Sony HT-DDW700 Complete 5.1-Channel DVD Home Theater System

by Sony

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 41 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000EOJ792
• Item model number: HTDDW700
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,948 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Sony 5.1CH Home Theater in a Box Package

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent System for Price., August 24, 2006

By 

K. Der - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony HT-DDW700 Complete 5.1-Channel DVD Home Theater System (Electronics)

If you want a budget home theater system for under $200 there is probably not many systems better then the Sony HT-DDW700. This system is ideal for small rooms such as a bed room or a tiny living room.

Considering the price, sound quality is actually better then expected for me. The tiny cube speakers presents pretty good clarity. They may look like cheap computer speakers but they aren't and are a bit heavier then they look. The center channel may be a little underpowered since dialog during dvd movies sound a tad soft and a little too low. The surround effects during movies in dolby digital and dts are very good though.
If set up properly the speakers handle surround effects very well.

Some minor complaints is that the speaker wire attached to the speakers are very thin. They are fixed and can't be replaced. Also, if you want heart stopping bass then this system might not be for you. The 8" subwoofer is okay considering the price of the system. It is currently better then any other sub included in a home theater system under $200. It isn't powered, is very light (only 9 lbs) and you have to be pretty close to actually feel the bass. The volume would have to be cranked up extremely high for the sub to actually rattle your walls.

The receiver comes with 1 optical and 1 coxial digital input and 4 rca analog inputs. It should be enough in most cases. An extra digtal input or two wouldn't hurt but again the system is under $200. Setup couldn't be easier. You just hook up the included microphone, place it at your listening postion and press a button on the remote. The system will automatically sets up the speaker distance, delay and volume levels. The receiver comes with the basic pro logic II music and move modes to upmix your stereo sources. It also has other sound fields and effects to enhace the sound but they don't really seem to enhance the sound by that much if at all.

Basically, if you want a home theater system for a small room and for under $200 then there isn't much better then the Sony HT-DDW700

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Choice, July 23, 2006

By 

Shiva "Sound Rules" (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony HT-DDW700 Complete 5.1-Channel DVD Home Theater System (Electronics)

I purchased this item recently and it's excellent in all aspects. It took me less than a hour to set it up and the super cool auto calibration takes cares of calibrating the speakers without having the pain of doing it manually. The subwoofer delivers a meaty bass and the surround speakers are very impressive. The centre channel could have been powered up a bit more so that it can deliver the movie dialogues in depth, but still it does a good job. Overall, I would say it's an excellent choice when you compare the cost vs performance.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great unit for price!, May 4, 2007

By 

Nicholas Vlies "Nick Vlies" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony HT-DDW700 Complete 5.1-Channel DVD Home Theater System (Electronics)

After researching this unit on the internet I purchased one at a retailer location near my work. The service was Horrible but the heavily discounted price made the hassle well worth it.

For a small to medium sized room this is the best unit out there for under $300, much less under $200. Yes more expensive units will allow for greater expansion and more options for input and output of sound. But if you have a large space and large plasma or LCD (over 46") then you can probably afford the the pricier units which will allow for future growth of additional equipment and changes in technology. But if like me you have a nice sized city condo and smaller LCD (40") then this is the perfect unit, no matter what price point.

Each of the satallite speakers (front and rear) produce loud and crisp sound while the center speaker perfectly mimics voice. The non-amplified subwoofer is more then enough (and despite what other reviews have said the volume output can easily be lowered through the menu options).

Hook up to DVD, Cable through digital is very simple and the unit allows up to 3 additional non-digital connections.

Other reviews have also mentioned a low output of total volume, but this is because of user error. Dolby and Prologic decoders will lower the volume of sound that is not originally created and recorded in as high of quality as Dolby and Prologic, thus lowering the volume. The very simple fix to this is for the user to actually read the manual and easily change the sound output based on what is being "viewed" or listened to and how that sound was originally recorded.

(i.e. DVD's are typically recorded in 5.1 Dolby which require no converstion by the stereo and thus will not lower the volume, but if you are watching a comedy on TV it was most likely recorded in just 2.1 stereo which requires the stereo to convert the sould to Dolby, thus lowering the volume. If however, you simply change the output when switching to TV from DVD then the volume will remain the same)

Pros:

-Powerfull little system

-Low price

-simple set up

-auto calibration (takes the guess work out of speaker placement, lets face it no one can really put the speakers right where they suggest)

-seperate volume control for each speaker (through menu)

-easily change the label to read up to 8 characters or each input

-does not include DVD player. An attached DVD player will only lower power output and cause possible play back issues with temp.

Cons:

-Does require reading the menu (as a guy this sucked because I just wanted to play with it and figure it out myself...no can do here)

-Complete dependency on the Remote (all functions are limited or even impossible with out the remote)

-Nearly impossible to expand or evolve with your system or future tech.

Overall I Strongly suggest getting this unit at or well under $200 (I paid $150)..."IF" you do not want a massive amount of obnoxious, loud noise to bother the neighboors and/or wish to purchase a system which can expand with you and tech for the next 5 years, but are simply looking for a system which provides phenomenally better sound then any TV will ever provide alone; this is the system for you!