Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX589W 5.1-Channel Theater System (Black)

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I purchased this unit to complement a Samsung LN52a550 HDTV. Didn't feel there was enough sound from the unit to complement the samsungs outstanding video. Shopped for reasonably priced HTIB units and decided (despite cautions that most didn't perform) to give this unit a try. In my wildest expectations I never thought this unit would perform up to its marketing description. Placed in a den of that is approx. 15 x 25 and playing a Dolby DVD, it placed me in a cinema that provides sound effects that truly astounded. I'll qualify this by saying that I'm a audio neophyte but for this sound at this amount of money I am truly impressed.

Be aware that this Sony unit is being used with a Samsung HDTV and consequently the transition between DVD usage & HDTV usage (must change input source) is a bit bothersome. I found that in order to obtain full surround sound from the unit when receiving audio only from you TV (not from the DVD) you must purchase a digital optical cable.

Hope I haven't misled any one but if you select this unit I don't believe you'll be disappointed.

(UPDATE:
I just found out that the S-AIR technology interferes with the wii remote. The cursor on the screen will jump all over the place and the sound on the wii remote will get cut out. It very noticeable playing Super Mario Galaxy when selecting your file on the file menu. So if you own a wii you will be very disappointed. Turning off the home theater or taking out the S-AIR cart on the back of the receiver solves the problem. Way to go Sony. I think you did this on purpose. NEW RATING: 4 STARS. Original rating was 5 stars.)

This Home theater system is great. The wireless system is nearly perfect, so far only a couple of weird click noises, but I have been using this 24/7 and it has worked beautifully. The design is really elegant for the price. Before getting this system I tried a Panasonic SC-PT660 5 DVD Home Theater System, the Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX587WC 5.1 Channel Theater System and the Sony HSS360 component system. And this system beats all of them by a mile. Highly Recommended.

Got this system a couple days ago, and it just blows me away. The sound is amazing, the sub really kicks out deep bass, its looks great and the picture is crystal clear also. The rear wireless has been flawless, microwave, cordles phone does not interfere with it at all. I have this system in a medium room and sounds wonderful. Has a 5 dvd/cd changer, am/fm tuner, ipod cradle included, input in front for headphones and mp3 player, hdmi, component, composite video out and coaxil and optical input also.The romote is not universal but works only for Sony Bravia lcd's only. For the price, i recommend this unit to everyone.

Pros.
Inexpensive- sounds way more then it's worth

Convenient- The easiest and quickest time I ever had hooking up a system. Everything is clearly labeled, including the wires! The two rear speakers are wireless and all you do is plug them into the amp then plug in a wireless card and their good to go. If you have room mates and can't be blasting games or movies at night the amp has the ability for head phones. It's amazon prime so It only cost me 3 bucks to have it next day!

Cons.
I got this system pretty much for my PS3 and 360 but their are very few inputs only one coaxial and one optical and only one hdmi out. So I have to settle using normal audio cords on my 360* but other then that it's great.

*UPDATE.
I did buy this optical splitter http://www.amazon.com/Shoptronics-SWOPT2-Optical-Splitter/dp/B0002MQGR2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253161807&sr=8-1 and it works fine switching between my PS3 and 360

First I will say that I really liked how the system looked, and the quality of sound that came out of the working speakers was great. I however had the same problem as others that I could not get the s-air to properly work. I tried the aluminum foil trick, tried to put the amp and main reciever next to each other, switched channels. None of it worked.

I found out that there was a part Sony had that would improve the signal by moving the transmitter farther away from the unit away from the hdmi interference. After about two hours with customer service they wouldn't send me one even if I paid for the part. So I sent it back got a different system.

Overall I wanted it to work because of the sound and look, just wish the s-air was more reliable.

I bought this system and it sounds phenomenal - the S-AIR wireless rear speakers are amazing, and everything was easy to set up. The problem is that the receiver does not have enough inputs. It only has two: one digital optical and one digital coaxial. Since my TV (Sony Bravia 40" LCD) only has digital optical out, the digital optical input on the receiver is being used by the TV.

My PS3 only has digital optical out, which means if I want to have my home theater system hooked up to my PS3, I need to unplug the digital optical wire from the TV and plug it into the PS3 - a huge hassle. Now add my HD media player into the mix and I'm constantly moving wires around in order to have sound for my different HD components.

I recommend finding a receiver that has more inputs if you have multiple devices you want to supply sound to.

In another life, pre-divorce ;) I owned higher end systems over the years. This product compares very favorably to systems costing much more. Installation could not be easier. I have no problem whatsoever with the S-AIR rear speakers despite having other wireless devices in the same room. I'm amazed at the big sound from such small unobtrusive speakers. The iPod doc is amazing as well. I can't really speak for the DVD part because I use my PS3 to play BD. The specs state that the video signal is upgraded to 1080p via HDMI so I'll leave it to other reviewers to address that. My HDTV is a Sony Bravia with Bravia Link, which sweetens the deal even more. The subwoofer, although passive, is amazingly crisp and penetrating (at least in my environment). I cannot recommend this system too highly. Unless you are an audiophile with big bucks to throw around, you can't go wrong. It's a perfect starter for the beginning home theater enthusiast, and more than adequate for just about anyone whose ego will allow them to get a great system at a low cost. I'll add one last comment that has been stated before. The receiver has been criticized for having too few inputs to accomodate multiple devices. The simple work-around is to connect all devices to your TV and use a digital audio optical cable from the TV to the receiver.

This system has some good features... it sounds great, it looks good with the piano black finish... its easy to use and to install, plus the wireless speakers are great but here's what I think of the little details that makes this thing deserve a 3 star review:
1.- Its not completely wireless: The front and center speakers hook up to the back of the receiver and then you have a small WIRELESS amplification module (called SAIR by sony) that syncs with the receiver and you hook up your TWO SURROUND SAT SPEAKERS to that module.
2.- I HATE that sony gives you a specific length speaker wire to use... what if I need more wire? Sony uses these colored plugs that hook to the amp... so you will end up splicing sony's original cable in order to hook everything up
3.- THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST ANNOYING. It is a 5 dvd changer which is ok if we lived in 1998... I bought a bluray player and sony decided to add ONE INPUT (just audio, no video) to the theater... what if you had a PS3, xbox360? you would only be limited by that input which sucks a lot!.
4.- Finally, the remote used for this... I bought this for my dad, he is 60 years old and If I gave him this remote his head would explode. Thank God I also bought a Harmony one remote... Sony could have decided to do a better job designing this theater.

This is my second surround home theater system from Sony and I am delighted with the quality of video and audio that I receive from this system. There are several elements that I really like:

> The single tray that holds 5 discs is perfect for me. I can receive 5 hours of audio or movies without having to reload. Best of all is the ability to play Super Audio Compact Disks (SACD). I put on a Ray Charles SACD and it was almost like having him and the backup singers in the same room.
> The 6 speakers (2 front, 2 back, center and woofer) are perfectly matched for full sound without a tinny, empty sound. They are not the old big speakers many of us have and are now using for tables elsewhere but small enough to do the job and do it well. The wireless kit was thought to be just a gimmick at first but when I installed it, I was floored at the superb manner in which it performed. It picked up the signal from the receiver and transmitted the sounds perfectly.
> The receiver played DVDs better than my older one. The on screen picture appeared so much better and I assume that was the up converting to 1080p (an element not resident in the older one) and just better internal electronics.
> The auto-calibration is one of the better features Sony provides. If you have calibrated your system without this little device you went through a pluperfect pain. This device is the cure all for that complex and time consuming job. Just follow the on screen directions and bam, it's installed and working for the specific environment of the system's location.
> Installation of any system such as this is going to take time. Don't schedule anything during about a 3 to 6 hour stint. Unpacking was no big deal. It takes more time to unwind the speaker wires than to unpack the system. The wires have color coded ends to be sure each speaker is matched with the receiver. The wire ends are bare and that is great! My old system had proprietary ends which made installation a minor problem. But with the bare ends you can make modifications that you otherwise would not be able to do. It has been said elsewhere that Sony does not want the user to use a spliced connection but without giving us a reason. My specific setup demanded splicing and I did so. It was and is no big deal. Everything works well.

Some elements did not match with my needs fully and this is the reason for the less than perfect score:
< Why Sony did not include Blu Ray is beyond me especially when it is to Sony's benefit to do so. Perhaps there is a pricing point that I do not get but it would have been nice to have had Blu Ray along with the other components of the receiver.
< Sony's speaker wires are too small even though they work O.K. but with a system such as this one it would not have cost that much more to have included a better gauge wire.
< Including iPod stuff was nice of Sony but personally I could not care less. I don't have one and right now it is not among my most important needs.
< I found the exclusion of BlueTooth technology a thoughtless exclusion. So many devices have that technology and this would have been the perfect place for it. Personally, I would have preferred it to the iPod inclusion.

I have left out a lot of minor details that would not have added significantly to the excellent performance of this system. They are icing for this great piece of cake. Enjoy! We do.

we ordered this product online due to the predominently positive reviews and we are quite pleased. Install is pretty easy. (If you have an older TV, run it through another DVD or VCR/DVD combo if you have one..if you get stuck.) Otherwise, Sound effects from movies are very good. Music sound is awesome, bass is unbelievable (but you can turn it down or it has a night mode if you don't want to bother the neighbors.)
I would definatelty recommend the product and buying it from here. You save a good deal of money & sales tax!