Why You Can Trust CNET Sony DAV-FXG9K review: Sony DAV-FXG9K
This is a competent system, but the front speakers are difficult to set up. There are better systems within the Sony range.
Design
The Sony DAV-FXG9K home theatre system consists of an AV receiver/ controller unit and a five-disc DVD/CD changer. The small centre speaker, mid- to large-sized sub-woofer and four surround speakers are quite flexible in their set-up, with two low set stands included, allowing for front-stacked speakers in a pseudo 5.1 configuration.
Sony DAV-FXG9K
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The AV receiver/controller unit is a nice slim design featuring internal digital amplifiers and a fully integrated slot loading five-disc changer. This controller (thanks to the digital amplifiers) is a very slim unit which will fit in nicely to most home environments.
The design of this system is a little unusual because of its flexible speaker set-up. The most practical arrangement for small rooms with parallel walls is to stack two speakers on top of each other and allow sound to be reflected off the side walls to give a surround sound effect.
Another option is to purchase an additional pair of stands for the rear speakers and set the arrangement up as a full 5.1 system. This is what we would recommend, although it would add AU$400 to the overall cost of the system.
FeaturesThe best feature this unit offers (and one which very few other vendors have) is the integrated five-disc DVD/CD changer. Imagine watching entire trilogies or an all-night home movie marathon without having to get up and change a disc!
In a more practical sense, it is also useful to load five music CDs into the unit, press play, and not have to come back to play DJ for a good long while.
While the speakers can be set up in different ways, the most probable configuration is as a front only system. You will still need to follow the manual to ensure you get this right.
The controller unit has a small complement of video outputs, including the latest HDMI output from the DVD changer for the best possible video viewing. This control unit also incorporates an S-Video output, composite output for older style TVs, and a high quality analog component video output to cover all the bases.
One feature Sony included in this system is SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) compatibility -- something that's not in widespread use, but a favourite of audiophiles who value its high quality playback.
During testing, the audio performance was quite competent, but this unit did not stand out in any way either. The output (while well integrated with the sub-woofer) was fairly subdued and needed plenty of volume to provide reasonable output.
While the front speakers look sizeable enough, they do not seem to be very efficient at handling the power level sent them.
The sub-woofer does not have any phase, volume or frequency control. Everything needs to be set via onscreen menus to achieve the best outcome, so expect to experiment a little before you settle down to use this one.
In listening tests with a mixture of video DVDs and music CDs, the system did not really inspire. There was good detail and balance in the output, but no warmth. The sub-woofer, when played at high volume, started to distort and harshness was evident in the low bass audio.
Video output quality provided by both component and S-VHS outputs on a high definition LCD was excellent.
Having the five-disc changer was very convenient for testing, however, allowing us to quickly compare different music by simply selecting the next disc.
Using the onscreen menu and set-up was straightforward while the user manual is informative and detailed.