Sony HTCT500 3.1 Speaker System with Complete Built-In A/V Receiver (Black)

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 8.3 x 14.7 inches ; 4.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 42 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B0028RXMS0
• Item model number: HTCT500
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #629 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Home Theater Systems

• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 20, 2009

Product Description

Product Description

Experience surround sound with fewer speakers and wires. Add in the full functionality and connections of an A/V receiver and bring excitement to movies and video games. Featuring five HD inputs, three of those HDMI connections with Active Intelligence, S-AIR multi-room audio capability, on-screen user interface, set-up, control and connectivity of the home theater has never been easier. Its flat TV centric design allows the sound bar to blend in.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent soundbar/subwoofer option., July 1, 2009

By	Bearcat (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This is one slick little soundbar/subwoofer combination. A significant improvement over the previous offering, the CT100. The sound bar is bigger than that model and feels like it is better constructed. The subwoofer is a solid piece of work as well.

Now for the important part, sound quality. The sound quality is much better than the old model and I would say it approaches the quality of the more expensive Yamaha YSP sound bars. You will probably have to do a little tweaking with it to get it set up properly but once you do this baby will shine. Sound is strong from both the soundbar and the subwoofer. The subwoofer is where your connections are located. You can run your dvd/blu ray player and your cable box (among others) to the sub and then the sub will run an HDMI cable to the tv. You can pretty much plug anything into the back of the sub as there are three HDMI inputs, two component inputs and a composite input along with the normal cable tv coax.

One thing to keep in mind. This will not surpass the surround quality of a good quality seperate sound system with multiple speakers. But then again most buyers should know that from the start. This is an option for people who don't want speakers all over the place or who have space issues which make a soundbar solution the best option. I rated this item 5 stars in comparison to other soundbar solutions, not compared to a surround system with multiple speakers. While there are some better sounding soundbars they are at least twice as much if not more expensive. For the quality and price this is an excellent soundbar option.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Happy with my Sony CT-500 soundbar !!!!!!, August 7, 2009

By	Davyo (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews

I've been a soundbar junkie for years and have owned in the past almost ALL of the Yamaha YSP's ever released and have also owned the older Sony CT-100, the CT-500 is a big improvment over the older CT-100.
Big jump in sound quality and the surround effect, plus on-screen menu's, more connection options and a bigger wider more powerful soundfield,,, the subwofter is even much improved sound wise from the older CT-100 as well.

As with any soundbar though, they will not work in every room, you do need to have walls to reflect the sound off of.
I have also found that soundbars work much better if they mounted higher and NOT lower, so if you have a wall mounted plasma or LCD, mount the soundbar ABOVE your display to get the best sound from it.

Also, there are a few defective CT-500's floating around,,, I had to exchange one before I got my next one that was problem free,,, but it was worth it.

Anyhow, the CT-500 rocks,, its a keeper !!!

Cheers
Davyo

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Product, August 11, 2009

By	Ryan M. Teague - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really wish this product was around 5 years ago. I had just purchased a HDTV and found out I needed to upgrade to a receiver with HDMI and Component inputs to implement a surround sound setup. I absolutely loathe hooking up Home Theatre equipment whether it's contorting my body to get to the back of the receiver, organizing the web of wires, running of speaker wire under carpet/behind walls... Not to mention the receiver/speaker setup we when with was 5 years ago was 2-3 times more than this product and I have never been happy with it.

Fast forward to the CT 500 Soundbar. The setup was ridiculously easy, took 30 minutes tops and most of that was unhooking all of the old equipment. 3 simple HD connection to the back of the sub (easy access) and Blue Ray, Xbox 360 and Satellite were up and running. I tested movies, Rockband for the Xbox 360 and just regular Satellite TV. I was blown away by all three, couldn't believe this setup could pack such a punch.

My biggest complaint with 5.1 systems is usually the voice audio is drowned out. Not with this unit, voice in both movies and regular TV was crisp and clear. The sub was deep and rich whether it was thunder or the thump of a base drum.

Product has completely changed my viewing/playing experience for entire family.