I have had the TAE9000ES for about three weeks. First the pros.
1) the sound quality for Dolby Digital has been excellent. Great sense of depth and detail, really makes you feel like you are "there"

2) ditto for DTS

3) the 2 channel audio performance is above average using the internal DACs. All of the music is there but the top end sounds a bit flat and compressed. The midrange is clear but lacks warmth. The soundstage is good but not that deep. The sound is clear but to be honest not really awe inspiring. Better than any receiver I tried (the DSP-A1, the avr-5700 and others) but not quite upto the level of the Acurus ACTIII, Golden theatre GTX-1 or especially the Sunfire theatre grand (albeit more expensive but can be had on the net for a great price!).

4) The features are amazing (eq, inputs, etc).

5) the performace on Prologic was above average but I did notice some "pumping" as some magazines have stated it.

Now the cons.
1) problem with dolby digital "lipsync" as many have called it. I started noticing it when my wife and I watched Snake Eyes. Watch the opening scene with the weather reporter. On my particular unit(s) the problem is immediately noticeable. We checked our collection of DVDs and have found that it also occurs most noticibly with Austin Powers. Thinking that it was the particular unit that I had, I promptly exchanged it at a local electronics shop called the GOODGUYS. The second unit had the exact same problem! I checked the connections and experimented with different settings several times. (If anyone would like to hear about the gory, tedious details please email me). Just to make sure I had connected everything and set the unit up properly, I had a recently ISF certified friend come over to take a look. He promptly authenticated the problem. I then contacted the audio manager of the GOODGUYS. He in turn contacted his SONY rep and found a solution to the problem. Aparently, SONY is aware of the problem (thanks to all of you who posted on various bulletin boards) and now has a fix. It is a software update that can be applied through the rs232 port. Sony has promised this fix within a couple of days. I will post on the tech page after I complete the upgrade.

2) the remote really is pretty bad. It eats batteries at an alarming rate (a set per week!) and the contrast is awful. Sony has indicated that they will be upgrading all of the remotes in late April, early May.

In summation I would give it 4.5 for the surround performance on movies and music, 4 for the stereo music performace, 5 for the dollar/performace ratio (I paid about 1500 for mine), and 3 for reliability/compability. If the software patch works I may keep it but truthfully, I have been really taken by the SUNFIRE theater grand, but that is another review.

Equipment list

Sony TAE-9000ES
Acurus 125X5 amplifier
Pioneer DVL 919 combo player
NHT 2.5i, AC-1 center and Super one surrounds
Velodyne FSR-15
SONY 48" inch V series Big Screen (the model number escapes me)
Transparent music link interconnects
Transparent digital cable
MIT speaker cables

The Sony is ok. Lots of flexibility and stuff to play around with. Running it with a Proceed Amp5, on B&W speakers, it was a bit bright for my tatse, but that could have been the result of a number of things. Not a real musical piece, but good for movies. I had a huge problem with audio lag (Pioneer DV09 DVD player) on a number of discs (Austin Powers was the worst). I had recently tried the the Proceed PAV in my home and after the Sony tried the Acurus ACT-3, and with the same DVD player, and the same discs these products did not exhibit this problem. Makes ya wonder where the problem lies....huh? Suffice it to say, I took it back, and will most likely order the ACT-3, or wait on the Aragon processor I hear is in the works. (albeit a bit more expensive) The remote is terrible, and here's the biggest problem: there is no hardware upgradability. You can push the "Software Updates" as much as you want, but when DVD audio comes out via firewire, or 6 channel analog output, and is 24/192kHz, your screwed. I refuse to pay $1400 (or whatever you can find it for) for a piece that WILL become obsolete. This isnt a guess.....It's a fact. There is no way that this piece will be able to support DVD audio. Try calling Sony and asking them ( I tried...it aint pretty).....There are many people on their support lines that will not be able to adequately answer your question. There is too much change in the industry right now to plunk down that kind of money on something you already know will be obsolete. I would like to be able to take advantage of up and coming technologies witohut having to trash my whole system. Sony's novel idea of upgradability as replacement and their idea of customer support for technical questions as someone who knows how to read off of a card is not for me. 1 Star for price. 1 Star for features. I have taken away the other three starts for lack of flexibility and mediocre sound quality.

Of the competitive preamps in the marketplace, 6 channel analog bypass at best is sampled ADC at 24/96 (Crystal DSP) fed to the dac sets and output analog again. The New Castle Sheerwood does this the best, so does Dennon's 5700.
But these are band aids at best re-sampling DVD-Audio.

The intial iteration of DVD-Audio players will not have FireWire but only 6 RCA outputs.

The direction digital premaps are going does not call for analog input, the digital stream should go directly to DAC's for pure digital volume leveling control. I can tell you the Proceed AVP does not have digital Volume contronl, all analog attenuating.

The previous review submision by Rob, is very faulty, ask Uncle Chesky, until copy protection and Firewire are standardized it SEEMS LUDICROUS TO PAY OVER $1300 FOR ANY OTHER DIGITAL PREAMP THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO THE SONY!!!!!

Everything about this unit is great. Even if there are some minor problems, software updates can be programmed in via the rs232 port on the back.
This unit should not be obsolete for a long time

REMOTE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED WITH A LEARNING OPTION.

This is a great unit. Purchase some of the more expensive guys on the market, and you are stuck with that technology forever. With this unit, software upgrades are a snap, and will keep you current with the latest and greatest technologys. Works great with it's counterpart the TA-N9000ES. And hook a Elite DV-09 up to this monster, and look out. I don't need to fo to the movies anymore, the movies just came to me. This pre/AMP is great. I hooked my DVD Elite 09 into the pre/amp via coax. The picture is stunning. I got the same picture when I hooked the DV 09 up direct. Wish I could have stayed all Sony, but the Pioneer, the black sheep in my Rack kicked the 7700's you know what. Sony has done an excelent job with their ES line. I hope the keep up the good work, and keep the software updates current to technology.

As I cannot really say anything more profound about this preamp than has already been stated (in the previous
reviews), my comments will be brief. In light of the
versatility, flexibility, and performance of this unit at
this price level, my gut instinct is that this product is
going to make a lot of other manufacturers very nervous.
With all of the features loaded on this piece, it did take
quite a bit of application before I felt like I was
controlling it instead of vice versa. However, the
learning process has been enjoyable, occasionally
frustrating, but well worth the end rewards (albeit still
ongoing). The overall performance of this preamp during
the past three months I have owned it has been flawless,
with the exception of one major caveat. The LED screen on
the remote is unreadable to the point of being practically
unfunctionable. After reviewing the previous reviews, it
is apparent this is not an isolated incident, but a design
flaw which I find hard to believe in light of my past
experiences with Sony equipment. I contacted Sony at their
direct response center (1-800-222-7669) on 2-11-99. I was
asked by the PR person for the usual particulars (name,
date of purchase, serial number, ad nauseum, etc.). When
queried by myself what the company was going to offer to
rectify this situation, she informed me that the company
"has not yet decided what they are going to do.". However,
she did state that the remote has been corrected, and is
now being shipped in the current units. This is NOT in my
mind "elevated standard" (ES) performance by Sony. Had
this purchase been a $500.00 receiver, my attitude would be
somewhat different. However, like the rest of you, I paid
much more, and expected more. I am urging the rest of my
fellow TA-E9000ES owners to call Sony at the direct
response number and force this issue. Lest anybody think I
am a Sony basher, my system consists of the following:
Sony DVP-S7700 DVD
Sony KP-61V75 RP TV
Sony SLV-798HF VCR
Sony INT-W200 Internet Terminal
Sony TA-N9000ES Amp
Sony TA-E9000ES Preamp
Infinity PFR, PCC, Ovtr 1 Speakers
Definitive Technology PF-15TL Subwoofers
Panamax 1500 Surge Protector
Phillips CDR-765
Linn Sondek Phono
Allah Akbar, Vaya Con Dios

Allmost every piece of equipment can be beaten.What matters is can it be beaten at the price.With the Sony TA-E9000ES I don't think so.Ok the remote is possibly a bit less than excellent,I find it hard work to be honest,but its not so bad when you have a few hours with it.The surround decoding is very transparent and dynamic, low level detail is good to excellent with tight bass.Something that lets a lot of processors down is lack of effective bass management.No problems on that front,the Sony has very flexible bass management that should be able to deal with allmost any system.There's all the inputs you could want including an internal RF demodulator for DD on Laserdisc.
I am well pleased with the Sony at the price and I suspect it would keep up with
some processors at a lot more money.There's units out there at the same sort of
money that don't even come close.

I have had the Sony TA-E900ES for three weeks and it sounds great.
Here are the pros:

1. Sound
2. Easy of use from front panel
3. Numerous audio inputs
4. Software up-gradeability (to be seen)

Cons:

1. Digital delay. There is defiantly a digital audio delay with this product. You can test it for yourself. I hooked up the analog stereo output of the DVD to the monitor and then I ran my system with the Sony decoder and a Technics decoder. I matched levels with either decoder and the monitor. The Technics decoder was dead on with the DVD player. The Sony produced an echo (delay of about <.2 secs) relative to the DVD player. You really have to pay attention to the dialog to notice the delay during normal move watching. I will let you know what Sony tells me about this.
2. The remote. It does not interface to all me equipment. The back-light has to be on when you want to view the remote. The back-light does not light the edge functions of the remote. But, I did not buy this product for the remote.
3. Component video? I don’t think an audio pre-amp should have video signals mixed in. I would recommend and external video only switch if your monitor can not handle your video inputs.

4 stars for now, 5 when Sony addresses the digital delay.

P.S. With more video products going digital, video and audio sync will be an issues. Maybe we will see products with user adjustable video and or audio delays, just like the pitch control on good tape decks?

I mated the 9000 with a new NAD 925THX in early January and am running Monster Tos-link (1 meter) to a new Sony S500D DVD. I love the dolby digital movie effects, and recommend watching the "F15 scramble" sceen in Air Force One to appreciate the rear directional abilities. I set the main speakers to small after a couple weeks and settled on this. I set the crossover to 70Hz for my Paradigm PS1200 sub. I listen to 2 channel mode quite frequently and think the clarity and lateral imaging are superb. I think mine shipped with the brighter remote. It is hard to imagine that the three 32 bit chips can collectively perform 10 billion operations per second. Bought it from Sound City (NY) for $1,250 - talk to Jeff there as he is friendly and helpful. I passed on the Acurus ACT-3 for this unit and am happy I did.
I am concerned however with the audio lag Doug spoke of on 2/20. Although the problem only rears its ugly head in certain movies, I am seriously wondering if this is a Sony problem now. Previously, I thought it might be the DVD itself. I will stay tuned to this board for other's comments on this issue, and will be prepared to call Sony for answers. Nonetheless, I am giving the unit a five speaker rating on all of its attributes and value.

Lip synch problems.Poor signal to noise ratio.Piece of crap remote.Converts everything to digital.Lacks 6 channel analog inputs.Will be obsolete in 6 months(when DVD AUDIO comes out.)Do not listen to a guy named after a record company.Avoid this unit.A textbook case of overhyped Japanese junk.

I've had this unit for 3 days now. I dont know
if it was overhyped on this site, but I felt
a little, just a little disappointed.
I had tube equipment before, in the $2000 price
range. Compared to digital, the tube preamp had
compact, tight, deep bass. My only quarrel with
the sony is that the bass seems to be splattered.
It must me the settings since there is a subwoofer
output. Could someone help me with this? The only
way to control the speaker bass output is to set
it to "SMALL".
The other difference is digital equipment
builds on distance, from 0-1 meter, the sound is
distorted, for the tube, up close it's really clear.
I have listened to the NAD silverline S100 preamp. The
sound is very sweet like a tube. Has anybody else?
And Michael, What the heck is a "serious audiophile"?
The only people who should be serious about audio
equipment are the people in the companies that
build them! Take a load off and enjoy!
Overall, I think SONY crammed in a lot of features
like all big companies do into their products. I
like the choices I have, overwhelming at first.
Like you others have stated, the Soundstage and high details
are really awesome. It's a keeper!!!
1 star for the price, 1 star for the features, 1 star for the sound,
1 star for the name, 1 star for being able to sell it later without
losing much money!

PS. The dealer said I have the new remote, but how would I know?
It seems to be working just fine!