Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I have used this HT system for 3 years now . It has worked well up until the past few months ..It takes longer and longer for it to read a cd and it grinds and thinks about it and then maybe it will play maybe not. I have taken good care of it and kept the lens clean and still looks like its heading for the dump.
One more thing the subwoofer has 5 audio connectors on the back and it has failed to make connections with the speakers. It isnt dirt is that the clamp doesnt have enough crimp to keep the wires in there so it is useless.
All and all I give it a 4 ..not bad for the money just dont expect it to last a long time.l

Strengths:
5 cd changer is great
The sound of the speakers is good.
Usability and interface are fantastic

Weaknesses:
The speaker hook ups are that great//
It did not play all formats of music as it said it would

Price Paid:  $325.00 from County Electronics

Summary:
I am the resident electronic geek in my family. A few months ago my brother-in-law asked me to go with him to the electronic store to buy a new TV and HT-in-a-box system. We came back with the SCHT-700. After setting it up (I did most of the work) we fired up the bad boy. I was floored. Really nice sound for 300 bucks. So I decided to go back to the store and pick one up too.

The amplifiers for all channels are contained in the subwoofer cabinet. This allows the DVD changer to be very slim, but the length/width dimensions are still pretty big (think large pizza box). The slim profile also makes the front panel buttons very small and the layout a little awkward.

The speakers are covered with a non-removeable cloth and are quite heavy for their size. Each speaker seems to have 1 full-range driver except for the center channel which has 2.

This system NEEDS TIME TO BREAK-IN to sound its best! It goes through a huge metamorphasis over the first dozen discs. Sound will then mellow out and the center channel will really sing. Additionally, better speaker cable will also help the sound. I made some homebrew ones out of thin gauge pure silver wire and packing tape and they sound way better than the stock cables.

I have a dedicated audio rig and am not planning on using this for music. Just for kicks, I put in a few music CD's and it does just fine, especially after break-in.

Power is also plentiful for small to medium size rooms/apartments and the sub thumps as loud as I need.

Overall, a great system for the price

Strengths:
1. simplicity of design, great quality components for the price

2. Slim, vertical subwoofer fits nicely next to our entertainment center

3. Plays many multimedia formats, including DVD-audio

4. Subwoofer meshes with the other speakers wonderfully

Weaknesses:
1. The remote is overly complicated and contains functions that only work with the next model up (SCHT-900)

2. Too many extraneous features like "Party" and "Hall" modes

3. No digital input for other sources like TiVo or Playstation

4. Instruction manual is complicated