Buy Sony DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream Home Theater SystemSony DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream Home Theater System Product Description:
- Compact, stylish single-disc multiformat DVD player/amplifier
- Produces 2.1-channel surround sound through subwoofer and two satellites
- Upconverts standard DVD signals to near-High-Definition quality
- Includes 1 composite out, 2 S-Video in, 1 S-Video in, 1 component out, 1 HDMI out, 1 optical out, 3 digital coaxial in
- Digital tuner with 30 AM/FM station presets
Product Description
Dream sound with the DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream System. Featuring S-FORCE Pro 2.1 Surround Sound technology which utilizes an all-digital process with no analog conversion creating separation between front, center and rear channels. The system's speakers are specially designed with two unique drivers in each. The drivers are fed by multiple discrete channels creating an "out of box" surround sound experience.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
95 of 96 people found the following review helpful.
By JoeSchmoe
Because I had little desire to wire my living room for surround sound (much less to convince my wife of the benefits of doing so), I researched 2.1 home theater systems to mate with my Hitachi plasma.My first pick was the Bose Cinemate, which in a word was underwhelming. Not much kick, if any, from the subwoofer (perhaps that's why Bose clumsily calls it an "Acoustimass module" instead). And the satellites didn't provide much improvement in clarity or range over my TV speakers.Then I got this system, and boy what a difference it made! First, I could distinctly hear and enjoy sounds not previously audible over our TV speakers, and less noticeable over the Bose. Second, the subwoofer packs quite a powerful punch despite only 40W of power. In fact, to balance the sound output between the three speakers, I had to turn down the subwoofer's level three notches. Now the system produces sound that has theater-like presence, and matches the image quality of our HDTV.Speaking of image quality, the included DVD player outputs excellent visuals. Its upconversion of resolution to 1080i noticeably improved image quality over our one-year old (non-upconverting) Phillips player.Set up was simple, especially using an HDMI cable (a Belkin PureAV 8' cable, which on Amazon was almost half the price at Circuit City).I have only two niggles with this system. First, the DVD player takes a little long (about 10 seconds) initially to read a DVD. Second, because of the proprietary connections between the speakers and DVD player, if any part of the system goes, then unless Sony offers replacements a la carte, the whole system may need to be replaced. However, from several weeks of use, this appears to be a quality system, and hopefully I'll never have to look into replacement options.One final word about surround sound. I've never been that impressed with the surround sound aspect of home theater systems. Occasionally hearing a noise from behind me never added much to my enjoyment, and in my judgment was not worth the hassle of wires and rear speakers. This system, like the Bose, purports to create simulated surround sound, but really doesn't live up well to its promise (at least not in a half open living room). Nonetheless, I didn't buy this system for surround capabilities and I don't miss it. Watching DVDs through this system still puts me in the middle of a theater-like experience, and that's what I was looking for.UPDATE: I've had this system for over 3 years now, and it still works as well as it did on day 1. I've replaced the 42 inch HDTV I originally paired with it, but I still use it for DVDs and for outputing sounds from my PS3 (gaming and blu-ray) via my new HDTV's optical video output. Also, in 2006, I paid around $600 for this, which I thought was worth it. Now, in 2009, some vendor here is offering it for $999, which I do not think is worth it. You can get a PS3 or other blu-ray player, receiver, and stand-alone speakers to build your own "dream system" for that amount of money, or you can purchase other home-theater-in-a-box systems with a blu-ray player.
66 of 67 people found the following review helpful.
By RS
Prior to any comments regarding the performance of this system, I should note that, due to extensive research on DVD players,there were no surprises here. I've been reading product reviews on this subject for over a year and selected this unit based on my individual needs. The Sony DAV-X1 was to be used in conjunction with my Sony SXRD rear projection TV in a relatively small family room. The fact that a HDMI cable could be used here was a factor. The two speakers, plus woofer, work out nicely in a limited space area. And, there is really no sacrifice in sound quality that is meaningful. If you happen to literally have a home theatre in a large room and have no problems with setting up and enjoying four or more speakers, this is not the unit for you. To paraphrase an old saying, "Anything over an earful is wasted." How often can most of us crank up the sound without waking the kids, the neighbors, or inflicting damage to our eardrums. I have always equated the sense of sound with the sense of smell. The distinctiveness of either is readily apparent for a short time, after which there is only good or bad. This unit produces good sound, quite adequate for anything I would ever need to hear either on DVD, TV, CD, or FM radio. Should I ever win the lottery, I will be more than willing to go high end however.... I recommend this system to people who appreciate good sound and don't feel the need to entertain the neighborhood.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
By T. TRAN
What i like:-Good Sound quality-Very easy to set up. Only one cable for speakers/sub.-very reliable so far. i haven't had any problems with this unit since i bought it. i bought this because my Bose 321 no longer works properly.-Remote control can be programed to work with other audio/video units.-i bought a display model at Circuit City for more than half its orignal price, which makes this a very good buy.-the unit runs very quiet. you won't notice it when it's on.What i don't like:-Subwoofer is weak if not placed right and it's not much to look at.-no clock. i don't know why bose321 and this unit decided to leave this feature out.-Slow boot-up. It took this unit longer to power up and play a DVD movie compared to a stand-alone DVD player.i didn't gave this a five because a five would mean the unit is perfect.
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