it is real quite. The wireless subwoofer setup is very easy, didn't have to configure anything. It was plug & play. Only issue is the wireless subwoofer needs power, so even its wireless, you still need to put it close to a power source. Another advantage I saw using this is if you are Sony TV/BD owner, you could use Sony Bravia to configure it as unified remote. This is very convenient and have instructions in manual to configure it. But I am a Logitech Harmony One remote user and haven't tinkered with Bravia. Logitech configuration was very easy with this product being listed on their system. The subwoofer I thought didn't have that big an effect at first, but when I increased the treble & bass, it seemed to be alright. Again this is not a true surround system, but still the sound ofcourse will be much better than TV speakers for sure. It also depends on one's room configuration since I read (on AVS forum) that you need furniture or other objects for the sound to reflect upon to get some sense of surround sound. There are multiple sound modes available - Movie, Music, Std, News, Sports etc. which enhances the sound output accordingly which I truly like. Have seen an instance where the picture/sound had mismatch, but you have an option to do an Audio Sync in the system. Once you turn is on, haven't seen it after that. The best experience I had has been watching BD movies. Truly enhances the sound quality and able to see the full vibrancy in this mode compared to others. Overall I am very happy with the product and would recommend. Of course the decision to get a audio-system depends on so many factors from the budget, size of room, existing system etc and once you jump into audio expert forums like AVS, they can bring in more clarity with their advise. Sony HTCT550W 3D Sound Bar Home Theater System with Wireless Subwoofer
As usual another great Sony Sound Bar; Excellent value for the price; Loaded with technology to handle all the latest multichannel audio technologies Dolby, DD+, DDTrue HD, DTS etc. and 3D pass-through.
After reading the mixed reviews I was a bit nervous about installing this sound bar. However, now that I have it connected and configured correctly with my new 3D TV, I couldn't be happier. I found I can crank-up the volume on the sound bar and experience deep sub-woofer bass to very respectable levels aka, really loud and punchy with the ability to hear all the intended sound-track goodies.
Pros:
Really big sound with deep sub-woofer punch ( not bad at "simulating" surround-sound affects)
Quick & easy setup. As already mentioned below it truly takes longer to unpack it than to connect to your TV and blu-ray player
Attractive slim sound-bar design with a wireless sub-woofer (note: SW needs to be placed near an AC outlet--other than that you can move the S/W around the room as you like)
Handles all the latest multichannel audio technologies that come with your blu-ray disks to include all the different Dolby Digital and DTS audio signals
Three HDMI ports and one HDMI out; so you can easliy pass all your equipment through the Receiver, includes and optical port as well
Cons:
Because it's so easy to setup--I think some may fail to read the manual resulting in a less then optimal configuration and sound affect
I went to two local retail stores to hear this system before I ordered it from Amazon. It sounded horribly weak with no bass in both store demos UNTIL at the last store I asked if we could adjust the AMP menu settings.
If you use something other than high-speed HDMI cables I don't think you can experience all this system has to offer
(I agree with below reviewer comment) Separate Receiver may cause issues for wall mounted TVs
Here's what I found worked for me:
Use newer standard HDMI high-speed cables only--that means newer 1.3 or any 1.4 ( 1.4 includes ARC support) HDMI cables ( not expensive HDMI cables just the new high-speed cables).
Turn off the Linear pulse-code modulation (LPCM) on the Audio Out on your Blu-ray player or game system. Instead select "Bitstream" for Audio Out on the devices you connect to your Sound Bar.
Your satellite, cable, or over-the-air box/signal may not broadcast Dolby Digital or DTS sound tracks some of the time depending upon the program (don't blame this on the sound bar). During these broadcasts you may experience lower quality sound. (Use a blu-ray player and blu-ray disk to test this systems sound capabilities)
Take time to understand the AMP menu on the receiver. Read the manual ;-)--this is where the right settings make all the difference between a lousy sound-bar experience and what you expected when you bought this sound-bar.
And finally, Turn Off your TV speakers when you want to use this system. If you leave your TV speakers on and use the sound bar at the same time then you might hear that horrible "thin" hollow sound I heard some complain about
Try these Amp Menu Settings on the receiver ( decrease the SW or Bass if these settings sound too low/deep for you):
Level: CNT +4, SW +6
Tone: Bass +5 or 6, Treble +3
Audio: Dual Mono: Main/Sub
Other Receiver settings:
DRC: Off
Sound Field: Movie
Note: For really BIG sound--try increasing the master volume +15 on the Receiver (independently) before you sync the TV volume with the Receiver Volume. - Sound Bar'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
