Sony DAV-S300 Theater System

Good Points: Good looking with ease of use

General comments: Love this machine for its looks and ease of operation. One truely compact device! The only draw back is that there is no "Eject Disc" button on controller - but hey got to keep moving in this life of "couch potatoes!!!!"

The Sony DAV-S300 Theatre System was, without doubt, one of the top surround sound DVD players of its day. However - error C13! Dirty or unplayable DVD. This is a common fault on the Sony and once it starts rearing its nasty little head you can kiss the system bye-bye. It is not a matter of needing to clean the laser - no amount of scrubbing will fix it.
I bought a used DAV-S300 recently to get another two matched speakers, with the intention of upgrading to a 7:1 AV system (the supplied Sony speakers are excellent and worth having in their own right). The seller assured me the Sony was fully working so I swapped the player out with my old, dead, one. YEAH! Full luxury surround again and flawless, smooth, operation. I love it. It proves that if you can find one on ebay that is still fully working you can have 5:1 DTS and / or Dolby surround sound for little money (my purchase was £21). The Sony DAV-S300 Theatre System remains a good buy - just avoid error code C13!

We had this system for a number of years before recently replacing it. The sound quality is very good when playing a dvd. However, you can't use it to its full potetial with anything else. This is because there are no audio inputs that carry 5.1. Many TVs, Sky recievers etc carry optical outputs for 5.1, but this won't accept them.

So in conclusion, good but out of date now.

Really like this little unit ... great sound and plenty of inputs. As all Sony items build quality is excellent and its weighty (a good thing). Speaker stands are cool and project crisply and clearly ... and the bass punches you in the gut just at the right time! The only drawback is that the odd one or two buttons on the remote are a bit too small compared to their frequency of use, the function and sound keys. Other than that a great performer, and great value for money and a good looker with nice clean lines and exudes quality.