I purchased the HT-SS380 at the store after realizing that the HT-SS370 had been discontinued. I assumed that since the systems shared a common look and nomenclature that they would have the same features (with the added 3-D functionality in the HT-SS380). I was wrong.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE HT-SS370 AND HT-SS380 SYSTEMS:
While the HT-SS380 does have 3-D capabilities, some other notable features are missing. The HT-SS370 had options for purchasing additional components in order to add wireless rear speaker capability. The HT-SS380 has no wireless expandability options. The HT-SS370 speakers came with wiring that featured proprietary connectors on one end for connecting to the receiver, but the speakers themselves featured standard wire clips, making them available to use with any other system that featured a standard clip design. The HT-SS380 speakers, on the other hand, still feature the proprietary clips on one end, but the other end is firmly connected to the speaker and is not able to be removed. Therefore in order to use the speakers with any other system, the wires would have to be cut and spliced to additional wire. The HT-SS380 does however contain a iPod/iPhone dock, whereas that component had to be purchased separately for the HT-SS370.
PROS:
The HT-SS380 has great sound for a minimal price. The speakers are plenty loud when it comes to filling a moderate-size room with crisp sound, and the passive sub-woofer puts out bass that you can feel. Sound quality is one of the most important aspects of the system for me, and so that's why I applied a 4-star rating instead of a 3-star rating. The system as a whole is very sleek and stylish. The included tuning microphone does a good job of setting up the speakers for optimal sound, although I ended up making tweaks and adjustments to suit my preferences. The system contains 4 HDMI connections and features BRAVIA-sync (cooperation between Sony devices such as a Sony TV or PS3).
CONS:
The LCD on the front of the receiver is small and there are elements that are practically unreadable unless you are mere inches from the screen. There are no composite connections on the receiver, so hooking up older, non-HDMI devices (like the Nintendo Wii) is difficult (you would have to purchase a Wii composite cable or a third-party Wii2HDMI connector). The tuning microphone should plug into the front of the system somewhere since once the system is tucked into a media cabinet, it becomes difficult to pull it out and re-attach the tuning microphone if you want to run the diagnostic again. And the aforementioned proprietary speaker wires aren't a deal breaker, but it would have been nice if Sony had allowed their speakers greater versatility.
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