These days I’ve been working on redesigning my apartment so I really had a hard time to decide if I should install a home theater system in my living room (office, too) so I took some time reading reviews about all sorts of devices. Some were cheap some were expensive, but now I can tell that I’ve made my mind.

I got Sony’s utra-compact 5.1 home cinema system that an average person could setup in no time, Sony DAV-IS10 got my attention with its black finish and the slick hidden controls that light up once touched.

Sony’s new technology, Bravia Theater Sync, the whole system is extremely powerful : 5 satellites x 50W and 2-way subwoofer x 100W. That makes a total of 450 watts which is more than my neighbors can bear. But I still love it. It also comes with a compact, single disc DVD/CD player/ receiver with touch-sensitive controls, has a Digital Media Port to enable WiFi and Bluetooth streaming and an iPod docking.

The specs are speaking for themselves and I still can’t understand how a satellite as big as an apple can sport 50W (real) but it’s a Sony. They know stuff.

Just to be brief, here are the things I enjoyed the most with the new Sony DAV-IS10:

• Incredibly small surround satellites. Despite their size, they deliver a surprisingly powerful performance.
• The active subwoofer fills the gap. It has dual drivers that take care of the midrange frequencies that the satellites can’t manage.
• Image quality is excellent. Colors are rich and vibrant without overwhelming natural tones and there is very little noise, especially with upscaled images.
• The stylish design is impressive, but you would’ve expected this from a Sony, wouldn’t you?

A review wouldn’t be complete if we wouldn’t tell you what are the weaknesses of this home theater system.

• Though it was built for maximum discretion, we’d go for slightly bigger cabinets for more midrange depth and detail.
• I’d love it to have 1080p video upscaling

That would be all on Sony’s DAV-IS10. Do you own one? Do you love it?

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