Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony HT-DDW740 Dolby Digital/DTS Home Theater System

I picked up this system on 1/20/03. It was a breeze to set up, instructions were color coded, full picture diagrams indicate where to plug in all equipment. I was amazed at how long all the speaker wires were, normally the front is so short, not in this case though. I do admit the remote control should have been a universal, it can only control sony products, but they system makes up for that by giving you excellent sound and great bass from that subwoffer. The subwoffer is active, it has a seperate level control on the unit. And if you look at movies at night there's a great function for night viewing... works out great for me in my apartment complex. Overall I was very impressed that a system for less that $300 could produce the sound and have the features that this has. A++

I bought this system a few weeks ago, and it sound great! We have a small living room and dont need the added boost to the bass that a bigger system would give, so this one was just prefect. It has all the features of bigger models at a very affordable price.

being a college student and a home theater fan, i wanted to purchase a system that would fit in a small space yet still give me the sound for a decent price. This system is perfect for that and I recommend to anyone. Only thing i have to say that is bad is that it doesnt have an s-video output. but other than that it is awesome

I have been a long-time fan of Sony, so it was my first choice when I began looking for a HT system. I bought the 740 and set it up with little trouble - loved the compact size of the satellite speakers.

I cranked it up and the disappointment began. Even with the powered sub turned up full, the bass response was dismal, and leaving it on full produced a hiss. The sound was sent heavily (it sounded like 60% - 70%) to the center channel speaker, which greatly reduced the surround effect. You are also very limited in your ability to redirect sound or set levels for the surround speakers; essentially you set their levels by setting their distance from the viewer. The catch is that the reciever limits the range of distances you can set. If you set the front speakers at 15', you can't set the rear speakers at 5'. Basically all distances must be within 5' of each other, which keeps all speaker levels about the same. I wound up hearing very little out of the rear channel speakers, even when playing cds. When I chose one of the music settings, like jazz, concert or hall, the center channel problem was avoided, because it wouldn't be utilized, but the sound out of the other speakers was tinny and flat.

I gave the system 2 1/2 months to win me over. In the end, I broke the ladder back out, took the whole system down, and returned it to the store. I knew I had not paid a ton for this system, but I expected more than I got. I found it mediocre at best.

I have been a long-time fan of Sony, so it was my first choice when I began looking for a HT system. I bought the 740 and set it up with little trouble - loved the compact size of the satellite speakers.

I cranked it up and the disappointment began. Even with the powered sub turned up full, the bass response was dismal, and leaving it on full produced a hiss. The sound was sent heavily (it sounded like 60% - 70%) to the center channel speaker, which greatly reduced the surround effect. You are also very limited in your ability to redirect sound or set levels for the surround speakers; essentially you set their levels by setting their distance from the viewer. The catch is that the reciever limits the range of distances you can set. If you set the front speakers at 15', you can't set the rear speakers at 5'. Basically all distances must be within 5' of each other, which keeps all speaker levels about the same. I wound up hearing very little out of the rear channel speakers, even when playing cds. When I chose one of the music settings, like jazz, concert or hall, the center channel problem was avoided, because it wouldn't be utilized, but the sound out of the other speakers was tinny and flat.

I gave the system 2 1/2 months to win me over. In the end, I broke the ladder back out, took the whole system down, and returned it to the store. I knew I had not paid a ton for this system, but I expected more than I got. I found it mediocre at best.