Customer Reviews

Sony DAV-FC7 Dream Home Theater System with 5-Disc DVD Player

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Set up was a breeze; the speaker cables are color coded and it took almost no time to get the system set up to hear a DVD. But, if one has poor eyesight or large fingers, the very small remote will irritate you. I have two SONY electronic items, and both have a larger remote than for this SONY. Setting up the speakers is rather straightforward, although the distances one can select are fixed multiples. One can, however, increase or decrease the decibels to compensate for each speaker. However, in setting up the speakers, the system hits a tone on each speaker in sequence, and if there is a way to stop the sequence, I have not found it.

I have a SONY TV (Wega XBR) and could not figure out how to get the TV sound through the new speakers. A teenage boy (neighbor) gave me the clue as how to do so, and changing settings in the TV menu and the correct hook up solved that easily.
Since I have the TV sound through the new speakers, if one is viewing a DVD and then switches to the TV mode (from DVD mode to Tuner mode on the system), it is the same as stopping the DVD so beware (it is not a pause, it is a stop!)

The bottom line is that I am very pleased with the sound and the system is very compact. Having an AM/FM radio also built in will allow for diversity in listening to the system. SONY is offering a lot of value for the money. A slightly larger remote would have allowed me to give this five stars.

Sony knows that this Home Theatre System has a problem. I posted earlier that this system works only for a short period of time and then doesn't eject discs, doesn't turn off and flashes `standby' for ever. This is my second unit, which I got replaced within 90 days after purchasing, with the same problem. Several others have mentioned they experienced the same problem with this system. Practically this system becomes useless once this happens. I took it to a service center of Sears where I bought the system. The technician says Sony has alerted them with a `Service Flash' with a clear instruction of what part to change when this unit comes in for repair. He says the voltage inside the DVD player is not properly regulated and unable to handle the discs and hangs up in the middle something like a computer crash. He replaced a resistor for my unit. The technician said he had been doing that for many of this particular model that keep coming in, and that he had not seen the repaired ones back again so far. My system seems to be working well now. It's an obvious problem that Sony knows very well. However, we have to pay for the repair. Fortunately, I bought service protection for three years by paying $60 more when I bought this unit. Otherwise, it costs about $150-$200 to get the system back to working. I really wonder why should we customer pay for an obvious manufacturing defect. If Sony wants to maintain their reputation and integrity, they should recall this unit and replace the part free.

Need another source of stress and anxiety in your life? Like the challenge of taming an uncontrollable electronic appliance? Has it been too long since you last payed astronomical late fees to Blockbuster because your DVD player refused to eject a long-overdue disc? Well, have I got a system for you!

With the Sony DAV-FC7 Home Theater System, you too can experience entertainment like never before, with a DVD drive that dies a quick and asymptomatic death after only 4 weeks of moderate use, and the warm glow of an eternally blinking "STANDBY" display of your soon-to-be-non-responsive system. If that's not enough, you have at your disposal hours of fun with the world's most unintuitive voice response system. Just dial 1-800-222-7669, and let the fun begin.

Not recommended if you're pregnant or suffering from a stress-related heart condition. Consult your doctor before purchasing.

I wrote a review below, where the unit freezes up and I have to unplug it overnight to make it work. Just an update: Sony has had my unit for a month, can't fix it, and can't send me a new one back because "We don't have any DVD players" according to Eric." And by the way, we can't tell you when you'll get one. I have literally had a broken unit since January, and no estimate when I'll get one. I pay Netflix $20/month for... nothing.

Why would you want one of these in your home, when Sony doesn't even have any?

Just look at all the reviews below, this is a piece of junk, and the service is beyond horrible. As one Sony customer support person explained to me: "Mr. Vaughn, life is full of inconveniences"

This was a rebound system for me as I was burned with my previous one. After an easy set-up, the first thing that hit me was the amazing quality of the picture. I had read some good and bad reviews for this system, but nobody bothers to mention the picture. With component cables and running progressive scan, hooked up to my projection HDTV, the picture is amazing. This is with out a doubt the best DVD player, picture-wise, I've ever had and I've had many.

I've read several people complaining about the sound, but it sounds great to me (although I must admit, I am not a hard-core audiophile). Sony has made this as user-friendly as possible and as a result, they sacrificed all but the most basic fine-tuning capabilities. However, it does offer you the choice of several pre-set "sound-fields". You are bound to find one that suits your needs. The remote has buttons devoted to this function so as you are switching from action movies to drama to music CDs, you can easily adjust the sound to match.

A minor complaint would be that, while cool, the slot-loading disc loader is a little slow. However, the "coolness" factor and the overall design of the system more than make up for this.

Personally, I couldn't be happier. Thank you, Sony.

My wife and I picked this one out after looking and listening to a lot of comparables. The sound has a fullness and depth that I just didn't hear in any other compact home theater system under $500. Hookup took less time than I expected; however, you will need to purchase additional speaker wire... the supplied wires are just too short. (you do NOT necessarily need to buy Monster cable) The plus side of the sound quality outweighs the negative of a rather slow disc changer/reader. And watching a DVD in Dolby ProLogicII is an excellent experience. The SACD format is also fantastic whether you're listening to Dark Side of the Moon (an absolute must with SACD) or the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra (try Mahler's Resurrection Symphony). Again, it's a perfect home theater system for the price.

In nov 2003 i bought this so called wet dream machine to replace my 10 year old great system. I have had nothing but trouble with this cool looking junk. It wouldnt shut off it wouldnt have the ready sign come on to put c.d or d.v.d. in it.I would always have to shut it off and put it back on. I called sony numerous times and to no avail,they new it was a manufacturers defect, and covered it up. I returned it to circuit city and before they took it, i hope everybody out there does the same as we did. Have them check the defect reports on there computer and find out its been a yugo for so sony that from nov 2003 to now there lemons the store manager told us. If you have to buy anything from circuit city please do it they were great. lets get together and take this crap off the market now.

I bought this system for it's size and it's all-in-one nature. It fits in nicely in my living room and is small enough to fit on my tv stand. The set up was easy except for the rear speaker wire not being long enough. Everything works the way it should right out of the box. CD Sound quality is nice and loud and the DVD looks and sounds great. The good qualities end there. Let's start with the slot loading changer. It takes about 45 to change a cd or dvd, which is ridiculous in my opinion. If you are watching your cable or satellite through the system and you want to put in a dvd or cd to listen to, it changes the function to the dvd player! That wouldn't be so bad if you planned on watching the dvd right then but when you want to load 5 cd's to listen to it is horrible. Even worse is that when you push eject to get out your rented dvd to take back to the store, it changes the function then too! Changing between cd's in shuffle mode atkes about 30 seconds between each song. You cannot split the audio and video so don't expect to play video games and listen to cd's or watch tv with the radio on. The diplay on this unit is so small that you can hardly read it from 5 feet away. Also, I had a cheap dvd player and even it showed the movie title on the display. This player gives you no information about any of the discs inside. So even finding out what discs are in the machine takes another 5 to 6 minutes.
This would be a good single disc system, but as a changer, it sucks. I'm returning it to get a tray style system.

I just bought this system after two years of major searching. Unfortunately, I should have waited another two years.

PROS

Can play almost any type of audio/video disk
Easy setup
The main player looks impressive

CONS

Cannot perform the most basic operations of my older, lesser Sony model; including: can't change one disk while playing another, and NO shuffle mode! (note to self...never throw a party)

The sound is shallow, tinny, and weak. The listener is reminded of an alarm clock radio. When in "surround sound mode" the listener is reminded of several alarm clock radios.

The speakers are, in my opinion, very outlandish looking. You'll have difficulty incorporating them into any decor; unless of course you live in a laboratory or industrial facility.

BOTTOM-LINE

I would hold out on home theater for now. Wait another two years for the high-end ($600-$1000) models to come down in price. Also, powered satellite speakers will be available within two years for a good price. That means no more wires in your living room, so even the most unnatractive speakers can stay relatively hidden.

I am giving up on this system.
The CD changer takes too long to change discs, and the system crashed in one unit in 4 weeks- I exchanged it and it broke again after 2 weeks.
Luckily I paid for an extended warranty that allows immediate exchange as well as replacement for dissatisfaction (Local retailer).