Sony HT-SS360

The Sony HT-SS360 delivers a powerful combination of value and performance. Sound quality with music is decent, not terrific, but things really shine with movies as the HT-SS360 has the ability to deliver all the punch demanded by action flicks. Despite this home theater kit's muscle, the speakers are relatively small and do a good job of disappearing in a room. With three HDMI inputs, the HT-SS360 is also one of the most future-proof home theater setups available in its price range. You won't find decoders for the Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio surround- sound formats used on Blu-ray Discs, but the system can accept audio in those formats over HDMI from Blu-ray players with their own decoders, and all but the least expensive do.

There are some inconveniences and omissions, however. There is an automatic speaker setup system, but while mostly accurate, the lack of an onscreen display makes it more difficult to use than similar programs on more upscale home theater kits. Color-coded cables make it easy to be sure everything is hooked up in the right place, but the proprietary jacks make it difficult to upgrade or replace the speakers, or use your own speaker cables should the ones provided be too short. The lack of any analog video inputs means that you'll have to run extra cables to your HDTV for devices without digital video outputs such as a Nintendo Wii. There's also no DVD player or Blu-ray Disc player included. If you want a system that also includes a Blu-ray player, the Panasonic SC-BT200 (Discontinued) is a bit more expensive but it includes an integrated Blu-ray player that performs very well. Like the HT-SS360, the SC-BT200's sound performance is very good, though not perfect.

We found the best review for the Sony HT-SS360 at CNET. The system has also been profiled by the G4 cable TV network. User reviews are available at BestBuy.com and Amazon.com.