power,unlimited adjustments and total bass management,attractive clean appearance typical of ES products,sound and performance unmatched i suspect by anything less than two or three times this price .although i havent popped the top, the heft and a glance down through the vents are very reassuring as to the incredable quality of this unit.

versitile, powerful remote and at the same time extremely unhandy to use. for those so inclined to familiarize themselves with this remote it probably becomes less of an irritation, and maybe for a very few, it even becomes very useful. at present, i use it to power up and select the desired input. then i use the seperate remotes supplied with each individual device.

i purchased the 777 several months before i really intended to. after its intro and glowing revues, i decided this would be my next receiver. then when the rumors started about its demise, i felt i had to get one now or possibly be left in a situation where none where available. the 777 performs as stated in the very positive revues below and the only "quirk" i have run into is the much noted (complained )about audio/video split phenominum. this doesnt happen often, and the correction is a simple button push on the receiver. im calling this a quirk because im not sure that its abnormal. it may be a defualt connected to the initial setup and im never really sure what i was doing with the receiver just prior to the split. i have read others who say that a software upgrade will correct this. maybe it will if this is not normal. well so much for the somewhat halfharted complaint. to end this revue on a positive note-the discontinuation of the 777 has made this fine receiver a rarity .im glad i got mine and ill bet other 777 owners feel just as privledged as i do.

Similar Products Used:

fisher, marantz,sae,hk,kenwood,carver other sony es

Sharp, crisp and accurate sound

None

I went to audition the B&W DM604 S2 at LA Audio Video... I heard the speakers using 4 different amps with the same CD. The listening room was completely sealed off from external noise so it was a perfect environment. The first amp was a Mark Levinson preamp/amp hookup... this was just heavenly! The sound was just perfect!! I could even hear the singers afterbreath!!

The second amp was the 777ES. I noticed that this amp was not anywhere near the Mark Levinson but it was pretty damn good. The sound was bright and clear and tonal accuracy was superb.

The last two amps were high-end Yamaha and Marantz. The Yamaha sounded quite dull and muddy! The Marantz was only average which was quite surprising as I thought it would be the best..

It was clear to me that the 777ES was the winner!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Marantz

Bass Control..
Earth shaking Bass Management...
Sharp as a Pin drop...

Power.. clarity.. consistency... beautiful

Touch Screen Remote

The best among all the receiver in this price range...

Sound quality, ease of use, gold finish looks cool.

Most DSP modes are 'gimmicky', maybe the motorised door in future.

First of all, I use this receiver for playing audio CD's 90% of the time, and watching DVD's the remainder. I will detail how and why I use it for each.

FOR MUSIC:

I use 'Analog Direct' mode for critical listening and the clarity and dynamic response is superb, especially at higher volumes.

For more casual listening, and when I want to impress my friends/annoy the neighbours, I use 'AFD' mode to make use of the sub. And I have the front speakers set to 'Large' so they still output the full range.

I never use any of the sound fields for music as they only distort the sound, especially modes like 'stadium' with really 'trashy' reverb. Also since the music I listen to can go from classical piano to choir-like vocals to thunderous guitars all in one song, I don't even bother trying to set up any EQ.

The great thing about this receiver is that although there are endless tweaking possibilities, it sounds incredible without using any of them.

FOR DVD:

I must admit that when it comes to surround, the 'Cinema EX' sound fields are very good, particularly EX B for action/FX type movies.

For this application my rear speakers are set to 'Small' with the cut-off freq set to 70 Hz and I change the front speakers to small also, with the cut-off at 40 Hz. This is so that the sound from the sub is more prominent. I don't have a centre speaker hooked up.

Again, I don't bother with any EQ, and the rear level is flat.

My system is:

Receiver - Sony STR-DA777ES
CD Changer - Sony CDP-C315
DVD Player - Sony DVP-S336
TV (34cm) - Sony KV-G14S2 - need a bigger one!
Video - cheap Akai, hardly use it.
Front Speakers - Sony SS-B40ES
Rear Speakers - Infinity RP2001s
Sub - Sony SAW-70ES

Finally with the remote, I don't really need to use it since my room is quite small and the remote doesn't change CD's by itself :) and it's quicker to use the video remote to program it to record anyway. But I have taken the time to set it up and learn how to use it. One usefull feature I found is the USER section. This allows me to rewind a video (say) whilst listening to a CD without the receiver swithing to the video input.

To sum it up, I've always used and liked Sony gear, and this receiver is certainly worth checking out.

I hope this review was helpful to those thinking about purchase, and to those who already own it. It's nice to hear how others use it in case there's something we've overlooked. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned lower Sony models.

All that have been posted by others and myself

Some of the minds that post in this review section

It sad to read some of the current posts in this review section. I have had the sony 777 for a time now and still am impressed by it every time i fire it up. Everyone has the right to post a review about any product they choose,but you would think at this price range their would be more adults buying this reciever...but i guess children have much more money than i did when i was young! This reciever is not without flaws..let be real..but it hardly deserves 1 and 2 star reviews-that in its self reflects the maturaty level of the few that have treated this reciever as such. And for the children that are trapped in adult bodys..well.. go to bed! 5 Stars STILL all the way!

Similar Products Used:

Just about ALL of the current Av recievers in this price range.

Great HT performace with good stereo performance.

When anybody can get this unit for less than $1K the only gripe is the remote. Oh and the people in this forum.

I took a home eval of this Sony reciever and found a decent product at this price. If I was searching a year ago, I would most certainly have this on my short list of items. Being that it can bee had for under $1k its a great value.I did not keep it for two reasons. DVD-A will be out soon and I do want the system to be able to support this standard directly. No componenet switching. Having both a Sat with proggresive scan ouput and a proggesive DVD player make its a must for me now. Anyone who gives this product multiple one star reviews must see a shrink or get laid and find something else to do. Make your statement and finish.

Sony although has created an extensive line of junk in its long history but has also created great products in the past. Here is a few.

Sony XA7ES - Stereophile Rec Class A.
Sony SCD-1 - To many awards to list.
Sony SCD-777ES - Also a great product.
Sony MMS9 - Stereophile Rec speaker. I have heard them in the city and they are good but better speakers can be purcahsed for the price of these speakers.

If anything I would say that the motorized door is a Sony problem becasue it will only break and cause grief in the future.

Hey maybe the guys below are disgruntled employees.Who knows, who cares, just stop destroying what is becoming a great forum.

4.5 overall at under a thousand dollars.

Incredible build quality, Clean sound using Analog Direct for music and great surround sound with umpteen number of customization.

Remote needs at least 2-3 days of playing around to figure it out.

I have been shopping for an upgrade to my Dolby Prologic receiver for quite a long time. Since Yamaha was last product I decided to try out Yamaha first. Yamaha's are great products but they very customization, where you can control the tone quality for the center and rear channels, plus In my opinion yamaha's tend to produce not enough sound from the center. At times I have to increase volume to hear the center channel. Of course did not encounter that problem with SonyES.

As for just Music quality , I can't believe the sound it produces with no Bass or treble adjustments via the analog direct mode. It just blows the yamaha away. I know that the yamaha is not of the same power caliber, but my point is that to even get a yamaha product that matched the sony in power would mean I have to dish out probably twice the amount only to probably get at best, a similar quality product.

By the way guys and gals this receiver is built like a tank, only the Marnatz sr 18 come close to the built quality. The weight itself should indicate that, - an icredible 55 lbs.

I happened to check out the new 555v that supposedly the es model that replaces the 777es and let me tell you, that thing is not even compareble to the 777es. It weighs about 60% of the 777es that itself shows you it is not the same thing, plus the 555v are no longer made in Japan. So my advice is to try to find any stores that still carry this model any buy it without any hesitation cause they will not last.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha rxv590 and Pioneer

4 ohm driveability, full-bandwith power, value, customization, upgradeability, crossover flexibility, individual speaker parameters, sound clarity, soundstage,neutral sound, build quality, usable DSP modes, you get the idea.....

No deal breakers.... but to be objective.... 10 second power off on remote and ambiguous manual.

My exhaustive AV receiver purchasing experience lasted over 2 months. I home tested all models listed above and found that this is the only fair way to evaluate the relative merits of an AV receiver. After all.... why drop $1000 on somthing you aren't 100% satisfied with. In summary, I am 100% satisfied with the Sony 777ES.

I found that each model tested had its plusses and minuses, but for what I was looking for..... a system capable of producing near audiophile 2 channel sound as well as delivering an exciting home theater experience- the Sony was the only receiver to shine in both categories. Having said this, I would still recommend making liberal use of retailers return policies to try the cometition. I would recommend, based on my experience, developing a short-list and TRY AT HOME. My preferences:

1. Sony STR-DA777ES: This unit (as detailed throughout the posts below) is an excellent value which knocks the pants off the competition. It had all the benefits of the systems I reviewed without some of their shortcomings. It had the clean sound of the Outlaw, the presence/musicality of the Marantz systems, and the home theater gusto of the Pioneer. I was not impressed at all with the Denon systems with the exception of their excellent 5 channel stereo mode and bipole/monopole switching on the 3300. I also found some of these models to exagerrate my speakers sonic character by placing their own sonic signature on what they were driving. For example, the Yamaha made warm speakers bright and forward/detailed speakers harsh. The Sony allowed a more faithful sound reproduction of whatever speakers it was driving without adding its own "sonic signature".

The Sony drives my Paradigm Mini Monitor fronts, Paradigm CC-350 center, and Paradigm ADP-170 rears (all paired with a Mirage FRX-S8 sub) with ease. I was concerned that the Sony would be too bright sounding a receiver when paired with the Paradigms (which are detailed but some describe as forward sounding or in your face).... this was not the case. The Sony provides a very flat/neutral sound and allows these speakers to image better than any of the other receivers tested. It provides them with clean power and gives an incredible sound stage presence the others could not match. Instruments are placed on the soundstage with incredible detail and accuracy. In short, for two channel material, ths receiver allowed my Paradigms to open up with depth and detail not allowed by any of the other units tested. I also found the Sony to be a good match for my secondary system consisting of Tannoy Mercury M1's, Mercury Center and M1 rears. Again the Sony did not place any type of sonic signature on these speakers (which are on the richer and warmer side). I found the Sony to be very flexible in this regard.... the ability to match well with different sounding speaker systems.

I have a few things extra to add to the home theater section of this receiver besides what has already been said. The customization options are endless. In particular, I liked the ability the Sony has of setting specific crossover settings for each set of speakers (1 setting for fronts, 1 for center, and 1 for rears). Although other models tested allowed tweaking the crossover for all speakers, only the Sony allowed customization for each (since the rears and center ususally don't go as low as the mains). I also liked the reverse polarity option and high frequency filter. As mentioned in preceding reviews, home theater reproduction with this unit is stunning. Presence is unbelievable with a "you are there" realism and sonic landscape that competitors can't reach at this price point.

Again, it is your $1000.... to make sure you are as happy with this unit as I am.... try competing brands AT HOME by utilizing store return policies. Most reviews on this site are very credible, but in some cases an individual has heard the unit in an acoustically poor audio showroom with shoddy hook-ups, with untrained store personnel giving the demo. That is not a fair evaluation of a product and does a disservice to end consumers. My favorites of the units I tested from best to worst in the $700-1200 AV receiver market along with my equipment (I'd recommend any for a short-list):

1. Sony 777ES of course

2. Pioneer Elite VSX-29TX: good customization, THX options made ths a great home theater performer. Onscreen setup was nice. Great build quality. A little muddy and not as detailed for music.... but not bad. Best compromise of music and home theater after the Sony.

3. Marantz SR8000: Great soundstage for music with a very warm musical sound in general. Good presence and soundstage although not as detailed as Sony. Not as good on home theater although it produced the best bass ouput from by subwoofer of units tested. Great remote also.

4. Marantz SR-7000: excellent value but shared the same negative traits as the SR-8000 to a larger extent.

5. Outlaw 1050: Great simple to use unit but lacked power. I also found it too clinical or sterile sounding, especially on music.DSP modes all sounded the same. Matrixed EX channel didn't add much.Great value at $699 though it can't run with the big dog (i.e. Sony 777ES)

6. Denon 2800 and 3300. Loved the 5 channel surround modes and onscreen display. For the money though, I didn't see what all the hype was about on these units from a sound standpoint. Harsh sounding to me and a tad bright. Nothing special for home theater. Also reliability of these units has been a concern.

7 Yamaha 995: Too bright for my taste and for me was not in the same league as others tested.

Again, try for yourself. Music/home theater is very subjective. This was my experience with the units tested at my home in a medium sized room with mid-fi associated equipment. I'm sure results may vary. But, do yourself a favor and try for yourself. I think you will agree that Sony has made the superior sounding product and value with the best combination of features at this price point. Associated equipment:

Speaker wire: Kimber Cable 4TC for speakers with Kimber Siver streak interconnects. And yes.... this DOES make a difference.

Line Conditioner: Monster cable HTS 2000 (This DOES make a difference)

Speakers Used: All Paradigm- Mini Monitor fronts,CC-350 center, ADP-170 dipole rears. Mirage FRX-S8 subwoofer. I also used Tannoy Mercury M1's and Mercury center to test all receivers.

DVD Player: Sony DVP-S300 used for CD playback as well.

Direct TV: RCA Dolby Digital box

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR7000/SR8000, Pioneer Elite VSX-29TX, Denon 2800/3300,Yamaha RX-V995, Outlaw 1050 all units demoed IN HOME for approximately 1 week at a time.

Raw power, value for dollar

Manual for remote poor

After months of reading reviews, etc... I was torn between Denon AVR-3300 and Onkyo DS777. I went with the ES because I knew it would be rock solid, where many reviewers on this site reported MANY problems with the Denon and Onkyo.

Got it home, set it up, all I can say is "Got Wood?" This thing is an animal! Lifting it rivals lifting a dead animal... :-)

I can't believe all the complaints about the remote. Maybe being a computer geek helps, but I had NO problems with it. I do agree that the manual should have better detail on brand preset codes for a book so damn thick!

System:
STR-DA777ES
Sony DVP-S530D DVD player
Energy Encore Speaker System
Monster Cable Digital interconnects and Subwoofer Cable
Radio Shack Gold Series analog Interconnects
27" Sharp TV - soon to change (too small!)

Similar Products Used:

Nak AV-1, other cheap stuff

sound, remote, appearance, inputs......basically everything

none that I have found

Awesome receiver. Just upgraded to the 777ES from the DB-930 and the difference is very evident. Sound is extremley detailed and accurate and there is more power in this receiver than there is in a Dodge Viper. The db level at .5 was louder than the 930 set at one. I turned it all the way to 7 before I almost went deaf. Absolutely no distortion and probably could have turned it further but I would like to retain some hearing. Dolby Digital decoding on this monster is the best I've ever experienced. Unbelievable. If you are looking for a unmatched receiver in the thousand dollar price range this is the unit for you.
My system: (They only thing good about my system besides my mains is this reciever but it more than makes up for the crappiness of the rest)
Receiver: STR-DA777ES
Mains: Boston Acoustics VR975's
Center: KLH Premium 525
Surrounds: Technics something or others
CD player: Technics PD8 5 disc changer
DVD: RCA 5220P

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer, Sony