Customer Reviews

Sony HT-6800DP 5-Disc Progressive Scan Home Theater System

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

 

 

Received the Sony HT-6800DP 5-Disc Progressive Scan Home Theater System on Tuesday, and spent a couple of days/evenings setting it up. The tricky part was mounting the speakers, but that can be solved with purchasing the correct wall mounts first. Then it was off to the store again to get the right component cables and optical connections.

The box includes a standard quality set of connections, but I recommend an immediate cable and stereo wire upgrade. Of course, this adds to the overall purchase price, but its worth the extra investment and the homework necessary to get what you need for a great picture and awesome sound from the start.

Again, the Sony HT-6800DP 5-Disc Progressive Scan Home Theater System is an excellent buy. The separate five DVD/CD changer is a convenient plus too. And forget negatives about Sony in the review previous to this one. This home theater system goes far beyond expectations and performance with the power necessary to back it up (when compared to other brands and models straight from the box). Sony still delivers quality products. Just be patient when a little more assembly seems to be required. Again, it is worth the time and the added effort to put the system together right the first time.

Just purchased one this weekend. The system overall is really nice. It is easy to setup and the sound is really good. The only problem I have is that it isn't as loud as I would have liked. I put it in a very large room and the sound gets lost with all the space. If you have a large room i would recommend at least a 1000watt system. But even in the large room it sounds pretty good. I'm not disappointed in my purchase.

I purchased this system before Christmas 2005. Attention audiophiles. Ignore this system. I used to be an audiophile when I could hear well. I am a retired electronics engineer, and I know this stuff.

I'll take it a section at a time and then treat the entire system.

Speakers: They are adequate for a small room at moderate sound levels. You will not feel the room shake with super bass. The subwoofer is adequate for the seven speaker setup. Remember folks, you paid less than 600 bucks for this. It delivers a pretty good bang for the buck. Bose (or similar) speakers would improve the system a lot. They are very efficient and well engineered. They are not cheap!

Amplifer: It is rated at about 160 watts at 10% total harmonic distortion (THD). That is very high for today's solid state amplifiers. It doesn't matter though because the speaker distortion at that power level would be much higher. Remember folks, that power is split up between six speakers. The sub woofer has its own amplifier.

Preamp: Well, those things are sort of like 8-track tapes today, history. Everything is digitally processed now. Play with the various autio settings. Play with the menus. You won't find a treble or bass knob. Everything (almost) is menu driven.

Inputs: These include video and audio inputs. You can name the inputs so they appear on the digital box display when you select one (front panel or with the remote control), or you can leave them at their default settings.

Outputs: Many of them, but not enough for me. I would like to see more "line" outputs from each major subsystem. Note: This system is "cheap" because Sony sells a lot of them. If you want high end gear, buy it. Sony sells it too. It's costly not because of the electronics inside. That is a done deal now and relatively cheap. The high end stuff is pricy because of advanced engineering and limited production. Sony has to pay its bills just like the rest of us. That means that they must make a profit too!

The manual: An abomination! I wrote to Sony (not a hate letter). They told me they were taking my suggestions under advisement. Gee that made me feel warm and fuzzy all over!

Writing an instruction manual for complex consumer electronics is a difficult task. Sony must assume some things first. Focus groups at Sony target an audience for the product. In the case of this system, their audience (customer base) is the average person who only wants plug and play. Make it easy for me! Cranky engineers like me should not buy this gear.

In my love letter to Sony I begged them to give me a data port on the digital box. Give me some free software for my laptop. Get rid of the manual! Use computer documentation like we see now for every gizmo or piece of software we put into our computers. Practically everybody can use a PC these days. Give me a Windows program with a graphical representation of the two boxes and the speakers if necessary. In that graphic allow me to specify some kind of periperal gizmo that I want to hook to the digital box. If it's Sony gizmo of recent vintage, that should make it easier.

As I define my gizmos and attempt to hook them up, warn me if I have done something wrong. Offer suggestions. That is so easy folks! It's called "intelligent" software. Considering the number of Sony Home Theater systems sold, the software development cost is nothing. Okay, add ten bucks to the price and really advertise it! I'll buy it!

The integrated DVD gizmo: As far as I have determined this box will play every CD/DVD that has ever been created and many that are still on the drawing board. Well, I'm old! I used to use drawing boards before my boss put a computer on my desk! My life has not been the same since. Oh, the good old days.

Remote contols: A major pain in the butt. Sony has attemped to help the consumer with "control consols" to relieve the remote control congestion. I must have 25 of them. It seem now that most all remotes attempt to control everything. Well, what about my ceiling fan? Just kidding.

I'm trying to "engineer" an audio/video system that my wife can use and enjoy. She can really drive that Wega 32 inch TV. It's two years old now and technically fit for only being a boat anchor. I wonder if it floats.

To sum up, I think this system is okay for ordinary people. I am not ordinary. I am very weird.

J Hinkson
El Sobrante, CA

Very economical and a good value for the price. Assembly is simple, and instructions cover the basics. Too bad my ex-wife took the system with her when she left.

I must say I have had a very, very bad experience with this paticular home theater system and Sony. I can't actually rate the system because I have yet to use it. I received this system the end of October and after spending several hours putting it together was only able to play two DVD's. After that I couldn't get a picture. I then spent several hours over the phone with their help desk and after we exhausted every possible solution I was told to send it back, which I did. When I finally got it back I hooked it up and it still did not work - again had to spend considerable time exhausting possible solutions on the phone with the help desk. I was asked to send it back yet again and also told I would not be getting a new DVD player but a returned or refurbished one. I find this unacceptable and due to the fact I have had to waste my time and money I would NEVER purchase any Sony product from here on out.