Sony BDV-E370 - not enamoured just yet...

[Liam19]

Took delivery of my new E370 system this afternoon, and after spending not much time connecting everything (SO easy when compared to wiring up my Denon 1910!) and tweaking the various sound settings, I'm not all that impressed yet.

Okay, so I wasn't expecting the earth on a stick from a system I got on sale online for just £248 (without a demo beforehand, unfortunately). But considering the all-round praise that's been heaped on this system, I'm surprised at how tinny and bright the sound seems, especially from the little centre speaker. And increasing the levels just makes the centre unbearably brash. PQ is typically excellent, and the unit is slick to use and quiet in operation. But so far I'm underwhelmed by the SQ.

I'm kinda hoping that the sound will warm up at least a little bit with some running in - anyone agree? Otherwise, can any E370 owners suggest any adjustments to settings that I may have missed?

Many thanks.

 

[ear]

those slim centers never convinced me.do try night mode if it has it or something like that.

 

[Liam19]

DVD upscaling is excellent - a real step up from the PS3.

More testing is leaving me with mixed impressions - it seems to handle music and effects pretty well but dialogue is poor, and the four identical satellites seem to sound better than the centre, which is just weedy!

And Night mode just makes it sound worse!

It's early days yet, I have a lot of testing to do before I make my mind up (I'm not easily pleased when it comes to my AV kit!)

 

[bigboss]

For someone who's used to an excellent separates system (Denon + KEF), I'm not at all surprised at your disappointment with an all-in-one system.

 

[Liam19]

bigboss:For someone who's used to an excellent separates system (Denon + KEF), I'm not at all surprised at your disappointment with an all-in-one system.

Good point, I guess I never realised how good my main system was until I heard something cheaper! But all the glowing reviews enticed me, and I couldn't really say no at that price!

But like I said, I need to give it a chance, it's only been a few hours!

 

[bigboss]

When these products are reviewed, they're done within the context of its target audience, not in comparison to dedicated separates systems.

£248 is not a bad price at all. Have you bought this for your bedroom?

 

[Liam19]

Yes, it's in an average-sized bedroom as part of a desktop setup, with a Samsung LED on PS3 & Blu-ray duties, as well as acting as a monitor for my PC. Once I've set everything up tidily I'll upload some photos.

I understand what you say about reviewing in context, and I did try and tailor my expectations. Ultimately the Samsung's often breathtaking HD images led me to crave better sound to complete the experience - but I never wanted to spend very much (considering how much the lounge system has cost me over the years!). This system seemed to fit the bill perfectly, but I guess I didn't really properly gauge the difference in quality between a 5-star all-in-one system and a separates system comprised of 5-star components!

These are my very first impressions, mind you, and (knowing me) I may be lauding it in a week's time! There's always that tendency to nitpick, I find, especially when I first get a piece of kit.

 

[Anonymous]

So, how does the sound feel after few days of accomodation?

The reason why I am asking: I have VERY old (older than me in fact, it's from 1970!) Kenwood stereo amp and Kenwood 3-way, 4-units pair of big speakers which I bought secondhand...

I recently auditioned some five-star all-in-one systems (with 4 tallboy speakers), and I found they were not even remotely close in sound quality to my stereo - the sound was thin and brash, and the sub was boomy and always a moment behind the rest of the speakers.

I thought that it was because of the far-from-perfect environment in the big shop, but it's not that, unfortunately.

Goran

 

[Liam19]

Gok:
So, how does the sound feel after few days of accomodation?

The reason why I am asking: I have VERY old (older than me in fact, it's from 1970!) Kenwood stereo amp and Kenwood 3-way, 4-units pair of big speakers which I bought secondhand...

I recently auditioned some five-star all-in-one systems (with 4 tallboy speakers), and I found they were not even remotely close in sound quality to my stereo - the sound was thin and brash, and the sub was boomy and always a moment behind the rest of the speakers.

I thought that it was because of the far-from-perfect environment in the big shop, but it's not that, unfortunately.

Goran

While I would say that it sounds better to me now after a week and a half, that's almost certainly a result of me getting used to the sound, and not the system actually improving much. My Denon 1910 and KEF 3005SE system thrashes it in every respect.

While I'm settled that it's just about good enough for a secondary (bedroom) setup, it does have two main weaknesses - the centre speaker and the sub. While the centre deals with sound effects and music reasonably well, dialogue often sounds shrill and harsher than is ideal. The sub doesn't integrate with the sats very well, and has a tendency to boom on occasion (unless you turn it right down, and/or set 'Double Bass' to 'Off'). But otherwise, the E370 delivers a sound that I'm sure is pretty good by the prevailing standards of the 'all-in-one' class - but it is a few leagues behind a decent separates system.

 

[laserman16]

When you add up the cost of your BDP/Denon/Kefs it far transcends the £248 you have paid for the E370 system. I think if it sounded anything close to your main setup you would feel rather cheated over what you paid for the seperates.

You get what you pay for.

 

[Anonymous]

Obviously, we should not be too harsh to all-in-ones - they carry great value after all.

We only need to have more realistic expectations from something that costs so little (compared to separates) and does so many things.

 

[ear]

Sock in tube vent on sub

 

[Liam19]

laserman16:
When you add up the cost of your BDP/Denon/Kefs it far transcends the £248 you have paid for the E370 system. I think if it sounded anything close to your main setup you would feel rather cheated over what you paid for the seperates.

You get what you pay for.

Admittedly a very good point - I guess the important thing to remember is that a 5-star rated all-in-one system isn't going to deliver the same kind of performance as a separates system made up of 5-star components. This isn't something I gave enough consideration when I purchased.

 

[Anonymous]

I've just purchased the sony system for my bedroom and I swapped the v.weedy centre speaker for a tnnoy centre speaker which I retired from my living room setup. Much Better.

 

[Anonymous]

Influenced by the glowing 5 star reviews of the Sony BDV-E370 and because for many years I've trusted 'What Hi-Fi's' opinions & reviews, I decided to buy this system from Richer Sounds. After setting it up this weekend, I could not believe how poor the sound quality of this system is. It lacks any mid-range or treble which results in a non expansive sound. It's dull, lifeless and compressed. Sure there's plenty of attack behind the crashes and bangs. The sub-woofer beats out louder than the rest of the speakers and can be intrusive - turning the sub-woofer volume down helps. But watching the latest DVD from Bon Jovi Live, it was a totally disapointing experience to what I was expecting. I tried watching Gladiator, but after 10 minutes, it was so disapointing that I switched it off.

If this is normal then why on earth What Hi-Fi gave it 5 stars for its performance and herald it as 'Product of the year' is unbelievable. 3 stars would be generous!

A friend of mine has the Panasonic BT-200 system which sounds fantastic and as if it cost twice as much as this Sony system.

What is interesting is that 'Liam19' said he's system is tinny and bright, yet mine is dull and muffled - as if there's a thick blanket over each speaker. It makes me wonder if Sony have a quality control issue with this BDV-E370? Why else would two systems sound so different?

I've packed up my system and it's going back to Richer Sounds for them to test. If they tell me its performing to the manufacturers standard then I'll be wanting to change it for something else. Any suggestions?

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

Lepierre:

A friend of mine has the Panasonic BT-200 system which sounds fantastic and as if it cost twice as much as this Sony system.

I've packed up my system and it's going back to Richer Sounds for them to test. If they tell me its performing to the manufacturers standard then I'll be wanting to change it for something else. Any suggestions?

I think you've answered your own question there!