Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Strathfield Sound

Summary:
I had no idea this unit existed in Oz as none of the major chains carry it, and to contain costs I was looking to buy an all-in-one box such as the Sony DAV-S500 system, or similar. But I noticed the 8330 when looking through Strathfield Car Sound's website - they normally carry only no-name Chinese brands - so my guess is they are grey importing the system(?). Anyway, for the same money as the DAV-S500 I was able to get this system (with significantly more power and future versatility) and the new entry level slimline Sony DVD (the DVP-NS305), which matches the aesthetics of the amp. I have a reasonably large lounge room and the sub is more than adequate for an apartment building if I want to keep my lease. But as almost everyone else pointed out, the speaker wire needs replacement - it's about as thick as dental floss.

Strengths:
Value for money Versatility and power versus the DVD/Amp alternatives available in Oz (for those who don't have the energy and audiophile-ear to look for custom speaker setups)

Weaknesses:
Lack of an optical output, lack of S-video output Speaker wire

Similar Products Used:
Technics midi pro-logic system

Price Paid:  $169.00 from BestBuy

Summary:
This system rocks. I looked for 6 months before finding this system at a price I couldn't pass up. I purchased 18 gauge speaker wire, digital cable and a new sub cable because this was a out of the box sale. The manual was very good and it was quick to setup. I had to change the setup on my dvd player so the auto detect would work. The dvd's sound great I had no idea what I was missing until I played some of my dvd's after hooking up The Home Theater System. The speakers have great sound and the sub is good for a small room. The system has options I havn't even got to yet and I'm already happy with my choice to purchase this system. I can't imagine anyone needing more features than this system offers.

Strengths:
Remote, sound, Features and manual

Weaknesses:
no S-Video

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This review is going to be similar to all the other reviews, and that means that the system is consistant in all the reviews. This means you can trust us and buy this system if you are looking for all of the stuff described in the reviews. First of all this system is GREAT for the PRICE. I got mine for under $300. I ended up paying $321 because I bought new speaker wire, when you see the stuff you get in the box you will want to do the same thing so save yourself a second trip to the store and grab some 12 or 16 gauge speaker wire. All 5 speakers that come with the system are exactly the same so you do not have a TRUE center channel speaker. The reciever is almost exactly the same thing as the DE575 from Sony, the only difference is 4 more DSP sound choices and I think you get 2 S-Video in/outputs. I was not going to use them so I was not missing them. I am happy with the system for what I paid, obviously it will not perform as well as a $500 reciever and $300 speakers that you can get from tons of other systems but for $300-$350 for a complete system, you really can''t go wrong. There are other buget systems out there from Pioneer and the like but I could not find a comparable system at any of the local stereo stores I shop at in my area. I bought mine at Best Buy and there were 2 other systms that were less in price, an Aiwa and an RCA, neither sounded nearly as full as the Sony. If you are thinking about buying this system and you have compared it to others I believe you will not be dissapointed.

Strengths:
DTS support, full sound for a budget price, lots of features on the reciever.

Weaknesses:
No s-video, cheap speaker wire, not a TRUE center channel speaker, no tweaters in any of the speakers.

Price Paid:  $379.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
I think overall its a good value for the price. I recently upgraded the speakers and that made a lot of difference. I have one question for anyone that has this system, I have turn my volume up to 30 to get some serious power coming out of my speakers. I have a friend with a older editon sony reciever and he only has to turn up to 18-20 to get the same output. I was wondering why

Strengths:
Good features user friendly remote and interface good sub

Weaknesses:
weak power

Price Paid:  $425.00 from The Brick

Summary:
To be honest, I was not at all sure about buying a Sony when I went shopping for a system and I was willing to pay a lot more than I did. What sold me on it was the sound that the system produced in the middle of a warehouse. While I do watch movies, my primary motivation for purchasing a system was music. After getting it home and figuring out all the different settings and configurations I was pleased with the over all sound but it was lacking some midrange. I remedied this by purchasing a good pair of mains (JBL, N38''s) and have been completely happy ever since. If you are buying just for home theatre, the original speakers sound great. As a Home theatre package this is a great value;the sound is extraordinary (especially in DTS). I find the surround modes even make my tv (not digital) sound impressive. I recommend using audio DVD''s recorded in DD5.1 or DTS to really appreciate the quality of the sound output. I could have spent more money but I didn''t need to.

Strengths:
Plenty of inputs, great sound, easy operation, I like the sub just fine in my room. Good value

Weaknesses:
No S-Video, speakers, cheap speaker cables, no a/c plug ins,