Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I witnessed this system at a friend's place. I had very low expectations and was actually surprised !

HT subwoofers usually produce extremely bad bass, boomy, wooly, and slow. It's the first thing I notice when I listen to a HT system : too small woofers in too small boxes, pushed hard over the limit. This one was quite good by comparison, and it is definitely not the weak point in this system. Bass is OK here.

However the midrange and treble are not at all up to the price. The 5 column loudspeakers failed to deliver any exciting music. They sound like cat scratching to me. Very bright, fatiguing, agressive... It is OK for action movies but definitely not for any kind of music except maybe R&B or Techno, and even then, those who say one does not need good speakers to listen to Techno should try a really good system once. It does matter.

So I find it to be very expensive for the sound. At $1000 you can get a decent DVD player, an amp and a pair of good speakers which will put the Sony to same. It won't have 5.1 or SACD but WHO CARES ?

So definitely not recommended.

Strengths:
Nice to look at, integrated, small footprint

Weaknesses:
Sounds very bad. I can't listen to music on these.

Price Paid:  $492.00 from BH Photo Video

Summary:
After months of research, could not resist the great style and $200 rebate from Sony (feel sorry for the guy below who paid $1000 a month ago, yikes!). Do not hesitate, this system is AWESOME. As a musician, I was concerned about the comments regarding the bass, but those reviewers must be really blasting the sound because it sounded amazing in my living room (24x12 AND with 14' valuted ceilings). In fact, after placing the subwoofer in the corner for maximum effect, I had to turn the level down as the bass was too much for me.

All in all, GREAT product, VERY easy set up, great sound and amazing value (under $500!!!)

Strengths:
Very stylish looks, great value (with rebate), excellent sound

Weaknesses:
not upgradable, strange remote, not a lot of control over settings (doesn't bother me though)

Similar Products Used:
bose, onkyo

Price Paid:  $670.00 from ShopSunshine

Summary:
Ok, I've been a Sony buyer for a very long time now. All of my electronics, computers, and tvs are sony, except speakers b/c I felt Sony's speakers did not produce great sound. I been looking for a home theatre package for my apt. for a very long time. After a very long search, I finally bought the Sony Dream System.

I bought the system based on performance, looks, and overall convenience. Out the box, this system is absolutely beautiful and very very easy to hook up. I don't think there is any other home theatre package that even comes close to matching the elegant looks of this. Sony has made a winner with this one!

This is not the ultimate system, but is a very good system. This is perfect for an apartment sized living room, but it is in no way suitable for a large sized living room. The sound is very clear and bass is just right. Only problem (which everyone else has) is the systems MAX volume is too low. Other than that, the system rocks! Sony is offering a $200 rebate right now so I really got the system for $468! Now thats a steal...no wait, thats robbery! hehe.

Strengths:
Look at it! Freakin looks awesome! Slim design, easy to hook up. Sony brand name. Clear sound for movies and SACDs. Did I say it looks awesome?

Weaknesses:
MAX volume too low :( , so gets a 4 . But in a small sized living room would do just fine.

Similar Products Used:
Infinity, B&W, Polk, JBL

Price Paid:  $520.00 from Butterfly Photo

Summary:
This system is not bad at all. It's not the best I've heard, but it's okay. At first, the system sounded poor but I realized that there are a bunch of settings that I was missing. The bass is a little low but if you turn the subwoofer up in the settings, it's not that bad. The back speakers could probably use a little more punch. Overall, I got $100 back for buying this system because of my Sony rewards credit card, which is why I chose it to begin with.

Strengths:
Incredibly small and good looking unit, DVD/CD changer, DVD playback options and amount of formats it plays (VCD, SVCD etc.), easy to set up...

Weaknesses:
Uses Sony connectors that can not be combined with other equipment, low-powered subwoofer, DVD changer is slightly slow, mediocre connection options...

Similar Products Used:
Altec Lansing 641 Multimedia Speaker

Price Paid:  $700.00 from J and R Music World

Summary:
Man all i have to say is that this system rocks the house! Maybe you other jerks dont know how to connect the cables correctly but i only assumed that because you guys paid over 1,000.HAHAHAHAH! Anyways get this if you can and no i am not paid by Sony to write these things. Make mine SONY!!

Strengths:
Esta bien Chingon!!

Weaknesses:
Doesn't serve cold beer

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha