Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W Home Theater System Review: Solid Bang for the Buck

The Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W home theater system is the full package. Out of the box, it contains 5.1 Dolby surround sound technology with front tallboy speakers, an S-Air wireless assembly kit speaker and a five DVD disk player. It also comes equipped with some pretty impressive technology. It has a quick disc changer, will play MP3's and display JPEG files, as well as being equipped with a built-in iPod docking station.

In addition to all of the great features of the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W, it can play the SACD format, the popularity of which is admittedly starting to wane. At the same time, there are downsides to the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W. In addition to the set of tallboy speakers, the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W also features a center channel with both a left and a right rear wireless surround satellite speakers. Each of these speakers can rest on an entertainment center, or can be wall-mounted as well. The high quality tallboy speakers come with attractive, high quality stands that require assembly prior to use.

In terms of connectivity, the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W comes with ports for both composite component and HDMI connections, as well as both optical and coaxial inputs and an audio-in jack for 3.5 millimeter audio inputs.

The DVD video resolution of the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W includes 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 1080i. The rear wireless speakers are not as wireless as their name suggests, since only audio signals sent from the receiver to the rear speaker are transmitted wirelessly. Furthermore, the music audio quality is only mediocre, but video picture quality is excellent.

For the most part, the unit lacks video inputs, and overall, the system costs as much as a Blu-ray home theater system. This is a considerably negative aspect of the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W, as it appears that Blu-ray will become the standard consumer video format over the next few years. On the more minor side, the five-disc changer is a bit on the loud side. The remote is also extremely complicated-looking, and some of the buttons have several different commands mapped to them.

On the whole, the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W competing with Blu-ray is not yet a major consideration for most when buying a home theater system. If Blue-ray is not yet on your radar or in your price range, the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W is a solid choice for the level of quality and the features it provides. The Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W is the best choice for those looking to use their system primarily for DVD viewing rather than for CDs, MP3s, or iPod playback.