Sony has built an entertainment product line through the years that has set the pace for the competition. The company is dedicated to bringing cutting edge technology into the homes of a diverse group of consumers. Almost everyone at some point has owned a Sony product and that is part of reason why Sony has become the powerhouse it is today. It’s not that Sony’s products are necessarily better their competition, it’s because Sony has spent a lot of money getting the consumer to perceive that their products are a better value and that has been one of the secrets to their success.

Home theater systems are big business today. The movie industry has done a great job of bringing the big screen into our homes. One of Sony’s products, the HT DDWG700 has made an impact on that market. It is considered a great value, as well as a powerful system that is perfect for the consumer who is entering the home theater market for the first time.

The HT DDWG700 has everything almost anyone needs to enjoy a full audio experience whether it is from DVD’s, digital cable or other sources. It’s has all the ingredients. It’s a 5.1 channel 900 watt receiver with 5 satellite speakers and a subwoofer with an 8 inch bass. It has Dolby Digital DTS and the Pro Logic II decoding. The 30 station preset AM/FM tuner has 20 FM and 10 AM channel settings. The system is equipped with Digital Cinema Sound which enhances the audio for action films, comedies and dramas. The Auto calibration function will automatically do the adjustment for distance, speaker placement and delay. The microphone is an important part of that feature. The size of the system is perfect for small spaces. It measures 17” Wide x 5.75” High x 12.12 inches Deep. The system comes with a remote that is not universal and the system has a one year warranty.

Those features make the Sony HT DDWG700 a great value. You don’t have to fool around with the speakers to find the right sound field; the auto calibration function makes that a simple process. This system actually conforms to your home space, rather than trying to make it work because of pre-existing operational requirements. The five base-reflex satellite speakers are awesome; four are for the front and rear channels and one is for the center. It also has a digital clock and a sleep timer, as well as optical and coaxial digital inputs.

Another great feature of the system is that it is magnetically shielded against video interference, which means you can put the speakers near the TV and not experience any picture distortion. The system comes with a user’s manual, two AA batteries, foot pads for the subwoofer and 20 more for the other components.

No system is perfect for everyone. There are always things that don’t fit people’s needs or expectations. This system is a little heavier than the Panasonic SC-HT40 and the bass is little too “bassy” and bulky for some consumers. Some complain that the remote is not a universal remote. Other consumer say that the speaker wires are too thin and can’t be replaced and that the subwoofer doesn’t have enough bass. As you can see everyone has different thoughts about the same system and most of the issues with this system are personal preferences rather than flaws.

This Sony product has been well received in the home theater marketplace. It stands up to the competition as far as value, quality and performance. Some consumer prefer Panasonic SC-PT660 or Phillips HTS 3450 over this Sony home theater system but it’s not because this system is inferior, it’s all a matter of choice and price.