Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Whitehse
(New York)
Date
22-Jan-2011
I've had this product forless than a month
15of17
people found this helpful
I just received my 32" sound bar 2 hours ago! I think it great for he size of my living room. Great sound, crisp and clear. So easy to hook up. I buy only Sony and have never ever been disappointed!!!!!!!!!!
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
djmjax
(Jacksonville, FL)
Date
27-May-2011
I've had this product for1-3 months
30of33
people found this helpful
Pros:
good value, easy to install, sleek design.
Cons:
none
I love this sound bar system! The sound is much better quaility than the tv speakers and suprisingly more options than I thought when I bought it. I think this is perfect for a small room although its not true 5.1 surround sound it offers a good value for the product.
Rated 1.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Cushlomockree
(Endicott, NY)
Date
31-Oct-2012
I've had this product for6-12 months
6of13
people found this helpful
Pros:
It functions.
Cons:
Low Vol., No onscreen, Invisible Display, poor Cable integration, too many remotes needed
I have the following equipment in a 16'x14' room:
TV: Sony KDL-52XBR9 (lousy speakers vs. my KDL-52XBR6)
Blu-Ray: SONY BDP-S570
Cable Box: Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC (Time Warner)
The reason I purchased the HT-CT150 was because the XBR9's speakers were so inferior to my XBR6's. I rationalized that I paid a good deal less for the XBR9, so why not purchase a speaker "upgrade."
Before I bought the HT-CT150, The Bravia Synch worked fine between the Blu-Ray and the TV, and I was able to use the Cable remote to control ALL devices (including switching input HDMI's).
With the HT-CT150, a single HDMI feeds into the TV, and the Bravia Synch does not work in certain, key situations:
If you turn off the Blu-Ray, the switching logic in the HT-CT150 stays locked in "BD" mode.
This requires manual switching with the HT-CT150 remote to get back to the cable box. (this is especially annoying if the HT-CT150 is not powered up: You have to turn it on, switch to Cable and turn it off. ) In the old set up, turning off the BDP-S570, automatically switched the TV's input to the normal cable input.
Lack of onscreen feedback, makes you unable to ascertain how high the volume is turned up, and , more importantly, you can't tell what of the many audio "modes" you are in so that speech may be made clear.
The only feedback is from weak LED's on top of the Subwoofer on the other side of the room.
Most of these modes would not be needed, if there were adequate power in the first place.
I wish I could return the thing (had it >90 days). In almost all cases, the XBR9's speakers are better, which is not saying much.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Thom
(Yorktown, VA)
Date
3-Aug-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
28of28
people found this helpful
Pros:
Sound Quality and Ease of Set-up
Cons:
None
This is perfect for my needs. I use it for listening to music CD’s and watching TV and DVD’s. While not a full surround-sound experience, it’s darn good. My base line is the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan; it delivers room filling sound with good dimension. It does quite well with music CD’s too. If you are space constrained this is a great system. Set-up was easy because all you do is hook-up some HDMI cables and plug it into the nearest electrical outlet. Programming my Logitech Harmony remote to recognize this system was a snap too.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
westcoastmike83
(murrieta, ca)
Date
13-Feb-2011
I've had this product for1-3 months
15of18
people found this helpful
Pros:
great price, great sound
Cons:
wish was a little louder
have this hooked up to my 40 inch bravia led/lcd & this little system gives you the theater sound you want!
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
mfjacks
(Atlanta, GA)
Date
15-Feb-2011
I've had this product forless than a month
36of36
people found this helpful
Pros:
3 HDMI input switching with 3D capabilities, compact design, superb bass for it's size
Cons:
Automatic switching problems with devices that are not compatible with Bravia Sync.
After I purchased a Sony 3D tv I realized very quickly that it was very lacking in speaker audio quality. I search for options that I could use that did not require having to run wires around my room to install a traditional surround sound system. I found that this did exactly what I wanted at a great price. It also got very good reviews at every site I found reviews on. First off, if you are purchsing this system expecting perfect surround sound then you need to look further. It is a very good replacement for the internal speakers of your LCD tv speakers but fails to project a complete surround sound field. The sub produces very good bass quality for it's small size. I was most impressed with the fact that the product works great with the Bravia sync feature of Sony's other products that I own (tv, PS3, and 3D Blueray player). It did not want to work correctly when I connected a HD cable box to the system. The system would not switch the output correctly and the sound did not sync with my Blueray player no matter what I selected in setup. I connected the cable box directly to another HDMI input on the tv and ran a fiber optic cable from the tv to the optical input on the system and found that it still performed as I was expecting in that it switched the system on when I turned on the tv and the sound was output through the sound system. Also, when I turned on my PS3 or Blueray player it would automatically switch the system to the correct input and the tv would switch to the correct input for the system and would switch inputs back when I turned them off. I can't vouch wether or not this works with any other device but Sony. The 3D switching works great. I have used it both with my 3D player and with my PS3 3D games without any problems. I would highly recommend this system to anyone looking for a good alternative to typical surround sound.
Rated 4.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Fromthepeg
(Winnipeg, MB)
Date
20-Mar-2012
I've had this product for1-3 months
5of6
people found this helpful
Pros:
Excellent Sound - Very Sleek
Cons:
Volume could be higher
Great sound especially when playing HD content (DTS & Dobly Digital 5.1). The Bass & the simulated surround sound are very impressive. The speaker soundbar is nice and light, which allowed me to mount it on top of my 50” Plasma with no problem. Would’ve of gave it 5 stars if the volume was louder, but it is more then sufficient for smaller rooms.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Tobie
(Denver, CO)
Date
18-Jan-2012
I've had this product for1-3 months
22of24
people found this helpful
Pros:
Great Output of Sound
Cons:
You Might Have to be Literate and Read the Manual?
The system is great. I don't understand why people are negatively rating this system for functions that are clearly stated. Do people understand the fact that they may have to read the manual?
The bass is solid, but I did notice that I had to turn up the subwoofer level a few notches (I did +5) because I think the bass is what really gives the experience that punch. The sound overall is great, and I often forget that there are no speakers behind or beside me. Two of my coworkers made the investment in this system, and they have nothing but great things to say about it as well.
I did have to turn to the manual and read as to why some sound was not working initially from a few devices. Turns out that the compression my devices were using was not compatible with fiber optic, and so I had to readjust accordingly. I chose to pursue the fiber optic route because my TV has the output for it, thus allowing me to route all my devices through the TV, and then sends the audio via fiber optic to the sound bar. I understand that you get the DTS HD 5.1 through HDMI, but honestly, the DTS 5.1 sounds just fine through fiber optic. I also had to adjust the latency of my TV because by default it was delaying the audio by 100ms. Why? I don't know, but I put it at 0ms, and it was smooth sailing from there.
If people want a workaround for all their devices that use coaxial or composite wiring, consider using your TV as a converter (this requires thinking outside the box...) A TV that you actually spend a good chunk of cash on will AT LEAST have composite output (while higher-end models will do fiber optic or an HDMI with audio only), so for those who are whining about the sound bar system not having enough ports are just being lazy in doing work on their part. It's a good system; buy it if you don't want to invest in the big receivers and extra speakers scattered across the room.
Rated 4.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
pops47
(Newport News VA)
Date
5-Mar-2012
I've had this product forless than a month
6of9
people found this helpful
Pros:
Easy to install, great sound
Cons:
overides TV'S Automatic Sound Leveling system
That is the ONLY thing I don't like about the sound bar. I bought the Phillips 52 in plasma two years ago and really FELL IN LOVE with the ASL system. No more annoying commercials blasting at you, as well as LEVEL sound when you changed channels.
With the sound bar that feature is not available and I'm back to adjusting the sound every time a commercial comes on or i change channels on the TV
THAT IS A BIG DEFECT in this old man's mind.
Rated 4.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
wolf101
(Las Vegas,NV)
Date
28-Oct-2010
I've had this product for1-3 months
15of17
people found this helpful
Pros:
Great Sound
Cons:
Remote's complicated and sub is wired.
This is a great start for upgrading your sound on your tv. It's ease of set up and wiring is great. Remember, it's about sound and your not getting an expensive 5.1 system, but it's the next best thing.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
msyoungatheart
(Ravenel, SC just south of Charleston, SC)
Date
11-Aug-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
10of10
people found this helpful
Pros:
Sounds great in my 17x19 bedroom and takes up minimal space although when noticed it looks stylish in design.
Cons:
none
Can hardly be noticed except for its theatre sound since it does take up little space.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Suze
Date
16-Aug-2010
I've had this product for6-12 months
14of14
people found this helpful
Pros:
Size, sound quality, handles multiple components easily
Cons:
Programming the remote to handle all of the components isn't easy
We like this system so much that we went back and bought a second one. We've gotten excellent sound quality in a 12x25 ft room and in a 25x25 ft room that opens onto a 15x25 kitchen. The elegant design means the system physically "disappears", unlike bulky multi-speaker systems.
Rated 3.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
dbbm
(Clifton, NJ)
Date
17-Oct-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
20of22
people found this helpful
Pros:
Great aesthetic
Cons:
Sound is mundane
The size and look of this sound bar is superb. The bar is not obtrusive. You can view the screen entirety of the tv without noticing the sound bar. It can be hooked up with multiple devices, e.g. dvd, ipod, etc. It is loud, especially the bass sound. So if you are like the cranking up the volume type of tv watcher, you can do so with gusto. However, the sound of the equalizer is boring. The different settings all have the same sound. It is difficult to discern one from the others. For example: Standard is no different than that of the Movie equalizer no matter how you change the bass and treble settings and the center and subwoofer levels. Only the 2-CH setting for playing music device sounds different. Like what other reviewers have mentioned, it is no 5.1. Do not expect sounds being thrown to the side walls all the time even when watching with the Movie setting. Though the sound is of course better than the tv speakers. It is perfect for a small bedroom if you want to hear that oomph coming from the subwoofer. The price went down after I purchased mine so I need to complain to my credit card company.
Rated 1.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
CarlThompson
(Houston, DE)
Date
8-Jan-2012
I've had this product for1-3 months
3of12
people found this helpful
Pros:
None yet
Cons:
Poor performance
Unit would not synch with Bravia TV without a great deal of frustration and effort, as it is not designed to work with any cable boxes. As Comcast forces me to use a box, this caused a lot of trouble. Managed to get around that and found that using the fibre optic cable produced an echo that would not go away regardless of synch settings. Did not matter as the unit would not produce enough volume to hear. Finally resorted to using an analog hook up to my Bravia so O could at least her something but the volume is so minimal I cannot tell if the unit is on or off. Have volume set to MAX but cannot hardly hear anything. Unit has no volume at all regardless of analog or fibre optic inputs. Do not purchase; you will be disappointed. I at least expected to hear a difference of sorts but I hear nothing at all.
Rated 4.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
shadowwoods
(atlanta, ga)
Date
22-Sep-2010
I've had this product for1-3 months
11of11
people found this helpful
Pros:
compact design & easy setup
Cons:
none
Bought product since speakers in new TVs are so poor. The size is great and the sound is a big improvement. I did not want speakers all over the room just to be able to watch TV. I also like the pass thru so that speakers don't have to be turned on everytime the TV is in use. This is not true surround sound so if that is what you are after you will need something other than a sound bar system.
Rated 2.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
BigUncleJohn
(Windy City.)
Date
28-Oct-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
38of47
people found this helpful
Pros:
Inexpensive
Cons:
Low volume; no support for remotes
This system delivers good quality sound, but softly. It is definitely for small rooms where you sit on top of the TV and its speaker. While it has a wide range of distinctive audio styles, and provides good audio quality, none of them are very loud. An improvement over the TV speakers but, meh, not so much. If you are worried about keeping the neighbors awake, this is the system for you. As for connecting it to the components you have, hope you like having lots of remotes unless of course you have a Sony Bravia system. But, not all Sony Bravia systems -- some are more equal than others. The Comcast remote is clever enough to control the TV and the cable box. Adding the sound bar should have been a snap, but no. There is no AUX code for the Comcast remote. Older Sony Bravia TV's do not support "Bravia Sync", and the TV cannot control the HT150 audio. Unless you have the correct Sony Bravia, this will not become apparent until you are trying to figure out how to make the sound work. If you want to adopt the Sony remote, sorry, but no codes available for the Motorola/Comcast set-top box. The manual is obtuse, written in a higher form of Japanglish I suppose, grammatically correct but not very clear. No support for the system on Sony Website other than pdf files of the manual. Evidently no one at Sony has bothered to connect this to a Comcast or Direct TV system since it is silent on the instructions and not important enough to be in the "sony configurator". While it works, it is less than I wanted and less than I expected.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
GMWSEA
(Atlanta, GA)
Date
2-Dec-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
17of19
people found this helpful
Pros:
Amazing Sound, Looks Great, Easy Hook Up
Cons:
None
I actually went out to buy a TV and ended up buying this system as well on an impulse without doing any research. I listened to other sound bar systems (some cheaper, some more expensive) in the store and this really sounded the best. I placed it in 30x20 room and it sounds great with my TV and my Ipod.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
agator
(Ocala, FL)
Date
7-Jul-2012
I've had this product for3-6 months
9of9
people found this helpful
Pros:
Easy Setup, Wired Connection (not wireless)
Cons:
None for me
Good enhancement to sound from TV speakers. Can control Bravia TV and DVD with the audio system remote. Can just use set-top box remote if you have no need to change audio for TV viewing. Make sure you have a suitable location for the subwoofer -- remember it is a wired connection to the TV.
Rated 3.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
kerks28
(Denver, CO)
Date
25-Aug-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
45of46
people found this helpful
Pros:
Great Sound, easy to hookup, good looking
Cons:
The remote has to be pointed at Sub
If you are looking for a soundbar, this is a great one with very good sound and it looks good. But, you have to point the remote at the very front of the Sub (angles barely work). Since this is on the floor and often not next to the TV or in a cabinet, this won't work for most people. Spend a little less and get the CT100 (previous model) and you won't be disappointed. I now have both (selling this one) and the sound is very comparable and you get to point the remote at the sound bar instead of the sub.
Rated 4.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Foxtrot
(Yarmouth,Nova Scotia)
Date
20-Dec-2010
I've had this product forless than a month
5of9
people found this helpful
Pros:
Quick and easy setup via HDMI.
Cons:
No on-screen set up display.
Very satisfied with system.Set up was a breeze and my Harmony remote 700 works system perfectly.Purchased through Crutchfield.ca as their price and shipping could not be beat.Great system in this ($300.00) price range.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
ssquared
(Wisconsin)
Date
18-Aug-2012
I've had this product for6-12 months
4of4
people found this helpful
Pros:
Very impressive sound quality
Cons:
No bass/treble...but sw level control helps balance the sound
This is a good product for those who desire better sound than a TV alone can provide. really sounds impressive.
Rated 2.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
TECHYHEAD
(Toronto)
Date
1-Feb-2012
I've had this product forless than a month
8of18
people found this helpful
Pros:
Easy set up
Cons:
Sound is average, the amp is below average
I bought this because the guy at Future Shop said it was as good as Bose. WRONG! The demo at Future Shop was busted (first clue I ignored).
Got it home, easy setup and then anticipation led to disappointment. First of the bypass doesn't work. The picture goes out. Then it took awhile to figure out the syn with my sony.
The sound isn't good at all. It's like a cheap stereo system sound. Not 3D at all. The sub is good. On each pre-set sound option I have to make adjustments so the sound isn't so hall-like.
I went to my friends house last night and he had bought the same unit. He was having puppies because his picture kept cutting out. This is his second unit. the first unit he bought failed completely. Therefore shame on you Sony for selling an inferior product. My friend also hated the sound. He powered up the Bose sound bar that he has downstairs and that was AMAZING. Only problem is that I can't afford that right now.
Rated 5.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
rppb
(Mass)
Date
20-Sep-2012
I've had this product for1-3 months
6of7
people found this helpful
Pros:
easy to connect small footprint good tight bass clear sound
Cons:
weak surround sound but what do you expect from one speaker enclosure
I needed a system for the TV in my sun room that I could remove in the winter.For the money this system is hard to beat.Solid bass and clear highs.I can't hear any rear channel sound effects with Netflix and I haven't hooked up a blu ray player but I am pleased with the systems clear sound
Rated 4.000000 out of 5 Stars
Reviewer:
Islandtech
Date
17-Aug-2010
I've had this product for1-3 months
10of12
people found this helpful
Pros:
Price, sound quality, meets expectations
Cons:
user guide, set-up instructions
Product is as expected. A good sound, do not expect surround. Once again disappointed in the manual/set up instructions.
Connect