Sony HT-CT150 and CT350 - Page 8

@Davyo & other owners of the CT150:

in the cnet review it states "one important key to maximizing the surround effect: The more you crank the center up, the narrower the soundfield became. In other words, keep the center channel level at the baseline "zero" setting or below for the most pronounced surround effects"

CD sound (...) natural and clear, which was all the more impressive when we stopped to remember the speaker doesn't have any tweeters"

my questions:

1/ is this the case with the CT150?
2/ does the CT150 have tweeters?? (what exactly does a tweeter do anyway)

I only paid $15 after when I picked up my sound bar

I purchased my 350 from my local Best Buy yesterday. They didn't have any in stock so I'm waiting on mine to be delivered to the store on Friday.

I purchased the Bose Cinemate II a week ago to go along with my new Panny VT25 Plasma. I know, I know, most everyone on the AVS despises Bose. When I heard how good it sounded in the store I couldn't help myself, I had to see how it sounded at home.

However, I just found out a couple of days ago about the Sony 350 SoundBar. After seeing that it could handle DTS, DTS HD and True HD, plus allowing me the bonus of hooking up multiple components through HDMI, all of which the Bose lacks (One optical input and Dolby Digital only), I had to try it. I just hope it gives me the sound quality that's atleast comparable to the Bose. If so, the Bose will be going back quickly.

Can anyone who's compared the two give me your opinions? I would greatly appreciate it. I've read one or two in this thread but hoping for some more with great details

Thanks

Hello.

I don't believe that Sony 350 can handle DTS HD and True HD audio but I would love to be wrong about that. Does anyone know for sure if the 350 is capable of handling these formats.

Thanks

The CT350 is the same as all the other CT models. It does not decode those. Here's a direct quote from the owner's manual:

we have been through this already. These bars can't decode internally the hd formats but can accept them if sent as PCM (from the bluray player). BUT that does not mean it will downgrade them to simple DTS/DD.
PCM is very different from that, so dunno why the sony manual states that !

Directly from SonyStyle:

Blu-ray Disc™ HD Audio
When you connect via HDMI a Blu-ray Disc player that can output the latest high definition audio formats, including Dolby® TrueHD™ and DTS®-HD Master Audio you can experience sound closer to the way it was captured.

Here's the link.

The manual doesn't say it downgrades PCM. It's telling you to use PCM so the HD audio isn't downgraded to DD/DTS.

The SonyStyle statement is a bit misleading. I can see why people would think the unit decodes those formats directly.

Well I got it hooked up!!!!!!!


I just got it hooked up maybe 10 min ago, definite improvement over my 50g15 speakers. I am still tweaking and setting everything up. But so far its very nice. The bass is a little wimpy(maxed) but from what others say this thing will be better in a few days.

I never had the other soundbars before so I cannot comment as how they compare. sorry. I will try my BD in a little bit along with the 360.

Oh and stupid fed-ex.... never rang the doorbell, put the box in the only puddle on the porch (sister just got done watering flowers). This thing came in the original box, with big ass SONY letters on it... I am lucky my sis saw it when she went to leave the house.

Then why would Sony Imply it decodes? Read footnotes in Sony Style..

3D viewing requires 3D content, 3D-ready HDTV and high speed HDMI™ cable. Other 3D accessories (including 3D glasses and emitter) may also be required for 3D viewing.
Measurements at 4ohms, 180-20kHz with a THD of 1%
The following LX900, NX700, NX800, HX800, EX600, and EX700 40” and 46” BRAVIA TVs are compatible with included bracket.
Requires sources connected with HDMI™ cables (sold separately) and compatible HDTV. Sound quality will vary depending on source.
Works with other BRAVIA® Sync™ or Theatre Sync™ labeled home audio/video products when connected via HDMI™ interface.
iPod® support is limited to the following players with the supplied dock: iPod® touch, iPod classic®, iPod nano® 1st, 2nd & 3rd generation, iPod® 4th& 5th generation &iPod® Mini. The optional TDM-IP50 will support iPhone® devices as well.
LPCM decoding requires HDMI™ cable (sold separately).
HDMI cable required and sold separately.

i don't know about DTS HD decoding for CT150
but for sure it could decode DTS
i bought it because WDTV doesn't decode DTS
but for sure CT150 plays DTS format audio from the WDTV

So no worries about the sub! I maxed it out at +6 then maxed it out in bass at +6.... put in Casino Royale and was blown away at the sound. I have not mounted above the tv yet... maybe this weekend. right not it is just sitting front of the plasma. But yea got to go to bed soon for work, but will play with it some more later on tommorow.

good to hear. speakers, especially subwoofers will need to be jammed for a day or 2 so that it can seal properly. then u can boom it all u want.

p.s. - it seems like all u guys received yur CT350's at the same time lol. congrats and keep us posted!

@streetmike; keep us posted mainly with games and bluray's PCM tracks !!!
please do tell us if faux surround works too

Directly from Best Buy:

"Built-in surround sound decoders
Include Dolby Digital, DTS, DTS-HD master audio and TrueHD."

I have to admit, the specs, especially the speaker size and numbers, seem quite wimpy to me and that's holding me back. Compare the Sony specs with the new Vizio bars due to hit at the end of this month. The subs are almost identical, but the driver size and quantity is like night and day. The biggest downer it seems regarding the Vizio is lack of HDMI connectivity.

ct150 - 300W RMS, 3ea. 5/8" tweeters, no AM/FM tuner, 32" wide soundbar

ct350 - 400W RMS, 1ea. 5/8" and 2ea. 7/8" tweeters, Built-in AM/FM tuner, 40" wide soundbar

Those are some tiny tweeters with no midrange or bass speakers in the bars themselves. Compare to Vizio's:

The VHT210 features 5.25-inch wireless subwoofer, and the sound bar's left-right speaker complement consists of two 2.75-inch woofers flanking a 0.75-inch tweeter for each channel.

The VHT510 features 6.5-inch wireless subwoofer and wireless surrounds that incorporate two 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch swiveling tweeter. The bar itself features left and right driver complements that each consist of two 3-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch tweeter. The center-channel drivers consist of two 2-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch tweeter.

At a preorder price of $329 the vht510 could be a winner. So, Davyo. hurry up and reveiw this sucker right after you get one!

what you say is technically correct...but as we all know in the high tech world, the paper specs mean NOTHING!
look at the LCD/PLASMA world, how many TV's claim this & that...and in the end nothing! How many 5.1 speakers that cost +1000$ fail to deliver good sound???
I would no worry about that too much.
What i can tell you is the fact that in EUROPE a real 5.1 soundbar has already been available for some time
http://www.trustedreviews.com/home-c...aker-System/p1

it seems very good...but costs over 1000$ and needs an amp to WORK!!! Can vizio really offer a GOOD product that costs so low?? i dunno....

Since nobody has heard the new Vizio I couldn't really comment on how it sounds.

I have owned a Yamaha YSP-900 sound projector, Sony CT-100 and now a Vizio 200 (last year's model). The Vizio outperforms both of the other products at a price of 1/3 that of the Sony or about 1/15 of the Yamaha.

Cost of the product has absolutely zero to do with how well it will sound.

This is comparing only the sound from the unit, not features or inputs. The Yamaha was tops on features and the Sony was tops on inputs (which I never used).

I have read other very good reviews on the KEF and B&W's soundbar. B&W's unit cost about double the KEF and does require an amplifier with five discrete channels just like the KEF. If you wanted to hear each sound from all of the different channels, this would be the optimum way to configure a soundbar. I have my doubts as to whether this would actually impart a surround experience.

As info, the sound was much cleaner on each of the three units that I have owned when configured strictly as 2.1 or 3.1 and leaving the signal processing out of the loop.

JMO but this statement doesn't imply that the soundbar decodes. To get the lossless digital LPCM signal input to the soundbar, two things must occur: 1) the source (BD player) has to unpack the TrueHD or DTS-MA lossless soundtrack (the result is lossless multichannel LPCM) and 2) the source has to be connected to the soundbar via an HDMI cable because that's the only way to transport the lossless LPCM signals (optical or coax cables will transport lossy DD/DTS multichannel LPCM signals). Then the soundbar can perform the D-to-A conversion/decoding on the digital signals.

Ok...BUT how can is it possible to configure a soundbar to 3.1 ??? i have a ps3 as the main unit and movies and games are all in 5.1....You state that to get the best of the bar that is not the way to go

i don't think u have to "configure" the soundbar. 3.1 just counts the center channel as 1 also. so the left channel is 1, the right channel is 2, center is 3, and the sub would be the .1.

LOTR where are ya man??? you know people are waiting

So today I set up my new Harmony 610 (bought from meijers for $35). Its ok, but I am having a very annoying issue with the ct-350. Actually the problem is with my WOW! remote also.

So i programmed the ct-350 in, but everytime I Power my cable,tv,ct-350 on the ct-350 starts in mute(does this with the sony remote too) but then when I go and change the volume to get it off mute it starts muting/unmuting over and over. The sound starts then gets muted then unmutes then mutes and so on. the only way to stop it is to power down the ct-350 and power it back on.

Anyone have an idea? Maybe someone with the 150? I also hate that it starts muted and now with the volume on.

well I spent an hour with tech chat and to no avail, they want me to take it in for service!!!

Well stupid SS chat help... After fooling around with the settings and turning the darn thing on and off, found the setting "Control HDMI" needs to be set to "off". I am not sure what it means, but now the unit powers up with the sound on instead of muted and does not go into the mute/unmute loop.