Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony HTCT500 3.1 Speaker System with Complete Built-In A/V Receiver (Black)

This is one slick little soundbar/subwoofer combination. A significant improvement over the previous offering, the CT100. The sound bar is bigger than that model and feels like it is better constructed. The subwoofer is a solid piece of work as well.

Now for the important part, sound quality. The sound quality is much better than the old model and I would say it approaches the quality of the more expensive Yamaha YSP sound bars. You will probably have to do a little tweaking with it to get it set up properly but once you do this baby will shine. Sound is strong from both the soundbar and the subwoofer. The subwoofer is where your connections are located. You can run your dvd/blu ray player and your cable box (among others) to the sub and then the sub will run an HDMI cable to the tv. You can pretty much plug anything into the back of the sub as there are three HDMI inputs, two component inputs and a composite input along with the normal cable tv coax.

One thing to keep in mind. This will not surpass the surround quality of a good quality seperate sound system with multiple speakers. But then again most buyers should know that from the start. This is an option for people who don't want speakers all over the place or who have space issues which make a soundbar solution the best option. I rated this item 5 stars in comparison to other soundbar solutions, not compared to a surround system with multiple speakers. While there are some better sounding soundbars they are at least twice as much if not more expensive. For the quality and price this is an excellent soundbar option.

I've been a soundbar junkie for years and have owned in the past almost ALL of the Yamaha YSP's ever released and have also owned the older Sony CT-100, the CT-500 is a big improvment over the older CT-100.
Big jump in sound quality and the surround effect, plus on-screen menu's, more connection options and a bigger wider more powerful soundfield,,, the subwofter is even much improved sound wise from the older CT-100 as well.

As with any soundbar though, they will not work in every room, you do need to have walls to reflect the sound off of.
I have also found that soundbars work much better if they mounted higher and NOT lower, so if you have a wall mounted plasma or LCD, mount the soundbar ABOVE your display to get the best sound from it.

Also, there are a few defective CT-500's floating around,,, I had to exchange one before I got my next one that was problem free,,, but it was worth it.

Anyhow, the CT-500 rocks,, its a keeper !!!

Cheers
Davyo

I really wish this product was around 5 years ago. I had just purchased a HDTV and found out I needed to upgrade to a receiver with HDMI and Component inputs to implement a surround sound setup. I absolutely loathe hooking up Home Theatre equipment whether it's contorting my body to get to the back of the receiver, organizing the web of wires, running of speaker wire under carpet/behind walls... Not to mention the receiver/speaker setup we when with was 5 years ago was 2-3 times more than this product and I have never been happy with it.

Fast forward to the CT 500 Soundbar. The setup was ridiculously easy, took 30 minutes tops and most of that was unhooking all of the old equipment. 3 simple HD connection to the back of the sub (easy access) and Blue Ray, Xbox 360 and Satellite were up and running. I tested movies, Rockband for the Xbox 360 and just regular Satellite TV. I was blown away by all three, couldn't believe this setup could pack such a punch.

My biggest complaint with 5.1 systems is usually the voice audio is drowned out. Not with this unit, voice in both movies and regular TV was crisp and clear. The sub was deep and rich whether it was thunder or the thump of a base drum.

Product has completely changed my viewing/playing experience for entire family.

I decided on purchasing a Soundbar for the same reason that many folks do; to eliminate speakers and wires. I was prepared for a reduction in sound quality in my 20x20 two story viewing room after removing my Yamaha surround sound receiver & 5 speaker/sub woofer arrangement and replacing it with the Sony HTCT500. After playing this system every night for a few weeks, I must say that the Sony HTCT500 is performing very well and has exceeded my expectations - to a degree.
Out of the box performance was not impressive, but after adjusting the sub level upward and making a few other tone tweeks from the GUI menu, the Sony finally came to life.
That said, I encountered a significant problem with this unit: I have a very nice Mitsubishi 73" big screen and the single HDMI output from the Sony caused some digital logic issues for the TV. A long story short; I had to settle for using ONLY the optical audio inputs to the Sony because this Sony units HDMI output is not compatible with my Mitsu 734 series HDMI inputs. The Mitsu actually gave me a blue screen warning that read something to the affect of; this A/V device is incompatible and must be disconnected. I couldn't argue with that and as a result almost returned the Sony to Amazon.
I ended up temporarily connecting a 15" Magnavox LCD TV to the Sony to get the GUI menu up to make my audio adjustment selections. It sounds so good I just couldn't return it. Sure I am dissappointed by the fact that I can't enjoy the use of the GUI, but I can't blame the Sony product for it. The incompatibilty issue lies in the Mitsubishi product and not the Sony. After doing some research, come to find out the Mitsu TV's have issues with their DM boards, as discussed on the web (see green flashing light of death).
Bottom line on the Sony soundbar is this; if you have a Mitsubishi TV, you may want to avoid this Sony product and go with a ZVOX, Yamaha or other type soundbar. If you have any other brand LCD or Plasma TV, you should be pleased with the audio performance & the HDMI output GUI from this Sony.
Cheers!

It has now been a week since I set up the unit. This home theater system made by Sony is a pleasant suprise. Model HT-CT500.
I am very impressed with the multiple HDMI ports which made set up a snap. The cable/satellite box and high def DVD connect to the back of the subwoofer and then one lead goes to the TV. All HDMI. Very straight forward and simple. No pass-though signal loss or degredation noted.
I was never comfortable with the former phono plug cables as far as consistent tone quality.
The volume issues with the HT-CT100 have been resolved.
The tone quality and fidelity is very pleasing. Plenty of bass and trouble and excellent fidelity. Separation as expected using a soundbar. Much improved over my Samsung plasma speakers.
I did review other soundbars. My choice was heavily weighed by the multiple HDMI ports and use of HDMI cables. No need for other cables other than to the soundbar. This seems unique to the sony product.
Also having capability to add wireless speakers is nice. It would have been nicer if the transmitter was built in without need for purchasing an adapter unit.
The unit was purchased through Amazon and extra HDMI cables are very cheap now. If you use them keep in mind a static arrestor may be needed.
Hope my opinion adds to the other comments.