Entered CNET Catalog: 02/19/2005
SKU: SD-AS10
Manufacturer: Sharp Electronics
Manufacturer description
Sharp's new 1-Bit audio home theater system, model SD-AS10, is the world's first complete 1-Bit audio system that matches the vertical style and design of flat-panel TVs. Unlike traditional audio systems, this elegant and versatile five-disc DVD/CD audio system offers consumers limitless design and decor options. The four-inch thin main unit and the speakers can easily be hung on a wall. By using the removable pedestal stand, consumers can put the SD-AS10 on a narrow shelf or squeeze it into tight places by placing it vertically. For those who prefer to add the unit into a rack system or have it fit into a space with limited headroom, the SD-AS10 can also lay flat like a classic DVD player. Whichever option is selected, the unit's front display automatically rotates to match the product's orientation. Sharp's new 1-Bit home theater system helps consumers transform their living room, den or bedroom into a surround-sound theater without stringing speaker wire throughout the room. The SD-AS10 incorporates Dolby Virtual Speaker, a technology that simulates a realistic 5.1-speaker surround sound environment without placing speakers in every corner of a room. Instead of running wires for proper surround-sound effects, users simply place the supplied surround speakers in the front of the room. The advanced Dolby Virtual Speaker technology then processes the sound to simulate the sound and dynamics of a traditionally placed 5.1-speaker system. The SD-AS10 also plays back Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II content for a true theater experience. The SD-AS10's main unit houses the progressive scan five-disc changer. A motorized cylindrical five-disc mechanism accepts individual discs, while an elevator-style system moves them into place inside the main unit as discs are loaded or selected for play. The separate amplifier unit houses the inputs away from the main unit, eliminating cord clutter and maintaining the system's elegant, compact appearance. The SD-AS10's DVD player has play exchange and DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, MP3 and JPEG playback capabilities. Consumers can also awaken to their favorite radio station, CD or DVD. Incorporating Sharp's 1-Bit audio technology, the SD-AS10 offers exceptional sound quality. 1-Bit technology produces flawless, high-resolution sound, enabling the SD-AS10 system to sample audio signals at an ultra-high speed rate of 5.6 MHz or 128 times faster than a CD. The faster sampling rate ensures that the SD-AS10 will produce excellent transient response, providing accurate reproduction of fast, percussive sounds and complex multi-instrumental timbres.Product summary
The good: Wall-mountable receiver/five-disc DVD changer and separate amplifier HTIB; flexible surround speaker setup; flat, wall-hugging satellites; compact subwoofer.
The bad: Slowpoke disc loading; the two-box system takes up more space than all-in-one receiver/DVD player-equipped HTIBs; poorly designed remote; no tone control.
The bottom line: Sharp's thin-is-in styling will get this svelte HTIB into places that bulkier kits fear to tread.
Average user rating: 
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 04/21/2005
Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.
Thanks to the Sharp SD-AS10's design flexibility, you can place the 3.5-inch-thick DVD changer horizontally or vertically, or you can lay it flat like a normal DVD player. In each case, the LCD and disc-loading mechanism will reorient itself for ease of use. The receiver/changer comes with a table stand, or you can mount it to the wall with the optional bracket. The SD-AS10 is a two-piece affair; the receiver/changer is mated to a separate amplifier via one thick cable. The 17-inch-wide, 2.5-inch-tall, and 12.75-inch-deep amplifier doesn't have any user controls, so it can be stashed out of the way.Type-A personalities take note: the AS10's disc-loading mechanism needs close to 40 seconds to start playing a CD or DVD, and 40 seconds more to change already-loaded discs. Ejecting discs requires 20 seconds of churning before the AS10 is ready to hand over the disc. Since discs are loaded through a pair of foam "lips" in the circular drum, we were a little concerned that the rubbing contact might blemish our discs. However, we didn't detect any evidence of disc damage during the period we were using the AS10.
Overall, system sound balances were pretty good, even before we navigated the AS10's audio setup menu, which may be a little daunting for novices to figure out. It doesn't help that that you don't have the option of viewing the relevant information on your TV screen. Instead, it's crammed into the AS10's small, circular LCD. Since the AS10 doesn't have tone controls, the only way to balance the sound to your liking is to adjust the subwoofer volume level. That requires navigating that tricky menu system. On the upside, the DVD setup menu is available on your TV screen. Hallelujah!
The remote's unconventional button layout tested our patience. All of the main DVD player buttons are squeezed clear down on the bottom, and the fast-forward/reverse functions are nearly impossible to master. Ergonomically, this remote isn't so hot.
The front and rear satellites' wider-than-deep shape conforms to the AS10's thin-is-in design motif: they're 6.5 inches wide, 7.76 inches tall, and a mere 3.25 inches deep. The 17-inch-wide center speaker is a more conventional design, and the curvy, cubed subwoofer is a darling little thing. That said, the silver-plastic AS10 system doesn't quite have the sex appeal of Sony's aluminum-skinned Dream systems. The Sharp SD-AS10's main unit houses a motorized, cylindrical five-disc changer. It plays DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, and MP3- and JPEG-encoded discs. Dolby Digital, Pro Logic II, and DTS surround processing are included. Dolby's Virtual Speaker processing simulates 5.1 surround sound without cluttering your room with speakers and cables; more on that in the Performance section of this review.
The separate, 77-watt-per-channel amplifier unit features Sharp's proprietary 1-Bit all-digital technology. As one might expect from a lifestyle system, you don't get a ton of connectivity options, but the ones you do get are adequate. On the audio side, you'll find stereo inputs and one output along with two digital inputs (one optical, one coaxial) and one optical output. The DVD changer sports the standard composite, S-Video, and component/progressive-video outputs. And there's also a line-level subwoofer output that can be used with a powered subwoofer (not included).
As for the speakers, the satellites and the center speaker are fitted with two 3.2-inch woofers but no tweeters. The subwoofer has a 6.5-inch driver. We decided to start our auditions with the Troy DVD, which, as with other discs, took its sweet time in loading. Once under way, though, the Sharp SD-AS10 didn't hold back one bit--the soldiers' soaring spears whooshed over out heads, the metallic clang of the sword fights sounded real, and the galloping horses convincingly thundered across the screen. The little front speakers' sound loomed large, but we noted the panorama of the rear surround effects wasn't as seamless as we would have liked. We were always aware of the surround speakers as distinct sources of sound.
While we were watching Troy, we experimented with Dolby's Virtual Speaker surround processing and repositioned the two surround speakers up front, to the outside of the front left and right speakers. With all five satellites in the front of the room, the sound was less enveloping than it was when they were in the normal rear positions, but it was a hell of a lot more spacious-sounding than stereo. Dolby Virtual is a nice alternative for folks who don't want to run wires or place speakers in the rear of the room. The AS10 plays louder than we thought it would, and the little subwoofer's bass is fairly deep, but the AS10 system is at its best at more moderate levels.
The AS10's skinny speakers sounded a little anemic when we played our acoustic jazz CDs. We moved the subwoofer around the room, searching for a magic location, and tweaked its volume level to flesh out the system's low end, but we never fully retrieved Prince's throbbing bass lines. Funny, the lack of midbass didn't bother us when we played roots rockers the Blasters' feisty live reunion CD, Going Home. The band's driving rhythm section, chugging guitars, and wailing harmonica all sounded remarkably live. Some discs sounded better than others, or more bluntly, the AS10's musical talents were inconsistent. All in all, though, we definitely came away thinking the AS10 was better attuned to DVDs than CDs.
