I was lucky enough to get hold of the Sony DAV-550 as an end of line bargain when the were shrinking the audio visual department of my local House of Fraser. I hadn't gone looking for a home cinema system but 10 minutes of killing time while my wife looked at clothing revealed this little beauty. One of the things that had always annoyed me about the previous surround sound set up I had was the size of the speakers which looked a bit bulky and messy next to the TV. No such problems with the Sony as the speakers are nice and compact yet still capable of belting out a really high quality sound even when pushed up to an uncomfortably loud volume. Coupled with ...  Read the complete review

Sony's DAV-S550 is a fairly small home cinema system with a 5.1 400W output. This particular model looks very stylish, and in fact, is one of the better looking cinema systems on the market. There are some well designed features including a glow in the dark remote, which also adds a bit of novelty to the design. The sound produced is of good quality, with the small but powerful speakers reproducing a good range of tones. The Pro-logic II option will suit gamers who's consoles can't maintain full surround sound. As with many DVD systems, picture quality is dependent on the type of connection you are using. Component cables will provide a decent ...  Read the complete review

Sony DAVS550 - Advantages: small, nice looks - Disadvantages: poor sound quality, poor tuner, difficult disc insertion