Customer Reviews

Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA Home Theater System

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very pleased so far. Sounds great, plenty of power to rock your media room, and was easy to set up. There's an on-screen setup feature that lets you easily customize the setup for your particular room configuration. An included microphone lets you do a push-button fine-tuning of the sound relative to speaker placement. It's cool to see the system report exactly how far all the speakers are away from the microphone.

I also purchased the wireless surround kit from Sony. Setup for this was also pretty simple, and was supported by the HDX500 system.

Remote is typical Sony - lots of buttons. But fairly intuitive thus far.

The digital media port works well with the different generations of iPods we have in the house. On-screen graphics are very rudimentary, however, which is a big departure from the iPod interface.

There are a bunch of different sound fields that could be better described in the on-screen system or in the manual.

Came within 36 hours of order. Shipper on east coast also. Set up with wiring, speakers, cable box and Logitech single remote took about 2 hours. All sound through the theater system produces great surround effects in a relatively large family room with open ceiling, even for selected TV channels! I have not tried the XM radio connection yet, still playing with the other functions, sound very good, DVD via HDMI excellent on a Samsung HDTV.

The new DAV-HDX500/I comes with the iPod Digital Media Port cradle (TDM-IP1) that allows you to connect an iPod device. With the old model DAV-HD500, the iPod Digital Media Port cradle was an option you had to buy separately. Other than that, both models are identical in features.

Bought this home theater a few months ago, and this is a great system. When I purchased the system, I wanted the wireless kit for the rear speakers. (So that I didn't have wires running across the living room floor) I was told that any of the wireless systems would work. WRONG! Found out that the Sony system has "proprietary" plugs at the end of the speaker wires and would only fit in the Sony Wireless kit for Rear Speakers. Sure the other systems would work, but you have to snip the plugs off the end of the speaker wires, and this voids your Sony warranty. Just a "heads up" for anyone thinking of buying this home theater.

If you are new to sound systems and this is your first time buying one, and all you want is quality sound at a decent price this is definetly the system for you. took me about 10-15 min to assemble and place the speakers where i wanted them. the cords are all color coded so it makes it very easy to set up. it comes with the ipod attachment so i could listen to my music anytime. i got the HDMI cable for the sound and couldnt be happier with the quality. action movies shake the room and classical movies or music sounds great with deep bass and crisp, clear notes. if you are looking for a stylish system with great sound look no further, i would definetly recommend this product.

The sound quality is exceptional. I love the multi-function receiver. I can easily switch between tv, dvd, cd, ipod and radio...and I love the ability to pre-program my favorite radio stations. This was definitely the best product for the money. After using it for a month now...I am still totally impressed.

I bought this system to replace my 7 year old dream system and I am real glad that I did. I originally thought about a 2.1 channel system in order to eliminate the rear wires, but none of them really wowed me. After reading every review I could find, I decided to purchase a 5.1 and do it right. I ordered it from amazon.com and it was shipped for free and arrived in a few days. (Ordered it on a Thursday and it arrived on Tuesday)This system is easy to assemble(took me an hour taking my time) It also looks great and most importantly, sounds awesome.

I am more than impressed with this system. For a fairly non-technical person, the set-up was extremely easy. The included microphone to optimize the sound with your speaker arrangement really impressed me after hearing about friends who spent hours optimizing their system.

The sound I get from the iPod dock is much better than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could control my iPod using the remote.

On top of the excellent performance, the system itself is very sleek looking. I had a new year's eve party after getting the system for Christmas and almost every guest commented on how great it looks.

I don't know exactly where to start. I don't usually write review on things I buy but after setting this system up I thought it was only right that I did.

Positves:

1. Easy to set-up...I wanted to do it just right so it took me about 45-60mins to get everything ready...the time flies because it was kinda fun and its really easy to do.
2. Once you get it set up and want to watch a DVD you won't be dissapointed with the sound quality I can almost guarantee... I have a 1 bedroom apartment and it fills the entire place with sound...I was worried because the sound only goes up to 30 and 0-18 doesn't do much in terms of wowing you...but I find that anyhthing more that 23/24 is abit much and may bring complaints from the neightbors. (Great for action movies...I am now and Action movie junkie)
3. For the cost I think its a pretty good deal and they throw in the Ipod acessory as well

Negatives

1. OK why not send me the audio/video cables...I was a bit bummed about that...got the thing set up and had to run out to buy that cable...but I got the system as gift so $13 bucks for this terrific sound not really a downside but why not throw them in for free instead of the ipod accessory
2. I am not the most electronically savvy person so it took me awhile to get it so that the sound when watching regular TV comes through the speakers...but apparently you need to select TV sound to come from external speakers/ cancel the internal TV speakers....worked almost like magic.
3. The antenna for the FM has to be in front of the system and not neat tucked away behind your tv or you get some wierd interfernce. After I moved the antenna I got good reception.



So with all that said I LOVE IT.

For weeks I agonized over whether to purchase the HDX500 or the HDX500/I; having just purchased the brand new Bravia XBR4 I wanted to make sure I had the latest technology available. The HDX500 and the HDX500/I have the same retail price but are listed as different items and sell for different prices. I called AMZN's electronic dept and, while they were very helpful, they were unable to tell me the difference between the HDX500 or the HDX500/I. The speculation was that the HDX500 was the old model and the HDX500/I is new and being phased in as Sony isn't known for making little changes. I purchased the HDX500/I anyway because the price difference was minimal and after spending so much money on all the other components, what's $50? To my dismay, upon arrival the box says HDX500 not HDX500/I. I called Amazon, they said they'd replace it with the right product but I didn't have a lot of faith there because what if the box wasn't labeled correctly? At Amazon's suggestion I called Sony. I spoke to both their sales people and their technical support. Sony said that the HDX500 has been discontinued and that now they only sell the HDX500/I but no one could tell me if it states HDX500/I on the box, if it's packed any differently or what the difference between the two items are. So it looks like the HDX500 and the HDX500/I are the same product. I'm hanging on to the box for the next week unless I find anything out differently but thought I should post this lest anyone else be in the same dilemma. Great product; comes with the media port. Do yourself a favor and buy HDMI cables right off the bat, you're gonna need them.