Strengths: Two adjustable stand speakers, 5-Disc DVD changer, color coded and capped speaker wires provided, accepts adapters for Bluetooth and iPod devices, decent wattage output for 5.1 system, HDMI output

Weaknesses: No receiver and no level equalizer, SINGLE grouped input and single grouped output, standard def DVDs only, some features only via remote, 6.1 and 7.1 options on market

Summary: I bought this from an online retailer which sells both Sony DAV-HDX500 and the Sony DAV-HDX500/I with the difference that the DAV-HDX500/I model includes the iPod adaptor in the box. For around the $400 you get a simple 5speaker.1subwoofer surround sound system that is easy to setup since there is only 1 input and 1 output set. For example, the Digital Coax Input and Optical Input are the SAME Input Group so you cannot switch between them (the Coax takes precedence). The ?second? audio input is actually just for connecting to a TV audio output so the TV sound plays through this instead of its own speakers. The single output (only need to connect video since the speakers feed into the DVD player directly) goes back into a TV input in order to use the DVD player. This may sound confusing but is actually straightforward and easy to see in the manual. Personally I would have liked more input and output groups, but that would made things more complicated and should probably be part of a dedicated receiver, which this package does not have. The lack of receiver means there is no frequency equalizer or setting of individual levels. This has also caused the speaker settings to get pushed into menus only accessible by the remote and the small display doesn?t help matters. There are a couple buttons on the front of the DVD player but they are mostly for choosing an automatic audio mode or moving around or between DVDs. One thing that struck me when I saw this in a store** aside from the awesome sound, were the two adjustable stand speakers it came with. I thought this would save me from putting end tables by the couch to support the side speakers. However, when setting up the system, I found out that those two stands are the FRONT set of speakers as each speaker has its own color-coded wire as well as a label to indicate where it goes and where it plugs into the DVD unit. The Blu-ray and HD-DVD format war is still going on so although this is not future proof, you are again trading complexity and features for simplicity and a lower price. The 5-disc DVD player is okay. It loads pretty fast and seems to swap faster than the older Sony Multi-DVD players I had in the past. So far I haven't had a problem reading CDs, DVD+/-R, DVD-RWs. The unit has a Digital Media Port (DMP) that allows you to connect adapters to talk to other types of equipment like Sony stuff, Bluetooth devices, and most iPods. Sony is starting to phase out the old model such that these systems will probably INCLUDE the iPod adapter even though the model number on the box says Sony DAV-HDX500. Simply put the sound is pretty good. It?s not a Bose system but there has been no static or sound breakup (unless the cable TV was out). Also there is an included mini microphone which allows auto-configuration of sound settings but if you have a big TV, it is possible that the optimal viewing distance is longer than the microphone cord.********************The iPod adapter works off the DMP as a SEPARATE source/input so you can have it hooked up to your TV and then put your iPod into the adaptor cradle to play music when guests come over without having to fiddle around. There are actually TWO DMP jacks but I do not know if they share this ?extra? input or not. I think my unit may have also come with the Bluetooth adaptor but I never did anything with it. Also, I do not have a video iPod so I don?t know if this can output video to a connected TV connected to this surround sound system.**********************This is cheaper online but it?s worth going into a store and checking out the device and making sure the connections will work for your setup.