Sony HTSS1100 - 5.1Home Theatre System - With HDMI Input / Output
Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
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(5 out of 5)great value cinema system
This is exactly the same model as the Sony HTSF1100 - except this doenst include the 4 x speaker stands for your front and surround speakers ( I aleady have stands so opted to save £50 and buy this model ) . So this is a better option of youve already forked out money on stands and are upgrading your cinema system to HDMI compliant .
This has 2 x HDMI in , 1 x HDMI out which is the main reason I bought it - no more horrible bulky scart leads ! Plus if I decide to upgrade to Blu ray there are enough inputs - so its fairly future safe . The only strange thing is that the HDMI sockets in only carries video so you have to use the digital coax cable ( included ) and buy a an optical lead ( £10 ) for the digital audio - seems odd the HDMI doesnt carry audio but its no real problem - just a bit more messy with the extra cables but its all explained clearly and perfectly in the manual .
I run my XBOX 360 , SKY HD and HDMI DVD player all through the system through the 3 digital inputs and Im extremely pleased ! as with all surround sytems is a bit time consuming to set up but really easy , theres a test to check all speakers are working , auto calibration , great sound quality , great looks ( black to match the SKY HD BOX ! ) and lots of options to tweak the sound - Great value system - I paid well under £200 for this ... Its everything you would expect from SONY and more ! recommended
(4 out of 5)Descreetly powerful
Firstly a clarification, the HT SS1100/HT SF1100 does carry sound over HDMI, contrary to previous reviews. This could have potentially changed a buyer's decision such as it did me. This is after all a surround sound amplifier.
Having spent many an hour gazing at the specs and pictures and reviews, I finally went for this system purely because I could get hold of Samsung's HT-AS710. I'm glad of this fact as Sony's DM port accessories will prove very useful, including the sexy looking Wireless module that allows you to control streamed music from your PC. Equally useful is the optional Bluetooth adapter that allows streaming over AD2P from your mobile.
For this kind of money the sound quality is as to be expected. Clear mid tones and deep stomach churning bass brings films and games the sonic massage they need. Marantz it isn't, but if I had the cash for a system like that I wouldn't be sitting in my living room watching DVDs. The subtle styling of the head unit blends nicely with your flat screen tv, as it should and the small satellite speakers provide more mounting options than the floor standing counterparts of the HT SF1100 and cost less, so you can spend the extra £50 on a star wars box set and watch the pod race over and over again.
One last plus is the DCAC feature which is a massive bonus. No time consuming fiddling and repositioning of speakers and endless level tweaking to get the perfect surround sound experience. Just stick the included microphone where you sit and let the system do the rest. Perfect.
(5 out of 5)An excellent system from Sony
I had this system bought for me as a birthday present by my parents. I have a very good Sond DVD player and all of the surround sound systems seemed to have a built in DVD player and a lack of additional audio inputs.
Having gone to my local retailer to ask advice as to the best system to enable inputs from my VCR, SKY HD, DVD player and laptop this one had just come on to the market.
The system is very easy to use, and the Auto Calibration microphone makes setting up the volume levels very easy especially if the configuration of your furniture does not allow the usual sony diagram of how you should place your speakers.
I use my DVD player to play my audio CD's through the system, with the coaxial connection it is crystal clear and the quality is outstanding. I connect my laptop through one of the extra AV inputs for my MP3's and you wouldn't believe how it sounds. If you have broadband and listen to radio over the internet you cannot hear distortion and its just as good as DAB.
The radio tuner is a welcome addition, considering the radio reception is very poor where I live the small aerial lead supplied is very good at picking up all local and national stations and with clear crisp quality while my stand alone sony stereo strugles to do so.
The HDMI switching works very well as long as you connect the sound separately to get the full 5.1 on sky. Not sure why Sony didnt configure it to have the sound taken from the HDMI lead, but i'm not bothered as the Optical connector connected to my Sky box makes all channels (5.1 or Not) sound great.
Over all I cannot fault this system and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a surround system without an integrated DVD player. Outstanding value for money. Well Done Sony!
(5 out of 5)This is the only choice if you want versatility
I think that other reviewers have mostly covered the tech. specs of this system.
To the unaware who would probably go out and buy a system with the disc drive built in, I say don't!
Download the manual from the Sony website and check that you current DVD player outputs the correct digital signals for this receiver to use (most do).
If you don't have a DVD player spend another £50.00 and buy a separate Sony DVD player. The reason that this machine beats the ones which have an internal drive, is because they do not allow further inputs from other units.
That is to say that you can watch all those films in great cinema sound from DVD, but what when you want to watch a great film on TV (you cannot plug it in to these systems) or if you decide to buy another separate (EG blu-ray player ,HD-DVD player, or hard drive recorder) you are then back to using the TV speakers again.
My advice is to buy this "Amplifier receiver" and use it as the central sound hub for all your other sound sources, and you will not go far wrong.
My TV plugs in, purely so my little ones have better sound when using their Nintendo Wii console. The main sound for TV, when we watch films etc, is via optical link from Sony VTX-800-D set top box, and this also gives us digital radio (DVB Freeview) without having the TV on. The DVD side is taken care of via my ageing Toshiba SD 2109 player and the digital co-axial which is supplied with Sony HTSS 1100. As a Hi-Fi, digital radio, FM radio (with RDS), cinema system with the possibility of integrating other sources via the digital media port, the HTSS 1100 is simply outstanding.
You could get yourself the HTSF 1100, but the bases on the speaker stands are very large. I doubt the sound is any better either, even though the speakers are two way units. Next, I am looking to buy a set of Alphason SS20's for my rear speakers.
(4 out of 5)No HDMI 5.1/DTS Audio
This Home Theatre System does not pass HDMI 5.1 or DTS Audio to the speakers. You will need a seperate Optical Cable to get 5.1, and DTS, and this will reduce the quality of the sound slightly. So a PS3 setup would be HDMI Video in, and Optical in as well. Thus losing SACD HDMI ouput from the PS3, and also losing the higher frequency of sounds.
However, the loss is not so bad for the price. Still 4 STARS.