Sony HTSF2000
'with HD sound !'
Manufacturer: Sony
Official Site
Product Type: 5.1 Surround System
Power: 1000W
Features: HD Sound, Blu-Ray matching, 3 HDMI in, 1080p upscaling
Retail Price: £ 399.99
Date posted: 28 March 2008
Written By: Ian
Introduction
The Sony HTSF2000 arrived in the office a week ago to replace our ageing sound system, but will it live up to expectations as the first all-in-one system in Europe to accept uncompressed (HD) audio from an external source?
Lets install it !
The box was pretty massive, and at 28kg, it's no lightweight, but that's due to the fact this system has 4 tall-boy speakers, and a large sub and centre speaker.
Setting up the system was fairly easy, with colour-coded wires, but due to the assembly required it still took a couple of hours as feeding some of the wires through the stands proved annoyingly fiddly.
Once the system is set up, however, a microphone automatically calibrates the system in just 30 seconds, which is much appreciated.
The Sound Test
Then came the crunch, the sound test.
Whilst the system is visually very impressive, looking very stylish wherever it is (thanks to the blu-ray matching styling on the amplifier and nicely designed speakers), does the sound live up to the visuals?
The answer is absolutely yes! Sonically, this is the most impressive one-box solution I have ever heard.
The bass is clear and defined, but also deep and resounding even on the default settings, and when turned up can be almost overpowering!
The speakers themselves are also excellent. The tall-boy speakers make a real difference to clarity for two reasons.
Firstly, they are positioned at ear level, and secondly, as they are large, each features three distinct speakers for bass, treble and normal sounds.
 
The first game we tested was 'Frontlines: Fuel of War' for Xbox 360. With its 32 player online matches and bullets flying from all over the dynamic battlefield, this seemed the perfect choice.
The system performed outstandingly, producing crystal clear sound no matter what the volume, and had great surround effects that had me jumping out my chair!
Next in was the DVD of 'Battlestar Galactica', which again, with huge space battles should really test the system.
Again, the calibration was perfect, and the show was given a whole new lease of life by the system, with Commander Adama's voice really resounding deeply around the room.
While we've not had time to hook up the PS3 to the system to enjoy a Blu-Ray for HD sound yet, I'm convinced that this will be even better!
 
Conclusion: not cheap but ...
The only flaw is the fact that this system is not cheap. However, it is future-proof and will prove to be a good investment for the future no doubt, especially with the 3 HDMI in.
The system is also notoriously difficult to find at the minute, but should you be able to get one, this is, hands down, the best all-in-one home cinema money can buy.
-Ian
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