Customer Reviews
Sound fills the room 
2001-05-06
Sony's Dav-s300 is a great little system, great sound and can be set up by anyone! The sound fills the room and the dvd picture is extremly clear. Lack of inputs is the only downside to this machine, otherwise it's great! I recommend it
It's fine if you live in the desert 
2001-01-28
What a disappointment! I usually have great luck with Sony products, but not this one. This unit functions so poorly in humid environments that they've actually printed it up in the "troubleshooting" section of the manual! I live in the midwest and would come home in the summer and have to turn on the player 30 minutes before use so that the heat of the machine could "burn" the condensation off the laser lens. This is how Sony suggests dealing with this flaw! Even then, I could only get it to work 30% of the time. I took it back after a week and got the panasonic equivalent (only w/ 5 dvd changer!) and have been thrilled with it. Unless you live in a low humidity environment DO NOT BUY THIS!
The DAV S300 is a great deal for DVD newbies 
2001-01-09
I had never purchased any DVD products or home theater components, so I was not sure would satisify my urge for a good home theater and be simple enough that I could easily connect it and use it. The Sony Dream System, while not the most powerful system available, is certainly capable of producing all of the quality sound (whether Dolby 5.1 or DTS) that I need. The picture is excellent as well. All in all, I had very high expectations for this machine when I bought it and it has exceeded my expectations and been a joy to use. It is true that the system will NOT let you use CD-R's or CD-RW's. So, if you need that feature you should look at another machine. However, that omission does not bother me and I have had nothing but positive experience with this machine.... Highly recommended!!
Good deal, easy setup, mediocre power and features 
2001-01-04
It's been mentioned that it's easy to set up and that's true - it comes with all speaker wires color -coded. Hookup takes no more than 10 minutes; leading all speaker wires along your baseboards - a few hours. Sound quality is good.
NOTE A few annoying features:
There is no input for another component - I had to dispose of my tape player, because there is no way to connect it.
Power level is adequate for watching movies in a SMALL space - not for playing music at a party - you can turn the sound all the way up and still have a conversation.
and the most annoying feature - not mentioned anywhere else - you CAN'T play CDs that you burn on your computer. If I had known that I would probably have gotten a different system.
Great Deal 2000-12-18
I was in the market for a DVD/Stereo system, but didn't know what to get. I did alot of online research as well. I ended up coming down to three products, the panasonic equivalent and also the SAVA-900. The latter was beyond my price range, and the Panasonic didn't have the decoding options that this Sony did. Here are my bullets:
Decoding for 5.1, DTS, etc. Exceptional for "loaded" DVD's.
Remote - slick remote, could be backlit, but works well. Easy function.
Stereo - great reception, and good amount of tuning sets.
Sound - excellent sound for a small apartment. Fills the room and you get the detailed sounds. Good base. Puts you right in the middle of the action.
Great design - takes up little room
Great price - great features, quality for the price
Overall, it plays DVD and CD exceptionally well, automatically decodes the movie for what format it is (5.1, DTS, etc) but you can choose others. I loved listening to the Boston Pops holiday with it set on HALL mode...sounded like I was there!
I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a DVD/Home theater package in an apartment setting. You can't get any better.
home theater made easy 2001-08-25
The system has a very clean sound , but does lack power. The DAVS 500 offers 40 watts to all and 80 to sub. For the price ,it outshines the competition. There is a out for the woofer if you choose to replace the sub, sony does not recommend changing any components. DTS, 5.1, and various sound fields I prefer a unit which selects the best possible sound and if you want to alter GO ahead. A sub cost what this system cost. The speakers are matched which really brings out the sound, but no chance to upgrade with a 30 watt output. IF you do not want to shake the floor and create thunder in the living room or bedroom but do want clean sound this is for you. IF you want to expand and change then spend a 1000 or more on a better system.
Nice 2001-08-25
I really enjoy this thing. It's small, simple to install, easy to use, even my girlfriend could figure it out! The DTS sound is awesome! True it would be nice to hook up a tape deck, but really who has that anymore...and it would be nice to play CDR's but you can hook up a CD changer or other CD player, no big deal! I would recomend this thing to everyone. I done know what others are talkin about when they complain about not enough bass, you can raise the bass level, center level and rear also, it even has a way to hook up a powered sub woffer if you really want to annoy the neighbors. Oh and the price is droping too! I paid almost 700 bucks for it, I saw it in the paper last week for 400. Bottom line, buy it its cool, and all the cool kids have one!
not a monster but a sweetest company 2001-06-30
The thought of buying a dvd player with digital funtions had been haunting me for sometime. I looked into various models of dvds in the town but nothing to satisfy me. Then one day I saw this sleek dvd palyer with funtions that was more than one could anticipate according to its size. however, it was there with dts, dolby and everything. Its the best selection one can make for ones home. There will be no regret for the decission but if one expects very high sound system then it is better to drop the idea because it doesn't fullfil the need. So davs300 is exclusively a decent item for a domestic use.
Basic System for entry level - Dissapointment for me. 
2001-06-04
This system is perfect for people wanting a basic system for a small room and DVD Picture is good BUT,,,.
--Its sound isnt verry good in larger rooms. Response is poor --If you like your system loud and booming, this ISNT for you. --Base response is minimal. (especially in DVD Playback) -- The Best Output for video is 1 S-VHS output..(No component) -- Lacking inputs -- Will NOT controle a Calbe box or my brand of TV.. -- You CANNOT play CD-Rs or CD-RWs on this system. There was NO mention of this on the box or display info but when you finally buy it and take it home and open up the manual it's disclamer is in it saying it will not play them. Funny how all my other stereo and AV equiptment plays them even older systems,, Why does sony even make CD burners and CDRs to record on if they disable this feature in there systems ?? Probably because of Sony's large chunk of the music industry, they are afraid of someone copying a friends music CD without buying it ?? I make compilations of my old CD's so I can listen to the best songs without having to swich CDs every 6 minutes. Now I am returning this System for ALL the above reasons.
It seems that Sony did the LEAST amount of effort into this to get there product out there. Its a good entry level system that is easy to hookup but you Audio Video Pros should STEER CLEAR.
Sound fills the room 2001-05-06
Sony's Dav-s300 is a great little system, great sound and can be set up by anyone! The sound fills the room and the dvd picture is extremly clear. Lack of inputs is the only downside to this machine, otherwise it's great! I recommend it
