Tiny speakers, crisp sound

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good sound, easy to hide

Cons: not enough power for large rooms

The Bottom Line: 
Nice, mid-sized home theater system for small to mid-sized rooms

Author's Review
I picked this up about a week ago, looking for a system to make my 40 inch Bravia sound better for sports and TV shows. We also have a 100 inch projector for movies, and use a Bose AM-15 connected to a large Sony receiver for that, so we wanted something with good sound for the TV that was also unobtrusive. The DAV IS10 fit the bill pretty well and it was on sale at Best Buy for $670, $130 off of list.

Setup is straightforward and simple, the 5 satellites are VERY small and disappear nicely in the decor, and the receiver is small and stylish enough to be left out on a table / shelf. Wires are always a pain but these are thin and bundle easily enough to hide comfortably. The system has a microphone that helps center the sound field, a nice touch. Placement of the sub is important because it's the source of the mids as well as the bass, and you'll want it relatively close to the TV. I thought that when I purchased the system I could place the sub behind the TV which would have been perfect for me, but wrong-o, the sub has to be out in the open, the closer to a wall the better.

The sound is very good for what we're using it for, and for fun I tossed in the Matrix for a test. Sounds were actually crisper than they are on the Bose, and that's saying a lot, BUT, this system is designed for small to mid sized rooms. Ours is large with vaulted ceilings, and the receiver just doesn't have the horsepower to rock the house like out other system does. Bass is a little thin but that may be due to the room size, and since we're not cranking it, it doesn't matter all that much. However, bass, mid and treble are adjustable through the receiver and I haven't bothered tweaking the system yet. I've been enjoying watching college football too much and listening to the games through the system to be bothered with messing with the system just yet.

The radio section of the receiver is about average, there's nothing really outstanding about it, and it does seem overly sensitive to static on the AM side. Music sounds very good, and there are several pre-programmed sound fields to choose from for your listening pleasure. A nice feature is the soft-touch buttons built into the receiver, all you see is a shiny black box and a few lights under the surface when you turn the system on. On top of the box are lights for volume, function, stop and play. Just touch the box over the lighted section for what you want, like more volume, and you get it. Of course, that means fingerprints on the box so I tend to stick with the remote.

All in all I'm very pleased with the micro system and it's doing exactly what I purchased it for. Keep the size of your room in mind and find a spot close to your set for the sub, and you're good to go.

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