Home Theater Reviews

[nathan_393]

I thought that a discussion board where we individually reviewed our home theater systems might be helpful for those who are looking for purchase advice. I know the information in this forum helps me and others, but if you have a specific unit in mind, it would be great to know you just have to search it to see a clear and concise opinion on it in the forum.

Some ground rules need to be laid down first:
1. Please provide a price (and currency used if not USD). This will be helpful if somebody needs to know whether or not they're getting a good deal.
2. HTiB systems are allowed. Some are higher quality than others, and some people may just need information you can provide on that model.
3. You don't have to own the system to review it, but be familiar with how it sounds. Obviously, if you've spent a lot of time with the system, you will be more familiar with how it sounds and your review will be more in-depth.
4. Many users here have a home theater system with multiple different components. Don't be afraid to review each component individually. Your Polk center speaker, JBL sub, and Pioneer receiver do deserve their own separate reviews.
5. Do not trash somebody for buying a low-end model or HTiB. If they are looking to upgrade or they seem unhappy with their unit, absolutely provide some advice. But no trash talk.

With that out of the way, let's get to it and have fun! I'll start.

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Sony HT SS370. Purchased for $250 CAD.
I recently purchased the Sony HT SS370. It's a 1000-watt 5.1 HTiB with multiple HDMI inputs, one HDMI out. It has proprietary speaker connections (a shame, but that comes with the territory) on a nicely-sized receiver designed to match Sony's 2010 lineup of Blu-ray players.. The 1000-watt figure is, by my estimation, malarky. It definitely isn't that loud.

I purchased the system for use within a dorm room (university student here) and future use in a small-ish size bedroom next year. Considering that, the unit suits my needs. It handles HD sounds transmitted via LPCM, but does not decode Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD MA. I use a PS3, so that's not a deal-breaker since the system can transmit LPCM and decode the HD audio for me.

Speakers are fairly dynamic, and the bass (despite being passive) is fairly punchy. The unit also includes a night mode, dimmer, auto calibration mic (which is fairly useless so be prepared to do some manual tinkering) and the cables necessary for FM and AM radio transmission.

I use the sound system for Blu-rays and PS3 gaming, along with occasionally plugging in my computer via the analog stereo inputs. The sound isn't perfect. It lacks the clarity of a high end system, and there is some muting as far as the higher registers are concerned.

However, for $250, it would make a great bedroom (or secondary) set for most folks. Audiophiles will probably be a bit disappointed, but for the money I paid, I can't think of any better bang for the buck!