Sony DAV-S300 Mini Systems

Sony DAV-S300 Mini Systems 

DESCRIPTION

Complete mini theater system DVD player / surround receiver, 5.1 speakers. DD/DTS capability

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 58  
[Feb 08, 2003]
abensour
Casual Listener

Strength:

Small and convenient

Weakness:

Doesn't work!

I was pleased with the product. I bought it to try DVD and Dolby digital a couple years ago, then to move it to the bedroom or in the office. Today I have the infamous c:13:00 / No disk problem that plagued too many sony DVD player. I will not recommand to buy a DVD by Sony. I'm still waiting for an answer from Sony.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jun 30, 2002]
chrisjaney
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Small. No need for 8 boxes stacked up all requiring power and space.

Weakness:

Piece-o-junk internals. No CD-R support (lame). Product is probabaly not worth it even though it's cheap for what you're getting.

It was great until the sound stopped working - I have no output to the speakers all of a sudden after 1.5 years of casual use. Now all I can do is plug headphones in when I want to watch a movie. I don't know enough to diagnose it as a blown amplifier, shorted circuit or what - I just know there isn't any output to the speakers. I'm pretty mad, and probabaly won't purchase much from sony for awhile.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Sep 17, 2000]
Art
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

It has a very sturdy feel. For its price it's an excellent value. It's extremely easy to set up for someone who is intimidated by technology. Its controls also make it easy to use.

Weakness:

As noted by others, it could have a more robust sound--but considering what you get in the great package I am willing to go along with this unit's limitation.

I purchased this yunit so I could have a DVD player for my bedroom. Compared to the system in my family room this ystem comes close to the sound quality--but not the robustness of the sound. I looked at sever other all-in-one systems such as the JVC (too expensive) and the Panasonic. The Panasonic sound much more robust than the Sony system I purchased and it alos includes a five DVD changer, but did not allow video inputs. This woul have been a real pain to be able to use my satellite TV. I really wanted to purchase the Panasonic unit, but decide on the Sony because of the Video in limitation othe the Panasonic. After three weeks, I am in love with this unit. The quality is very good and some of the better DTS movies really rock on this unit. While I may complain some about the lack of robustness, my wife cannot understand why I need to have the unit turned up so loud. If you are someone who does not need to shake the walls and floor when you are watching an action adventure, appreciate clear sound, and want a great value...I highly recommend this unit.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha R-V905 Home Theatre Reciever, Atlantic Compact Theatre One Speakers, and a Toshiba SD-3109 DVD player.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 25, 2000]
michael bailey
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

The unit is very simple to set up and can be assembled in a short period of time. The documentation is very good. Once set up the sound is exceedingly good for a product in this class. It will not keep up with a full sized system but then again its not designed to. The features are fairly comprehensive including 5.1 decoders for both Dolby and DTS. Six speakers are present including a passive sub. The main unit also has a digital tuner. There are two additional video inputs presumably for a Satellite and a VCR. There is also one optical digital input for the satellite. There is one S-VHS output for the DVD player. This unit also has some advanced features including a bit counter for both DVD video and audio. There is also pink-noise setting to help in speaker setup. Remote is excellent.

Weakness:

1. No component output for DVD.
2. No S-VHS input for satllite.

This is an excellent value! I got mine from one call for $599 with free fed-ex. I have a full size system in the family room but cant play it often because its too near the babys room. I needed this system for our bedroom downstairs. I was amazed at the sound this little unit delivers. At times when I need the volume low I find I can still clearly understand the dialog. At near full volume I was surprized at how forceful the passive sub was and how rich the sound field was.
If you need a 5.1 system for a small room give this one a try. You wont be disappointed!

Similar Products Used:

none

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 27, 2000]
John
Audio Enthusiast

This is a follow up to a previous post. I took Ken's advice and went out and purchased a POWERED SUBWOOFER for this system and got rid of the passive one that comes with this system---the difference is extrodinary! I already loved the system for its ease of use and setup, but now the performance is on par. Anyone who wants to take it to the next level, consider a new sub!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 03, 2001]
John Macedo, Jr.
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Easy setup, Sleek Design, Excellent for Smaller living rooms
like mine in a townhome. An all in one system for a great price.

Weakness:

The passive subwoofer. Slight lack of power. Should have been
upped to 250-300 watts.

I just started using this thing and can only compare to some really high end stuff from friend's homes. You can't compare it to a Denon AVR-4800 paired with Definitive Speakers, but it's not bad considering what you get for the price. I didn't have a DVD player and didn't want to invest in a system until we get a home, (got married last year, live in a town home). I also didn't want to blow a hole of sound through my neighbors living room even though the place is pretty damn sound proof. I know what you mean about the subwoofer issue. I have listened to many system and going from no system to this is like night and day, but if you know or have felt how rich a powered subwoofer is when added to your system, I must agree. I had one question? Okay, two.
What subwoofer did you buy Ken? or anyone in here. I don't want to dump alot on the subwoofer if I don't have to, $250 is all I am willing to part with to complete this now pretty decent system. Oh, I lied, one other question? I have a Proscan TV and have the red/white audio out going to the video 1 input of the Sony DAVS. Do I need to also run the yellow wire? Does this have any digital encoding from stereo broadcast television programs? I have never understood that.
Great forum guys (and gals). Hope you enjoy your system.
I will probably move it to my bedroom in my next home and get my high end system. Peace and Happy New Year

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 09, 2001]
Satyen
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Compact size,Silver colour,Dolby 5.1 and DTS,speaker power,All in One

Weakness:

yet to find one

I just purchased this tiny little product of Sony after doing an extensive research on the Home Theatre System. Let me tell you this is the Best product you could ever have for such a nice price. I am fully satisfied with it's performance. Though many people complain about it's lack of power, I do not think so because my living room is small and this system is more than enough for my living room.Watching DVD's is just fun on this system. I would recommend this system for anyone who is willing to have a nice Home Theatre System for a less price.Just go for it !!!!!!!!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 01, 2000]
William Carter
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sleek, small, brushed-aluminum package. Very good Home Theater sound per dollar. The easiest setup you can imagine and easy to use. The sound fields are easy to set up and use as well.

Weakness:

Lack of super low tones below 10 Khz and crip highs above 10. Shallow, plastic, "K-mart" sound with regular music CDs.

Great system in our small living room (14X16). No clutter like the usual collection of stacked black boxes - just a nice silvery pizza box. Good to great sound for anyone with all but the most expensive tastes with DVDs and action, special-effect movies. Movies with well recorded musical scores under the dialgue (like Moonstruck) are light, clear, and airy. This package turned me on to Home Theater so much that I decided I could afford something more than $600 limit I had placed on myself and that I DO want something that also sounds great with music CDs -- I took it back to the store, splurged and got the best component system I could find. But, understand, you clearly cannot beat this little Sony package for the money right now. And I kinda liked the look of the little silver pizza box better.

Similar Products Used:

Just store demonstrations.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 01, 2000]
William Carter
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sleek, small, brushed-aluminum package. Very good Home Theater sound per dollar. The easiest setup you can imagine and easy to use. The sound fields are easy to set up and use as well.

Weakness:

Lack of super low tones below 10 Khz and crip highs above 10. Shallow, plastic, "K-mart" sound with regular music CDs.

Great system in our small living room (14X16). No clutter like the usual collection of stacked black boxes - just a nice silvery pizza box. Good to great sound for anyone with all but the most expensive tastes with DVDs and action, special-effect movies. Movies with well recorded musical scores under the dialgue (like Moonstruck) are light, clear, and airy. This package turned me on to Home Theater so much that I decided I could afford something more than $600 limit I had placed on myself and that I DO want something that also sounds great with music CDs -- I took it back to the store, splurged and got the best component system I could find. But, understand, you clearly cannot beat this little Sony package for the money right now. And I kinda liked the look of the little silver pizza box better.

Similar Products Used:

Just store demonstrations.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[Oct 09, 2000]
Ken
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sleek all in one styling, great DVD picture, good input/output flexibility, optical input

Weakness:

Bass weak but THERE IS a fix!

First off, let me say I purchased this system TWICE. The first time I was very happy with the picture but not so with the sound. There was a "hollowness" to CDs and also to some dialogue in movies. I returned it and tried the JVC but found it was too bright to the point of being harsh at times. For the price JVC was asking, I thought there should be less of that "harshness" to the speakers. The Bose sounded fine but was also $2,000. Then I thought about the fact that the Sony allows for a POWERED subwoofer with a dedicated "subwoofer output" jack. I'll tell you this, if you think you need more bass, GET A POWERED SUBWOOFER!!! I can't tell you the difference that this made...day and night!!! The hollowness is gone, CDs sound great, dialogue is full and rich and to my ears the system now sounds virtually as good as the $2,000 Bose and certainly better than the $1,500 JVC. This move may well turn your "satisfaction" with this system into euphoria!!!

Similar Products Used:

JVC-A10, Bose Lifestyle 12

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 58  

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