Sony HT-IS100 - 5.1 ch - Home Cinema Upgrade kit - Black
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £378.50Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)Great Starter Home Cinema System
Background: I am first time home cinema buyer. I have never been keen on too many speakers/big boxes in my living room. Mainly because I own a hi-fi music system that takes up a lot of space. My living room is 12x15 foot.
Review: I have had the Sony HT-IS100 for about a month. It was the perfect size/price solution. I considered Sony DAVIS10 amongst a few others. The IS100 has 3 HDMI inputs, one HDMI TV output, upscales to 1080p, minus the DVD player. Compare this to DAVIS10 which upscales to 1080i, has a single HDMI connection and does not have x.v. Colour and 24p True Cinema technology. I did not need the DVD player. Similar sized speakers, better specifications makes this little gem future proof.
I have compared this to Sony RHT G900 on its own and a Yamaha YSP-900 with a subwoofer attached. The HT-IS100 sounds as good if not better than the Yamaha, has better sound separation and is almost invisible. Compared to Sony RHT G900 the performance from HT IS100 is awesome. Overall bass and treble reproduction is great, mid tones are ok. I would not use this as a dedicated music system though it does a decent job with stereo sound. I am very happy with the purchase. If your living room is of a similar size don't hesitate.
If you are a first time home cinema buyer set aside an hour or two to plan wall mounting and connecting the system. The system comes with an optical cable, a remote (can be use to control Sony TV and DVD) and plenty of speaker cables. You will need an extra HDMI cable if you want to make use of the high definition TV out.