Comments Sony BDV-E300 Blu-ray Home Cinema System - Surround Sound System - review

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Bluepork

10:12 AM on 23 February, 2010

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I've said it before, and I'm going to keep on saying it until you give in...

Please can you run an tutorial article on Home Cinema and surround sound?!

Other commenters, join the chorus...

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HDRE

11:59 AM on 23 February, 2010

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And so say I

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mistrip

12:11 PM on 23 February, 2010

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What do you want to know? I'm sure you could probably ask on the forums.

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betelgeus

3:28 PM on 23 February, 2010

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passive sub=no thanks.

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JonWill

4:00 PM on 23 February, 2010

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I agree - it would be great to see an introduction to AV - I am sure I am not alone in having collected a decent audio set up over the last 20 years, and am now confused as to how to integrate/ develop it into an AV set-up - questions such as:

- how does sound qualiy compare to decent hi-fi separates?

- can one share speakers between hi fi and AV?

- should one go from two channel to 2:1 to 5:1 to 7:1 or go make the jump all in one go?

- or should I just run my telly through my hi-fi amp?

There is a whole philosphical approach here that I just can't get my head round!

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Pbryanw

7:54 PM on 23 February, 2010

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@mistrip - The Forums always seem to be temporarily closed when I check on them.

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betelgeus

8:41 PM on 23 February, 2010

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@jonwill i am sure part of the decision relies on your wallet,if money is no object then go with a receiver,active sub and an 8 speaker bipolar set.

i myself would never reccomed a system such as this being reviewed due to the passive sub and "usually" all round loose sounding system.

for music a 2.1 system is almost always better as that is how stereo is set up,personally myself i think surround sound is one of the worst inventions of the era(too much of the audio is directed through one centre channel),so i spend more on a top of the range 2.1 system for the price of a mediocre 7.1.

its been a while scince i was into top end hifi but i do remember b&w kevlar and kef made some great systems but your talking over a £1,000.

i myself use a logitech z2300 which i bought from ebuyer for £80 about 3 years ago great sound plus thx approved,it isnt surround but then again my ears face mostly to the front anyway.

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dev

11:37 PM on 23 February, 2010

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@betelgeus

I'm not sure if you've had a rubbish experience in the past but for gaming and movies, 5.1 is a must imho. Take for example Lord of the Rings or an action movie like 300. In surround sound, assuming you have even a half-decent setup, you can hear the sound of objects flying across you as you're watching it on the screen...I'm sure in LOTR somewhere an orc is chucked across the screen by one of the trees or an explosion or something and I almost burst out laughing at the combination of the sight and sound. Similarly with gaming you can hear a sniper round whizz across your face and ping off the wall near you...I'm more of a casual 2-3 hours a week gamer but I still love the immersion of surround sound.

I will agree that for music 2.1 is better...however I just switch my kit to 2.1 mode and make do...sure its not as good as if you have a £200 amp and £100+ speakers but can you really expect it to? If you think the centre channel is too heavy most decent set-ups will let you adjust the balance, just as you can with bass and treble.

Not to get too personal but I would be quite surprised if your ears did face mostly forwards...that isn't the usual shape of the things! Anyway the distinction of front/back/left/right etc is all done in the brain...where your ears are actually pointing shouln't make too much of a difference.

In summary, surround sound is awesome...we originally had an off-the-shelf system then my dad got fed up of tinkering with the various settings and splashed out on a bose system...quite pricey for the sound quality but for him the ease-of-use more than offset the cost. Also please do a surround sound article, I like my TR education :)

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mistrip

8:59 AM on 24 February, 2010

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@Pbryanw Yes, i noticed after i typed that comment that the forums were closed? Does anyone know when they will be back up.

Failing that AVforums is worth a look. A surround sound tutorial would probably be good though.

As for Passive vs Active sub thing, i think for cheaper all in one systems like thiss passive is perfectly ok. The sub in kits like this tends to be tailored to suit the rest of the system so it's not a major flaw.

Obviously if you have cash to splash around then go for separates.

As for the surround vs 2.1 debate, i'd go with surround sound every time, especial,ly for movies and games. I think you miss out on too much otherwise. For music just switch the rears off or use the direct mode if you amp has it (and you have full range speakers).

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JonWill

10:18 AM on 24 February, 2010

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@betelgeuse - budget is obviously a consideration, but there mut be an establised upgrade path - the £500 2 channel speakers I have (whilst 15 years old) are almost definteiy better than the primary speakers in this set up - but how to use them? Similarly, my claass A amp is very nice for two channel sound, but how to make sure I don't lose music play back quality ...

I am currently pursuing this on AVforums, but it would be nice to have n impartial Trustedreviews view on this ...

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betelgeus

7:12 PM on 24 February, 2010

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i had a similar system but from panasonic the sub wasn't so much a punch in the chest more like a fart in a bath.

no i dont think centres are to heavy it just the dialogue from a film is coming through one speaker with "to me" mostly incidental sounds from the other speakers.

a family member of mine is mad into surround and amps think he spent £10,000 on his system so i have experienced both sides.

incidentally i cant ever recall a time walking out of a cinema and saying wow the surround was great on that film.

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rayblevins

5:15 PM on 16 May, 2010

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Will it play CD's

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Geoff Richards

8:57 PM on 16 May, 2010

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@ray blevins - yes it does. Every system like this does.

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Rocky

8:34 AM on 20 May, 2010

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its great but I carn't seem to get the network to work on it anyone got any ideas???

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With limited digital media support – including an inexplicable inability to play MP3, WMA and DivX from discs and USB sticks – the BDV-E300 isn’t the kind of all-singing, all-dancing system you’d get from LG or Samsung. What’s more, the lack of Wi-Fi (as found on Sony’s latest players) further underlines the system’s outdated feel. But the Sony makes up for this with the kind of performance you don’t normally associate with one-box systems. It’s powerful, sonically insightful and side-steps the harshness we’ve heard from some of its rivals, which might just be enough to win your favour despite the gaping omissions on the feature list. And it earns further Brownie points with the inclusion of auto calibration and a superb operating system, which Blu-ray newcomers will be really grateful for.

Overall

8/10

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Reviewed by Danny Phillips

23 February 2010

Price as reviewed

£399.00

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