Touch the Future Now at Staples
Entered CNET Catalog: 02/25/2004
SKU: 0027242645738
Manufacturer: Sony Electronics, Inc.
Manufacturer description
Build a brilliant home theater with the DAV-FR1 DVD Dream System. Boasting total system power of 750 watts, a 5-disc slot loading DVD/SACD/CD changer, and an S-Master Full Digital Amplifier, the DAV-FR1 will bring out the best in sound and film. The system supports multiple playback formats, CD-R/RW, Super Audio CD (Multi), MP3 and JPEG, and will decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, dts ES, dts, and Dolby Pro Logic II. And, even though it has high level functionality, the system is easy to set-up, thanks to color-coded speaker connections. Take your home entertainment up a serious notch with a DVD Dream System from Sony.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/17/2004
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.
The DAV-FR1's brushed-aluminum five-disc changer/receiver consumes 16 inches of shelf depth, while its slim 2.75-inch height should let it slide easily into most rack spaces. The style is coolly modern and the display fairly legible, although the Dolby and DTS indicators are far too small to be seen from across the room. Even cooler, the changer's slot-loading disc mechanism eliminates the loading tray; you simply feed each disc into the slot. After you've enjoyed the disc, press Eject, and the DVD or the CD gently swivels out. In the "uncool" column, however, is the slow disc-changing mechanism, which required 30 seconds to play sequential discs. Loading or ejecting multiple discs was a tediously sluggish procedure.Sony's slim remote reserves only the most essential buttons for everyday use and hides everything else under a slip-down cover. The 8.6-inch-tall, gray-plastic satellites and the 14-inch-wide matching center speaker are equally slim--a mere 3 inches thick. Sony offers its WS-FV11D floor stands for more conventional placement. The subwoofer's silver finish and sculptured front panel visually complement the receiver/changer. The sub measures 7.9 inches wide, 14.5 inches high, and 17.6 inches deep and weighs 21 pounds.
The system delivers 110 watts per channel to each speaker and 100 watts to each of the subwoofer's two woofers. Surround processing runs the gamut from 5.1-channel Dolby Digital to Dolby Pro Logic II to DTS to Dolby EX and DTS ES 6.1-channel processing. We were surprised by the 6.1-decoding capabilities because the receiver has just five main amplifier channels. To take advantage of the 6.1 capabilities, you'll need to hook up a separate amplifier and speaker to the receiver/changer. Oh, and the changer plays Super Audio CDs (SACDs) as well as MP3 and JPEG CDs. Sadly, the receiver has neither bass and treble controls nor an on-the-fly subwoofer-level control.Connectivity options aren't great: just the standard set of video outputs (including progressive-scan component), one optical digital audio input, and two stereo analog inputs. That minimal selection should be adequate for small home theaters, but people with lots of gear will be disappointed.
The satellites and the center speaker feature the same 2.75-inch woofer, but no tweeters. We were disappointed by the lack of tweeters--many HTIBs in this price range feature two-way woofer- and tweeter-equipped satellites. On the upside, the FR1's subwoofer, the same unit found in Sony's pricier Dream systems, has twin 6.3-inch woofers.
Sony's original Dream Systems were beautifully designed but didn't exactly push the HTIB performance envelope. The company has improved its home-theater proficiency with the DAV-FR1, so it's now fully competitive with other compact HTIBs.The Day After Tomorrow DVD's torrential special effects can easily overwhelm less-accomplished mini-HTIBs, but the FR1 kept its cool. Hellacious hailstones crashed with resounding fury, and the towering tidal waves rattled our little home-theater room--the subwoofer's thunderous power easily conveyed the forces of nature run amuck. Sure, pushed by the most extreme onslaughts, the sub's rumble turned to mud, but the baby boomer never overtly distorted. Dialogue was richly balanced and crisp. The little system played pretty darn loud without distress, even after we moved it into our large home-theater room.
CDs weren't as much fun as DVDs. John Lennon's newly remastered Rock 'N' Roll CD kicked out the jams, and we credit the punchy subwoofer for that. Unfortunately, the bass thickened when we pushed the volume too far, and the little satellites' tweeterless treble was an odd combination of dull and brash. The treble range's lack of refinement resulted in less than natural sound with acoustic music of all types, but that roughness was less apparent on rock or dance music. Auditioning SACDs didn't win us over, and we couldn't discern any of their sonic advantages over CDs.
We're not picking just on the FR1; almost all compact HTIBs are optimized for home-theater sound at the expense of music. On the other hand, the DAV-FR1's DVD and CD sound quality is clearly better than that of Sony's previous entry-level Dream Systems. If you're just as interested in music as you are in home theater and still want to Dream, Sony's more expensive DAV-FR9 system betters the FR1 on every count.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
User Rating: 
8/10
Great for the buget minded audiophile.
Pros: Great Sound
Cons: Slow disc swapping
User Rating: 
4/10
Worked well until DVD got stuck!
Pros: Good value for the money. Nice all-in-one package
Cons: I have never been able to get a universal remote to work with it. Even other Sony remotes would not work with it. Very slow loading and ejecting discs.
I own a lot of SONY products. They must know they have a problem with this model and should stand behind it with a recall. Will my next purchase be a SONY? I'm not so sure.
User Rating: 
5/10
Never use a DVD in DAV-FR1
Pros: Great sound when you play music cds
Cons: Never use DVD. DVD gets stuck, cannot play/eject now
. Just called up customer service and they said to unplug the system for 3 hrs and turn it back on and then try to eject and if that doesn't work then mail it to their service center. Have to see if unplugging works.
User Rating: 
9/10
Perfect audio section for 2d HDTV setup (bedroom)
Pros: Great value (almost free ($99) w/ TV@BestBuy)
Cons: No on screen disc list for changer
User Rating: 
1/10
After 2 movies the DVD stoped working
Pros: Good Sound and affordable
Cons: It only lasted for 2 movies before it broke down
User Rating: 
3/10
dvd mechanism 2nd replacement
Pros: Sound is excellent. Great unit when it works.
Cons: DVD changer entire assembly changed out. The replacement has the same problem, Will not accept a disk. Unit flashes "standby" and shuts down. Warrnaty repair shop says it see's a lot of these for the same problem.
User Rating: 
10/10
Great Looking & Great Sound
Pros: Sony. Great looking machine, great sound, easy to setup, plays almost everything you can throw at it.
Cons: Wish it could somehow tell you what disc is in which slot.
User Rating: 5/10
Awful..Sent in for repairs twice
Pros: Good Features
Cons: DVD player simply stopped working after 2 months. Got it repaired and the DVD player stopped working again after 2 months. If you purchase this, get an extended warranty. Believe me, the warranty is worth the money on this case.
User Rating: 9/10
Wonderful from sony
Pros: People say that SONY brand makes money you can buy Panasonic or xyz, but what I experienced is the quality wise when you compare SONY sound system is the BEST next to BOSE.This systems is very light in weight 25 lbs look wise it looks decent not like pana
Cons: I feel Disc change is little slow,that's okay you cannot have 100% perfect system I think even in BOSE some disadvantages will be.The technology of 5 DISC makes it little slower. WHAT I FEEL is SONY should give FREE the wall clips with this system, how mu
User Rating: 
6/10
Great entry level system
Pros: Great sound right out of the box Very easy set up Better discrete surround than my 1000 buck kenwood
Cons: Thin speaker hookup wire slow to load DVDs and CDs Random play is slow
User Rating: 8/10
Great home theatre sound but audiophiles might not like the cd sound.
Pros: Excellent sound reproduction while watching movies. EZ setup.
Cons: Only marginal sound quality for CD playback. No tone controls or wireless surrounds.
User Rating: 8/10
Great sound at a great price for those looking for easy multi function system.
Pros: Great value with a great price for those looking for an easy to install system that saves you from too much hardware sitting on shelf. Easy interface, oh and kicks butt for surround sound gaming.
Cons: Make sure to buy extended warranty, as a multifunctional unit is a gamble to me.
User Rating: 8/10
Great sound for such a value.
Pros: Great sound, extreamly clear and crisp sound from all speakers. Excellent value I purchased the system for $355.00.
Cons: I do not like the flip down slide on the remote. Instructions could provide more information.
User Rating: 4/10
Serious Problem
Pros: Great industrial design. Plays most disk formats. Acceptable sound for the price. Remote is nice, with extra functions hidden behind a sliding panel.
Cons: Most critically, several of the functions (including play, pause, and disk skip!) simply ceased to function from either the unit controls or the remote in the first month, rendering the player useless. An unplug-and-restart fixed the problem, but if it ev
User Rating: 10/10
Couldn't Be Happier - Well Done Sony
Pros: After much work on trying to find the right system, I finally found this open box item at Bestbuyf or 356. I have a small room and this is perfect. Has good deep bass, clean sound, many modes, PLII, DD, DTS, Optical, Component and S-Video and good optio
Cons: Not many just it has ultra think speaker wire. I recommend 16 gauge, it gives you much nicer sound.
User Rating: 8/10
Great Sound, Easy Setup!
Pros: This is the best home theater system I have ever owned. The setup is very easy, but where this system shines is the sound. I played "Pearl Harbor" after I set all of my speaker levels, which is very easy to adjust to the size of your room or to your indiv
Cons: There are non to speak of.
User Rating: 9/10
Big Bang for Buck!
Pros: Good sound and design at reasonable price
Cons: Not quite as good as upper end systems, but good buy
