Sony DAV-C450 Dream System
Sony's DAV-C450 DVD Dream System will make impressive entertainment a reality in your home. This system includes a 5-disk DVD/SACD/CD changer, a 6-speaker system, 5 satellite speakers, and a subwoofer. Features like the S-Master digital amplifier, Dolby Digital, dts and Dolby Pro-Logic Decoding, 500 Watts of total system power, and Digital Cinema Sound will dazzle you with the results they produce. Also featuring CD-R/RW & Super Audio CD playback, a tuner with 20 FM + 10 AM station presets, a digital input for satellite TV, etc., color coded speaker connections, and 2 A/V inputs - 1 A/V output, this system is easy to set up and a dream to listen to. Utilize the pre-programmed A/V Remote Commander Remote Control as you fast forward into entertainment overload with the DAV-C450.
Sony DAV-C450 Dream System Accessories
Sony DAV-C450 Dream System Reviews
I have had this system for about 4 or 5 years. Maybe 3 dvd's per week. It didn't get extreme use. I rented a DVD, and it was stuck inside the unit, so we had to disect the thing to get the DVD out. Not the kind of quality I was hoping for from Sony. I am not sure if we will be repairing it at all. It basically seems like it fell off the track.but it wouldnt eject any of the dvd's in the player, nor would it play them. And last weekend the DVD player malfunctioned.
It now reads "no disc". Thanks sony. worked for a couple years so I give it that. :(.
My father in law bought a much cheaper panasonic home theatre system about 6 months before I got mine and his has never had any issues and sounds just as good. Sony tech support was no help, but I did find a soloution by randomly hitting buttons, trying everything and anything I could think of to make the system work again - I believe it was some sort of a region problem/setting on the unit that I somehow corrected. I purchased this product back in 2003 and it was fine at first. All sony can say is to send it in for service. Then, a couple of months later, I was unable to hear sound through any of the aux ports or radio. After about a year, I had some problems playing DVD's where it would start up, go to the main menu and then just stop and move on to the next disc.
Last week I was using the "shuffle" option and it stopped playing in the middle of a song and I could not get the CDs to come out. I took it to a repair shop and they said a PC board was bad and would cost $295 to replace.
It looks like a lot of people have this same problem but the guy at Sony said he never heard of any problems with this unit. I am very dissappointed and will probably not buy a Sony product again.
I called Sony help line and they told me to ship it to a Sony authorized dealer. I purchased this unit in 2003 and it has been OK for the first 2 years.
I'm considering getting a $40 DVD player to plug into the back of this unit so I can still have the AM/FM and surround sound. Once in awhile a disc would get stuck.
They said it was cheaper to just get another system.
Funny how little of bass seems to punch out of it. What's interesting but not shocking is that the center channel isn't a true and dedicated center speaker. Have you ever bought a car with power steering, a cd player, and great gas mileage. Blues were not too loud, and any other images were pretty realistic. If this thing were cut open, I wouldn't want to look inside. The rest of the gang do their job and no more. I call it the humming box. Home Theater systems have bursted so quickly onto the scene in the last few years, and they keep getting smaller, simpler, and cheaper.
The power source comes from the integrated player which boasts a built in amp that carries enough juice to give each little cube speaker 80 watts, and totals in peak of 500 watts, so 400 watts goes to the five speakers, and the remaining 100 goes to the slim front ported subwoofer. The speakers themselves sound hollow, and not very direct-now, they don't sound TERRIBLE-no. Regardless of these 'Happy Meal' speakers, the sound decoding is accurate, and if you have better speakers, try them out with this player. One of the earlier models that Sony offered is the DAV-C450 DVD Home Theater System. And that usually was with your large tower stereo speakers and a killer amp. So voice and sound reproduction from the 'so-called' center channel is nothing special-I could use any of the other supplied speakers as a center channel, since they perform and look the same way.
But they sure could use a big upgrade (yeah, I know, what you spend is what you get). The volume capacity is pretty unspectacular, unless you have a pretty small room. Each disc can remain inside the player (just like those cartridge or carousel cd players) while you watch one already playing. Even though there are much more accurate and powerful home theater components and speakers available, some people don't have the cash or space. Although this system is capable of giving you a bit of a 'surround theater' feel, the speakers (yes, again) don't spread the sound very well, so you could say that they are "sweet spot stinkers". I'd probably cry. With fleets of stereos, walkmans, discmans, laptops, tv's, and more, there ain't no stoppin' them now. But I'll be nice and do as the instructions say, okay Sony.
Surround and direct sounds are average, and their 80 watts each seem more like 20. So, their next option is for a more compact system that's all in one. Wow, what a start. You can't call this thing a subwoofer. Picture quality is more than fair, as long as your tv is a pretty good one. The Sony C450 Dream System is something that parents should consider for their kids in the basement or bedroom, or any of their college bound kids. Aside from those little pluses, it still probably handles like a tricycle, and accelerates like a sloth. It gives a few hums of base here and there, but there's really only enough bass to make a cat happy.
The only way we've really enjoyed home theater before all of the 5.1 to 7.1 capabilities with DTS and Pro Logic stuff, was in two channel stereo to four channel surround. Lines and images are a little crispy, but at least well defined. They've also produced a large number of speakers that have gone up and down in quality. So.so what. If you think this Sony system is the awesome one to buy, keep dreaming. There are better mini home theater systems out there. Sandwiched into a sincerely small system is a five disc DTS and Pro Logic capable DVD player.
I had to turn up the volume practically all the way just to be moderately satisfied. Sony is perhaps the most popular electronic company on the face of the earth.
In a room of about 10' by 15', the sound was 'just' reaching the back of the room. A lot of sales guys in your electronic big box stores will praise these little systems because they are DTS, 5.1, and DVD.
Still, what can you say about a system you spend $450 on. A sub that gives at least some good bass should be powered with it's own amp, and this one is simply powered by a permanent wire that goes from the integrated unit to the sub.
Even the faded white pipes on the mini subs or piping in the underwater oil rig station weren't too white, and not too far off from the real thing. Colours are nothing to complain about, especially when I slipped James Cameron's "The Abyss" in for a while.
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