We see a string of product names every day at CNET.com.au towers -- and some are more tongue twisting than others. Japanese brands are usually the biggest culprits, and Sony names in particular are pretty incomprehensible. And sometimes the names can just be plain silly -- Pioneer, for example, with its receiver named ASS.
This is why we were surprised to see a Sony product with one main name, the MUTEKI. But of course the company couldn't help itself in the end and added a string of letters and numbers after that. It's also known as the HTDDW1600, combining the STRK1600 receiver and the SSCRP1600 speaker set. MU.TE.KI. means "invincible, without rival" in Japanese and it's easy to get that first impression.
Design
The thing that immediately strikes you about this system -- even before it's set up -- is how large the packaging is! The MUTEKI comes in two large containers the size of plasma televisions -- but we suppose this is to be expected of a system that offers full-size towers and, count 'em, two subwoofers. We don't see 6.2 systems taking off in anywhere but the largest, dedicated home theatre set-ups, but here it's a decent gimmick. It certainly gets your attention.
As you'd expect from a system at such a low price, the quality of the speakers isn't as good as stand-alone units -- there's a certain amount of plastic and particle board -- but they're certainly well-built. The woofers have grills -- which may help deter young fingers -- and the front of the speaker is finished in popular piano black. It's certainly not an unattractive set of speakers.
The STRK1600 receiver appears to be a renamed STRDG510S (AU$599) and comes in silver only. It's as sturdy as you'd expect a Sony receiver to be.
The included remote is standard Sony fare -- a grey oblong which can control other Sony components as well. But it's not a learning model though.
Features
You won't see many other systems that offer so much for this price. At AU$1,299 it's got several unique features including HDMI inputs, MP3 player connectivity and a "disco lights" option.
For that "party atmosphere", the MUTEKI includes a D-Light output which enables you to attach a compatible light device which flashes in time to the music. Late onset epilepsy anyone?
But of course at this price, the Sony also comes with the inevitable compromises. For instance, it's billed as a home theatre in a box, but the obvious thing it lacks is a DVD player. However, for around a hundred dollars more, Sony has a perfectly acceptable player, the DVPNS57PB, which will suit the system quite well. Also, there's no onscreen display (OSD) for the receiver -- which makes set-up a little harder.
The other letdown is that the amp will only act as an HDMI switcher, not a decoder, and the manual doesn't mention this at all -- it only goes as far to say that it may not decode audio from "certain components". Only a sticker on the box and the amp tells you this -- it may actually work in regions other than Australia.
Also, to utilise the Digital Media port you'll need to purchase an extra dock -- the Walkman model is available for AU$150 but the iPod dock is a stiff drink at AU$250.
Performance
With this imposing set in your house the only thing to do is turn it on. And the results are far from unpleasant.
Watch King Kong -- after connecting a digital coaxial cable of course -- and the results are good. The surrounds are smaller than the fronts but are able to give a decent amount of ambience during the island scenes.
Fed through an audio signal from the Marantz SR7001 DVD player, Nick Cave initially sounded a bit muffled. Quickly switching to Music mode made the sound noticeably more upfront, and stereo focus was good for the price -- unlike the Sony SAVS300H 6.1/7.1 speakers we saw recently.
But it's parties that this system was built for, and pumping some Pendulum through it in our test labs had the office complaining way before the speakers or the two large subs gave in.
Unlike other HTIB solutions the MUTEKI offers the user some flexibility. As it's essentially a speaker set combined with an amp it offers a decent upgrade path for the future. The amp should be able to tolerate much better speakers.
Hi-fi? Not a chance. But a good first choice for budding home theatre enthusiasts and party-goers? Definitely.
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abinav
02/09/2008, 10:12 PM
rating
9/10
i found less -ve comments and more +ve comments..i'm confused.
im so not satisfied with my bose companion 6 ht system...sucky base..
so can i upgrde from bose to this beast..moreover my room is a little big[30ft by 15ft]
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Shemil
02/09/2008, 03:44 PM
rating
5/10
I liked it at the first site goooooooooood ::awesome:: I am waited for the receiver to come in black now it is available good
Pros: Very Stunning sound effect
Cons: The speaker grills can be much more better
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Jason
02/07/2008, 07:21 PM
rating
8/10
I bought this gem introduced by sony. I use HTDDW1600 on sony dvd players. Its sound quality is great. Tip for MUTEKI is when you purchase this you also need huge quantity of audio cables. Any how this home theater is same and no any special difference between others.
Pros: Zippy performance.
Simple interface.
Excellent GUI.
Full-size subwoofer.
Cons: Ordinary remote.
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Aaron2345
18/05/2008, 07:27 PM
rating
5/10
i hav'nt gotten the product yet as i don't have enough money. howevere i've looked around, compared prices ect. and discovered that it is rather good...and i don't believer u would need to spend extra money on an ipod dock...u could use something simple such as a double ended headphone jack and simple plu it into your laptop or ipod. i give this product a rating of 5 however if i where to have the product i think i would've given it a 10/10 rating
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Dave28
02/05/2008, 10:52 PM
rating
6/10
I ordered one of these yesterday. Got a call from the dealer today. There is a new updated receiver now coming woth this system. It is now able to decode the audio through HDMI (now a repeater, not a switcher) which is great. And I was told that the receiver is now available in black. The speaker pack is still the same. Will post a review when I receive it. Should arrive in June.
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slobbythegreat
30/04/2008, 02:05 PM
rating
8/10
just brought my muteki on the weekend, took me ages to set up correctly as i wasnt sure of what cables i needed etc, still having trouble i think but ive managed to get digital audio to it from tv and dvd and its pretty damn good, haven't cranked it up yet, anyone with info on best set up email me at slobbythegreat@hotmail.com
Pros: the look is awesome, looks intimidating and the 2 subs are awesome yes people say you only need one sub but having sex with one chick is good but u know 2 is always going to be better!
Cons: if you dont know what ur doing with cables and the like its not straight forward, the no decoding of HDMI is a bit of a downer but you still get digital surround sound if you use fibre opitc, just deal with the clutter. i think the satellite's at the back are too chunky, especially if your lounge is against the back wall like mine which eliminates the need for the 3rd middle speaker. and the fibre optic inputs should be labled TV, DVD instead of SAT and AV2, because then the buttons on the remote coincide with the amp and the inputs.
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stux
10/04/2008, 01:07 PM
rating
8/10
Sound is awesome. Perfect Home Theatre system if you like having parties :)
Speakers can be a bit imposing, but my wife likes them! Sound is awesome
Pros: Awesome sound. Great for loud music/dance parties. Surround processing works well. Double Subs provide plenty of oomph.
Cons: Doesn't decode HDMI audio, just passes through. Only 3 digital audio inputs. Since it doesn't decode HDMI audio this means that you can ONLY connect 3 devices with digital audio in TOTAL, no matter how many video inputs you may have available.
Eg. DTV, Bluray Player and Xbox.... and that's it. No foxtel, no PVR, No PS3, etc.
Now that I know a bit more about HDMI and Bluray, I miss the fact that the reciever can't handle the HDMI audio formats (7.1 PCM at a minimum).
It would've been okay, except the Samsung F81 will only pass stereo back to the reciever for all its HDMI inputs.
I plan to try to use a digital audio switch with my universal remote in the future to connect more devices.
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ANA_1
08/04/2008, 10:56 AM
rating
10/10
POWER POWER POWER
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Mohamed Asif S
19/03/2008, 02:58 PM
rating
8/10
Perfect first choice for buddies, excellent sound and the performance will depend upon your room acoustics. one sub-woofer is more than enough. Play a DVD in DTS format of 1536K or 736K bitrate you will feel the performance of this system. Most of DVD video's are encoded in Dolby Digital format which will also rock this system. Right System for the Right Price
Pros: 1. Good Sound Quality
2. Dedicated DTS and DD decoder
3. Feature Rich
Cons: 1. Its a 6.1, not 6.2 (3 (L/R/C), 3 (SL,SR,CB)/.1(LFE)), though it has 2 sub-woofer, one is more that enough. (ie., with one sub it is an 6.1 with 2 subs it is 6.2)
2. No OSD
3. HDMI acts as a Switcher not a decoder
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magonoz
24/02/2008, 06:07 PM
rating
8/10
I was recommended this unit from a person who works in the industry, and has no interest in what i brought. He said for the $, you cant beat this unti.
Pros: Looks
Sound
Value
Cons: Would prefer black amp
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