Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX265 Home Theater System
See it at Amazon.com for $232.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (4 out of 5)Great sound, no digital inputs
I spent weeks listening to high end audiophile systems and was dismayed to learn that to be happy with these systems I had to spend over $3000 on amp and 2 speakers, which I had no intention of doing. On the way home I bought one of these for under $300 and was shocked to find I liked it better!
The sound is quite good, amazing on DVDs and very good on CDs. The speakers are attractive and unobtrusive. However, there are some drawbacks:
1. no digital audio input. Multi-channel audio is limited to the built-in 5 disc changer, no chance for upgrading to new DVD formats or to connect a digital input from a satellite receiver.
2. the style of the main unit left me wanting something different (your tastes may vary)
3. the speaker wire uses proprietary connectors- need a few more feet than are included in the box? you'll be splicing.
4. I read that the digital audio connector to computers only plays windows formats- no iTunes connectivity.
5. The 5-disc changer loads one at a time and takes a long time to switch; I found myself forgetting what was in each slot and it took a long time to switch around and find out.
But, like I said the sound is very good. So if you can live with the feature limitations this is a very very good deal for the price.
(4 out of 5)Nice sounding, great for extra room
This isn't a blow the doors off big room setup; but for the bedroom or an extra living space area I would recommend it. It's a nice compact system with easy sync up to my Sony KDL-40V2500 40" Bravia V-Series 1080p LCD HDTV I just picked up, which I would also recommend picking up. This has a quick action 5-DVD/CD changer, that supports 1080i resolution to the big screen, which is nice. It plays music from my nearby PC without any glitches, by remote of course. Nice surround sound, unobtrusive.
Cool feature: you don't need to be Einstein to "center" or calibrate the optimum sound field. It is automatic. Just place the included microphone in your listening position. The system will adjust and optimize the sound taking into consideration the speaker placement, distance and delays.
(3 out of 5)Great sound, great price, but some things to be cautious of......
We purchased this as a Christmas gift for my father/mother-in-law. Hooked it up the same night and watched Star Wars Attack of the Clones. The sound is fantastic, absolutely fantastic. The action scenes rocked the house, but yet you could hear every word the actors said. The unit looks great and is easy to set-up. The price (through Amazon) was very good.
Now the headaches. The on-screen menu is nightmare. The player reacts slow to commands. I'm fairly competent at connecting and operating much of the new electronic equipment I encounter, but this one stumped me in several ways. First, the manual says you can use the unit to get surround sound for the television broadcasts and VCR. I tried everything, but could not get either to work. So far, the in-laws are limited to enjoying the great sound of this unit to just DVD's. There are several other quirky things with the unit. It took me four tries to calibrate the system (using the provided calibration mic). The rear speakers worked intermittingly at first, but after calibration seem to work all the time now.
If you are looking for outstanding sound at a more than fair price, this is the unit for you. Some say you cannot connect your cable converter box to this unit and some say you can. Once I get this figured out with the in-laws unit, I will definately purchase one myself. Hope this helps.
(3 out of 5)Great if you only want it for the DVD player
This works great if you only want to watch DVDs in surround sound. However, if you are hoping like I was to also hook your cable service up to the receiver or a HD/Blu-Ray DVD player there is no hope because there is no digital in option. However, you cannot beat this system in terms of ease of installation and price so if you just want to watch DVD movies in surround sound this is a solid purchase.
(1 out of 5)Sony monopoly
Unless you have a Sony TV don't purchase this item. Upon following the complicated directions on setting the system up, the stupid system would only work when playing a dvd. There was no sound from any of the speakers when trying to watch TV, listen to music or the tuner. Calling Sony support was no help. The first customer service rep proceeded to yell and scream on the phone. He also made me hook up the system to the cable box which caused the system not to work when playing a dvd and told me i would have to switch the audio cables(which are not included) back and forth depending on what i wanted to do (watch tv, listen to music etc.) The second guy didn't even know how to hook it up at all. The guys at the Sony Style store have no idea either. I will be returning the product. Don't buy it...it's a waste of money and precious time.