Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX285 5.1-Channel Theater System (Black)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this product but am not using it for any kind of video display so I can't speak to it for that. I'm using it as a sound system for my ipod and computer and it hasn't let me down. The sound really packs a punch and is really nice if you use the right equalizer to get the proper balance in sound. The only drawback is that it doesn't put out any sound when using these functions through the center speaker so really its just like having a 4.1 system unless you use it as a surround system for a tv. It goes pretty loud considering i haven't really gone above 22 volume even though it goes up to 34. The balance is really good, although I tend to like a little more bass in my music, which it offers plenty of. Great system that isn't too pricey. Would recommend to anyone who wants an easy way to get out of having to use a 2.1 system on a laptop.

I recently purchased the Sony Bravia HDX285 home theater. I was looking for quality sound and a reliable product. The sound quality is very good. My living room is smaller and the Bass is impressive. I have not played with all the features yet but the system was easy to set up and the features I have used DVD, Ipod and Surround sound for my satellite TV all work great. I research multiple home theaters before I chose this one and I am glad I pick this system. I would recommend this system to my friends.

I'm not a professional, but I almost didn't purchase this unit due to conflicting reviews about what the unit is or isn't capable of doing. Having had similar experiences with other products advertised on Amazon, it was usually (always, actually) a negative review from a customer who hadn't read or didn't follow the manual. So with the attractive price, I went ahead and gave it a try. The manual clearly states that you can use additional devices, so I began the set up, and every device I had can be used through this system (TiVo, a second Blu-Ray DVD, my iPhone). I can watch TV in surround sound; the manual gives clear instructions on how to do this. The quality is good. This replaces an older Cambridge Soundworks 5.1 system, and the quality is comparible. The set-up was easy. I live in a small apartment in a large metropolitan area, and I've learned these systems give clarity without volume, and my neighbors never complain and remark they never know when I'm home. It's a 5 disc DVD player, so you'll need counter/shelf space to accomodate. The AM/FM receiver is a great plus. This is attached to a first generation Samsung HDTV 1080i, and I'm very pleased...with the price and performance. I used HDMI and optical cable hook-up, which are not included in the purchase.

this speaker system is really good for the price, I upgraded to this system from a logitech 5.1 set of desktop speakers, so of course going from desktop speakers to home theatre speakers you would expect much better sound, and you get it. The treble and high ranges are good, not exceptional but for $300 thats fine- however, the bass is truly exceptional- nice lows, and gives you a satisfying punch, very powerful.

one important note to those not using the iPdod dock or built in cd/dvd player: if you plug in your computer or video game console via the audio in jack, you must press system menu on the remote and change the audio mode to Pro Logic, otherwise sound will only come the from the front two speakers!

It seems like a great product - sounds good, looks good - but I can't stop it from muting itself. Watching a movie the "muting on" will randomly pop up every 30 seconds to 2 minutes. I can hit the "mute" button on the remote to un-mute it - but it will mute itself again within the next minute or two.

I have found out that if there is no HDMI cable connected it does not happen. I can listen to my TV through the Sony HDX285 using an audio cable - but if I connect an HDMI cable it will mute itself within 10 seconds. (I've tried 2 different HDMI cables to make sure it wasn't defective).

What could be causing this to happen? I can't use this product if I can't use an HDMI cable to connect it to my TV.

UPDATE: I think I've fixed it. I found this information from the Sony support site which seems to have fixed the problem:
[...]

I would up the star rating if I could, to 4 stars, but it doesn't allow a change to the star rating...

Great Sound
Great Value
WARNING, the sterio receive is quite large (deep), measure where you plan to install it to make sure it fits. This unit is 16" deep where a standard VCR/DVD player is only about 10"

This sysyem looks good, the changer is nice and the setup was extrememly easy. The sound quality is good and the passive sub offered a little more bass than I expected.

If you are a movie lover that wants good sound and ease of operation, this is a great system. Plenty of volume and the microphone that sets up the individual speaker volume to assure you get the right sound where you want it is great.

to the previous posters about not getting sound from the Tv.. just hook it up right.

My only real complaint is that there is no way to customize manually individual speaker volume. so some of those DVD's or shows that just aren't quite tuned right can;t be fine tuned into what I could do with my old component system.

The Ipod connectivity is great if you have an Ipod, unfortunately, it only works with the Ipod or Iphone and I have to plug my Zen MP3 player in through the audio port in the front.

It could use more inputs as well.

All in all, this is a great system for the money. Sound quality is great, ease of operation is good as well (I wish the screen was easier to read from accross the room so I knw what mode it was in).

If you are looking for an easy to operate system.. go for it!

If you are a videophile and want detailed tunings of your sound, go component.

I like it, and thats really what matters, eh?

I purchased this system from my local Best Buy for $250 and bought the $40 Geek Squad 4 year guarantee for peace of mind. I don't have to bother with Sony if anything goes wrong, it is cheaper to invest in the additional guarantees than incur shipping costs to return it to the manufacturer. Set up and instal was simple, I ran the sound with a digital optical cable directly from the Direct TV reciever and the volume is really loud, very full bass from the subwoofer, which is pretty large and I have no need for an amplifier, this system equalizes the sound perfectly when set to the proper settings, the video quality is amazing, the sound is very impressive. The speakers are all solid and sturdy, great casing, sleek looking unit. For the price you just can't go wrong a lot of features for very little money.

Whoever is having sound issues dosen't have the sound settings correct, not all channels broadcast in surround sound, and not all music cd's are in surround sound format and they will not work in surround sound. Once I got the settings correct on it EVERYTHING comes out of all of the speakers. Whoever commented that the adapter to go wireless is $150 should check Best Buy, it is $50. The additional speakers will be costly but in urban areas wireless signals have a lot of interferance from cell phones, cordless phones, etc. and I have been advised by everyone who does home theater systems for a living that hard wired systems have a much better sound quality.

This is the first time i bought a home theater system or sound system for that matter. I have had the sony ensemble for about a week now and i would say that it is a good product & i am satisfyied with it. It has a modern sleek look that fits well in my living room.

What it does:
1) DVD - reads and plays dvds and if you have an HDMI ready tv you can get almost blue ray quality on this
2) Audio CDs - my audio system was old so now i am using this to play cds as well. good sound, does not make me scream in joy but does the job well
3) iPod - has iPod connection stand. unlike other systems you can shuffle around and play your songs in any order. This is a great feature
4) Radios FM/AM - you can listen to radios and preset them. The set comes with a small antena. For some reason though when i play the radio only the front speaker and bass work (so this would be a negative i guess)
5) Tv - you can enhance the Tv speakers by listening to the tv through the home theater system (this is why i bought this thing in the first place actually)

It was very easy to install and do a quick setup (it comes with a calibration mike which is pretty cool) but some of menus are not that straight forward (for example you always need to go to the dvd function to access the main menu & if you have a dvd in the player you need to wait for it to load up. also had some slight issues with the HDMI coordination).

As a first time user i cannot benchmark this against anything else because i have not owned another system, but i would say that i am happy with this product and would definetly recommend it for the price (i paid around 250 )

Buyer beware that this unit cannot be used as a real "home theater" system if you have more than one device that you wish to run through it. For example, I have my cable box and an external media player (for streaming audio from my PC), but this Sony unit only has one Input jack for TV/Video. I was expecting to have two since the description says it has both coax digital audio and optical audio connections; however, they are both for the same (and lone) "TV/Video" input. So, you can really only use it as a DVD Player and amplifier for one extra component.

Other than this issue, the sound quality and ease of setup/use is fantastic for such a small, low-priced unit. I am deciding whether to bother packaging it all up and sending it back or just find another way to amplify my media player.