Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Subwoofer - Black by Sony
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List Price: Our Price: $225.00 You Save: $74.99 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Speakers See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Subwoofer - Black
Digital camera Review: Exactley what you want, and exactley what it says
Summary: 5 Stars
Folks - The only reason why people rate this less than 5 stars is that they expect it to work like a $2000.00 system - Meaning, full 5.1 surround, room filling highs and lows... Folks - this is a small, stereo type soundbar that improves your current sound (And does it very well). Its supposed to be used for bedrooms, small rooms, offices -- Not your family room used on a 60" plasma 20x20 foot room setup. As for the product, the HDMI hookups are awesome. This should be pictured in the "hook up for dummies" book. Easy to hook up and control. Sound is amazing FOR WHAT IT IS..... $250 is simply a HUGE VALUE and you will be very happy with the results. The best one on the market - plain and simple. When you hook it up, you will want to adjust it to Movie or Sports theme and adjust bass / treble... Thats it... Do yourself a favor and buy this now -- For your BEDROOM or SMALL ROOM. The sound will more than satisfy you. Otherwise, spend $2000 and get the real deal for your family room...Digital camera Review: Exactly as expected
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sony HTCT100 sound bar sub combo is quite good. After reading a number of reviews I decided to go ahead with the purchase. The set up was very easy, and I was up and running in about 10 minutes. Two things to keep in mind: TV speakers are disabled and your satellite remote will not fully control your TV. Volume and inputs are controlled by the Sony remote. So...yes: another remote on the coffee table. The sound is a BIG step above the TV speakers in my Panasonic Viera. The highs are clear and detailed, and the lows are full without being muddy. Several reviewers commented negatively about the "surround" sound field. It's a 2.1 system...it is what it is! Without rear speakers you can't get true surround sound. What you do get is clear left-center-right movement, dramatic dynamics in the movie mode, thundering bass, and more volume than you can use. The neatest feature is being able to adjust and balance the center channel and sub +/- 6db in 1 db increments. This essentially allows you to tune the system for the size and shape of your room.
One reviewer stated that the remote needed line-of-sight to control the sub module, volume, etc. Not true. The sound bar has a sticker on it that says, "aim remote here". The sub can be concealed behind the TV without losing remote control.
This system is a great lower cost alternative that provides excellent home theater sound. If you're not interested in five speakers and a dedicated AV receiver, this is THE ONE.
Digital camera Review: Exactly what a Sound Bar should do...
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this Sony Sound Bar for about a month now and I am very pleased with the performance. That said, let's begin with what this products is and is not designed to do. It is very capable of adding full and satisfying sound to your flat panel TV viewing experience. It will greatly improve your enjoyment when watching sports and movies. Fact is, newer flat panel televisons are so thin that they no longer house speakers large enough to provide truly powerful sound. So an external sound solution is required for the optimal viewing experience. What this is not capable of doing is creating a true surround sound effect, for example the kind of sound where a jet plane flying over head sounds like it is behind you and then thunders over your head in front of you. For that, you need a true surround system that has speakers both in front and behind you.
However, if you want to avoid the added cost, wiring and layout issues often asociated with true suuround sound systems then this sound bar is likely a great solution. I won't discuss all the features in detail as I am not a tech expert, however the most important to me were the multiple connections offered including HDMI, the ability to hide the subwoofer and still conrol the volume via remote control by pointing it at the sensor on the speaker bar, and the ability to fine tune the sound. On all these fronts the Sony delivers. The system has multiple "sound fields" you can choose from including Movies, Gaming, Music and Standard depending on what you are currently watching, playing or listening to. To me, the Standard setting sounds the best no matter what I am doing. It seems the clearest and most powerful.
I have read that some people find it isn't loud enough, or that their TV speakers are louder. My thought is that they have it connected wrong. I have a new 50" Samsung and the sound bar is so much louder and better than the TV speakers. I can tell you that my wife is always asking me to turn it down. As for the bass from the sub, it certainly puts out a thump you can feel. Perhaps not a booming thud, but I really wouldn't want that anyhow. The other day my father came over to check out the TV and watch a basketball game. He could not believe that he could clearly hear the sound of the ball bouncing on the hard court. He had never heard that before he said. When I switched from the sound bar to the TV speakers the sound of the ball bouncing was gone. So it definately enhaces watching sports like basketball and football. In addition, movies really come to life and digital music channels sound great for family enjoyment. Please realize, I am not trying to raise the roof or fill a huge great room with booming sound. I have a nice size family room and this fits the bill perfectly.
The look of the unit is fine...I have my TV on a stand and I have placed the sub hidden behind the stand while the speaker bar sits on the stand but actually behind the TV (the TV's base raises the television about 3 inches up so the bar can send sound under it), so in essence the enire Sony system is concealed. The look is great.
Overall, it delivers on what I wanted it to do. It makes sports and movies more enjoyable and did so for less than $200 delivered. The reason for 4 stars and not 5 is because Sony claims it will provide a surround sound-like experience. It won't do that, but it will pump up your multimedia experience.
I hope this helps...
Digital camera Review: Excellent Buy for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
This was an excellent buy for the price. The Sony HCT 100 sound bar performs exactly as I had expected. From initial order until delivery every thing proceeded exactly as Amazon represented. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. I would recommend Amazon to others.Digital camera Review: Excellent Product
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this very easy to hook up and get running. The sound is awesome especially compared to the speakers built into our TV. The surround effect is very satisfactory for our expectations. I especially appreciate the quality of the product considering the price. I would recommend this product as long as your expectations for the effect of a multi-speaker system aren't too high. Amozon's service and speed were as expected. Excellent.