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Customer Reviews for: Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Sub-Woofer - Black

Rating 5 out of 5 - Excellent System, Budget Price
I got this a bit on a limb, as it was $199 for Black Friday. I was skeptical after reading somewhat mixed user reviews. The CNet review was very good, though, so I went ahead and got it.

I am extremely satisfied. There are absolutely no volume issues (I honestly can't go above 25 or so as my ears start to hurt). Make sure to turn up the bass and set the center channel to -1.

This unit also decodes lossless 5.1 / 7.1 PCM and Dolby Digital from the PS3 for Blu-Ray discs. Trust me, this sounds INCREDIBLE. I was blown away by the quality and faux-surround of a $200 unit. To get true lossless however, you must connect a PS3 (or Blu-Ray player) via HDMI to the HT-CT100, then the HT-CT100 via HDMI to the TV.

Extremely highly recommended.

Rating 4 out of 5 - Glad I Bought It!
I bought this speaker system about a month ago and I'm very happy I did.

Ship time was estimated at 1-2 months, but it arrived quickly in about a week. I found the set-up to be very quick and easy.

The sound quality is great for tv/movies/music and is just what I needed to pep up my HD's sound quality. I used all HDMI cables to wire up my cable dvr and dvd player to the unit. No issues so far.

I don't have it wall mounted, but that looks to be pretty easy to do.

The remote is functional and has an ok layout. However it is not a universal/programmable so I need to keep another remote for the TV on/off control. However it does control my Sony dvd player (and would control my TV if it were Sony).

The sub isn't too large, but I do wish that it were a little smaller or flatter (to make it easier to hide).

When the price eventually drops on this system I'll be ordering a second one for the bedroom. Check out the review on CNet.com, I found it helpful.



Rating 5 out of 5 - Sony as a System
I purchased a Sony Bravia because I wanted a TV that was, among other things, integrated with other entertainment components so that it could be enjoyed with only one remote. I have my TV integrated with a Sony BD Player and a Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar. I am using the AV System remote that comes with the HTCT100 to control all the components. They are working together with no problems now that I have read the instructions and schooled myself on which buttons to press to turn things on or off. Using the single control I am able to access the menus of each of 3 components.

Rating 3 out of 5 - Good sound for the money with some limitations
Summary: Good value for the price and a big improvement over TV speakers, but surround effect is weak and there are some limitations in connectivity, subwoofer placement, remote control and audio settings.

I wanted something that would provide improved TV and DVD sound as well as streamed iTunes music without investing a lot of money. This system fills those requirements very well. The sound has a satisfying richness and depth, although the "surround" effect is weak. More like being surrounded on 3 sides, which is pretty much the norm for systems without real rear speakers. To their credit, Sony did not try to mask this limitation by adding reverb effects at ridiculous levels like some systems I've heard.

I'm happy with my choice, but if you are contemplating buying this system you should be aware of some of its limitations:

Connectivity-
There are 4 A/V inputs. Three can be connected via either HDMI (video & audio) or digital optical cable (audio). The SAT input also has a Coax jack. The TV audio can be connected via either RCA jacks or digital optical cable. The ports are labeled TV, BD, DVD and SAT, but any of them can be used for anything. Which is a good thing, because I need RCA jacks for the iTunes music input from my Airport Express so I use the TV input for this and the SAT input for the TV.

An additional limitation for audio is that the HDMI audio passed to the TV is inactive if the connected DVD or other device is set to output Dolby 5.1 or DTS audio. Unless you forego Dolby sound you don't have the option of just using the TV speakers for playing DVDs. You also have to turn on and set the Sony system to get DVD sound. This is not a problem for me, but is for less technophyllic members of the household.

Subwoofer placement-
If you are going to place the subwoofer next to a TV stand, it can only go on the right (facing the TV) because of the placement of the speaker on the side of the subwoofer.

The amplifier is built in to the Subwoofer cabinet, so it must have a clear line of sight to the remote control, and you have to be able to see the display on the front of the unit to tell which mode you are in. No hiding the subwoofer.

Remote control-
The remote control is not a "universal" remote and cannot control any other components other than newer model Sony TVs and DVDs with the "Bravia" system.

Audio Settings-
There is no equalizer or even the ability to directly set the bass/treble balance. Indirectly this is affected by the choice of "sound field". The choices are Standard, Movie, Music, Sports, Game and P-Audio, all of which have different mixes of surround effect/stereo separation, bass/treble balance and reverb. You can also adjust the relative loudness of the center speaker and the subwoofer. However, these adjustments affect all sound fields, and getting it right for, say, Music may result in way too much subwoofer for Movie.

The overall sound volume is adequate for my 11' x 20' TV room, but the maximum output may not be sufficient for large rooms.

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Customer Reviews for Sony,HTCT100,027242729605,0027242729605,B0015HS1HQ,

Electronics : Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Sub-Woofer - Black Customer Reviews

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