Customer Reviews

Sony DAVS300 DVD Home Theater Mini System

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was in the market for a DVD/Stereo system, but didn't know what to get. I did alot of online research as well. I ended up coming down to three products, the panasonic equivalent and also the SAVA-900. The latter was beyond my price range, and the Panasonic didn't have the decoding options that this Sony did. Here are my bullets:

Decoding for 5.1, DTS, etc. Exceptional for "loaded" DVD's.

Remote - slick remote, could be backlit, but works well. Easy function.

Stereo - great reception, and good amount of tuning sets.

Sound - excellent sound for a small apartment. Fills the room and you get the detailed sounds. Good base. Puts you right in the middle of the action.

Great design - takes up little room

Great price - great features, quality for the price

Overall, it plays DVD and CD exceptionally well, automatically decodes the movie for what format it is (5.1, DTS, etc) but you can choose others. I loved listening to the Boston Pops holiday with it set on HALL mode...sounded like I was there!

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a DVD/Home theater package in an apartment setting. You can't get any better.

If you thought you couldn't own a state of the art home theater, take a look (and listen) at Sony's DAV-S300. A DVD player with a built-in digital amplifier with Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, and 5 satellite speakers and a passive subwoofer for this price is just incredible.

This system is beautiful, and because of its small size my first thought was that it wouldn't sound as good as it looks. But, man, was I wrong. This system more than fills with sound my bedroom. I was very impressed with the performance with 5.1 surround. The system is very easy to set-up and works fine when you first turn it on. The only thing I found missing was a component video output, but with the s-video is almost the same.

This is a great system at an affordable price. You won't have to go to the trouble (and the money) of buying the separate components (DVD player, Receiver/Amplifier with 5.1 surround, 5 speakers and subwoofer).

I want to tell everyone about this great dvd hometheater. The inclusion of a complete set of surround speakers is what gives this Sony the edge over everything else! The sound is great for a small to medium rooms, but for large rooms, it is not going to be so interesting because Sony DAV-S300 speakers aren't that strong to fill the whole room.The lack of an RGB output is a surprise, however the S-Video will suffice.Everything in that product is excellent, but there's no Open/Close button on the remote, so you can't eject a disc from your sofa and have it there waiting to be removed by the time you've crossed the room. It is fabulous, features Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, Surround sound speaker set,AM/FM tuner, DVD/VCD/CD playback, PAL/NTSC playback, programmable sleep mode, 30 programmable radio presets,Speaker set-up mode, Custom sound fields,Parental lock; and that's not everything there is more features. The sad thing is Sony DAV-S300 does not playback CD-R/W. I have it for more than 3 weeks and I enjoyed it from the first day.

I just want to let all of you know that the DAV-S300 is an awesome deal. I have had it for 3-4 months now, and I love it.

The sound is awesome, even though the total output may be 120 watts, it is more than enough, trust me on this. If you don't trust me, go hear for yourself and go to your local electronics store. You get the features of a Pro Logic, Dolby Surround Sound, and DTS modes. Plus, you get all kinds of different modes of listening like hall, jazz club, live house, and stuff. The installation for the speakers is really easy, cause the wires are color coded for each speaker. Did I mention you also get an AM/FM tuner which you can preset 30 station to?

Visually, it is amazing. You have a choice of either using the standard RCA cables or S-video. The unit can play DVD's, CD's and Video CD's. The S-video is does an awesome job of making DVD's look great. You have to get a decent TV though to give DVD's justice. A WEGA and this unit would be a great combo.

The design of the unit is aesthetically pleasing also. I must say, this one of the coolest DVD's player out there. It just looks cool with the silver casings and all. Everything, the speakers, unit, and subwoofer are all this color. Plus the unit is so small and compact. The size of the unit is like a VCR. The length of the unit is the same VCR but the height is shorter. As I mentioned beforehand, this unit goes very well with the Sony WEGA TV's.

My only qualm is that Sony did not add component video outputs. But who can tell the difference unless you compare the S-video and Component video side to side?

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. A strong recommendation goes to the people out there who will be purchasing there first A/V system or anyone who will get this for a bedroom or a small room. I don't know how on Earth Sony was able to cram all these stellar features in this small unit, but whatever they did, they sure did an awesome job. Thank you Sony....

... I love this system! I am totally impressed with the sound it can produce. I have my system in a large, open space, and it has NO trouble filling the area with powerful sound. The surround sound and DTS 5.1 are terrific; I watched Air Force One as soon as I had it hooked up. Wow -- the movie became so real and even more action packed with this system. If you don't have a home theater system and are looking for a package deal, this is the one. It has a DVD/CD player, tuner, and receiver all together...a great value for such a marvelous system.

I am sure there are better systems out there ... for much more money. This system is installed in a 20 * 18 den, and fills the room with great sound. When you play a 5.1 DVD, the sound is incredible ! Easy to install, and very user friendly.

I had never purchased any DVD products or home theater components, so I was not sure would satisify my urge for a good home theater and be simple enough that I could easily connect it and use it. The Sony Dream System, while not the most powerful system available, is certainly capable of producing all of the quality sound (whether Dolby 5.1 or DTS) that I need. The picture is excellent as well. All in all, I had very high expectations for this machine when I bought it and it has exceeded my expectations and been a joy to use. It is true that the system will NOT let you use CD-R's or CD-RW's. So, if you need that feature you should look at another machine. However, that omission does not bother me and I have had nothing but positive experience with this machine.... Highly recommended!!

Why would anybody pay $700 (+ shipping) for the DAV-S300 at Amazon if even CircuitCity sells them for $599??????

What a disappointment! I usually have great luck with Sony products, but not this one. This unit functions so poorly in humid environments that they've actually printed it up in the "troubleshooting" section of the manual! I live in the midwest and would come home in the summer and have to turn on the player 30 minutes before use so that the heat of the machine could "burn" the condensation off the laser lens. This is how Sony suggests dealing with this flaw! Even then, I could only get it to work 30% of the time. I took it back after a week and got the panasonic equivalent (only w/ 5 dvd changer!) and have been thrilled with it. Unless you live in a low humidity environment DO NOT BUY THIS!

This system is one of the best out there. Not only does it sound awesome, it looks cool too. If you have a Sony WEGA TV this system will match it perfectly since they are both silver.

The only thing that is missing is that there no component cable outputs but the s-video will suffice.