|
THe sound is great for the price point and I would not mind paying couple hundred dollars more for this quality. This is the best HTIB for the money.
This system is recommended only for people with hdmi equipment. Sound is good, bass isn't overbearing. If you're looking for taking the ultimate spin in a blu-ray / gaming entertainment system, and need a sound system to power it, this is it. This is a great home theater system, the hdmi inputs are superb for connecting all of your HD equipment. Spider-Man 2 on blu ray will have webs flying all around your living room, and you can always tell where the fire fights are coming from in Halo 3 on the 360.
It's too small and dim to see from the listening position. The FM works pretty well, considering I'm in a fringe reception area.The display is my only real gripe. The HDMI works fine, even turning off the amplifier when I turn off the TV.
The speakers are much smaller that I expected, although I could have gotten the sizes from detailed specifications. It's certainly not what I would use for a high-end Blu-ray system, which is how it's billed.The auto-calibrate function was easy to use, but left the sound very "boomy." I altered it manually to reduce this effect. The Sony HT-SS2300 is an adequate sound system for TV viewing.
It's still a bit tinny, and doesn't have the smooth transparency that a higher-end system exhibits. I have to approach the unit very closely to see the indications.If you want an economy sound system that sounds OK, this seems a good choice. The sound is OK, and pretty good for the cost, but not what I would recommend for a home theater set-up.
(I use a large Kenwood receiver with Energy speakers for my home theater; the Sony is for the smaller, 58" Panasonic plasma in the living room).
You can listen to any audio on the iPod/iPhone and also watch any video content you have. But being this is the 21st century and because everything is connected to my plasma via HDMI, I think Sony should have a menu system through the TV screen. The TV menu looks like it was lifted from a DOS 3.0 computer, but it gets the job done and overall, the adapter works pretty good. An TV menu to tweak the audio is not too much to ask and would be much easier to use. Running through Transformers, the Dark Knight and Blade Runner on Blu-Ray reveal how solid this package is. My setup is as follows. Panasonic 42" plasma, PS3 and this SS2300 all via HDMI. The subwoofer bass is clean and quite powerful.
The adapter/Dock also comes with a video cable that lets you navigate the iPod menu on the TV screen. The tiny screen menu display on the receiver is something right out of a mid 80s VCR. 1987 called, they want their setup menu system back. If the iPhone has one from the Dock, why not the receiver.Overall, good buy and with a good setup like this, going to the movies is beginning to make less and less sense. I'm sure Sony isn't the only offender on this front. I think considering the decent price, it is a good buy for medium sized rooms like my bedroom where I have my setup.I also sprung for the iPod adapter. This archaic receiver menu system is the only reason I have denied the unit a 5 star rating. The reciever is a sleek looker and works flawlessly with my PS3.
SS2300 Downsides. It connects to the SS2300 and works with the receiver remote. The auto calibrate seems to be pretty good and I have only made some small adjustments after running it. Which was $99 from B&H Photo.
So far so good after a couple days. I was a little concerned about whether the impedance would match and if it didn't, whether I'd blow the amp up. Exactly what this system needed.
It was lacking the Presence that I wanted from vocals. But then I remembered my pair of Bose 141 bookshelf speakers that I had sitting around, and used those in place of the left and right front speakers that came with the SS2300. I had to agree with many of the other reviews that this just didn't have the Wow that I was looking for when I hooked it up.
And WOW. I assume that other speakers will work just as well. I played with bass and treble controls and just couldn't get the vocals to stand out.
The midlevels were weak.
|
