Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX265 Home Theater System

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.

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.

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.

This is a wonderful unit if you don't want to spend a lot of money. I'm not an audiophile but did want improved sound from my Sony Bravia. Also, I'm not ready to commit to buying and HD or Blue Ray DVD player until the market figures out what it wants to do...also those players as you know cost waaay too much.

Set up:
The set up is really easy. Each speaker is color coded and labeled so you know exactly where to place the speaker. The connections in the rear of the receiver are also color coded so it simply a matter of placing your speakers in your entertainment unit and/or room and connecting the speaker wires to the appropriate plug. The color coding is key...we moved speakers around a bit before deciding on a final spot and it was nice to not worry about which wire goes where. By the way, the speakers are attractively small. They fit in nicely with any decor.

DVD Player:
This player upconverts DVDs to 1080i. The picture is very nice. The player holds 5 DVDs or CDs; so it's nice to watch a movie; pause it if you need to; and then play some music.

CD Player & General Sound Quality:
Amazing sound for something that costs under $200 (at Circuit City). For non audiophiles, this sounds like a stereo costing hundreds more. Watching DVDs is like your own little movie theatre. TV sound is vastly improved from the standard TV set, particularly live sports and cable movies.

Remote:
It's OK. The buttons are bit small particularly the ones that you need to use frequently, e.g. changing the format from tv/video to DVD player.

Connections to TV & Configuration:
This is where RTFM really comes into play, particularly for Sony Bravia TVs. Follow the instructions carefully; otherwise, you will be dumbfounded as to why sound is only coming from the TV and not the speakers. If you have a Sony Bravia TV, you must go to the HDMI menu and turn off one of the audio controls.

Cables:
Aside from all the color coded speaker wires which are already connected to the speakers; you get a video cable to connect the player directly to your TV or set top box. Strangely, it doesn't come with the audio cables. Luckily, I happen to have a spare set. You'll need the audio cables along with the video cable connected to your set top box if you want to get TV sound from the speakers. Finally, if you have Sony components; the remotes work for each of them. It's easy to configure the remotes to turn on/off various Sony devices.

Receiver:
This also acts as an FM receiver; however, I have no need for that. I actually like how the unit looks a bit retro; like a thinner version of some 1970s hi-fi unit. Definitely, the remote is the best way to use the functions of the system as the buttons on the actual unit are very small and not labeled clearly.

If you are seeking a decent home theater DVD player on a budget with good, quality sound, then this is a good buy. Yes, there are better choices out there with amazing sound; but not at this price point.

VERY easy to setup, everything is color coded. They gave me plenty of wire which was surprising. most kits usually don't. Sound quality is superb. The unit has it's own remote but I use my Harmony remote which is fully compatible. I do have one small gripe. There isn't an array of inputs on the back of the unit so that you can plug other devices in for surround sound. That does suck. I have to run my playstation off of the TV sound, but it does have an input for cable so you can get cable/satellite to input to it, just not much else. Had i known that before i bought it I probably would have gotten another model. It wasn't worth the hassle of returning it to me so we just kept it and have been happy with it overall. Video quality is great.