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Date: 2007-01-03 Sony HT-DDW900 Excellent sound quality for a lower end system. It works nicely with my Sony HD tv and Sony DVD. I was after the HDMI switching circuit for my HD sat. and HD DVD player. Great look and great system. Date: 2006-12-28 Terrific value on a starter HTS This is a terrific value on an entry-level HDMI-based home theater system. A small but telling detail: I appreciate how every knob on the front of the unit is a different shape and size, and is spaced just far enough apart so you quickly learn its role. Yes, I use a remote for the most part, but it's still good design. The knobs feel right, too. Because this HTS is pass-through, expect to buy several optical digital or coax cables for your audio (the system inputs support two digital inputs and one optical input, along with a slew of other inputs). That said, buy those cables on Amazon through one of the better third-party vendors and you'll be fine, and I won't tell if you use cheap RCA cables scrounged from your old stereo until the new stuff arrives. Also toss the 22-gauge (or whatever it is) speaker wire and buy 16-gauge from Amazon or Radio Shack (don't bother with Monster unless you feel the need to waste money). I thought the system was fine but not remarkable (sturdy, nice-looking, squarish but not overly huge) until I got digital coax cables for the audio with my new upconverting Sony HDMI DVD player and got a digital optical cable connected with my older Yamaha CD player (CDC-575). On the latter, because I had initially connected with RCA, I had to fiddle with the HTS settings, and was sitting inches from the front speakers with the volume cranked up when I found the magic toggle that set input to digital. The resulting sound blew me away bottom over teakettle, but when I recovered, I could not believe how clear and rich the sound was. The same is true of the coax audio from the DVD player, which had us thoroughly enjoying "Little Miss Sunshine" as if we were in a theater. Honestly, because it is pass-through, I'm probably experiencing the original equipment more than I am the HTS. That said, the HTS does a great job of coordinating all those parts, and does so without creating interference for the audio while passing it on to speakers that are remarkably buff for their small size. (I have larger, theoretically much nicer speakers that I'm going to attach as front speaker Bs and see if I can tell any difference.) My attached devices include a Comcast setbox with DVR, a DVD player, a 5-disc CD player, and a HDTV. If I had another HDMI or digital optical/coax unit in the mix I might find myself a bit challenged, but this worked out perfectly. (If that were the case, I'd use RCA for the CD player, but having heard it play for the first time over digital optical, I am glad I don't have to go back to the farm.) I also listen to National Public Radio quite a bit, and another tip of the hat for the decent FM tuner that sounds terrific pumped through the unit's speakers--a nontrivial detail for some of us. If nothing else, this unit could be the solution if you have an HDTV with one HDMI and are now scratching your head trying to decide if you need a switch or some other method to use a setbox and a DVD player without manually swapping out HDMI cables. You'd get the solution for your problem plus whipped cream and a cherry on top, at a price that isn't that much more than some switches. Minor gripes: The speaker wire, as noted, is a joke (so between speaker wire and cables, factor in another $30-$75, though if you read the reviews for other units you'll see you would have to do that with most systems). As with all theater equipment these days, I seem to have ended up with yet one more not-quite-right remote, and will need to bribe a 12-year-old to come over to our house and program a universal remote. The subwoofer is awfully big for its woof, and comes with a ridiculously short cable. The documentation is coy and poorly organized. But for the price and the satisfaction of this purchase, these are minor issues. Date: 2006-12-18 Help with setup! I spent considerable time researching before purchasing my Home Theater System. I was impressed with the reviews on the Sony HT-DDW900 and when I started setting it up, I thought it was easy. Two complaints would be that the speaker wire attachement on the speakers were great, but on the receiver, well, I don't know what they were trying to do, but it is very cumbersome. The other is the guage of the wire. I am told that I should use lower guage wire, especially for the surround sound speakers. After a number of attempts over a three day period, I have not been able to get the audio to match the TV station(cable)unless my Sony VCR is on and in use. (I get a different station on the video than the audio I am receiving. On my Pioneer receiver, I did not have to have the VCR on. Am I doing something wrong? The instructions on HDMI got me confused and I am not sure how the hookup to the TV is supposed to be done. The manual addresses the DVD recorder and we have a combination VCR Recorder Player and DVD (Sony). Does this have anything to do with HDMI? Date: 2006-12-13 OK for the price .... Since I don't use the surround sound system all the time I don't want to use any receiver as source select. I want to use the HDMI inputs on my plasma TV and just send the audio (from the TV) to a decoder when I want surround sound. Therefor the pass-though only audio HDMI on the SONY is very user un-friendly for my use. It requires to use the receiver as a source select and be on for any kind of TV watching. Not a problem if you use the surround sound all the time, but as I said, many times I just want the regular TV audio. In addition, although PRO-LOGIC decoding is a standardized technology, I found the decoding fairly poor. A case of you get what you pay for and I don't want to knock the product. I should have read the description on the SONY better, because I would have not bought it for my circumstances. Date: 2006-12-04 Excellent This system is very easy to set up, and it comes with auto-calibration. The sound from DTS sources is SPECTACULAR. It really mimics full quality theater sound. I have a large room (24x12) and it completely fills the space with sound, with plenty of power left in it. The Bass is excellent and it comes with its own power supply (a major plus). I was a bit disappointed with the quality in the Dolby Prologic modes, but it might be my input sources, rather than the audio system. The system switches video for you as well, with HDMI, Component, and Composite connections. It does not have any connections for s-video, with was rather disappointing to me (since I don't have a fancy TV yet). The HDMI is for pass-through only. This system does not take in the audio from the HDMI cable. You must provide an alternate connection for audio (optical or digital coaxial). Most would not consider this a deal breaker, but some might. I would recommend purchasing your own speaker wire. It comes with 22 guage wire. The wire included is plenty long, but it doesn't make sense electrically. 22 awg wire is sufficient only for the short runs, but nothing over 12 feet. I'm certain that your rear speakers will be greater than 12 feet away from the receiver. This system will give you the bang for the buck you are looking for. It's a tremendous value, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. * Price is subject to change. |
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