General design, audio quality, DSP modes, built, EQ, price and compatibility with dvd audio and sacd.

Remote but not as bad as my 9000es duo.

My observations are pretty much the same with my 9000es but I'd like to be short and concise with this one in a sense that with this receiver (just like the features of 9000es) you can resurrect or hold on to your old and inexpensive speakers and tune it like a high-end speakers. This is the unit (just like the 9000es) that does not need to suit or fit into the sound of a speakers. With this system, it is the speakers (expensive or low-end budget) that follows the system. You won't worry so much looking for a good and expensive speakers because the EQ function of the 777es (& 9000es) will really improve the totality of the sound of your existing speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Sony TAE9000es and TAN9000es

Like all the others

No Component video switching, Manual not as good as the system

Maybe being a bit picky on the weakness.

Sound is awesome. Sound is loud. Unbeleivable amount of tweaking possible, great DSP modes (they actually do work).

This is one awesome piece of work. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a receiver with Home Theatre AS WELL AS MUSICAL TALENT!!!

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo

Build Quality, Tweakability, Power To Spear, Sound

Time on remote, manual

Wow, this is some heavy power. Going from the outlaw 1050 to this unit is quite a surprise. I didn't realize how much midrange i was missing with the outlaw. The 777es is smooth and very neutral. I'm hearing details of the music I have not heard before. The outlaw sounds shrilly and colored to the high end compared to the big sony. I like the fact I'm able to set each channels crossover as well as the other "tweaks" you can do with this receiver. As good as music sounds, home theater really shines on this unit. It is FAR superior to the other units mentioned above in decoding and usable soundfields (love virtual rear and studio b)I will comment more when this unit breaks in. Has been discountinued and can be had for $950. The new "v" series es receivers which have been recalled for fire hazards are not in the same league as the 777. Value raqting a "5" at $950

Similar Products Used:

Outlaw 1050, Denon 3300, Onkyo 777, Marantz 7000

Open clean sound from lows to highs. Very musical

None

I first heard this unit when auditioning a lower priced receiver. I was totally taken back by what I heard. It was being played through a couple of bookshelf speakers, but the sound was wide and expansive; plus the bass was also great. This is one of those products that come around once in a great while, and will give many years of great music reproduction. The surround sound modes are also very impressive. The one problem I always had was the way surround modes make music sound very fake. This receiver comes very close to eliminating this. In true Dolby digital 5.1 and DTS the sound comes through very clean and natural, like the engineer intended {for better or worse}. I could also write about the remote etc., but the reason you buy equipment should be for the most natural reproduction of music. If this is your reason for considering purchasing a receiver, then this product comes very close to acheiving it. It looks and feels like a lot of care and effort went into designing and manufacturing this receiver. I would strongly recommend at least listening to this receiver. before making a purchase of some other brand; I guarantee
you will be quite impressed.

Similar Products Used:

denon, onkyo

Gets almost everything right, extremely tweakable

Remote needs an upgrade, no visual indication of volume level

I am not a mass market freak, in fact over the time I have owned a number of higher-end equipment, but if mass market manufacturers get their stuff together like this, there is no more reason left to buy high-end products.

I am using this receiver with:

Panasonic DVD A120U
Sharp VCR
JVC 3500 SVHS VCR
Snell CV L+R
Snell Center
Ratshack Optimus LX5II (rear)
Infinity HPS-1000
CAL CL-15 CD (not yet connected)

As many before and after me will point out, sonically this receiver is first rate. Clean, clear 5 channel sound that slightly forward, but very fitting for an HT receiver.

The DACs are also great for 2 channel music (e.g. CDs from the DVD player), though the receiver has a direct pass through circuit for higher-end CD players (have not hooked my CAL-CL15 up yet). There is also a function to change the DACs' characteristic to more relaxed (have not tried that yet).

Built quality is extraordinary. So is the internal layout of this unit, clean, no lose cables.

There is no hiss or other noise whatsoever - that's my pet peve, and I will not keep any product that makes extra noises.

And the amps can easily manage anything one throws at them, while running actually rather cool. Even after leaving the receiver on over night it was just hand warm, and there is only about 1" of clearance above it in my rack.

A couple of words on tweaking:
It's simple - one can set up the speaker configuration, by entering the distance of the speakers from the seat in feet.

It's also sophisticated - as one can define the bass crossover point for each speaker individually between 40 and 200Hz.

It yields great results - even without checking the levels with the SPL I felt that I have never been enveloped in sound quite like this. After making some finer adjustments to the individual levels with the SPL it was just awesome. In particular the detail from all speakers was just so much improved. Now also the rear speakers, which on many soundtracks seemed a bit neglected, come much more into play.

On the downside ( and you may think that I am quite picky):

Unlike on many other products there is no visual indication of the volume level (e.g. -20dB). Even the volume control is not calibrated in dB, but in numerals (0 to 8), and in a dark room it is impossible to see where at what level it is.

The remote shows great promise, as it is programmable, and very flexible. However, in order to save batteries, it is preset to stay on for only 2 seconds, and it is not automatically backlit.

The L and R speaker terminals are a bit lousy. They do not accept spades, and they are not in standard distance from one another - so one cannot use the convenient dual banana plugs

In summary: Despite the last few comments, this is easily the best piece of mass market equipment I have ever owned - tremendous performance, great value, highly recommended.

#:o) #:o) #:o) #:o) #:o) (5 smiling Garys)

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood KM-X1, Marantz AV500, B&K 2030

Clean and tremendous power, buid quality, wide open sound stage, tight bass, highly tweakable, Made in Japan

Menu,and dime LCD light. no component video input, no AC-3 demodulator

What a amazing pice of work that SONY made. Usually, SONY produced average sounding receiver, and ran hot. But not this one.

I gave my brother, my beloved Denon 3600. and thinking abot buying a great sounding receiver at low price (less than 1K). I read lots of very positive reiview about this unit. Though I am NOT a big fan of SONY audio products (I love their video products) and I never, tried or listened to this unit. I decide to go ahead purchasing one since I can get this unit for less than $800.

To my suprise, this reciver is incredible. The sound is clean, tight and powerful. Compared to my old denon 3600, the sound stage is wider, and warmer; the sorround sound is more movie like not that bright compared to Denon (particularly in Center channel dialogue. I realized I giot a great value reciever, to achive this kind of sound, you definely need to spend at least around 2K.

Anyway, I am very happy about my purchase. In terms of component video, since I direct connect between DVD and TV, so this is not a issue. I love this 777 ES unit.

Similar Products Used:

Denon avr 3600

Awesome clean power, numerous digital inputs, great sound on both movies and music

Manual!

Great sounding receiver on both movies and music. CD's sound absolutely awesome if using an optical digital cable. Unlike some of the other reviews, I actually like the touchscreen remote. I can make adjustments as needed without having to also watch it on the TV Screen. I agree with many that the manual is a little on the weak side. Sony could have put a little more effort into that. I do wish that I could independently assign the digital inputs to each source. But being able to rename the inputs helps. Compared to a friend's Yamaha DSP, I think that the Sony kicks its butt. You'll need a fork lift to put this think in a rack. The build quality is very well. Definitely compare this receiver before you buy something else. I shopped around and found it the cheapest price was about $1100.00 but not in stock (imagine that). I ended up purchasing the receiver from Sounddistributors in Las Vegas for $1195.00 + $25.00 shipping. Got it in about 3 days.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite VSX-079, Pioneer Elite VSX-099, Yamaha DSP-A1, Denon AVR-3200, Denon AVR-3300

Power, inputs, tweakability, power, warranty, power, accuracy, clean clear beautiful sound, power, and the list continues for days and days...

The manual could stand to be more detailed, no visible volume indicator, can't fit spade lugs onto the binding posts.

I shopped and listened to receivers for about two months before I finally made my decision. My quest, in the beginning, was only to upgrade from the Optimus Dolby Digital receiver that I was using to something that would decode DTS trying to stay in the $400 to $600 range. After listening for about a week at several different shops, I decided that to really be happy with my investment I needed to just forget about the money and get what sounded good. Boy was I in for a ride. I listened to several different models:
Yamaha ? - just plain NASTY!
Denon 3300 - Pretty nice, but sounded really muddy at lower volume levels, and lets face it, how often do you really hammer it down?
Denon 5700 - Another really nice receiver, but for the money, I wasn't all that impressed with the sound, or the functionality.
Sony STR-DA555ES - A really nice receiver, probably the best in it's class, much fuller and brighter than the Denon.
Harmon Kardon AVR7700 - I was pretty impressed with this one. It actually was a close second to the 777, but was way too bulky, and because of the warm sounding amplifier I thought it might get thick sounding in my relatively small room (13' X 15')

Now to the winner...
What a creation! I have never really been a big Sony fan, but I decided to listen after reading all of the positive reviews here. I am so very glad that I did. The sound is bright and clear and the closest thing to flawless I have heard for under $10,000. It has plenty of inputs/outputs for just about any application, and it even made my old Optimus (RadioShack) speakers sound good(I have since upgraded those too, details to follow). This is truly the finest piece of audio equipment I have ever had the pleasure of hearing perform. I could go on for days about how great this receiver is, but I won't. I will only encourage you to go and listen to it for yourself. If the thought has even crossed your mind to buy this receiver, do so, you will not be dissapointed.
For those who might be interested, my system is composed of:

Receiver: Sony STR-DA777ES
Speakers: Front Channels: NHT VT-2's
Center: NHT VS-2A
Rear Channels: NHT SuperOne XU
Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Crystal for front and center channels, and AudioQuest Type 4 for the rears.(Cables do make a difference folks, a big difference)
DVD: Sony DVP-530D
Television: Toshiba 36" Cinema Series (Glass Tube)
CD: Optimus 25-disc changer w/optical out
MiniDisc: Sony MDS-JE510 (don't ever buy one of these)
Interconnects: various (RadioShack, MonsterCable)

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DA50ES

I found a receiver that finally satisfied me. What a relief that my yearning for great sound and knowing something is missing is now over.

Even the sun gets too hot. I will not mention any weakness as I am in total awe of this unit.

Ever hear the saying you get what you pay for. I have always figured in what I paid for somethig in order to judge it. You know, "for the money it is great" That doesn't mean it is really great. We do this with houses, cars, and of cource stereo. Well, let me say that forget the money this is great. I was able to pick one up at soundpros.com at a great price and it came shipped double boxed and perfect. I believe anyone that is as good as soundpros needs mentioning. The review here, however is of the 777. I could go on for pages and probably repeat what has been said before so I won't.
What I will say is that I don't want to look for a receiver after this or seperates or anything. I am for the first time so blown away and satisfied that I am now done looking. I listened to several dts audio cd's and then peacemaker and mercury rising iin dts.
I put on terminator 2 as it is my reference in dolby digital. I know listening to this receiver is suppossed to be just listening,but for the first time in years, I got tingles, and let me tell you, there is lots of material on what I listened to I never heard before in a clarity I have never heard before. I am not going out to buy a BMW Z8 for 100,000 but I feel I got its mate in a receiver. Add upgradebility and a 5 year warranty and It is a done deal.
Toshiba 1200 DVD
Sony CD
Pinnacle Gold Towers all around
Klipsch sub and center
biwired monster cable to speakers and s video and optical to receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Through the years, you name it. this unit replaced a harman/kardon avr75 which I thought was great until I heard this.

POWER, CLARITY!! I can't get this GUY past 2 without serious complaints from neighobors, and I don't live in an apt.!

Remote is nice, but learning has it's own bank. You have to get any learned function from a sub-menu. You should be able to rename and learn any fuction on any virtual button available. It would then be great! This way, it's only better then average.

I originally bought the STR-V555ES on E-Bay from an authorized Sony Dealer. I wanted a receiver ASAP, and the info on the 555 was sketchy, but I assumed it would be a monster. Needless to say, I assumed wrong! The V555ES is nothing more then a glorified DB series.
Anyways, the 777ES is the MONSTER I was looking for! HEAVY, POWERFUL, and would give any separate a run for the money at double this price! This unit is tweekable for years! BUT, it sounds absolutely AWESOME with absolutely no tweeking. This thing has my speakers screaming at 3 with no EQ adjustments. CLARITY, REALISM, and stereo separation is just incredible! This is the first receiver/amp that I have had that fully satisfies me at moderate sound levels. Other receivers/amps bag to be turned up to satisfy my hunger for music and BASS. Don't even get me started on the TIGHT BASS this boy produces!! This one idles, and satisfies me completely!!!
I'd like to consider myself an audiophile, but common sense has held me at bay for quite sometime. After hearing these reviews, I simply had to "hear" what all the hype was about! This unit is "ALL THAT" and more! You simply can't do better in this price range!
Do yourself a favor and purchase one of these babies before they're all gone! Forget the 7.1. This thing will keep you coming back for years! When you get sick of this, you'll likely need to upgrade to 30.1 . Also, I sure hope that RC232 port will be useful in the future! Any info on this would be very welcome!

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DA935. Pioneer