IGN: Sony Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3 Review

IGN: "At E3 earlier this year, Sony quietly snuck out an announcement of a new addition to their range of PlayStation-branded products – the Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3. An all-in-one surround sound bar, the Surround Sound System was designed with gamers in mind, and includes special audio equalization and modes that suit a wide variety of game genres for the cool price of $199.99. But in a market as competitive and varied as home entertainment components, is it really an effective solution for consumers? The answer, we found, is not really."

[unknown100]

I wonder if it was made in china to get such a poor review??

Deutschland #1!!!

[kaveti6616]

Even products that are purported to be made in Germany are still made from components assembled in China.

Everything is in one way or another being manufactured in China.

And if it wasn't more money and exploitation and the evils of capitalism, there wouldn't be anything wrong with that. the notion that Chinese-made products are cheap is no longer relevant.

[rdgneoz3]

"Silly American sweatshop, not made in Chinese sweatshop!"

[Red_Orange_Juice]

"Made outside China" doubles the price

[Bolts]

The iphone is made in China. Yet it has one of the best build quality, if not THE best build quality of anyone phone.

[rockleex]

Nice joke... oh wait, you're seriously saying the iPhone has the best build quality of any phone?

O_o

I don't have one myself, but judging from all the iPods to the iTouch I doubt that statement is true.

[Newtype]

They didn't put into consideration that Sony was never good with soundbars....check out their mainstream version as well. Not good at all.

Samsung, LG, have crappy sound bars too.

[OSU_Gamer]

"THey didn't put into consideration that Sony was never good with soundbars...."

why does that matter?

[elitesupreme]

"The Sony is certainly well-suited for smaller dens and bedrooms, and it easily trumps rival soundbar/subwoofer models, including the Yamaha YAS-70 and Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two, delivering better sound and more features than both for less money. As such, the HT-CT100 is an easy pick for the best sub-$300 soundbar/subwoofer system we've heard to date."

[Spydiggity]

how much time did you spend trying to find one counter example?

@newtype, i'm not really sure what you mean either, though. a review should take into consideration that the company being reviewed has a bad track record? like they should be cut a break cuz expectations are so low? i'm lost

[elitesupreme]

not much, got it shortly after initial release... rather have a REAL surround setup now though. Testing the unit with surround test discs, etc. gives you the impression that it'll be pretty good for a sound bar. Reality smacks you upside the head when you're no longer feeding it test discs that play each channel one at a time. It was a good bang for the buck though. now, maybe not so much :(

[madpuppy]

combo for my bedrooms tv/PS3 and am very happy with the sound. granted it is not even a tenth of the quality that my theater rooms 7.1 sound system pumps out ( heck! one surround sound speaker costs as much as a ps3 slim and the sound bar combined)

If anyone is considering getting a sound bar make sure you get a powered sub and sound bar system. just the sound bar sounds tinny and weak without the powered sub.

I tested both the Sony CT-100 and the yas-70 and I preferred the Yamaha. It is all a matter of taste and what you can afford. I would suggest to everyone that you at least try to listen to and get some hands on time with the sound systems you are interested in. It is the only way to be sure.

[beavis4play]

i've got the ht-ct150. and, for $220, it's an excellent soundbar (for gaming,movies or network broadcasts) getting good reviews anywhere i've looked.

[PS360PCROCKS]

"While certainly an improvement over your TV's built-in speakers"

ha not likely! My Kuro speakers are amazing for TV speakers. But mine's not an average TV either. Lol.

[PirosThe4th]

This things are more marketed for japan when the space in their apartments are not that huge... so they have little space for surround sound... i don't see the point releasing this anywhere else ,,, >_>

[PS360PCROCKS]

ya true or budget conscious consumers. Why did I get 2 disagrees? Lol have you ever heard Pioneer Kuro speakers? They're incredible for stock speakers, they aren't built in though.

[ct03]

"Why did I get 2 disagrees?"

Explanation:
You said that your TV speakers are better than a dedicated SONY product. Better than SONY! Unthinkable! (Note how, unlike the common M$ or Micro$oft, it's never spelled $ONY).

[Call_me_Ishmael]

what wrong with ign? theyre always bashing stuff from sony,or
they bash a game that was favoured to the ps3.

[OSU_Gamer]

the soundbar cannot be just bad?

[KratosGirI]

"Value:

There are far more effective solutions in this price range, some even from Sony."

Yup. That's some biased shit right there!

[Spydiggity]

ishmael, i find your icon to be just a little bit ironic.

[SilverSlug]

when I saw it, it wasn't going to be worth the cash. Still in the market for something like this, just look for another brand.

[kuge456]

500,000,000 dollars really works,Microsoft!

[KratosGirI]

Yup. That soundbar sure looks like a significant threat to a camera thing!

lol!

[SilverSlug]

wouldn't spend money to bash a stupid sound bar that no one will know about.

[DelbertGrady]

The delusion is getting out of hand. I think you need professional help adjusting that tinfoil hat of yours.

[Errod88]

everyone on here can you tell if this will work on on PlayStation 3 Cheers...

http://www.sony.com.au/prod...

[elitesupreme]

It's a bit of overkill don't you think? Just look at the specs for it, look at what you have or will get as far as a TV goes, and decide for yourself if it's worth your money.

...and you can't forget about the space for the layout of the setup.

[Errod88]

thanks for the info will keep that in mind cheers mate...
:)

[AKS]

This thing may very well suck, but IGN is about the last place I'd go for an audio review. Their ratings of audio have been quite bizarre, and I wonder if they even have high end audio equipment when they rate games. They've rated Halo games ahead of Crysis and the Uncharted games in audio, for example. Halo 3 had very nice audio, but a game like Uncharted 2 has reference quality audio as far as console games go.

[kasasensei]

Sound bars are shit.

[gamingisnotacrime]

remote is effective but small and easy to lose, ok?
only one optical input, well how many ps3 do you plan to hook up to it
this ignorants were expecting a full blown surround sound from a bar, what a cheap shot review, shameful

[Raoh]

eh.. i'll wait for a non ign review..

[Jeebs]

I bought this sound bar a couple weeks ago, and for my use, it's working fine. It definitely is an upgrade to the speakers on my 32" Samsung TV, but it definitely is not "AWESOME" sound quality compared to your conventional home theater setup. Don't get me wrong, I did have a "Whoa!" moment when I heard hockey sounds come from behind me while playing NHL11. An audiophile will tell you that you can get better for the cash, but for people who've been listening to everything through their TV speakers, this will be a delight.

The unit itself isn't too powerful, so it's quite effective when you're sitting anywhere from 4ft~8ft in front of the tv.

If you're limited on space, and you're looking for a quick simple setup to boost your PS3 audio, I'd recommend this soundbar. But to anyone who already has a receiver and a nice speaker setup, this won't compare. It's just a nice starter sound bar that you know you'll replace in a couple years.

8/10 if you ask me.

[Burgered]

Can anybody recommend a good, 5.1 surround sound speaker unit for me? I've already got a ps3 but I don't know a good speaker system for £200 or less. Any help?

[SyphonFilter]

To me this is good,i don't want all those speakers and wires taking up space. As long as it's better than the t.v speakers which it is.