Customer Reviews

Sony HT-SS2300 Component Home Theater System

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I purchased a $1,200 system but returned it because it sounded horrible after it was home and connected. For that much money I expected a "Wow" effect, but was very disappointed.

So, back to researching what one store told me was not possible. I just bought a Blu-ray player that I am very happy with and a Sony 46" Z series LCD TV so I didn't want a system with a DVD player or Blu-ray player. I also didn't want a big receiver, big speakers, and a big subwoofer.

I found this system on Sony's website and came here to check the price. After much consideration I selected this system because of the sleek and small receiver and speakers.

After several hours of hiding speaker wires, splicing the subwoofer wire to add a segment of additional speaker wire so I could hide the subwoofer, adding OmniMount Satellite speaker stands and hooking up all the speakers I turned the system on.

I must admit I was very skeptical because this system was only a fraction of the price I'd spent on the system I returned. I put a DVD in and sat listening thinking this sounds great when all of a sudden the back surround speakers belted out sounds from the scene playing causing me to jump in shock. This was the "Wow" effect I was looking for when I first starting looking for a surround sound.

The TV, stand and components all look sleek and clean, not cluttered with a big receiver, big center speaker, etc. Set-up was easy and understanding the remote and receiver is very straight forward. If you have a Sony Bravia TV and/or DVD/Blu-ray player the receiver interacts with all of them and makes the operation brainless.

Oh, I also used very high speed HDMI cables to match the 120 Hz refresh rate of the rest of the system. My HD cable box has a regular HDMI cable on it and the picture and sound is incredible compared to what it was before I added this system.

I can't say enough about this system...definitely give this one a try before you buy a system three times this price. Hope this review helped if you are considering this system.

UPDATED AFTER ALMOST 3 MONTHS:

I have now been using this system for 3 months and still love it. I play Xbox 360 on this system and really appreciate the small nuances I get from the background...like in Bioshock which scared me even when I was expecting it.

Granted I don't run my system volume up over 23 - 25 (which I think also speaks to the quality of this product) so I don't hear the static mentioned in other reviews.

Seriously, I honestly believe this purchase along with the TV and Blu-ray is one of the best decisions quality and value wise I've made in a long time. Regardless of what you get if you can sit back and feel good about what you're seeing and hearing you made the right choice.

I spent a night looking around Amazon for a surround sound system and decided to buy this one based on price, and mainly because it had three HDMI inputs, and one HDMI output. But that is also all it has besides a few Audio inputs (Red and White). However for me this wasn't an issue, for I only needed to plug in my Set-top Box, Xbox360, and Blu-Ray player, and the HDMI output going to the T.V. with my computer (used for playing music) plugged into one of the audio inputs. But for some, the lack of A/V or Component inputs may be a huge reason not to get this system.

Now on to the sound quality. For the price, this system is great for a bedroom, personally I don't think it can stand up to a large living room compared to other sound systems, but for me and my 13 ft. by 13 ft. bedroom it works great for gaming and whatching movies. The lows come out very well, and the base is powerful even on a low setting. Music sounds amazing on it, being able to here every note and cymbol clearly and clean brings a whole new experince for the music I have been listening to for a long while now. Set-up took no longer than an hour, for each speaker only needed one screw to hang up with the center speaker needing 2, and they weren't that heavy so nothing else was required. another con against the system is no volume control on the subwoofer, which isn't a problem, the volume can be controled through the menus, but having a control on the sub has become standard for most surround sound systems. It should also be mentioned that the system does not come with an HDMI cable, so be prepared to purchase an extra one if needed.

The setup process was very simple with the included mic for auto adjusting the speakers, and after using the system for a bit going through the menus and adjusting minor things, like the volume of each speaker worked out great and added up to a great surround sound experience. the remote and menu system are all pretty simple and user friendly, the auto function for determining the best setting for the current sound source works great too. One con about the menus is that the display dims randomly when switching options, still readable by me, but for some it may be a nuisence. A quick note, is that the receiver itself looks great and classy, it's a little big when it comes to length, but the thin nature of the product is worth it.

So to sum up, if none of the above cons bother you, then this is a great buy for the price. Plus the seller Etronics is very dedicated to customer service if any problems should arise. Hope this review helps, for reviews in the first place is the reason I choose this system over some more expensive samsung models I was looking at. Thanks for reading.

I purchased this item to accompany my Sony Playstation 3 and my 52" Sony Bravia TV. Let me tell you that I am thrilled. With the graphics and now HD surround sound, you feel like you are there!!! I opted to go for this 5.1 system over a 7.1 system because of the price difference (3-400 dollars), thefat that only a handful of movies/games support 7.1 and the room I put this is is small and we didny have room for 7 speakers plus a subwoofer. Regardless, it sounds fantastic. Setup is easy, you simply colors of the wires to the colors on the back of the receiver. Now it is important to note that this is the newer model of the old HT-SS2000, which was the best for PS3. Now this model is out and WOW. Its great. The only issue some people may have is using the 'auto-calibration'. Its a nice feature if you are in a big open room with just the TV/stereo. But with furniture and such it has issues. And so after 'auto-calibrating', the speaker levels were way off. But this was easily fixed manually by adjusting individual level speaker volume (which is so easy, it took 2 minutes). So, if you have a PS3, dont go anywhere else for this product. And, I saved about $20 by buying from Amazon merchant ETRONICS. I was skeptical, but the item arrived in 2 days (I selected standard shipping 4-14 days), in perfect condition. I HIGHLY RECOMMNED THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!

I had no idea sound could be this good. I purchased this unit as an upgrade to a Dolby Prologic unit made by Pioneer (which still sounds great after more than a decade of dedicated use). I've connected this unit to a BDP-S350 blue ray player and a KDL-40W4100 HDTV. All I can say is wow. The 5.1 channel audio comes out great and really immerses the viewer into the movie scene. I'm sure that I'll be hated by the other apartment units adjacent to my own. There are so many options available for audio playback. The only drawback I see is the speaker wire, which oddly enough,is also a benefit somewhat. The speaker wires, of course, are of fixed length. The problem is that Sony has made wire connection to the receiver a specific design. Now this design makes it easier and more managable to install the speaker units into the receiver (the benefit). However, this also requires the owner to purchase additional wire (or new wire)if needed from Sony (smart, and greedy). Other than that, I'm very happy.

Since Sony won the battle of HD Disc with Blu-ray and has economically introduced a Blu-ray player included in the PLAYSTATION 3 (still the best buy) it makes sense for Sony to complete the A/V system with a matched economical HD HDMI Home Theatre Blu-ray 5.1 System.

This review only covers the HD Home Theatre support the HT-SS2300 provides. All other appliances are bonus' covered in the 76 page operating manual.

My Qualifying Statement: My HD Home Theatre weighs in at about $2000, plus movies. The breakdown; a Mitsubishi HD Projector (HC-1500 up to 1080p with HDMI Blu-ray) $800 (orig $1495), a Sony PLAYSTATION 3 w/included Blu-ray Player for $399 (orig $499) and the Sony Blu-ray HD Home Theatre (HT-SS2300) $399 (orig $499). Sony High Speed HDMI cables $150 (orig $180) and a HD Screen Paint and kit for $180 for my 108" viewing wall screen. With this HD HDMI 1080p (1920x1080 lines) system I've created a 5.1 HD Home Theatre presentation sight and sound equal to an IMAX (on a smaller scale) experience. (see my other reviews)

High Lights of this HT-SS2300 HD HDMI Home Theatre System are;

3 HDMI inputs (Blu-ray, DVD, SAT/CABLE) and 1 HDMI output (HDTV or HD Projector). 2 Optical (digital audio) Inputs .

NOTE: HDMI and Optical cables must be purchased separately.

Speaker Information - 5 speaker system and subwoofer. Speaker wires pre-measured cut and tinned. Front 3 wires and subwoofer 10'. Rear 2 wires 25'. All have color coded plugs for mating with receiver connectors. (no brainer)

Note: Every HD Home Theatre speaker location and wire lengths are different and unique. These supplied speaker wire color coded plugs are interchangable so you can move the lengths around as necessary and add splices (using regular speaker wire)as needed. Just keep your speaker location accurately re-labeled.

The ease of Auto Speaker Calibration - Included with the HT-SS2300 is a "OPTIMIZER MICROPHONE" you plug into the front of your receiver and position the microphone at the location (head position) of the listeners. Aim all the speakers toward the microphone. With the Remoter Commander (remote control) you press the "AMP MENU" button then the "AUTO CAL" button. This activates a speaker polarity check, a 30 second tonal sequence testing each speakers distance from the microphone and adjusting the sound level accordingly. When complete a "SAVE" indicator appears in the receiver LCD window. Press + button. Done. Remove optimizer microphone from jack and store away for next time. Simply and easy.

Using the remote commander is simple one button function for video input (BD or DVD or SAT or TV) and press desired audio button (MOVIE) for sound. Receiver is in AUTO mode.

NOTE: You can choose manual customizing sound features if you desire.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Remember Sony designed this Blu-ray technology in your HD HDMI Home Theatre System. To maximixe your entertainment while minimizing your time. This HT-SS2300 is a very economical way to complete your Blu-ray HD HDMI system.

For $399 it is the perfect system for a small to medium size HD HDMI Home Theatre. Very Good audio range with clear highs and medium range frequencies and excellent lows and sub lows that fills your theatre with wonderful rich sound. Enjoy.

well i was convinced from the reviews i read that this would be a good system. and it is, it's a great little entry system but... and it had plenty of inputs which is great. it's sounds good don't get me wrong. but it just wasn't that great, the subwoofer sounds cheap i think that is because it is passive and there is some snap and crackles when loud stuff is on. i am returning for the samsung HT-AS720ST. that system looks like a beast for just a little bit more money, and it makes better sense since i have a samsung lcd tv... it will communicate with it.

i hate to discourage future buyers, but please don't let the sexy design of this system fool you, get something a little better.

Well, i have to say that i was pretty impressed by this HTIB. It's affordable and if you own a PS3 or a BD player that can internally decode TrueHD and DTS-HD you'll be all set! That was the most important feature for me. I wanted to be able to enjoy my Blu-ray movies and the HD surround sound they are capable of and this system does just that! I also didn't have the space for a full sized receiver in my tv stand so the slim design was a perfect fit. After tweaking some settings i got this system sounding the way i wanted. I bought a pair of speaker stands for the front speakers because of my living room layout. Overall it's a good sounding system and looks great too. It has more then enough power to shake my small 13.5 x 12 apartment living room.

System worked great for 5 months. Then all of the sudden it stopped sending the video signal to the tv (SONY 52" Bravia HD LCD). It continued to send the audio signal. Sent it to SONY service center in Laredo, Texas at my expense ($51). They sent it back two weeks later with a note that stated that the unit was not broken. Same problem still exited. Called 800 222-SONY and spoke with supervisor in El Salvador (Yes, the country in Central America!!!!!!!!!) who told me that there are no call centers in the US and that she could not authorize a replacement.

I still have the broken unit, which is under warranty for another 14 months.

Thanks SONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been looking for a value based surround sound system to allow me the time to save up for the high end AV receiver that I want. Everyone I have found uses a DVD player for the AV receiver. This seems to limit the inputs and prevents me from being able to connect as much as I would like.

This system has a simple AV receiver with three HDMI inputs and an audio input from the TV (there are more but these are what I need) The three HDMI inputs are so easy to install that anyone can do it. I am using my TV for all the other video inputs, hence the need for an audio in from the TV.

Installation in my basement theater room was simple. I was concerned that the wires to the rear speakers would not be long enough. However there was still a few feet to spare.

The AV receiver works well with my Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Controlremote.

Once I have had the system in for a few months I will update this review.
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UPDATE: I have had the system for just under two months. I really like the system and once I tweaked the base down from the auto calibration setting I found the sound to be perfect.

I did run into one issue. As there are only 3 HDMI inputs on this receiver and I have many more items that that I needed to find a way to add more. I decided to use my TV as it has 4 more HDMI inputs and a digital out. The only problem is that at first I did not realize that the TV has a Coaxial digital out and this receiver has an optical digital in. The fix was a Coaxial to Optical converter. Now I have 5 sources active between the receiver and TV.

Out of the box the Sony HT-SS2300 is beautiful. Set up was a breeze and basically took 10 minutes to test ( I later took it apart since I was going to run the wires under the carpet and behind the walls - splicing was easy too).

I've had it for about a month now and it works flawlessly switching from the Comcast Cable Box SAT input to the PS3. Fast switching simply works.

Sound quality is good given the space I have for it (a 20' X 14' room in the basement). The surround is great and brings out the best of the PS3, be it online gaming such as COD4, or watching Ironman on BD.

The warehouse company I had never heard of, but I got the free shipping (5-7 business days) and got it in 2!! Great!

Highly recommend it for it's aesthetics, ease of use and set up, quality and price. Best value out there for sure.