Sony HT-DDW740S Review

Overall Rating

Out of the box amp & speaker system,
Easy to get started,
Good value.

Poor manual,
Amp is on the large side,
Remote control could be improved.

A new-ish phenomenon in home cinema is the out-of-the-box amp and speaker system - but with no DVD included, as would be the case with e.g. the Sony DAVS500 or 800. This is ideal if you want to move from having a DVD player and Nicam TV into 'proper' home cinema, without going bonkers on the money front. The HTDDW740S can be found for around the £300-£350 mark and includes a Sony STRDE485 receiver amp, 5 decent speakers and an active subwoofer. It's quite easy to set up and makes a very acceptable sound, with 80 watts per channel of power. You could of course go a separates route but probably not for the same money. I think the amp does a good job, and with DTS and Dolby Digital should last for a while. I was a bit worried before testing/buying about the speakers but feel that they are a very acceptable solution especially if you're after budget home cinema rather than a new hi-fi (having said that, music from a CD/SACD sounds clear and not too squeaky/tinny). The amp is quite large/tall (all AV receivers except TEAC seem like this), features are generally easy to use, but the manual is complex and not in plain English at many points, and is for the Receiver rather than the boxed system you've bought (which is dealt with simply by a large A3 sheet - not good enough, Sony!). I didn't have too many problems getting to a point where I could get sound out but the fine detail of the speaker settings looks very daunting. Remote control is cluttered and complex. No surprises to find that the speaker cable is very basic, as are the other connects provided... although you wonder with a system like this whether it's worth lashing out on more expensive speaker cable.
Overall, the system is a good value compromise as a start in the world of 'home cinema'.