Product Description

DVD Dream System with 750 Total System Power- 110 x 5(F,C,R) + 100W x 2 Subwoofer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52339 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DAV-FR1

Features

• Complete home theater system with a 5-disc DVD/receiver combo, 5 speakers, a biamplified subwoofer, and 110 watts per channel x 5, 100 wpc x 2
• Features compact satellite speakers and a subwoofer with dual 6.5-inch drivers
• Compatible with DVD-Video, MP3 CD, JPEG image CD, and high-resolution Super Audio CD (SACD); FM/AM tuner with 30 station presets
• Dolby Digital, DTS ES, and Dolby Pro Logic II processing for dynamic, enveloping surround sound from movies and music
• DVD/receiver: 17 x 2.8 x 15.6; satellites: 3.5 x 8.6 x 3; center speaker: 14 x 3.6 x 3; subwoofer: 8 x 15 x 14 inches (W x H x D)

Amazon.com Product Description
Bringing shiny elegance and great sound to even the smallest of living rooms or apartment spaces, Sony's DAV-FR1 Dream System home theater features a slot-loading 5-disc DVD-Video/SACD changer with built-in surround-receiver abilities and color-coded speaker terminals. It also comes with 4 bookshelf satellite speakers (left/right front and surround), a slim center-channel speaker, and a stand-alone subwoofer designed to work in concert with the rest of the components to deliver exhilarating, full-bodied surround sound from DVD, CD, MP3 CD, and Super Audio CD (SACD) music sources.

The system's 750 watts (total) are routed through its 7-channel S-Master full-digital amplifier/tuner and enhanced by the Digital Direct twin-drive subwoofer and its dual 6.25-inch woofers. (The amp pumps 110 watts x 5 for front, center, and surround speakers, with 100 watts x 2 for the passive subwoofer). Sony's exclusive S-Master digital amplifier delivers high power and low heat while occupying minimal space--merely 25 percent of the space required by a conventional amplifier.

Surround decoding and processing includes Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX (6.1), DTS-ES, and Dolby Pro Logic II (which generates discrete 5.1-channel surround sound from any stereo/2-channel source).

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the DAV-FR1 is equipped to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. Choose from progressive-scan component-video outputs, composite-video, or S-video outputs. (Older TVs may require an RF modulator or video switcher to convert composite- or S-video to a threaded RF coaxial jack.)

Depending on the disc, SACD music releases provide super high-fidelity multichannel and/or stereo sound, using a high-resolution 1-bit converter to exceed the quality potential found in the standard 16-bit compact disc. The system also offers JPEG image CD slideshows so you can get the most from your favorite digital media right in the comfort of your living room.

Enjoy the DAV-FR1 from the repose of your easy chair with the supplied easy-to-operate Remote Commander remote control. Auxiliary connections include secondary composite- and S-video sources for a camcorder, gaming console, or VCR, and a headphone jack for private listening.

The DAV-FR1 system's design is sure to be a visual centerpiece. Glazed with a metallic frost, the system will illuminate any room with its slim, elegant speakers and attractive, brushed-aluminum chassis.

What's in the Box
DVD player/integrated surround amplifier, 4 bookshelf satellite speakers, a center speaker, a passive subwoofer, a remote control (RM-SP350), remote batteries, a user's manual, all requisite cabling.

Customer Reviews

Awesome Sound Right Out of the Box!
I was pretty skeptical about a home-theater-in-a-box until I got this new Sony system home and tried it out. I already had a really good component-based home theater, but this system was a promotional purchase along with my new Sony HDTV, and the price was too good to pass up. Set-up took about 45 minutes, but the resulting sound is awesome! The bass is wonderful - when the Norah Jones CD is playing, my living room sounds like a jazz club!

I had recently purchased the Sony NS-575P single-disc DVD player and was stunned by its video performance and slick operation. It looks as though the changer in the FR1 uses similar software, or atleast, the same user interface and it is great! I like how it displays the disc's artwork as a screen background. The reasons why I'm happy with this Sony changer are similar to why I am also so happy with the stand-alone player I had to move to the den - it decodes virtually EVERYTHING you can throw at it... mp3, SACD (!), and DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD with JPEGS, etc.

And, the all-in-one package means a minimum of wires. Quite frankly, I'm really impressed with this "dream system"... it delivers big sound and convenience for much less money than I expected to have to pay! Thanks, Sony!

Update: Just listened to/watched the Star Wars trilogy on DVD and the sound (and video) is very impressive. In particular, the dialogue was always audible, even when the music and other sound effects were active.

Also: There is one thing that bugs me about this player - this is my first carousel CD or DVD changer (I've had a magazine changer forever), so I don't know if this is par for the course or not, but it takes a fairly long amount of time to load a disc into an empty slot... you can hear lots of stuff going on inside the box, but it's never clear WHEN it's OK to go ahead and load the disc. But maybe this is true of all carousel-style changers.

Just FYI: No color/saturation problems can be detected with my system. I use component video outputs with an HDTV widescreen monitor (see my other reviews) and I stand by the stunning images I see - my DVD collection, as I stated above, is BRAND NEW again!

Good Mid-Range System
The Sony DAV FR1 looks and sounds great, but it does not exactly set the standard for cutting edge technology for home theatre systems.

It comes with the 5 speakers and 1 woofer and the 5 disc DVD player.

Speakers:

They are 100 watts each. Powerful.. very powerful. I have a huge living room and the speakers filled the room with sound. But there are 2 aspects which bother me, viz.

1) The surround speakers should have had a system by which they could be connected wirelessly. Panasonic makes a similar home theatre system, which has that wireless feature. Although, Panasonic sells the wireless system to connect the surround speakers seperately. Nevertheless, it is comforting to know that when you have a few extra dollars lying around, you can avail that system and get rid of the wires lying around on the carpet. You have no way of doing that with this Sony model.

2) Stands. In this day and age, we simply dont have the time or resources to go out and fit fixtures on to the wall for the surround speakers. And I dont want to spend a penny more (let alone $40 for the Sanus stands) for additional stands for the speakers. The lack of this feature is indeed very irritating. I dont understand why some thing which can be made so cheaply (the stands) cant be provided with a system which is so expensive.

The DVD Player :
The DVD player is old technology. PERIOD!

1) It has a dot illumination type display system, which ruins the otherwise sleek appearance of the system. But it is better than an LCD Display because you can make out the information being displayed while seated at a distance of a few feet.

2) The DVD Player boasts a 5 disc system, which is a major convinience, since you wont have to get up to change discs time and again. Some people have said it takes some time for the discs to load, etc... but I found the speed to be quite normal. Please remember, even in a $3000 worth laptop - it does take some time for the CD drawer to eject when you press the button. This system is no different, it is NOT slow.

3) The DVD player has 2 speeds for fast forward and rewind. That is a far cry from the 1,1.5,2,4,8,16,32 speed levels available even in my other $17.00 Desay DVD Player (The Desay is an individually lousy player - dont even think of buying it. And the manufacturer and Circuit city didnt honor the mail in rebate forms for it.) But that is not a major factor. Given the chapter forward/rewind feature, the 1X and 2X speeds are reasonably acceptable.

4) The DVD Player plays DVD videos, SACD (Super Audio CD's - I have no idea what they are) and a host of CD types, viz. CD-R, CD-RW, etc. I have no idea if this DVD player can play Divx or AVI or MPEG files. And normally DVD players dont. And this one doesnt seem to be an espcially new old technology. Besides that, it doesnt say on the manual that this can play DVD-RW or DVD-R/+R.

So if I am cribbing so much, why did I rate it 4 stars?

Simply because it looks and sounds great.

Set up was simple, the sound was AMAZING!!!!!!! I did not dare to increase the volume more than 50% of its capability for the fear of bothering my neighbors.

The DVD remote is great. I really like the feature wherein the most commonly used buttons are exposed, and the other ones hidden under a sliding cover. I also like the innovative battery placement system of this remote - it is to the front side, and to access it, you have to just slide the cover completely off the front.

This system also provides a host of other features like FM and AM playing capability, ability to accomodate a game system (X-box or Play station), an additional surround speaker system, a satellite feed, etc etc. It has component video out, S video out, and monitor out (yellow jacketed cable). So no matter what, you will be able to use the speakers with a host of other devices.

Bottom line, if you are concious about the amount of money you spend on a home theatre system, then this is an excellent buy. The brand name of Sony commands a lot of respect. People like seeing the name "Sony", and this was indeed a factor under consideration when I chose this system.

You will like the sound. If some one says this is not enough, he either needs to get his ears checked, or he has not connected the speakers properly.

A home theatre system is primarily for its woofer and speakers, the DVD player is just an additional contrivance. And I am totally satisfied with the DVD player too. I would think, spending $300 on this system is totally justified.

Thanks,
Kaushik.

Make your dream come true!
I don't why the previous reviewer gave this wonderful piece of sound engineering such a poor rating. I gifted this system to myself in Christmas, after lot of deliberation between this system, Sony DAV-BC150 and Panasonic HT-720. And I am eternally glad that I finally choose this system. DAV-FR1 is everything you can expect, and then some more. Let me jot them in a organized fashion before I get too carried away:

1. Quality: I am quite finicky about sound quality, and yet I have heard nothing like this baby. With good quality source material, DAV-FR1 can rival sound systems in theaters - seriously. Movies look wonderful with progressive scan/component video output.
2. Power: 750 W total power, S-Master digital amplifier, twin-driver subwoofer...need I say more? I can't use even the 20% of the total power.
3. Convenience: Can play DVDs(both +/- formats), CD (-R/-RW, even multisession), MP3 CDs (including ID3 tags), JPEG CDs (including EXIF data) - and other exotic formats like VCD and SACD. The software interface is not just good, it's well-thought and well-designed. 5 disk slot loading changer means you'll never get hit by faulty eject mechanisms any more. Speakers/connectors/receiver is color-matched for easy hookups.
4. Compatibility: Supports almost all the Dolby/DTS matrix and surround decoding formats.
5. Expansion option: For those of you who'd like to upgrade to 6.1 from 5.1 in the future - this receiver outputs a surround back channel, and supports 6.1 decoding options (Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES).
6. Looks: If you've ever drooled over a Apple PowerBook, you know what I'm referring to. DAV-FR1 is drop-dead sleek and gorgeous, with solid build quality and brushed-metal look. In reality it looks much better than the paltry picture Amazon provides. The back-lit silver remote perfectly complements the system. Bye bye, black ugly receivers.

Final thoughts: If you're shopping for a home theater this festive season, and intelligent enough to reject over-priced (and over-hyped) Bose, your search is over! You can't go wrong with DAV-FR1, or it's big sister DAV-FR9. And no, I don't work for Sony ;-), am just a overly satisfied customer.