Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony HT-5500D Home Theater System

I bought this product a couple of month ago and have to agree with a previous review that Sony has simply combined a DVD component with a receiver component and speakers. Therefore, setup was trickier because there were no detailed instructions on how the two components work together, except for drawing showing how the two systems "could" be connected. But while I'm no AV expert, it is clear to me that setup of audio components can be achieved in a number of different ways. I will say it took me more time that I desired to setup this system.

That being said, I have been very happy with the quality of the sound and output of the system. The 5 disc DVD player is great for shuffling CDs and when playing a DVD, the DVD player had a setting that automatically detects the DVD recording type and selects the optimum settings.

Initially I had problems figuring out the remote. In fact, the instructions talk about "when you press so and so button, text will be displayed" but what is not clear is that they mean the text is displayed on your TV when in "video mode", not on the dvd display. After I figured this out, adjusting dvd settings was easy.

Overall I like the system, the sound is very nice and was just what I was looking for. I would say that if Sony would include some better documentation that would discuss the components together as a system they could alleviate a lot of the setup confusion.

I would buy this system again.

I bought this system a couple of months ago because I wanted a setup to replace my CD player, DVD player, Radio Tuner and sound receiver. I also wanted to go digital and have more power. This is the best system ever, and the best upgrading decision I've ever made! Sure, it's work to set it up, but you can go to any store (Best Buy, Circuit City...) and ask for help. As far as hookup goes I actually thought it was relatively simple as long as you get a digital cable (which you'd be crazy not to). Connect coaxial out on the player to coaxial in on the receiver and you're rockin. all you have to do then is hook up the speakers and sub-woofer. From there you can just set it up how you want it. Besides, I recommend reading the manual thoroughly for any electronic device. Especially with this one (both dvd and receiver) because there are so many cool little features that you would never figure out on your own. The sound with this is incredible. Music is great (especially with sub-woofer (isolates bass from treble, imagine if bass guitar and lead guitar were played through the same amplifier, that's not right, they're two separate instruments on two separate channels, as presented here so you get more accurate reproduction), and movies in digital mode are almost better than the theater (Movies like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and 007 truly rumble). The remotes for both are very comprehensive, well laid out, and usable (in fact they are almost interchangable). If you're looking for a great, powerful home theater system with great features and truly accurate sound reproduction, look no further than Sony and especially this model. You'll be blown away!

Let's face it. It's no Bose system, but for the price you can't find any better.
Though a little difficult to set up at first, Sony's performance makes up for the frustration. With true DTS and 5.1 sound, Sony finally gives true theatre sound for those on a tighter budget. And with component output, your DVD's look great on larger TV's.
I did have to dock a star due to the fact that regular audio CD's don't sound as great as I hoped. But, with the addition of an equilizer, the problem can easily be fixed. For those who are not as picky as me, it sounds fine.
I also hoped for progressive scan on the DVD player. For having component output, progressive scan is almost a must. But if you don't have an HDTV that's over 32", again, no big deal.
In reality, I would have given 4 1/2 stars if possible. What it boils down to is 4 for the picky, 5 for your average customer. Definitly worth the price tag.

I just got this system 2 weeks ago and IT ROCKS!

Installation is quite easy, but the setup a little bit tricky as other reviewers stated. You need to read the manual, especially to setup the DVD player so that it will output DTS or Dolby Digital 5:1 signals to the A/V Amplifier. Once done, set the A/V amp on auto detect and enjoy the show. You'll see the A/V amp tell you if it is DTS sound or Dolby Digital, the little blue light is on, meaning you are truly experiencing the movie as it was released in theater.

LOTR, Black Hawk Down, Matrix, Gladiator are movies you want to really demonstrate the quality of this system. Lots of special effects, great sounds, and a lot of rumbling...

Excerpt from Webster's --

"system" - a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole

But that isn't at all what this is. I would think if I bought this whole system (in a single box no less) it would work together, but it doesn't work any better than if I had bought everything separately.

Two remotes come in the box: one universal, one DVD. The "universal" remote doesn't activate every feature on the DVD player (~98%), so you're still juggling two remotes. Further more the "universal" remote doesn't handle every feature on my Sony branded TV.

Then there's the component video. I bought this model, which is in the middle child of this immediate family, because it has component video. But the AV receiver doesn't do component video, just S-video or composite. So to watch a DVD at best quality you have to bypass the receiver.

This is a system?

On the other hand it sounds fine to me, but I've been known not to have very discriminating taste when it comes to sound quality. Every component CD player sounds exactly the same to me, for example. I have heard many people complain that thiese speakers sound tinny.