Customer Reviews

Sony HTSS360 5.1 channel Home Theater System (Black)

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I own a new 40" Sony Bravia LCD that I hooked this system up to. I was very impressed with its sound and its wide range of features for the price! However, there were a couple areas that I feel need to be addressed.

PROS:
- Excellent sound, especially the Movie DCS mode which adds a ton of depth to any movie
- Easy setup
- Excellent integration with a Sony TV. I can fully control my LCD from the receiver remote after hooking up the HDMI cables.
- Full HDMI switching makes initial connection and switching between sources a snap. I can switch between cable and my PS3 with 1 button.
- Wide range of format handling, including Linear PCM.
- Wide range of sound modes.
- No color distortion issues when switching between HDMI sources. This seemed to be a problem in older models.

CONS:
- I found the bass to be a little lacking due to the fact that the subwoofer is passive. I swapped the included one out with this: Yamaha YST-SW216BL Advanced YST II Front-Firing Active Subwoofer and it brought the sound to a whole new level!
- Uses proprietary speaker wire connections. Sony makes it very hard to swap the subwoofer like I described previously because the receiver uses proprietary plugs for the speakers instead of generic speaker wire attachments. The system comes with 4 thin speaker wires with plugs to the receiver on one end, and bare wire on the other to hook up to the satellite speakers. However, the subwoofer's is HARD WIRED, so it can't be detached at all. What's worse is that Sony only sells their speaker wires in packs of 5, for a whopping $55.
To use my new subwoofer, I simply found an aftermarket plug with a small length of wire on eBay, spliced it with some standard 18 gauge wire of my own and hooked it up to my new sub. Voila, it worked like a charm.

OVERALL:
Out of the box, the system is a solid 4/5. With a powered subwoofer and a little bit of handiwork to get around Sony's greed, it can be improved to 5/5.

As someone who was in the process of purchasing my first blu-ray player I was looking to upgrade my older Sony surround sound system as well. I was looking for a couple of things in a new system: One, that it had plenty of HDMI inputs and two, that it had a high-quality sound for the price point.

As for the most important item, the sound, this is a great system. People have said it is like listening to a $500-1000 system. I don't know if it sounds as good as a $1000 system, but I would say it does sound wonderful like a $500-700 system so for the price it can't be beat. The highs sound very clear and crisp and the bass is deep with depth without losing too much 'punch' or getting too 'muddy'. The only minor issue I have with sound is that when dialogue gets loud the center speaker (on rare occasions) 'flinches' and has the slightest sound like feedback. It could be the case itself vibrating as I have it sitting against the T.V. base/stand so this could be the problem as well.

Out of the box the system takes a little time to set up (as does any surround system with the speakers, etc). This system looks sleek and is identical to the companion blu ray player I purchased to go with it; they have a matching black color, are matching in size and are similar in faceplate size and in overall sleek design. The receiver for this unit is about half the height and depth as my old Sony one, leaving me more space to add other components into my rack.

The speaker wires are thin and the speakers each have proprietary connections going into the receiver but it sounds so good I don't feel any need to replace the wires so this is a moot point for me.

Once the system is arranged and the speakers all connected there is a little microphone you can plug into the back of the unit, place it in what would be the ideal listening spot in the room and using the remote you can access a little sequence of sound tests in the menu to have the unit self-calibrate itself. This is a nice feature to use to get started but I found tweaking was needed to get the best possible sound...the bass was way too loud using the self-calibration. However, in all other aspects as far as distance of the individual speakers and the volume level of each speaker, the self-calibration did very well and was pretty accurate in these areas.

The unit's set-up and menu is all accessed by remote and uses kind of a branching mode in which to reach all of the individual settings. You have to look at the little screen on the receiver and this can be tedious but is easier once you are familiar with how to access the various areas of the menu. An on-screen menu would have been a great addition for this unit (but of course would also have raised the cost).

The HDMI connections for me were great. I have a blu ray player, a cable/satellite tuner and a 5-disc DVD upconverter/CD player all using HDMI cables for optimal performance...being able to run all 3 of those into the receiver and then running just one HDMI cable from the receiver to the HDTV cut back on the spaghetti of cables and gave me the best signal performance possible from all of my components. When you select the input on the receiver (blu ray player, cable, etc) that is what the receiver will play as far as audio and is the signal that will be sent to the HDTV as well.

However, there are two issues with this HDMI set up. First, you will not be able to use more than one component at a time. For instance, you can not listen to a CD while at the same time watch video from your cable or satellite because you will not be able to choose more than one input to play at a time UNLESS you connect them directly to each other instead of running them all through the receiver. Then you could play a CD through the receiver and play video from the cable or satellite box directly to the TV (bypassing the video around the receiver).

The second problem is that the audio and video does not always output correctly with the selection of the input on the receiver. For example, I have noticed that on occasion I may select the cable/satellite on the receiver and the audio will be there but I will not get a picture on the HDTV even though the TV is tuned to the right setting. If I turn the input on and off on the receiver or turn the TV itself on and off suddenly the picure miraculously comes on. Other times I will play a blu ray disc and I can get the picture on the TV but the audio will not be recognized or played back by the receiver (even though the picture and sound are going through the same HDMI cable) and I will have to either turn the receiver on and off or the blu ray player on and off to get the audio going. I can't figure out any particular pattern this follows but it does happen frequently...other times it works correctly with no problems. Perhaps this would not happen if all of my equipment was Sony and the components all 'talked' to each other better (my HDTV is not a Sony brand). I'm still trying to figure this out as it is annoying. I am always eventually able to get everything working together-it just might take a couple of extra buttons to get there.

One other very important piece of info is that this unit will accept a linear PCM channel for audio. This means you can playback the True HD Dolby and HD DTS Master lossless sountracks on blu ray discs AS LONG AS the blu ray player you are using has the processing for those formats built into it. The companion Sony player (the S360) as well as many newer ones do have the HD soundtrack processing in them.

In the end the performance and sound far outweigh the rare issue with the center speaker and the quirky HDMI input/output problems. If the price of the system was in the $500-600 range I would have to move it to just 3 stars. But the price is great for the quality of sound this unit produces resulting in my 4-star review.

When I recently bought a new Sony 40" LCD TV I discovered the TV speakers were better than my old cheapie surround sound system. I then bought this Sony HTSS360. I'm a long way from an audio expert but I know good sound when I hear it and this system has it all the way from the high to the low pitched sounds. I can now hear even faint sounds/sound effects I never knew existed with my old sound system. Between the new TV and this surround sound system all my existing DVD's are like watching all new movies. It may be a little on the subjective side but my movies appear to have better color and clarity than when the feed was direct from my DVD player. Very easy to set up and play using one remote with the Bravia Sync. In my case just two HDMI cables, sat box and DVD player, to the receiver and one HDMI out to the TV, easy.

I upgraded from a 9 year old AIWA 5.1 Dolby Surround System that couldn't handle the HDMI Cable inputs. The old system cost me about $400 and included a powered Subwoofer and the 5 speakers. This new Sony is 1000W, but the speakers are 3 Ohms (as opposed to the 8 Ohms on most home system speakers). So even though the Sony system is twice the wattage of my original system, the sound does not fill the room as well as my Aiwa.

After ordering the Sony, I experimented with an Optical cable from my Panasonic Viera HDTV to the AIWA and was happy with the sound quality. My worst fear was that the new system would sound worse than what I already had, and sure enough that was the case.

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't sound bad. But if you have an older surround system without HDMI that you are happy with, I would recommend using an Optical cable (which reportedly has sound quality loss compared to HDMI) rather than upgrade to this system.

On the positive side, the HTSS360 does work nicely in my common setup of Cable box, Blu Ray, and TV. I have the Cable box and Blu Ray connected via HDMI to the HTSS360. Then the HTSS360 is connected to my TV with an HDMI Cable. I also have the cable box connected to my TV's Component inputs and the Optical Audio Out of the TV connected to the Optical Audio input of the HTSS360. I'm not sure if those last 2 connections are even necessary, but I made them due to other reviews that indicated the HTSS360 does not pass through the signal when it is not on, and a note in the Manual that mentioned the optical cable connection. The former point was a big negative for me as I don't want my kids touching the home theater every time they want to watch TV. In any case, the net result of these connections is rather spectacular. I leave the input on the TV set at the HDMI port that the HTSS360 is connected to ALWAYS. When the HTSS360 is off, the Video and Audio from the cable box appears on the TV as you would expect. So it seems the other posts are incorrect when they say the signals do not pass through when the HTSS360 is not on. But here is the really cool part. When I turn on the HTSS360, the video on the TV blinks momentarilly and then the sound switches from the TV (TV Speakers mute) to the HTSS360. The volume control for my TV (Using the Panasonic remote or my programmed cable remote) now control the volume on the HTSS360!

All of this makes turning surround sound on a breeze and eliminates the need to have 3 remotes while watching a movie, and allows for the kids to use the TV whenever they want without fiddling with my home theater.
NOTE: I set the HDMI Control setting on the HTSS360 to ON (Default is OFF).

Last points: I kept my original 8 Ohm speakers which sound much better than the 3 Ohms that came with the Sony. The exception being the powered sub woofer which kicked out nothing but noise. Sony's passive woofer does a good job belting out the lows and I don't think it needs much adjustment as others have indicated. I'm not sure if there is any issue with using 8 ohm speakers (overheating of the amplifier or more wear on the components?), but the center speaker that came with the Sony, in particular, sounded tinny and my Aiwa center speaker sounds deep and rich in comparison. Also, you do not need to know how to use a soldering gun to extend the speaker wires. Just twist on more speaker wire and cover with electrical tape and you're all set. 30 seconds max and anyone can do it.

Bottom line, in hindsight I would have saved my money if I knew I could get such good sound quality through my old 5.1 system with the optical cable, but I'm happy enough with the ease of use in the new system that I can justify the purchase.

Athough I have purchased many items on the net, things such as foam beds, 61 inch DLP TVS and Blue Ray players ,this is my first review.All the other stuff was was great but this system is nothing short of fantastic.The sound is clear, crisp and powerful.My expectation before getting this system was the hope that it would at least improve the sound quality of my blue ray movies as well as standard DVDS.I did not expect it to bring it to a whole new level but it has.Enough of the preliminaries and more how it performs on movies. The first movie I viewed was THE PATRIOT I could not believe the rich powerful sound coming from the speakers, during battle scenes the sound of the cannons were booming in my 14 by 14 room, I felt like I was in the middle of the fight.This system goes up to 39 and I only had it at about 22.In the movie Downfall you could hear bullets whizzing all over the room.When I watched the movie Gettysburg which I have many, many times I was hearing things emanating out of the speakers I have never heard before such as wind blowing in the background,horses hooves, men marching through grass, cricketts and other objects clagging together.In the final battle of the movie Transformers a sound came out of my rear speakers that made me jump.In many of my movies during battle scenes I could literaly feel my table and back wall vibrate.If you want a movie like atmosphere for under 300 bucks, this is it.Hope this review helps.In this troubled stressful world I can sit in my leather rocker recliner with a bowl of popcorn and a cold diet coke with a movie in my blue ray player hooked up with HDMI cables to my 61 inch Samsung 1080p LED TV and this amazing home theater system and let the world fade away at least for a little while.

After having owned and used the "elite" Bose 3-2-1 GS Series II for a few years now, I can tell you the HTSS360 from Sony trumps it in more ways than one. For starters, IT IS ACTUALLY A 5.1 CHANNEL SYSTEM, not a system that simulates 5.1 sound. You may be wondering how a relatively inexpensive system like this could beat the incredible sound quality that the Bose name is known for. Well, the answer is quite simple; instead of going to all the trouble of making a system that looks really snazzy and trying to market it to people as being more than it really is because it carries the "Bose" name, Sony actually sat down and built a system that absolutely lives up not just to the Sony name, but the Sony sound standard. Everyone knows Sony makes good stuff, but it tends to be a little overpriced. Well, they beat Bose on this one. After failing to be able to maintain a steady digital audio connection via optical cable from my $900 3-2-1, I got online and started researching systems for around $200-$300.

This bad boy WILL surprise you unless you are looking for top-of-the-line sound from a less than top-of-the-line system. Not only was Amazon amazingly quick with shipping, but my package arrived unscathed and I had the manual read (trust me, take the time to read the manual, lots of useful info in there), the system installed, and my blu-ray movies playing in about an hour. It may seem like a long time to set up a piece of electronic equipment, but I'm really picky when it comes to speaker placement and balancing of my sound. The speaker wire for the surround speakers is about 20+ feet long - plenty for most mid-size rooms. If you have a huge living room with high vaulted ceilings, why are you looking at this product? Go to Bose' website and spend $1500 on some system that will bring the Autobots and Decepticons home to your living room. I played the opening scene from J.J. Abram's "Star Trek" on this system and heard things I hadn't heard in 4 viewings of the film. People say it's not the best sound they've heard, but I've heard plenty of systems, and I was surprised to find that this one ranked up there with most of the better systems I've heard. The bass does need to be turned down unless you're trying to rattle the bookshelves in your neighbors' houses, but that's an easy fix via system menu settings. If you're in the market for a semi low-end, high-performing system with not one but TWO optical inputs (which is what I used and they are crystal clear), you'd be hard-pressed to find a better system for your dollars. Trust Sony on this one, they aren't likely to let you down.

Received this system for Christmas. Needed to hook up a Satellite DVR, Blu-Ray, DVD,and a Wii without all the darn wires behind our 42" LCD TV. Ran EVERYTHING through this receiver via HDMI and turned it on. Absolutely NO adjustments necessary! It found and configured EVERY component and made EVERYTHING sound even better! Now, only one HDMI cable running to the TV. So much simpler!!! Buy this system, it's awesome at an incredible price!!!

I've had other systems in the past, mostly Yamaha, which were excellent AVR systems....and some pretty expensive Axiom speakers. For the price, this unit does exceptionally well. I bought it for the TV, not for overall music playing. I have a PS-3 and an HD Cable box, both connected with HDMI and HDMI to the TV. The PS-3 has a quirk in that it feeds already decoded digital audio out, so the Sony unit doesn't automatically know quite what to do with it and ends up selecting stereo...but you can manually select a 5.1 channel process, which it handles nicely with full surround. There was no problem with the cable box - worked like a champ on the first try. I wish the wires were a tad heftier, but they are adequate. So is the subwoofer, even though it's passive. The room this is set up in is smallish, so I can't speak to how it will perform in a larger room.
It would be nice if the rear speakers were wireless :)

Im an very happy with this purchase. I have to give great props to amazon for a great price and very quick delivery (ordered on friday arrived by tuesday) even with free shipping.

The calibration mic did a great job at setting my speaker levels and the system sound great with my ps3.

I do have a big problem with the length of the wires. 30 feet rear, 10 feet front and only 6 feet center. Now my celing is at least 10 feet tall and I had my old sound system on speaker mounts from the celing.

I want to use these mounts but I cant reach the front speakers and hide the wires. They have to be in a straight "V" shape in the back of my tv.
And of course I cant put my center channel up there because I only have 6 feet of wire.
And as another reviewer said the wires are propetary and it 55 bucks for there wire kit.
If not for the wire issue I would give this product 5 stars

I was searching for a great little home theater system for very little money. I also needed something with A LOT of HDMI connectivity which could pretty much handle anything I could throw at it. I found that with the Sony HTSS360! Many people consider a home theater in a box to be of minimal quality; I would say this is the exception. I was also considering one of the onkyo systems but for the price I just could not beat the Sony. I am by no means an audiophile but this sound is amazing. My parents have a Bose system and I can honestly say Sony's system is almost on par. I say on par because some factors do come into play. I am in a much smaller room than theirs (I have a one bedroom apartment) but this system is more than enough to fill the space with sound.
I did have some issues with the system. At first the rear speakers did not sound as good as I expected and I thought it was due to the wireless system I have set up (I am using the rocketfish universal rear speaker kit and it works amazing). But when the right rear speaker started popping I knew I had a problem. I called up amazon and they were more than willing to accommodate me. They replaced my system at no charge and upped the shipping so the new system was here in one day! After the initial setup (which is a breeze) I was up and running again. The new system is MUCH better than I could have hoped for. I went from being satisfied with the Sony system (the broken one) to being BLOWN AWAY by the incredible sound.
The sound is crystal clear and although the sub woofer is passive it is more than enough to give you that little rumble in your chest we all love so much!
Overall, I would say if you are looking for a great home theater system at an amazing bargain I don't think there is a better choice out there(I spent A LONG TIME researching).


Pros:
-Easy set up.
-Stylish system.
-Great for a small to medium sized room.
-Works perfectly with the Rocketfish universal wireless rear speaker kit.
-Plenty of HDMI connectivity.
-Perfect Price.
-Works flawlessly with the Playstation 3 and X-box 360.

Cons:
-First system I got was broken (I know this won't happen to everyone but it should be mentioned).
-Sony does use the proprietary cables (only connecting to the amp though which is a plus). so if you are looking to upgrade in parts this is not the system for you. But for the price I don't see this as being a huge issue.