Home > Consumer Reviews > AMW T-352 Dolby Digital Home Theater System

I got this system through an incentive program at work. I figured the passive sub would be anemic so I also "bought" an altec lansing 4.1 with powered sub at the same time to mix and match. The sound of this Amphion with passive sub blows the powered sub away. Out of the box, it rocked... CDs sound great... DVDs sound great... big sound from a little system. It has AM and FM receiver with a lot of presets... includes antenas for both bands... The progressive DVD player gives excellent color saturation and clarity. I am not exaggerating, but it looks so much better than my APEX AD660 which still looks so much better than videotape. I couldn't be happier with it and not just because it was "free." I have not yet determined if it has official DTS support - no DTS insignia on the front, although the owner's manual and setup screen mention DTS setup modes... it does pop up a little lighted diagram showing 5 channels when I put in any Dolby digital and/ or DTS DVD. I managed to screw up the settings to the point where it sounded like a cardboard box... and to the point where it overdrove the speakers... but after a "set defaults" things sounded excellent again. There are several modes including "concert," "theater" and the unintentionally hillarious "bathroom" setting. This is not an audiophile's dream system, but It gives very correct sound and video for the money and is the pinnacle of "out of the box home theater." Buy it, use it as it comes out of the box and Rock On.

I was very let down to hear from Amphion Media Works that their T-352 does not decode DTS. The users manual says it will... Amazon.com, Circuitcity.com and www.a-mw.com !! web pages say it will!! I can't believe that this thing has been selling and that no reviews made note of this fact. I was excited at first about this unit... it didn't sound bad... but the sound of silence when I select DTS on a DVD is deafening.

There is a rather annoying problem regarding the A/V inputs which I initially thought was originally a defect in my particular unit. However, it seems to be a problem with all T-352 models. When the function is set to Audio/Video, the subwoofer rumbles rather annoyingly, even when nothing is plugged into the inputs. If you plug anything into the inputs, the sound still remains, and the only way to get rid of it is to set the bass volume to 0. I don't know if it's a problem with the subwoofer or if it's just a feature, but the sound is nice and clear (with no low rumbling) when playing a CD or DVD directly through the unit. If you plan to connect your video game consoles or computer to these speakers, however, do prepare to be annoyed.

I'm fairly happy with this very low end system. They manage to pack a lot of features and fine adjustments into a really inexpensive unit. If you're looking for big sound, go elsewhere, but for a small room, it's fine. I found it a bit tinny, but at least it's crisp.

I don't really care for the remote though.

There is one major flaw I have found it, and it seems to be a "feature" rather than a bug, which unfortunately will ultimately force me to return the system and settle for a lesser system even though I liked this one better. The AV inputs seem to be corrupted. The sub rumbles when the AV mode is switched on, and seems to get worse whenever a connection is added to it. I thought this was a defective unit, but I returned it for a replacement, and am still having the same issue. :(

It's too bad about the AV input issue, otherwise it's a really nice inexpensive DVD player/5.1 decoder.

For everyone that has written reviews about the scrolling issue. I've found the fix. Mine was doing the same same thing when I had it hooked up with regular a/v cables. I bought a new tv recently, and it supports S-video. So I thought maybe that would fix my scrolling problem, and sure enough after buy an S-video cable and hooking it up, no more scrolling problem. I got up, gave my girlfriend a Hi-five, and it hasn't had any trouble since then. seems this dvd player was made for S-video. The only issue I still have with this player is the front satellite speakers. They are not magnetically shielded so they do some wacky stuff to my TV if they are not far enough away. looking into a cheep shielded pair to replace them. All and all, this is a good dvd and surround system for the price. If your still having scrolling trouble, try out the S-video fix. I hope it helps.