Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 327
 Excellent purchase, more than what I expected! March 8, 2010
M. McGee
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am no audiophile, but I believe I recognize good sound when I hear it. I've experienced numerous HT systems and can distinguish between good and bad. That said, I have three young children and a decor that does not allow for a traditional home theater. I'm so constrained that I literally must fit everything into my Amish-built oak entertainment center. That's right, I fit the center channel AND the subwoofer INSIDE my entertainment center! While many of you sneer, I have no choice. And this is where the review begins.
Despite the generally favorable reviews of this system, I had low expectations. Just how good could a tiny system sound? I tried it out of box, and I was impressed. Very impressed. The range of the center channel is excellent, considering you're probably dealing with paper cones. Highs are met well and lows are dynamic enough, when complimented by the sub, to add oomph to your viewing and listening experience. My reference blu-rays, Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight, were the first tests. Explosions were felt in my gut, and the film came alive. This despite me having the subwoofer BEHIND my TV in the entertainment center. The bass in the sub is absorbed well by the sub cabinet, so I don't get awful rattling effects. In fact, there is no vibration other than the bass you WANT to hear. Dialogue was crisp, and the mid-range was full.
Another note: my living room is LARGE with 20-foot vaulted ceilings. The Ct-100 is the only system I have, so it's not a "backup." I literally threw everything at this system and put it in situations where it SHOULD have failed. But it didn't. It filled the room and created a nice sound field. Don't expect 7.1, but you won't be disappointed if you're comparing this to any other soundbar below $500. It has enhanced my movie-viewing experience, and I don't think anyone looking for a budget system could go wrong. The price is right and the performance is beyond anything in the price range or soundbar lineup.
Happy viewing!
Best soundbar under $300 March 7, 2010
BC
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sound is perfect for smaller houses/apartments. Easy to set up with 3 HDMI inputs. Great soundbar to use with any type of TV. I have this thing paired with a LG 42SL90, Samsung BD P1600, XBOX 360 and universal learning remote. If you don't buy this soundbar your going to have to pay several hundred dollars more to get something better, without a doubt the best sound system you can buy for under $300 or even $500.
 Sounds Great Most Of The Time March 1, 2010
Stephen Bang (Overland Park, KS, USA)
I agree with several other reviewers that sometimes it is hard to hear dialogue (human speech) with these speakers. There is no problem if there is not a lot of background noise. The evening news, drama shows, etc, are clear and easy to understand. I had a big problem hearing the announcer during the Super Bowl. I think the Super Bowl producers allowed a lot of crowd noise to be mixed in with the announcer. During the game, I watched it in another room, on another TV, for a while, and the announcer was much easier to hear on the TV internal speakers. There is a "sound field" button on the remote that lets you select Standard, Movie, Music, Sports, Game, and P. Audio. The user manual is pretty vague in describing these. It says that Standard is for normal sound. Movie emphasizes low-pitch sound, "with enhanced presence." P. Audio is said to be best for MP3 music input. In my judgment, Standard gives the cleanest, clearest sound. The others seem to either boost the base, add reverb, or both. I would like to have a simple bass, mid-range, and treble control, but it is not available. What you can do is adjust the volume of the center speaker and sub woofer (user manual page 31 - you won't figure it out without the manual) I took the advice of another reviewer, and turned up the center speaker to +3 and turned down the sub woofer to -3. It made it easier to hear the sports announcers.
The HT-CT100 as several options for how you connect it to your various program sources. You can connect your DVD and cable box or DVR directly to your TV, and then take the audio out jacks on your TV to connect to the HT-CT100. I tried this for about a month and it is okay. I currently connect my DVR to the HT-CT100 by HDMI cable. The HT-CT100 then has an HDMI output that goes to the TV. This gives a pure digital audio input to the HT-CT100, and the sound is generally better, cleaner, clearer. There are three HDMI input jacks on the HT-CT100 so you can connect a PlayStation or DVD to the HT-CT100 using HDMI. My old DVD does not support HDMI, so I connect its video directly to the TV, and use digital optical cable to connect the DVD audio to the HT-CT100. I notice that the HDMI going from the HT-CT100 to the TV does not have an audio signal, so you do not have the option of listening to your TV speakers. Presumably you would not want to, except I might want to try it during a noisy sports program.
Several reviewers complained that the max sound level is not loud enough for them. It is plenty loud enough for me. I sit about 14 feet from the speakers. The sound level goes from 1 to 50, and I run it between 20 and 30 most of the time. I notice that some TV networks have lower volume than others, especially during a program (louder during commercials.) With these lower-volume networks, 30 is loud enough.
In the reviews and comments to reviews, I read some controversy about where the sensor for the remote is located. It is in the sound bar. The digital display is on the front of the sub woofer. You will want to view the display sometimes. It tells you what sound field and volume level is selected, among other things.
I like the sound. I wish it had separate controls for treble, midrange, and bass.
A great little, simple system. February 28, 2010
Lenexa Lenny (kansas)
This is a great little system --a big sound from a small package. The bar is low profile and the sub-woofer sits nice to the side. No clutter of multiple cables and speakers spread out all over the room. (see my set up in customer image photo I posted above ) This is just a very nice, simple upgrade from your TV's speakers.
This is easy to set up (be sure to use AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging), easy to use, and sounds great.
I use this 80% of the time for TV viewing, 10% movie viewing & 10% gaming. This system has pre-set sound modes for each. I like the preset levels --no having to set up the sound fields & make a lot of speaker adjustments, just plug and play.
I've read many negative reviews here that do not seem to be fair. THIS IS NOT A $800.00 7.1 CHANNEL HOME THEATER SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM. This IS a very nice Sound-bar system - not a 6 speaker surround system. If you want a true theater experience sound you will probably be disappointed too. This is what it is, a TV speaker upgrade.
PROS
*easy to setup
*easy to use
*small size -a real space saver
*nice full sound & good bass
CONS
*a little pricey
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PS: Don't get ripped off buying $50+ HDMI cables. Amazon Basics (see the above link) work fine.
Great within reason February 27, 2010
J D Nick Yinger
The device works really well. We got it to hook up to our TV which only has a digital audio out (looks like the composite video cable port). The base has a bit of rattle to it, but that could be my own setup. For the money it works fantastically.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 327
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![AmazonBasics RCA Component Video Cable (6 Feet/1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001TH7GT6.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
![AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001T9NUJE.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
