Home theater systems

< Go to Home theater systems page

Sony HT-SS360

Price range:

$259.00 - $349.99

Summary: A 5.1 channel home-theater-in-a-box system .

2 people have reviewed this model.

See all 2 user reviews

Write a review

Type: Systems without a DVD player

About - Sony HT-SS360
The HT-SS360 is part of the home theater system test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, home theater system models like the HT-SS360 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below. Sound quality: Sound quality represents tonal accuracy and ability to reproduce fine sonic detail of the front speakers, subwoofer, center-channel speaker, and surround speakers. Sound quality judgments are made with the system optimized using its own auto speaker set-up function (if so equipped), and with its own tone controls and/or pre-set tone settings (if any) adjusted for most balanced sound. HD picture quality: Scores of this picture-quality test indicate the sharpness, detail, color accuracy, and freedom from motion artifacts of images on HDTVs when the unit plays prerecorded high-definition Blu-ray videodiscs at 1080p video resolution via an HDMI connection. Upconverted film picture quality: Scores of this picture-quality test indicate the sharpness, detail, color accuracy, and freedom from motion artifacts of images on HDTVs when the unit plays prerecorded film-based standard DVDs (most movies) and outputs the signal via an HDMI connection at an upconverted 1080p (quasi-HD) resolution. For upconverted picture-quality test results for video-based standard DVDs (many prerecorded TV series compilations or concert videos, and home recordings) see the Sound and Video Notes comments for the individual model.

About - Sony HT-SS360

The HT-SS360 is part of the home theater system test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, home theater system models like the HT-SS360 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Sound quality:: Sound quality represents tonal accuracy and ability to reproduce fine sonic detail of the front speakers, subwoofer, center-channel speaker, and surround speakers. Sound quality judgments are made with the system optimized using its own auto speaker set-up function (if so equipped), and with its own tone controls and/or pre-set tone settings (if any) adjusted for most balanced sound.
HD picture quality:: Scores of this picture-quality test indicate the sharpness, detail, color accuracy, and freedom from motion artifacts of images on HDTVs when the unit plays prerecorded high-definition Blu-ray videodiscs at 1080p video resolution via an HDMI connection.
Upconverted film picture quality:: Scores of this picture-quality test indicate the sharpness, detail, color accuracy, and freedom from motion artifacts of images on HDTVs when the unit plays prerecorded film-based standard DVDs (most movies) and outputs the signal via an HDMI connection at an upconverted 1080p (quasi-HD) resolution. For upconverted picture-quality test results for video-based standard DVDs (many prerecorded TV series compilations or concert videos, and home recordings) see the Sound and Video Notes comments for the individual model.

About This Brand
Sony makes consumer home-theater products in all categories, including a virtual surround sound bar and 5.1-channel systems, including some with Blu-ray players or wireless connectivity. Sony products cover the market, from low to high, with models for every budget.

About This Brand

Sony makes consumer home-theater products in all categories, including a virtual surround sound bar and 5.1-channel systems, including some with Blu-ray players or wireless connectivity. Sony products cover the market, from low to high, with models for every budget.

Features & Specs - Sony HT-SS360
Video player disc capacity The number of discs that the video player can handle. Video player disc capacity	NA
Active subwoofer Has a built-in amplifier and typically has a bass level control (independent of controls on a receiver). Active subwoofer	No
Receiver OSD Receiver OSD Onscreen display lets you view the receiver's menus on a TV screen, a squint-free alternative to using the receiver's LED or LCD display. Receiver OSD	No
Auto speaker calibration System comes with a microphone to automatically adjust speaker sound levels, delays, and possibly more to balance the surround effect for your room size and speaker setup. Auto speaker calibration	Yes
Video player Systems with separate video players and receivers tend to offer fuller functionality and more connections than those that integrate both units in one box. Integrated units are somewhat simpler to set up, but they may not allow you to connect video devices other than a TV to the receiver. NA indicates the system does not come with a video player. Video player	NA
Analog to HDMI video conversion Can convert analog video input signals (Composite, S-Video, Component) to digital and output them via the HDMI connection. Analog to HDMI video conversion	NA
FM tuner Receiver has built-in FM radio tuner. FM tuner	Yes
AM tuner Receiver has built-in AM radio tuner. AM tuner	Yes
Internet streaming access Can stream audio or video from various online entertainment services, such as movies from Netflix or Amazon Video on Demand, or Pandora Internet radio. Requires a broadband internet connection and depending on the service a subscription may be required. Internet streaming access	No
Stereo analog audio (in/out) Stereo analog audio (in/out) lists the number of stereo (two-channel) analog audio input and output connections. These are useful for connecting two-channel analog audio devices such as a TV, set-top box, non-integrated video disc player, etc. Stereo analog audio (in/out)	3/0
Coaxial digital audio (in/out) Coaxial digital audio (in/out) lists the number of coaxial digital (also known as S/PDIF) input and output connections. Digital-audio inputs and outputs are important only if you plan to use your home-theater system's receiver to decode digital-audio signals from an external DVD player or other device, or route digital audio signals to another device. When choosing a home-theater-in-a-box system, make sure the input matches the output from your DVD player (if it's not part of the package), digital-cable box, or satellite receiver. Coaxial digital audio (in/out)	1/0
Optical digital audio (in/out) Optical digital audio (in/out) lists the number of optical digital (also known as Toslink) input and output connections. Digital-audio inputs and outputs are important only if you plan to use your home-theater system's receiver to decode digital-audio signals from an external DVD player or other device, or route digital audio signals to another device. When choosing a home-theater-in-a-box system, make sure the input matches the output from your DVD player (if it's not part of the package), digital-cable box, or satellite receiver. Optical digital audio (in/out)	2/0
More features and specs

User Reviews - Sony HT-SS360

Average User Rating

(based on 2 reviews)

Write a review

Displaying Reviews 1-2 of 2

Works well with other Sony products

By PC from Minneapolis, MN on 1/29/2010

Pros:

Clear Sound, Compact, Interfaces Well With TV

Best Uses:

Living Room, Movies, Smaller Rooms

Describe Yourself:

Movie Enthusiast, Practical

How long have you owned it:

More than six months

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Different movies/shows work best with different sound fields, so you have to play with it a bit otherwise the surround sound will wash out or be too pronounced. Otherwise, a very good system to use in conjunction with other Sony products.

Nice Package

By Mark from Fairport, NY on 12/8/2009

Pros:

Clear Sound, Easy To Setup, Interfaces Well With TV, Intuitive Controls

Cons:

Less pronounced surround

Best Uses:

Movies

Describe Yourself:

Practical, Tech Savvy

How long have you owned it:

One-to-three months

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Well - I may be the "non-critical" user -- but this has nice sound to my ear and really perks up the movie experience. I got it to integrate with the SONY TV and BluRay for DVD use -- and that provides a nice feature where it automatically switches off the TV sound and shifts to BluRay input when engaged. The surround effect is less pronounced than some others I've heard -- but my room has limitations there. Overall -- simple, easy to integrate with other SONY products -- reasonably priced. Also -- I bought the iPod deck on eBay -- and that is a real treat to play music and Pandora radio while charging via my iPod Touch.

From reading the ratings -- I probably should have done the combined BluRay / HTIB from SONY for similar money -- CR gives it a better sound score. My only misgiving is the worry that the sound system will outlast the mechanical DVD player and separate units are easier to update.

Nobody Tests Like We Do: Our testers put 100s of products through their paces at our National Testing and Research Center. Learn more about how we test for:; Performance; Safety; Reliability; Learn more

To find the model that is right for you, read our expert advice on which features to consider and how to find the best value. Here's one tip: Don't pay for more features than you'll use.