Sony DAV-LF1H Review

Here’s the rub: you want top-quality home cinema stuffed with all the finest tech but you don’t want to sacrifice that chic minimalist look of your riverside apartment.

 

Gorgeous and clever
Well, it seems you’ll find just what you’re looking for in the DAV-LF1H. Those brains at Sony have managed to cram every last bit of technology laying about the workshop into a breathtakingly svelte and simple one-box cinema system.

 

You may not get Blu-ray but you do get automatic set-up, video upscaling to 720p/1080i, 32-bit digital amplification and some natty wireless rear speakers that use the company’s latest digital infrared technology. It’ll even play your (no doubt huge) collection of SACD discs.

 

The secret to how Sony has managed to fit so much kit into such a slim, gorgeous package lies in the tall, silver subwoofer. The sub is the pack mule of the system, holding on to all the heavy, unwieldy crap that goes with a high-end cinema system, allowing its better looking mates to make the most of their svelte good looks.

 

It’s all about presentation
Around the back you’ll find all the unsightly connections, amplification and infrared transmitter needed to keep everything running.

 

When it comes to performance, the first good news is the 1080i upscaling performance. It’s truly brilliant, coping so well with the dark scenes in the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, for instance, that you’ll soon find you don’t mind the lack of 1080p.

The picture performance is smooth, clean and everything you’d expect from an expensive Sony system. The sound too is of good quality for this kind of all-in-one package.

 

The problem is there are systems that are the equal of this Sony that cost considerably less than £1800. Sure, the Sony provides great performance in every respect and is one of the sexiest systems around, but it offers little that justifies such a huge price premium.