Walk into any big-name electronics store and you will be confronted with an overwhelming set of choices in home theater technology  . One approach, if you want to avoid shopper's paralysis, is to go with a home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) package, which bundles the components you might shop for separately. Sony's new HTIB, the HT-7000DH, combines a DVD/CD player with an AV receiver and a set of 5.1 speakers.
HTIB systems are often easy to install, and that convenience is typically at the cost of power and sound quality. The Sony HT-7000DH, while including everything you need to easily set up a home theater system, winds up making that sacrifice.
Look and Feel
The HT-7000DH design falls short in the style department. The speakers are drab and not very impressive-looking. They are cased in wood veneer with speaker grills made of hard plastic. The block-shaped speaker design will definitely not turn any heads, especially as other models in the same price range offer much more attractive styling.
On the positive side, the DVD/CD changer and receiver are typically styled Sony components that match very well. They feature sleek, black casing with simple-yet-functional controls on each faceplate.
Features
The HT-7000DH is powered by a feature-rich 900-watt AV receiver that includes HDMI connections and automatic speaker calibration using Sony's Digital Cinema Auto Calibration feature. The system is XM-radio ready (with a subscription to the XM radio service) and plays Super Audio CDs.
The five-disc DVD/CD changer features progressive scan and HDMI output with "upscaling," a nice feature that converts DVD media from 480p resolution to either 720p or 1080i, depending on the display capability of your TV.
While some HTIB systems suffer from inadequate power and lack of connection options, the HT-7000DH provides plenty of both. Each of the front, left, and surround speakers receives 140 watts, and the subwoofer receives 200 watts.
The resulting volume level is more than adequate to fill most rooms. Connection options are plentiful, highlighted by the HDMI pass-through feature that allows both digital audio and video to be transmitted using only one cable. The additional connection options leave plenty of room for future expansion.
Performance
As impressive as the list of features is, the resulting listening experience is mediocre at best. In our surround sound and music tests, effects were produced accurately but the experience left a lot to be desired.
Mid-bass frequencies were skimpy and did not bring out the full sound effects when watching DVDs and listening to CDs. High frequencies were equally lackluster and were not as smooth-sounding as other competing models. (continued...)
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