Customer Reviews

Sony HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theater Micro-System (Set of Six, Black)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

So I am not quite an audio nerd, but I am no noob by any stretch. At the price Amazon offers this thing packs a lot of heat, but it's even better when you pick it up on special for $300 flat, I could have spent more and been just as impressed and just as satisfied. 1080i upconvertion from lower source material + 1080p through 3 HDMI inputs which means I can have 4 total sources plugged into it and only 1 HDMI connection to the TV. LPCM audio through HDMI- 2,5.1, and 7.1 channel uncompressed audio, so if you buy or have a Blu-ray system that decodes it's own DTS MA, DTS HD, etc...which MOST do, even most of the $140 bottom of the line off brands, you will get all the latest audio codec playback even though the system itself can't do it.

My complaints are that I can only do 4 inputs, HDMI 1-3 are labeled the same as the component inputs and cannot be assigned as a different input. The Ipod dock puts out solid sound but the on screen UI looks like it comes from the 80's, no big deal just would expect more based on how freaking cool everything else is.

I really feel like anyone who says there's not enough power to this is either too picky, hearing impaired, or doesn't really own the system and just likes putting in there 2 cents where ever they can. This thing isn't overpowering, although it probably could be if my wife let me turn it up, but can easily fill my home (1 story) with sound. If you want a professional system your looking in the wrong spot with this system and you should probably not write a negative review saying this thing cant do something it was never intended to do. If you want something easy to set up, easy on the eyes, and impressively strong, especially strong for the size of the speakers (I guess size doesn't matter), then this will be an awesome choice for you. GO FOR IT!

I recently purchased this system, as well as the WAHT SA10 wireless rear hub and the EZW T100 transmitter, and I tell you small speakers or not, this sounds nice. I've had no problems with the rears being out of sync ( using wireless ) and this system pumps out a very clean sound for PS3 Blu Ray movie watching ( which is all I really use it for ). I use it for my 16 x 16 living room and have a 'heavier system' for the basement, ( onkyo 605 receiver/jbl 5.1 speaker sytem ). By no means am I an audiophile, but at $299. for the system, $137. for rear hub and $49 for the transmitter ( I know, why should we have to pay extra for wireless rears when it should be included with the system, especially when the system msrp's for $699. ), I thought I'd give it a try for HD lossless audio and am not dissappointed. Bought it for ease of use and reduced clutter.

Set up was a 30min breeze. I connected the speakers to the wall using 3M picture hanging strips, ( yes the speakers are that light, but seem very well made ) to avoid holes, and also you have to keep the sub inline with or very close to the fronts as its producing the mid range as well as some of the dialogue. Did auto calibrating, but did make adjustements to the bass,treble and mids. The bass really pumps on this system, especially when playing back High Def Audio so if you live in a apartment, remember the neighbors.

I know the audiophiles will tell you that you can't get a quality 5.1 surround sound with speakers this small, but I'm telling you that you can. If you make this purchase, be sure that when you set up the speakers though, try to keep all placement around or slighty above ear level, it makes a big difference.

Not gonna get too deep into everything else, since other reviewers have pretty much covered the rest.

I am somewhat of an audiophile so I will tell you now that this unit will not impress the golden ears in absolute terms. It will, however, deliver a believable sound-field so you can really enjoy the movie you are watching. I will try to break down the various virtues/shortfalls:

DESIGN and AESTHETICS: 5/5 stars
The unit has a high quality finish and a sturdy feel that is not matched by 95% of the HTIB out there. It has a clean & simple design with a not-too-complicated remote.

SETUP & CONTROL: 4.5/5 stars
Lots of inputs. The included and color coded speaker wires are long enough for all but the largest of rooms. Surround setup is rather simple with the included mic. There are some canned surround tone presets but no detailed sound tailoring offered.

CONNECTIVITY: 4.5/5 stars
This unit accepts almost everything. You can use it as a switch between three HDMI inputs. It does not upsample, though. With the included Toslink cable I hooked up to my TV, I get 5.1 surround watching TV shows. My unit comes with an IPOD dock using the DMPORT. You can sift through your music collecting using the remote (on screen menu with song titles and all). The built-in AM/FM tuner is a nice touch.

SOUND 4/5 stars
It sounds much bigger than its size. In my family room I found that I am pushing this unit towards the upper end of the volume range. So it is better suited for smaller rooms. Not much custom tone tailoring is offered other than Treble/Mid/Bass. The sound is decent and good enough for movie watching. Listening to two-channel music leaves a bit to be desired. DTS/Dolby digital decoding is fine through PCM over the HDMI.

SUMMARY
The biggest reason for me getting this unit is its design and compact size. You won't even notice it being there. It does not quite compete with the Bose 5.1 systems in terms of sound but it comes mighty close. All other aspects of this unit trumps the Bose systems by miles in my opinion. I am very happy with the purchase and expect this unit to last.

I've been in the market for a system that had compact speakers with a powerful output. I've found it in the Sony HT-IS100 system. I purchased the system to replace a system that we've had for over 5 years and I was amazed with the output. It was simple to set up. It took less than 30 minutes to get going. The speakers are almost unseen, yet powerful. I would recommend to anyone. I LOVE IT.

I've been searching for a decently price and well sounding audio system for my new setup for quite some time. The thing I REALLY like about this setup is that it eliminates a box from your rack of components. Now all I have is a TIVO and Sony Blu-Ray player in my setup and nothing more which lets me have the "minimalist" look I was going for. I run everything through the HT-IS100 via HDMI. Audio sounds great and video looks incredible.

Now the system isn't going to blow you out of the water but for what it is, it's fairly impressive. Great bass response, decent midrange and of course excellent high's. My only real complain with the system is that it has no on-screen display and the display on the sub cannot be seen from the front so in essence you have no idea where your sound levels are. This is a bit of a pisser to be honest and since the HT-IS100 switches video to your TV I just assumed it would have an onscreen display of some sort. Nope. Still, for less than $250 to the door for a complete 5.1 system really cannot be beat. And one that not only provides HDMI switching but upconverts Component input to HDMI out which is a nice option. No 1080p upconversion there but no real surprise. Plenty of inputs, 3 HDMI, 3 Component, 3 Optical and a standard Composit audio/video input as well. No DVI but I could really care less about that as nothing I own fortunately sports DVI and most components that do also sport Component video out.

All in all I'm incredibly happy with this system. Without the need for large speakers and a receiver it compliments my setup with a 52" Sony XBR9, Sony BDP-S360 and Tivo HD quite nicely. Coupled with my Logitech Harmony remote everything works incredibly smooth. All in all I would easily recommend this for someone looking for a great sounding system with minimal footprint at an incredibly aggressive price.

Here is a quick overview:

Pros:
1. Great price
2. Consolidated (minimalist) system
3. Great sound
4. HDMI switching and plenty of input/outputs
5. Wireless option
6. iPod dock and connector included


Cons:
1. No on-screen menu/display
2. System display on subwoofer faces straight up necessitating the need to stand almost direclty above it to view
3. I wish there were just a few more sound modes
4. THD is a staggering 10%

I brought this about 2 weeks ago. I have it set up 5.1 with the rear speakers wired. I have a MOXI HD DVR, My iPhone and a Samsung BD-4600 connected to it. My Harmony one remote coordinates everything. The setup was simple and the mic calibrated everything quickly I was up and running in no time. HDMI switching is flawless, The sound is fantastic. I have it for my bedroom and it rocks!!! Now the only thing I would of like if it would came with DTS HD and all hi def sounds format but it still sound great. I was very pleased to see that it comes with a iPod dock, I would of like for it to be more compatible with the iPhone since it puts the phone in airplane mode and it function as a regular iPod. Sony did a great job on this, I highly recommend!!!!!

The first thing you notice about the HT-IS 100 system are the tiny speakers.
Your first thought will be how loud can these things go without distorting. Well , I had the same question and I am pleased to say that I found no distortion to very very high audio ranges.
I could not take it to its limit because a couple of neighbors complained that the sub-woofer was shaking their walls. :):)
The system performed admirably in all modes. The speaker set-up is like any other system so no biggie here. The best thing is that the speakers can hardly be noticed. Only from the sound you can tell that there is some high-end sound system setup in that place. If you don't like big speakers creating a mess in your living room this is definitely the system you want.
Overall this is what I have to say:

Pros:
1)Excellent sound.
2)No distortion at high audio ranges.
3)Sound is true across all modes.
(Tests : Blu Ray Movies -
a) Dark Knight
b) Casino Royale
c) Gone in 60 seconds
d) Planet Earth

Games -
a) Metal Gear Solid
b) Resistance
c) Fifa 09
d) Killzone

Music -
a) Def Leppard (Rock)
b) AC/DC (Hard Rock)
c) Eric Clapton (Classic)

Cons:
1)Display on top. Have to sit close to the system to see the display.

I was looking for an unexpensive, small 5.1 system for my 1 bedroom apartment. The main purpose would be to use with my PS3 system (gaming, watching movies, listening to my mp3s). I didn't want something really loud, but I needed multiple hdmi and digital inputs. All the all-in-one systems were mostly offering blue-ray or dvd player, which I didn't need. So this Sony was a good candidate, especially with small speakers, and lengthy cables for the surround speakers (12m of cables, so it was more than enough for me). So I ordered one. I was little anxious about the sound quality, because the speakers were so tiny, but I cannot turn the volume up so much as I am living in an apartment. Last week I've received it. Actually the small speakers were even smaller than what I was expecting! And the subwoofer unit was larger than my expectations. I did the autocalibrating thing, and it worked OK. However I strongly suggest to check the values after autocalibration. Autocalibration is calculating the distances for each speaker, and then setting the amplifier outputs accordingly for best performance. In my case, speaker distances were calculated little longer than actual values, so I corrected these manually. Running the autocalibration a second time would help though (Also, be sure that there is no additional noise sources when you are doing the autocalibration).

After setting it up, I put couple of blue-ray movies, and the sound was unbelievable! I was shocked by the sound coming from the tiny speakers! I put Bioshock, and played a little, it was whole new experience! Directional sound was great, the sound was crisp and clear, the bass was controlled, and balanced. Then I tried couple of music CDs. Again, the sound was great. Of course you shouldn't expect the same sound quality as a dedicated hi-fi system with a separate amplifier, and high quality speakers. However, It was really good! I increased the middle tones by +1 for better music experience. Overall, I am really happy with my purchase!

Pros: - great sound quality, especially from this tiny speakers
- 3 hdmi inputs
- night mode feature
- included iPod craddle
- compatible with s-air, so if you don't want to mess with cables, you can make the surround speakers wireless
- can simulate 5.1 on stereo sound input
- FM/AM receiver
Cons: - display is little difficult to see, especially if you are not close to the subwoofer unit
- no on-screen display
- no headphone jack

Some reviews state that the voices are low. I don't agree with that. However, you should double check the autocalibration results, as it affects the overall sound quality in a great extent. Also, when you connect your ps3, go to the sound settings, and redo the audio output configuration (you will choose hdmi as the sound output method, and it will automatically detect the system. After that, the output should be set to PCM. If not, you may not have 5.1 sound). Also, the placement of the subwoofer unit is important, as the midrange sound is coming from it (the midrange speaker is at the top of the unit, so do not cover it). So even if you cannot keep it between front speakers, you can put it to the sides of left or rear front speakers. I did it that way, and no problems so far. I put the surround speakers on the back corncers of my couch, and used a small needle to stabilize them. I didn't even open a hole in the whole.

Overall, if you are looking for a good 5.1 system with lots of inputs, without an integrated dvd/blue-ray player, and if you are living in an apartment, this is a great choice. Especially for this price, this is a bargain.

I live in a 1bd Apartment and my living room is fairly large (for an apt) The sound that this System produces is truly beautiful. I have my HD Digital Box, PS3, Xbox and Wii hooked up and they all sound great. I had a Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH (paired with POLK speakers) and although that receiver is far superior in features and sound effects (as well as total watts) This little system worked out better for me because it's far more simple and practical (and won't get me kicked out of my building. For those looking for a good Surround System that won't take a lot of space, Offers simple menus and won't cost too much $$$$, this is it!

after much hesitation I finally bought this system, plugged it to my PS3, my Sony Bravia TV and now having an amazing 5.1 sound for such small speakers. The auto calibration feature is nice, but after that you need to push the rear speakers' tone as well as treble, middle and bass tones. From that point you cant be disappointed.
Used to have Rotel stereo amp and Quand 12L speakers for CD listening, now enjoying this 5.1 system for movies and games. The stands are great, bought 4 of them coz they look great and are discreet.