Electronics Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Sub-Woofer - Black
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - For the price..
I was looking for a bar system and had almost pulled the trigger on the mega expensive Polk Audio system that would have cost over $1000. I gave this system a shot first since it was so cheap it seemed silly not to at least test it out. I've been using it for 3 months now and am still impressed. I do not have a large living room so I can't speak to that, but for a medium sized room this sounds perfect. The surround DOES work and feels like the movie is happening on all sides and behind me. Playing COD4 has never been the same either, I can actually hear the enemy creeping up on me from any direction and pinpoint them. For the price, it can NOT be beat!

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Rating: - This is a great, affordable unit!
Reading through all of the other reviews here just goes to show that a company could make the greatest product in the world and there would be naysayers ready to trash it at the drop of a hat. That somewhat applies to the Sony HT-CT100. I have had mine for approximately one month and am very pleased overall. I wanted to wait to write a review until I had an adequate amount of time to fairly evaluate it. The people who returned theirs quickly are idiots. They obviously did not put it through it's paces before giving up on it. This soundbar package is perfect for blu-rays in particular. My unit is in a 25 x 20 foot room and fills it nicely with sound. The subwoofer especially, is absolutely amazing. Probably where others have criticized the unit legitimately is in regard to the analog inputs. The sound is muffled and low when any source is connected in that manner. Standard definition, HDMI connected dvd soundtracks are not impressive, probably because the sound is so compressed on them. Blu-rays are a completely different story however. Explosions, gunshots, crashes, etc. are very lifelike and loud. Even the high def cable signal sounds good if connected with the included optical cable or HDMI. You also need to tweak the sound settings to your preference depending on the source you have connected at any given time. Don't be afraid to adjust the center channel and sub volumes to your liking, as well as utilizing the included sound field settings. Be sure to also adjust the audio and video settings on your dvd and blu-ray players as well because that makes a huge difference. As long as you don't connect an analog source or watch too many standard dvd's, this is an amazing home theater product. Make no mistake, this is built for blu-ray. If blu-ray is your preference, don't delay. Pick one of these up pronto because you won't be disappointed. I got mine for $200 and believe me, that was a steal.

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Rating: - Powerful Bass, Rich Sound, Classy Design -- All On The Cheap
Having purchased this unit on Black Friday, I've gotten to use it for a month now, and the bottom line is this: if you are sick of low-quality sound from your current set-up (be it an old home theater system or those terrible television speakers) and want to experience rich, deep sound in a small package, then this system from Sony is perfect. Audiophiles can turn up their noses -- or cover their ears, or whatever -- but there is little not to like about this bad boy, and you will be impressed.

Setup is gloriously simple: hook up everything you have via HDMI (or optical) to the sub, which doubles as a receiver, and connect an HDMI from the TV Out on the sub to the TV. Done.

The sound is wonderful. Treble and high notes are crisp and defined from the center speaker, which is so small and unobtrusive that it practically blends in with my television set. Left and right are audibly differentiated, so if something whizzes across the screen you'll know it. The soundbar itself is tuned so well that it even delivers a hint of surround sound -- quite a feat considering, there are no rear speakers! Admittedly, however, you must be sitting within a narrow cone to achieve this magic effect... but when it happens, it's incredible.

The real anchor of this system however, and what keeps me coming back to watch movies every night, is the subwoofer. It is a monolith, at nearly the size of a desktop PC, but classy-looking with a neat little blue display; it's also rather heavy. It ideally should be positioned to the right of the television to provide the best sound, but I have mine on the left just three inches away from a TV stand. And you know what? The bass still frightens me, because explosions explode. If there's anyone out there who's never bought a home-theater system, you're really missing out on exploding explosions. Choppers sound like they're about to land in your living room, and dinosaurs sound like they'll leap off the screen. Even newscasters sound great, folks. NEWSCASTERS. To me, World News Tonight will never sound the same again.

What keeps this system from getting five stars, though? The problem comes actually from some of its advantages:
-Since the display is only on the subwoofer, you can't exactly hide the subwoofer behind the television set, which may be a problem for some if they cannot find a suitable place to put such a big device.
- The bass and ambient lows sometimes diminishes dialogue -- a problem that can be remedied by changing the settings of the device (for instance, set the center speaker higher, set the subwoofer lower).
-But upping the center narrows the magic cone of rear surround sound somewhat, so you must strike a balance.
- Loud sounds sometimes are too loud while soft sounds are not nearly as pronounced. However, this problem is often rectified by using HDMI and optical cables, along with sound sources that are actually 5.1 Dolby Digital (most HD channels), and not 2.0, which has to be convertified by Prologic II.
-Sometimes it wakes the neighbors.

Nevertheless, for around two hundred to three hundred bucks, this system is unbeatable. Its shortcomings are far, far outpaced by its stellar design, rich sound, deep bass, beautiful design -- and obscenely low price. I got mine for $199!
Quite frankly, it's worth way more.

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Rating: - Speakers not powerful enough
I bought this mainly because its compact & looks good- no wires running around my living room. But I was very disappointed with the speaker's power level. Now I'm not an audiophile & have a small living room- but my TV speakers generated more sound than this (obviously the quality was much better- better low/mid frequencies etc). It was low enough for me to return it. I'm contemplating getting a full featured 5.1 system with wireless rear speakers.

On the plus side, did I say it looked good? Also, setup was fairly easy- Thank you HDMI.