Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony DAV-HDX275 BRAVIA 5-Disc DVD/CD Player 5.1 Channel Home Theater System, Black

I had been in the market for a set of inexpensive bookshelf speakers when I stumbled across this brand new model Sony system at a local retailer. For the price, this unit is pretty hard to beat, with a fairly extensive feature list and only a few drawbacks.

This unit is the brand new "step up" to the popular HDX265 model system. The speakers are the same, but this unit adds digital dolby decoding, additional digital input capability (important for decoding Digital Dolby from satellite or cable boxes) and support for the new "S-AIR" system that allows wireless connectivity to other rooms in the home.

Sound quality from this setup is good, although not impressive if you are used to higher end sound from seperate components. Certainly good enough for use in a bedroom or other application (I put this in a small workout room). Sound quality is better than most shelf systems in the same price range and should give most other all-in-one-box systems a good run for their money.

Setup is extremely simple with color coded wires for all of the different speakers. Unfortunately the wires terminate to special connectors that plug into the back of the main unit. This would make extending/replacing the wires a pain. The unit includes a microphone and a nifty auto-calibration feature that sets all of the speaker levels correctly with a few taps on the remote control.

The remote control itself is handy, but on the cheap side.. it's pretty basic but gets the job done. It will control all of the unit functions and even allow for basic control of an iPod that is connected to the included iPod dock. The remote control can also be programmed to control most model TVs.

DVD output from this unit is very good and the HDMI output is great for quick and easy cabling to an HDMI equipped flat panel HDTV. DVD startup and controls were quite snappy and the unit can hold up to 5 CDs or DVD in the built in cartridge. The unit will up-convert DVD to 1080P resolution over the HDMI output. While not nearly as good looking as my Blu-Ray player, it will still look quite good on most small to medium sized TVs.

The best features of this unit are the HDMI output, extra inputs (one digital and one analog), iPod dock (which works with the remote control) and DVD up-conversion.

There are drawbacks, as there always are with these all-in-one deals. The iPod dock doesn't have any onscreen output or control, which is a bit of a drag since you can't see what's on the iPod screen from across the room. The main unit is physically quite deep (about 15 inches) which means it won't fit on smaller shelves. Also annoying is the lack of any bass or treble control.

The unit has two sound modes, "movie" and "music" and a bass enhancer (which I turned off as it made the bass sound boomy and obnoxious for music listening). There is no stereo 5.1 mode which would allow for output to all 5 speakers from regular stereo sources like an iPod. Instead the unit has a 4 channel matrix mode that uses the main, rear and subwoofer speakers for stereo. This is kind of a shame since the center channel speaker is the clearest sounding one of the bunch. The center channel does sound decent when watching or listening to TV and DVD sources.

Overall I can safely give this system 4 stars. The sound is quite good for a sub $300 system, the DVD player with up-conversion is great, and the unit has just enough flexibility through the extra inputs and wireless add-on options to be useable for quite some time. Certainly it fits the bill as a stereo/DVD-player for my workout room.

//update as of 4/23/2008.

A couple of other little nit picks discovered with this sytem. I've discovered that the sound mode, bass and other settings aren't memorized per input. In other words if you are watching a DVD and have the sound mode in "movie" and have the bass turned up and then switch the input to the one for the iPod it is still in the same sound mode. This is a bit inexcusable considering that even dirt cheap budget AV receivers can remember the settings for each input seperately.

I appreciate the audiophiles' reviews of this system, but any criticism is mostly unfair. If home theater systems were cars, this system is a Cadillac. No, it's not a Lamborghini, it's not a Bentley, it's a Cadillac, and it's at Chevy pricing. Folks who are seeking the highest standard of sound quality have no business buying this system and broadcasting their esoteric disappointment in it. I purchased this system as a "get me by" system, that is, I wasn't expecting a lot from it... it was destined for the bedroom TV... a 42" Aquos LCD. I wasn't expecting much, but was blown away by the sharpness of this system's sound, and its ability to produce balanced movie bass. The upconversion is nice, especially on Pixar movies and other animated titles. I do highly recommend an HDMI cable for great color and sharpness (vs component video or S-video). Also, I do recommend this system's hardwire speakers over the S-AIR speaker/receiver system, which is highly susceptible to RFI/radio interference (think low-quality walkie-talkie). The sound movement from speaker to speaker, especially on THX certified pictures, is incredible if you haven't experienced home theater before. I watch DVDs at sound level 30 and feel like I'm in a full size DTS movie theater. I would say this: if you can (want to) spend 50% more for 10% better sound, then this system is not for you. But if you're looking for a good home theater system that you and your family will greatly appreciate, and have countless DVDs (not Blue-Ray / HD), then this is a great system for your money!

I purchased this Sony DAV-HDX275 BRAVIA Theatre System primarily because of the BRAVIA Sync Feature and I am very pleased. I generally use the unit for watching Television. I can now use one single button on my HD DVR cable box remote to turn on the DVR, the Sony BRAVIA TV, and the BRAVIA Theatre System. The BRAVIA Sync will even change the Theatre System's input to the TV's sound input, turn off the TV's internal speakers, as well as allow the use of the cable box remote to adjust the volume. No more looking for three different remotes.

Note that you must use an HDMI cable or else these steps require the use of the three remotes, and I know, since I temporarily had the system hooked up with a component cable having used my HDMI cable for the cable box. With two kids and a wife that is not as technology tolerant, the system was always set back to a TV only setup requiring the use of all three remotes to reset to the full experience.

As far as sound quality and setup I will leave that to others to review in detail. I feel that you get the expected performance for a sub $300 unit that is very sufficient for home theater use though a bit underwhelming for listening to music at higher volumes.

I do want to mention that the unit has one unique feature that I especially appreciate. There is a night mode button on the remote that reduces the bass and boosts the center channel voices. In this mode the unit is easily used at low volumes that are less disruptive when watching after the kids are in bed yet still sound much better than what the TV speakers would alone and without surround sound.

The reason that I did not give 5 stars is partly because of some of some minor issues. The remote is not great though I use it infrequently. Its illumination is nearly useless since the labels are not illuminated and the labels are too small. It has a somewhat odd layout of features making finding what you are looking for difficult.

Lastly, I wish that the DMPort supported a computer USB connection. I would prefer a direct connection to my computer's music collection over plugging in an iPod. Hopefully Sony will introduce such an accessory in the future.

I had been looking for a while trying to find a good home theater system for a nice price. After reading many reviews and specs, I chose this one. I've had it for a while now and I love it. The upconvert on regular dvds is really great too. The sound is really good, the sub is punchy and the system is really easy to set up. You even get a microphone tool with it that helps to automatically set up the speaker adjustments for you and your specific room shape.

My only gripe would be the limited HDMI inputs. This model, though, is an improvement over the 265 model. The ipod dock is a nice addition. I have my PS3 connected with a digital optical audio cable and that works well. If I want to have my cable television be in surround sound, I just unplug the digital audio cable from my PS3 and plug it into my cable reciever. A little bit of a pain, but not too bad. If you use one or the other more often, you can just leave it plugged into that device. The dvd upconvert sounds really nice too. It fills my living room with nice sound from my regular old dvds and the picture is damn near HD.

Overall, for this price, it is a great deal. Just dont expect to be plugging in too many peripherals. But for use with my PS3, cable television, and the upconvert dvd player on it, it works well. And oh ya, music CDs sound good in it too. It creates really nice surround sound from my old cds.

I consider myself to be a bit above the average, casual listener. I am on a temporary assignment in another country and I needed a system that was good enough to perform as my main system and also, cheap enough that after 18 months, can be disposed of with no feelings of financial irresponsibility. This price range was perfect for me. After listening to all-in-one systems in this price range from JVC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and quite a few others, I went with the Sony.

This little system does not disappoint at all. It is nowhere as full featured and the sound is nowhere as 'rich' as a full separates system, but it gives sound that is quite good and ultimately, very listenable if you aren't a constant, critical listener. If you aren't much of an audiophile or just want something to use as a second system in another room outside of your main listening room, you would be well advised to add this system to your short list. It has the all important home theater A/V features and formats so it pretty much plays anything you throw at it (within reason).

As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the major drawback for me is the system does not memorise the sound settings per input so if you like your TV in ProLogic II but your radio listening to be in regular 2-channel stereo, you will have to manually change decoding modes when you switch back and forth between sources. It can get annoying.

An additional drawback is that the user interface and remote control is quite confusing - which for me, is strange for a Sony product. Having said that though, unless you are a constant tweaker, after the initial setup and customization, you really don't have to deal with anything other than the standard settings which are easy enough to maneuver through.

The system allows for 1 additional input so plan out your use for this system very carefully. This is not meant to be the heart of a multi-source system! Of interest is the inclusion of an iPod dock. I can't give any feedback on this as I think I must be one of the remaining 3 persons in the world who do NOT have an iPod. It is a neat addition however and it adds to the overall utility of the system.

Finally, I do not see any way whatsoever to program the remote to control components by other manufacturers. Thankfully, I connected this system to a Sony TV; however, there doesn't seem to be any way to program my cable box, so I have to use the remote control for that in addition to the Sony remote. You may want to either buy an additional, programmable remote control that suits your purposes.

Still, in spite of these small issues, I am largely happy with my purchase. Were it not for the lack of programmability for the remote control and the inability to memorise sound formats per input, I would have given 5 stars... for the price! :)