Sony DVD Dream System Page 2

Something that a lot of HTIBs don't have that the Dream System includes is an AM/FM tuner. It lets you program up to 20 FM and 10 AM presets and even lets you input the name of the station using the handy remote. It was a pleasure being able to get dressed in the morning in my bedroom, remote in hand, sifting through Howard Stern's cacophony and NPR's monotones for just the right mix of morning news, humor, and music.

I'm partial to music over movies, so I began my evaluation listening to some CDs and music DVDs. I cranked up the volume on Björk's bass-heavy (live) "There's More to Life Than This" to see what the sub had to offer. The soundstage was nicely sized (especially considering these speakers are small and my bedroom is fairly big), and the bass was reasonably full. I then popped in two very detailed CDs: Elliott Smith's Roman Candle and the Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin. You can hear Elliott Smith's fingers slide along his guitar on any good system, and the Sony was no exception. On the Flaming Lips' "Suddenly Everything Has Changed," there's one crescendo that can sound extremely harsh if you play it too loud or if the system is overly bright, but it wasn't too tinny or hard on the ears with the Dream System.

Where the system really shines, however, is on movie performance. I popped in some of my favorite DVDs to test the video quality: The English Patient, Indochine, and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. The deserts of Cairo, the vistas of Indochina, and the eye candy of Verona all had wonderful color rendition and were very clear and natural. My roommate commented, "Wow, DVD almost looks too good."

DVD playback is very convenient with the Dream System because, if you leave a disc on pause or stop for 15 minutes, the Sony screen saver will appear and you can pick up play from exactly where you left off. You'll need to select a soundfield for audio playback (if you don't, the receiver automatically defaults to the mode you last used). Auto Format decoding plays the disc the way it was encoded (DD, DTS, or Pro Logic). There are also Cinema Studio A, B, and C settings (among others), which re-create the soundfields of various Sony Pictures theaters—a unique touch. I found most of these modes to sound a tad artificial, and they seemed to create some noise in the playback signal. However, all of the modes are customizable, so you can tune them any way you like.

I watched parts of Apocalypse Now, which has an excellent 5.1 mix with discrete use of the front channels and deep bass, especially in the helicopter scenes. This is where the system's audio really got down to business. The soundstage was complete and sounded good, even at high volumes. The unit seemed powerful enough but lacked a little of the oomph of a normal, full-sized living-room system or dedicated home theater. But this, of course, is to be expected from a minisystem. I also popped in a DTS mix, The Red Violin, in which the rear ambience was pronounced and dialogue through the center channel was crystal-clear, with no noticeable sibilance.

So, if you're thinking of adding a more-petite version of your main-room squeeze to your household (whether it be in a bedroom, playroom, etc.), then you might want to try out a system with all the class of the woman of your dreams—the Sony DVD Dream System. A go-getter on movies and a convenient package for $600, this cheap system is a date you'll want to keep around the morning after. Good thing you and your main system didn't sign that prenupt.

COMPANY INFO
Sony
DVD Dream System
$599
(800) 222-SONY
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