The Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA is a new all-in-one home theater system. The nice thing about this new offering from Sony is the included digital media port. It’s this port that allows you to connect just about any iPod or other MP3 player directly into your home theater system it is a convenience that wasn’t previously included but Sony offered as an upgrade. Well it’s good to see it packaged here, but how does the rest of this Bravia system stack up?
It includes a typical 5.1 setup:
- An Upscaling DVD player
- A Sub
- 1 center speaker
- 4 Speakers, (2 front 2 back)
- 2 Speaker stands
First out of the box the speakers look good on their little stands. Although they seem a little flimsy during setup, this was a little disappointing.
If you have a Sony Bravia brand television the setup is easy and seamless although you’ll need to be sure you have a spare HDMI cable. It is essentially just plug and play. Without a Sony television you’ll need to do a little more work depending on the manufacturer, but it does have on screen instructions, so you won’t be pulling too much hair out. I had no trouble connecting my XM radio, as its XM ready, which was super convenient and a feature I really like.
It gives you the option to use a microphone to align the speakers to ensure perfect placement and performance. This is a nice little perk at this mid range price point. The upscaling DVD player is not something I’ll really need but for the purpose of the review I gave it a try and it seems to perform well upscaling typical DVD’s to 720p. When it comes to Sony and imaging their products are certainly on point.
The subwoofer with the Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA is adequate for watching movies but it certainly lacks the punch you’re likely to want when listening to music. Which I find interesting since the inclusion of the media port would suggest a system that would be optimized not only for traditional home entertainment but for listening to music as well.
The speakers are decent but not as loud as I would like. You really need to customize the setup to make the rear speakers produce at a level I’m accustomed to. Otherwise they’re just OK. Nothing spectacular and I guess you get what you pay for at this level. Playing music they can get loud but it doesn’t take much to reach their limit, they distort pretty quick.
In the end my recommendation would be based on what you’ll potentially use this little system for. If you interested in using this as your primary sound system to listen to your music then I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re using the Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA to hook up to your matching Bravia Sony TV and mainly watch movies then it’s great.
The accuracy that the automated microphone assisted setup yields is spectacular at this price point. Since they have discontinued the version without the digital media port, and we’ve seen a few price breaks already on the Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA I wouldn’t be surprised to see these drop to around $200 later in the year. They’ll be a steal at that price point.
Photo courtesy of Jittery Monks