Sony Dream System Brings Good Tunes to the Home Office

If a home office is as much a part of the home as it is a part of business, then a few creature comforts are in order. Comfortable furniture, nice artwork, and even some good tunes can make the work-at-home experience more rewarding. Sony Electronics is dialed in on the home office tunes. The company's new line of "Dream System" home theater systems has taken the complexity out of the entertainment. Once was the day when any shopper for a home theater had to piece together the components - from the tuner and DVD player to the amplifier and the speakers.

Instead, Sony's new system comes complete with a receiver and player slightly larger than a laptop computer. It features DVD, super audio CD, AM/FM and Sony's new triangular tube glow-in-the-dark universal remote that doubles as a pretty nice piece of sculpture.

The 5.1 surround sound includes two front speakers, two rear speakers, and center channel and a woofer. All come packaged in one box, so the new owner can hike out of the store with the Dream System. Color coded wires – with matching colors on the back of the receiver and all six speakers, which also have tags telling the owner where each speaker belongs in the arrangement - eliminate any confusion during set up. Add a television and you're good to go.

The entry-level DAV-S500 ($600) is ideal for the small home office. The set up is simple; a company executive's estimate of 20 minutes was about right. And the sound is rich. Just don't try to push this unit up to a larger room; with a total 280 watts, the multi-channel surround sound was sufficient for my 140-square-foot home office. But when it was moved to the much-larger den, the sound weakened considerably.

In that case, move up to the DAV-C700 ($700), with 350 watts, component video and a five-disc changer, or the powerful DAV-C900 ($1,000) with 450 watt and that same five-disc capability.

Powerful, feature-rich home A/V systems don't have to be complex or difficult to install and use. Just rewarding. That's the result with the new Sony Dream System.

Jeff Zbar, the ChiefHomeOfficer.com, is a speaker, writer and expert on alternative officing. He is the author of Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers and Their Managers (Made E-Z Products, 2002); Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security (FirstPublish 2001) and Your Profitable Home Business (on CD-ROM from Made E-Z Products). Visit his Web site to subscribe to Home Office Success Stories, his free electronic magazine on home business and teleworking.