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Sony HT-CT150 and CT350 - Page 3

post #61 of 2065
6/15/10 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRT6Guy View Post

Why not get a harmony remote and program it for her? I would be lost without mine. I have one for the bedroom, and another for the living room.

Thanks for the suggestion. Definitely something to consider.

Well, back into the mix it goes.
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post #62 of 2065
6/15/10 at 10:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3ric View Post

I have the htct350 in the master bedroom, so it's probably the ideal room for a soundbar. The room is 15x20 and the soundbar faces the shorter side of the room. The surround sound effect is decent enough that my ears have been tricked into thinking there was sound coming from behind me while watching a blu-ray. The dialogue is great. I love that you can turn up the center channel. I have it set at +2. To br fair, though, i thought the Samsung did a great job with dialogue too, even though there was no center channel. The Sony has a much better surround effect than the Samsung.

I like the Sony better and i'm planning on keeping it. The plethora of adjustments and connections, plus the better surround effect, make it a keeper for me.

One caveat: I haven't turned the volume up past 25, so I can't really give an opinion on how loud it can get, but at 25 my wife told me that i better turn it down or else.

I can't comment on the other Sony soundbars or the Vizio as I haven't owned them.

Hey 3ric

Thanks much for posting your impressions and feedback on the soundbar.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #63 of 2065
6/16/10 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by davyo View Post

I tried out a Bose Cinemate II in my house and was fairly impressed with it,,, I thought it stood up pretty good compared with the Sony CT100, CT500 and the Vizio soundbar /wireless sub,,, I have owned all of them,,, (still own the Vizio).

If you can get the Bose really cheap grab it,, if you dont like it you can always sell it on eBay and perhaps make a few bucks off it.

Cheers
Davyo

Thanks for the feedback davyo. The Bose sounded nice to me and it is aesthetically pleasing to myself and my wife. I know how people here feel about Bose, but I'm no audiophile and the price is right.

I don't think I could resell it after purchasing it from a buddy though. I just feel wrong about turning around and making a buck off it.


Thanks for the review 3ric!
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post #64 of 2065
6/16/10 at 7:50am
Thank you for the info 3ric.
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post #65 of 2065
6/16/10 at 3:23pm
You're welcome. Let me know if you have any other questions
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post #66 of 2065
6/16/10 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MooN77 View Post

Thanks for the feedback davyo. The Bose sounded nice to me and it is aesthetically pleasing to myself and my wife. I know how people here feel about Bose, but I'm no audiophile and the price is right.

I don't think I could resell it after purchasing it from a buddy though. I just feel wrong about turning around and making a buck off it.


Thanks for the review 3ric!

Your welcome,,,,, and yes,, Bose does get slammed around here and some of it is valid and some of the slamming is not.

The Cinemate II that I checked out I might have kept had the price not been so high,,, it actualy sounded pretty darn good.

If Bose priced their stuff with more realistic prices they woud sell more stuff,, but Bose is pretty stupid when it comes to some things and smart when it comes to other things,,,,, they just have a problem being smart all the time.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #67 of 2065
6/17/10 at 1:44pm
I haven't posted here in a long time, but I have appreciated reading all the comments on AVS Forum. I was in the market for a soundbar, so I've been watching this part of the forum closely.

I picked up a HT-CT150 yesterday, set it up and tried it out last night. Keep in mind I come from a 5.1 Infinity speaker set with an Onkyo receiver that was just a few years old. We will be moving into a new house soon and my wife just didn't want to deal with all the speakers and wires in the family room anymore. We have young kids, and it just seems to be a hassle.

Anyway, I had read such great things about the CT-100 and was hoping the 150 would be a least as good, with the advantage of it being 3D ready.

I am pleasantly surprised! I find the volume on this thing to be nice and loud, and in Movie mode, I think the surround effect is quite convincing. After checking-out the Netflix options on my new Sony Blu-ray player, I popped in my "I Robot" Blu-ray and played the opening credits which have some nice ambient "underwater" sound effects. The CT-150 literally filled the family room in the townhome we're renting temporarily with sound...all over... front, sides, and behind. It was quite enveloping surround sound. After adjusting the bass, treble, and center and subwoofer levels (I goosed the bass a bit and really turned up the treble) I was quite happy with the sound quality.

Later, I looked at many of the action scenes in I Robot. I could not hear some of the specific, localized surround in those scenes I've heard before... but it was enveloping nonetheless. I listened to the "Home Theater Geeks" podcast recently, and the topic was the somewhat controversial belief that psychoacoustic surround sound can actually be better, because it can simulate surround coming from so many more positions in the room that a discrete system does. I found some evidence to support that coming from the CT-150.

After we move in to the new house, I'll be using this in a larger family room... probably a medium- sized room. I will be anxious to see if I am as happy with it there. In the meantime, I'm quite satisfied with the CT-150.

By the way... I auditioned the Vizio soundbar at Walmart yesterday, too, and thought it sounded very good, as well. I chose the Sony because of the video/source HDMI switching options. Maybe I'll pick up the Vizio for the bedroom!
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post #68 of 2065
6/17/10 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by daron View Post

I haven't posted here in a long time, but I have appreciated reading all the comments on AVS Forum. I was in the market for a soundbar, so I've been watching this part of the forum closely.

I picked up a HT-CT150 yesterday, set it up and tried it out last night. Keep in mind I come from a 5.1 Infinity speaker set with an Onkyo receiver that was just a few years old. We will be moving into a new house soon and my wife just didn't want to deal with all the speakers and wires in the family room anymore. We have young kids, and it just seems to be a hassle.

Anyway, I had read such great things about the CT-100 and was hoping the 150 would be a least as good, with the advantage of it being 3D ready.

I am pleasantly surprised! I find the volume on this thing to be nice and loud, and in Movie mode, I think the surround effect is quite convincing. After checking-out the Netflix options on my new Sony Blu-ray player, I popped in my "I Robot" Blu-ray and played the opening credits which have some nice ambient "underwater" sound effects. The CT-150 literally filled the family room in the townhome we're renting temporarily with sound...all over... front, sides, and behind. It was quite enveloping surround sound. After adjusting the bass, treble, and center and subwoofer levels (I goosed the bass a bit and really turned up the treble) I was quite happy with the sound quality.

Later, I looked at many of the action scenes in I Robot. I could not hear some of the specific, localized surround in those scenes I've heard before... but it was enveloping nonetheless. I listened to the "Home Theater Geeks" podcast recently, and the topic was the somewhat controversial belief that psychoacoustic surround sound can actually be better, because it can simulate surround coming from so many more positions in the room that a discrete system does. I found some evidence to support that coming from the CT-150.

After we move in to the new house, I'll be using this in a larger family room... probably a medium- sized room. I will be anxious to see if I am as happy with it there. In the meantime, I'm quite satisfied with the CT-150.

By the way... I auditioned the Vizio soundbar at Walmart yesterday, too, and thought it sounded very good, as well. I chose the Sony because of the video/source HDMI switching options. Maybe I'll pick up the Vizio for the bedroom!

Thanks for posting your opinions on the CT-150.

As to the psychoacoustic subject,,,, I would rather have a soundbar than a 5.1 system any day of the week,,,, with a 5.1 system I hate the discrete directional sound coming from each speaker hung around the room,,,, Im such a soundbar junkie I could never go back to that "I know what sound is coming from which speaker" sound.

I would much rather have that "being in a sound bubble" sound that can be produced by a good soundbar.

I have the Vizio bar with the wireless sub and love it,,, I have also owned the Sony CT-100 and CT-500.

If your thinking about getting the Vizio bar be aware that there is a new improved Vizio bar getting released any day now. http://www.vizio.com/vht210.html


Cheers
Davyo
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post #69 of 2065
6/18/10 at 4:31am
Just for fun I ordered the CT-150 to check out and compare with the new Vizio "when" that comes out.

A heads up,, the CT-150 can be had on Amazon for really really really cheap with free shipping,,,, to good a deal to pass up,, so I had to get it.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #70 of 2065
6/18/10 at 8:38am
Davyo,

I'm right with you on the soundbar vs. discrete system argument. With my old system, I thought I got too obsessed with identifying which speaker each sound was coming from. It was not the passive-enjoyment experience I was looking for.

I think I'll buy that new Vizio when it comes out, too, and do a comparison with the CT-150 like you are. Perhaps we can compare notes!

--Daron
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post #71 of 2065
6/18/10 at 9:56am
Davyo,
You just SOO nailed it. I would take my Mitsubishi Unisen or Yamaha ysp over 'most' 5.1 moderately priced setups any day. You stayed it exactly. That sound bubble is much closer to what one hears in a theater. Now there are execptions. I think the Mirage omni's are amazing at spreading the sound so it's less pin pointable, much like the way the ear perceives the movie theater experience, but.. most.. are not.
It always amazes me when people immediately jump in with, "a soundbar is ok, but of course if you can do it, you're far better off with real 5.1."
That just bewilders me really.
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post #72 of 2065
6/18/10 at 1:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by daron View Post

Davyo,

I'm right with you on the soundbar vs. discrete system argument. With my old system, I thought I got too obsessed with identifying which speaker each sound was coming from. It was not the passive-enjoyment experience I was looking for.

I think I'll buy that new Vizio when it comes out, too, and do a comparison with the CT-150 like you are. Perhaps we can compare notes!

--Daron

Hey Daron,,,,,, I will look forward to hearing your opinions on the Vizio and see how our opinions compare.

I had the Sony CT-100 and CT-500 along with the Vizio w/wireless sub,,, in the end the Vizio was the one I kept,, while the CT-500 had the better surround effect the Vizio won out for me for overall sound and ease of use.
I wonder if the new Vizio vs the CT-150 will have the same outcome or not for me.

Cheers
Davyo

Quote:
Originally Posted by frostylou View Post

Davyo,
You just SOO nailed it. I would take my Mitsubishi Unisen or Yamaha ysp over 'most' 5.1 moderately priced setups any day. You stayed it exactly. That sound bubble is much closer to what one hears in a theater. Now there are execptions. I think the Mirage omni's are amazing at spreading the sound so it's less pin pointable, much like the way the ear perceives the movie theater experience, but.. most.. are not.
It always amazes me when people immediately jump in with, "a soundbar is ok, but of course if you can do it, you're far better off with real 5.1."
That just bewilders me really.

Hey Frosty

Yea,,,, I do get a but miffed when I see that statement as well (a 5.1 is better than a soundbar crap),,,,, in the right shaped room and set up correctly a good soundbar will blow away many "traditional" discrete systems.

I remember at CES a few years ago, sitting in Yamahas YSP room and being just stunned at how good a YSP could sound with a perfect set-up and room,,,, it blew away every other system I had ever heard or owned,,,, the sound was just so much more natural than a traditional speaker set-up.

On a side note,,,, I have always wondered why Mitsubishi never came out with a stand-alone Unisen type soundbar,,,,, the Mitsubishi Unisen display combo ROCKS,,, I would have kept mine but I just could not live with a 52" screen size,,, if Mits would have brought out a bigger screen size with the same soundbar set-up I would have bought and kept one of those.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #73 of 2065
6/18/10 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by davyo View Post

Just for fun I ordered the CT-150 to check out and compare with the new Vizio "when" that comes out.

A heads up,, the CT-150 can be had on Amazon for really really really cheap with free shipping,,,, to good a deal to pass up,, so I had to get it.

Cheers
Davyo

i got my CT150 from amazon as well. i'm lookin forward to yur comparison between the CT150 and vizio soundbar.

i've had my CT150 for about a week and a half or 2 weeks now and i'm really satisfied with it. this is my first soundbar and the sound quality really exceeded my expectations. i've only had experiences with traditional 5.1/7.1 systems prior to my CT150 purchase. the "surround sound" is really convincing sometimes, especially when u are listening to a good source like blu ray movies. if i had to do it again, i would definitely consider a soundbar. only thing i'd do differently is probably go with the CT350 or a longer sized bar. my living room is kinda big, and has a very open floor plan, so a longer bar would really help the surround effect. i couldn't imagine how much better my CT150 would sound in a smaller, closed room.
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post #74 of 2065
6/18/10 at 2:20pm
Davyo, It is funny. It would actually.. or should be ..Martin Logan that should come up with it, as they designed the soundbar for the Mitsubishis. Every time I hear a Martin Logan 5.1 set up at Frys or Magnolia, it is funny the way the Mitsubishi Unisen has that "Martin Loganish" sound to it that is just awesome. Now I am in no way saying that it sounds like or should sound like $3000 Electrostatic speakers. Just that there is a similarness in terms of the color, warmth, and clarity to Martin Logans speaker line.
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post #75 of 2065
6/18/10 at 9:21pm
I ordered one today as well. Seems like the price goes up and down each day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by davyo View Post

Just for fun I ordered the CT-150 to check out and compare with the new Vizio "when" that comes out.

A heads up,, the CT-150 can be had on Amazon for really really really cheap with free shipping,,,, to good a deal to pass up,, so I had to get it.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #76 of 2065
6/19/10 at 5:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirnice View Post

I ordered one today as well. Seems like the price goes up and down each day.

Yea,, when I saw the $225.00 price with no tax and free shipping I had to order the CT-150,, that was just to good of a deal to pass up.

The other thing is I have a buyer for my Vizio soundbar w/sub for $150.00,,, so in reality the CT-150 only cost me $75.00.

When the new Vizio bar comes out I will get that and compare it against the CT-150,,,, I will sell or return the losing soundbar and keep the winner of my personal soundbar shoot-out.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #77 of 2065
6/21/10 at 10:13pm
You guys down south are extremely lucky to get those prices. The HT-CT350 just went on sale at sony.ca, and it's listed for $699.99! The 150 is $499.99!

I really want the 350, but can't justify paying that price. I understand there are price differences between US and Canada, but $300?!?! That's ridiculous. I may have to take a drive across the border to pick one up. Our dollar is just about on par right now, so it'd be worth the drive for the savings. I just want to make sure the quality is worth the drive, so I'd like to read more reviews first.
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post #78 of 2065
6/22/10 at 2:18pm
According the manual
The Canadian version of the CT150 is a bit weaker
I wonder why Sony had to tune down the Canadian version
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post #79 of 2065
6/23/10 at 8:02am
I am running into issue with my CT150
I have connected sound bar to TV with HDMI
Sound bar seems fine with WDTV and PS3
But when I am watching cable
There was no sound coming out from my sound bar
And no I don't have a cable box

Second issue is for night mode, is the sub suppose to light up?
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post #80 of 2065
6/23/10 at 8:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by low_moe View Post

I am running into issue with my CT150
I have connected sound bar to TV with HDMI
Sound bar seems fine with WDTV and PS3
But when I am watching cable
There was no sound coming out from my sound bar
And no I don't have a cable box

Second issue is for night mode, is the sub suppose to light up?

is the tv able to send sound down through the HDMI ? Also is the TV set to send it through the HDMI down to the sound bar?
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post #81 of 2065
6/23/10 at 8:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neceo View Post

is the tv able to send sound down through the HDMI ? Also is the TV set to send it through the HDMI down to the sound bar?

Yes it does send it the HDMI for a while
Somehow after finish using WDTV
which was connected to the sound bar
when the time I start watch normal cable again
there was no sound coming out from the sound bar
I did a little research, some people use optical to solve issue like this
but my Philips TV doesn't have optical
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post #82 of 2065
6/23/10 at 9:19am
I have $100 credit on Sony stuff and was looking at picking up a CT100 on the cheap. Is the CT150 that much better to drop another 40 bones on it?
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post #83 of 2065
6/23/10 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by low_moe View Post

I am running into issue with my CT150
I have connected sound bar to TV with HDMI
Sound bar seems fine with WDTV and PS3
But when I am watching cable
There was no sound coming out from my sound bar
And no I don't have a cable box

Second issue is for night mode, is the sub suppose to light up?

what do u mean by the sub lighting up? do u mean the display on the front? if so, there is a 'dimmer' option in the menu that lets u adjust the sub's display up front.
Quote:
Originally Posted by velvet396 View Post

I have $100 credit on Sony stuff and was looking at picking up a CT100 on the cheap. Is the CT150 that much better to drop another 40 bones on it?

i don't have any experience with the CT100, but i did read alot of reviews stating that vocals were it's weak point due to the weak center channel.

i don't have any problems with vocals on my CT150, so that little bump in power (50w to 75w) might've made a positive difference.
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post #84 of 2065
6/23/10 at 12:25pm
Where's the current cheapest place to get a HT-CT150? I'm only finding a good price on ebay after BCB. Any other places you guys know of?
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post #85 of 2065
6/23/10 at 1:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by houstoned View Post

what do u mean by the sub lighting up? do u mean the display on the front? if so, there is a 'dimmer' option in the menu that lets u adjust the sub's display up front.

you know what
i thought the sub supposed to have a night light when night mode is on
i guess i had misunderstand
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post #86 of 2065
6/23/10 at 3:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BSoares View Post

Where's the current cheapest place to get a HT-CT150? I'm only finding a good price on ebay after BCB. Any other places you guys know of?

i got mine off of amazon.com. it was only $225 shipped to my door.
Quote:
Originally Posted by low_moe View Post

you know what
i thought the sub supposed to have a night light when night mode is on
i guess i had misunderstand

lol, no. the night mode is to reduce the volume at night so that u don't have to mess with any of yur settings. turn it right off when u can be loud again.

quick question: i watch blu rays on my PS3 and i was wondering what i should have my PS3's audio settings set at. i had my PS3 set to output linear PCM. do u guys recommend me have it on 'bitstream' instead of 'linear PCM'? when i have my PS3 set to output in 'bitstream' mode, my CT150 shows that it's producing 'DTS' sound. is this the optimal setting for my CT150? all connections are via HDMI.
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post #87 of 2065
6/23/10 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by houstoned View Post

i got mine off of amazon.com. it was only $225 shipped to my door.

Wish that price was still there
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post #88 of 2065
6/23/10 at 7:09pm
I had a chance to actually hear a CT350 today and was pretty impressed! I have a full Energy Veritas 7.1 system for my main tv, but I think for my secondary tv, this would be really pretty good.

My system is a Sharp LED 32LE700UN, Dish HD DVR 622, Toshiba HD-DVD (yeah, I know - it seemed like a good idea at the time!), a to be determined BD player (maybe a Sharp BD-HP70U that is supposed to work well with the Sharp TV), AND an Apple iPod Touch.

I'm debating going a Yamaha YSP-4000, which seems to be on sale for under $800 several places - but I'm worried about it using older technology. Even the YSP-4100, at almost double the cost), doesn't have the HDMI 1.4a ports. With my equipment TODAY, that's fine. In a few years, I might wish I had gone with the newer spec. I like also the wireless iPod connection for the YSP-4100. (Does anyone have this? Does the iPod menu show up on the TV screen on the Yamaha?). I have seen just TWO places locally (Los Angeles area, South Bay) that has a YSP on display, but NEITHER has them actually hooked up - so I haven't actually heard one!

So... people who are using the CT350 - do you think it would work for my equipment list?
Thanks!
Larry
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post #89 of 2065
6/24/10 at 3:41pm
So both the 150 and the 350 have HDMI 1.4a inputs/output, is that correct?
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post #90 of 2065
6/24/10 at 4:11pm
I BELIEVE so... Thought I saw it on the packaging/display info - however, the Sonystyle site lists only "3D Pass-through," and that's all the manual says as well. Odd that the HDMI spec isn't mentioned...

The ad on J&R's site says this: HDMI - 3 inputs (v1.4 with CEC). The ad at Vann's website also mentions 1.4 connectivity.

Sony Insider says this:
"It has been a while since that model was released and Sony is refreshing the line with the HDMI 1.4 capable HT-CT150 and HT-CT350 (CT350 pictured above). These will both be released in Japan on April 30th, but they are coming to the USA probably in the Summer or Fall. The HT-CT350 will cost Y50,000 ($550USD), while the CT150 will be about ten thousand less.

"What new features do they bring? One of the biggest additions is 3D support, which allows 3D displays and source devices to communicate through an HDMI link. It's a major milestone on the path to bringing true 3D gaming and 3D home theater to the mass market, supporting resolutions up to 1080p in 3D."

So maybe "1.4 capable" is sufficient to allow it to work with 3D material.

Larry
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