At just 45mm wide, the Sony HT-IS100 home cinema speakers are about as small and discreet as they come, and if you want to add surround sound to your home, they could prove to be the best compromise between style and performance.
When you first unpackage the speakers, the first thing you’ll notice about the Sony HT-IS100 is the sizes – the smallness of the satellites and the relative hugeness of the subwoofer. Finding space for the satellites is obviously not going to be a problem, as they are barely 45mm (2″) wide, but siting the subwoofer (which doubles up as the amplifier) looks like it could be a bit more problematic. In fact the subwoofer is quite compact considering all the jobs it has to do – at 238mm (just over 9″) it is quite narrow and the depth and height of the unit of around 440mm (17″) shouldn’t make it too much of a problem to position. You can even position it out of sight because rather thoughtfully, Sony have included a remote commander attached (but can be removed) to the centre speaker allowing the signal from the remote to be passed through to the subwoofer unit, even it is tucked away. The thoughtful design doesn’t end there either as Sony also include some rather nifty little speaker brackets to allow you to mount the speakers to the wall. Add to this all the speaker cables, tools and an optical cable and you have pretty much all you need to get started.
The Sony HT-IS100 will accept three optical cable inputs and 3 HDMI inputs, with one HDMI output to your television. This allows quite a large range of sources to be connected to the unit and should suit most peoples requirements. When you’ve got the system all connected, you simply need to run the Auto Calibration using the provided microphone and the whole system will be set up for you. You can also take advantage of wireless rear speakers with the optional Sony WAHT-SA1 wireless speaker-kit
As we’ve seen before, when combined well with the subwoofer, these tiny little speakers really do a good job of creating a quality immersive surround sound experience. Whilst you may hear their limitations when listening to stereo music, they are perfectly suited to surround sound and will please with every movie you watch. If you want to add the surround sound experience to your existing DVD or Blu-ray player, or are perhaps looking to upgrade your current speakers, and you want something more discreet, the Sony HT-IS100 really is one of the best systems available for the money at the moment. The main thing about this system is that the size of the sound doesn’t seem to equate to the size of the speakers, but in this case, hearing is believing!
What to consider before you buy the Sony HT-IS100
If you need a full all in one system complete with the DVD or Blu-ray player, then the HT-IS100 isn’t going to suit – you will find other systems that are more appropriate. Whilst well suited to movies and general music, if you are really serious about 2 channel music listening, you may find the tiny satelite speakers will show their limitations.
Why you should buy the Sony HT-IS100
If you have already invested in a Blu-ray or DVD player and don’t need the players that come with all in one systems, the Sony IS100 speaker system is a perfect add on to give you a simple, discreet and good performing surround sound system. Rating: /5
Sony HT-IS100 Best Prices
Read full specifications on the HT-IS100 on the Sony website
is this system wireless.
No, I’m afraid not Alan.
Hi,
Will this system combine with Sony’s 250gb dvd recorder without any problems? Thank you. Paul.
Yes, shouldn’t be a problem – it has 3 HDMI inputs.
Hi,
Has this system got a phono lead input for a portable MP3 player (not ipod)? Does it have a Hard drive for MP3 storage?
Thanks
Ck
No to both I’m afraid.
Would it be possible to use this system without the rear speakers. Does it calibrate itself and revert essentially to a 3.1 system. Only reason I ask is that missus hates too much cabling around the room and have taken an age to train her into accepting a 2.1 kef system. Have already bought sony BDP360 player and Onkyo 2.1 digital system but had to take the Onkyo back because of glitches in the picture settings. Need to sort out a sound system sharpish or wife’s gonna kick off!
It would be best to calibrate with the 2 rear speakers in situ, and then just unplug them when sorted. But a better option might be to add the the Sony WAHT-SA1 wireless kit so you get wireless rear speakers?
Is it possible to add an additional two speakers and use these speakers with a sony 7.1 amp?
Also I have an S-Air Wireless system for my Ipod, is this included with the S-Air compatibility or is this only compatible with Sony WAHT-SA1 version of S-Air
Does anyone know of any really small wall mounts that either look cool or are small enough to be descreat to go with these?
Thx in advance 🙂
If I place the sub next to the couch and run an optical cable to/from the TV under the floor boards, does that work acoustically? Also do i need to extend the remote sensor if it’s a 3+ meter distance from sub and couch to TV?
The sub would be better in front of the listening position. You can get optical cables that would be long enough – they aren’t that expensive – so you could always give it a go…
The system comes with really small wall mounts for each of the 5 speakers 🙂