Crisp, clean, clear sound. Nothing else matters. No matter what mode it is in it sounds good.

You can't do quite as much tweaking without the remote.

I have had this unit since it's first release in 1999. It has been with me through countless natural disasters and 3 countries. My dog ate the remote and I have yet to find a replacement but I am not complaining because even without being able to tweak it as much as I like the sound is exquisite. No it is not DTS no it is not THX but I would not trade it in for any other model that is on the market. My friends all have these fancy new Home theatre in a box systems but none compare to what I have.

Inputs, Power

Remote

I received this as a gift from my wife. She is an audio nut. Anyway I have not had much pratice with home theatre but this is one hell of an receiver.

It sounds great when my wife plays the DVD player. I can hear bullets flying all around me in Private Ryan.

Buy one if you can.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha

Great product, everything you need for H.T. Great for just listening to music.

none.

After two years with the STR-D90ESG I am very pleased. What I do not understand is why all the neg. on the remote. The on screen display is great. My son has the 555ES and his remote is a joke. Unless you are in a dark room you can not read it. But anyway, this is the best A/V receiver for under $1,000.00, hands down. To really appreciate it you need a good H.T. speaker system. Mine consist of Polk speakers. RT2000P front, CS-400 center and F/X500 for the rears. The RT2000P's have a built in sub-woofer amp of 200 watts, so I do not need a separate sub-woofer. They are all matched so there is a great sound stage with fantastic detail. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the receiver as well. I use a Sony DVP-7000 for my DVD player another great product (but thats another story.) Setting the perimeters is easy with the on screen display you can see what you are doing. All in all, I give it a 5. Mike

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Sony

Power. Sound. Build quality. REMOTE ONSCREEN DISPLAY!!!

None for my preferences.

I love this reciever. I have built my home theater and audio system around IT! I researched this reciever for quite awhile before my purchase so I knew about the potential strengths and drawbacks of the remote and the on screen display. I was using a HK avr 85 reciever with a madrigal/citation IRIQ remote that allowed me to control my reciever, tv, and all other devices from one remote via the IRIQ. However the H/K did not have the power or sound quality at 85 watts that I needed for loud listening in my large theater room. The 125 watts of the Sony solved that problem and by using s-video connections on dvd, vcr, and DSS I can control every source from this recievers' remote like the IRIQ but unlike the IRIQ I dont have to look down at the remote. Instead with the Graphic Users Interface and Sony Vision Touch capabilities I can easliy navigate through a minimum of menus by way of the onscreen display on the tv to diplay and perform virtually any function that I need. I dont have to take my eyes of the tv screen and look down at a tiny remote screen. It is extremely user friendly to operate all my componenets without getting different remotes out and figuring what button to push. Any particular specified components power on and off and start to play with one touch of a button. I really feel that this is the most user freindly couch potato remote and reciever on the market!! The initial set can be difficult but once you figure it out it is worth the setup hassles.
The sound qualities of the 90esg is superior to any other reciever I have auditioned. In the direct mode DD 5.1 is fantastic. Sound levels at high volumes are acheived effortlessly with the 125 watts per channel. Finally these can be purchased used on ebay and other sites for under $500 which makes them an exceptional value. The lack of DTS is such an unsignificant matter that all I can say is who cares if it doesnt have DTS. There are a multitude of soundfeild adjustments you can make if you are into that but the real kicker is the 2 channel stereo sound in direct mode. It is very clean, clear, and powerful. I have experimented with expensive seperates and tube gear and this reciever has caused me to sell it all and consolidate my audio gear into one home theater and audio system centered around this reciever. I dont write this review cause I want to sell it a hope someone will read this and want to buy mine so I can purchase another product. No way this unit is a keeper.

My System:
Sony 90esg reciever
Sony 7700 DVD player
Sony 61" projection TV
JVC svhs vcr
Newform Research 645's for front mains
Bolender Graebner 220 center channel
DBX soundfeild V rear channels
Though my system may not be world class it is what I consider to be high end. I have built it around the sony 90esg reciever and the GUI onscreen remote diplay and I couldnt be more satisfied.

Similar Products Used:

H/K. Other Sony. Marantz.

Great clear sound, power to spare, inputs/outputs in abundance

remote, doesn't have individual settings for each input, no DTS

My first big receiver, before this I had a JVC mini-stereo. I've got it paired up with two Mirage OM-10's up front and it has never run out of power for my tastes. I live in an apartment and have always chickened out before getting the volume knob much more than half. And it was still sounding clear.

The remote is a pain, big and with no channel buttons (huge oversight).

But I found this thing for $660 CAN in December and can't believe how lucky I was to get it. I had a friend who heard about the deal and I asked him about what kind of new receiver he would recommend. He convinced me to go for it and I am glad he did. I just read SGHT's new year round up of some of their favorite components over the years. There is the 90ES with an AA rating, one of their favorites of 98 I believe with a $1600 US MSRP! (they rated the Denon 3200 an A at a similar MSRP I might add)

If you can still find this thing, go for it. When I think of the fact I could have had a DE935 or whatever for the same price I just shudder.

No DTS, but other than this has all the features that only today's top receivers have:
lots of video inputs (with all S-Video switching)
lots optical and a couple of digital inputs (one an AC3 RF input, very useful if you have an LD player)
adjustable EQ on all speakers
large clean power

Dolby Digital, Inputs, Flexible

Remote

I never gave Sony a thought until I tried their ES line of audio equipment. In one word. Amazing. Breathtaking. My dvd movies never sounded so good before.

The flexibility is truly unique. It is user friendly, except for the remote. The build is rock solid.

Their are no longer in production. The successor is the 777ES. If you can find the 90esg at half price ($700.00)
grab it. You will not regret the purchase.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Carver

Digital Inputs, Amp, Inputs

Remote Control

I must admit, this is one hell of a monster. It is truly a great Audio/Video Receiver. I have used product from Denon and Onkyo and never thought Sony could make a dent until I heard this unit.

Take it for a test Drive. Even though it is no longer in production, you can still find it if you search carefully. Price when new was $ 1600.00. You can find it now for half that.

Your ears will be treated to audio bliss.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 5700, Harman Kardon, Onkyo

Digital Inputs, 120 Watts per channel,

Remote Control

I never thought much of Sony until a friend show me his es line of products. I ran at that weekend and purchase me the Sony 90esg. It does not have dts but that's okay.

Every DVD that I have brought has been in Dolby glorious digital.

This receiver has alot of power to spare. I have yet to make this receiver run out of steam.

I really recommend this product to anyone that can still find it.

Good Luck

Similar Products Used:

Carver, Denon

Great Sound In Direct Mode,Excellent Dolby Digital, Labeling of Inputs,Smooth Dynamics

No 5.1 Input, No DTS, Not DVD-audio Ready

Make No Mistake this is the best Sounding Receiver Sony has Ever Produced, It has only the Future-Proof weaknesses I've described, But It's strengths are many. I had Demoed so many different models & brands before Deciding this was the Clear winner.
Even Now in 2001 I would not trade up for a new model because of the overall superlative stereo sound in its direct mode.
Only seperates will do you One better but you have to deal with More Expense,Extra wiring that is Extremely Crucial to its sound, & less inputs on Most Preamps.
If It's Still Available Try It Out You won't be Mistaken.
Frank F. (Frank's Sound Room)

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 919, Denon 3600

I recently purchased the STR-DA90ESG, what a joke! Thankfully my retailer accepted if back in exchange for the DA80ESG. The 90 is marketed as the solution to controlling your home theater and audio systems. My complaints:
1) You cannot effectively use it with S-Video and non-S-Video components. The unit keeps both outputs active all the time. This forces you to connect the component video to a second video input on your monitor, (assuming you have one). The 90ESG is only able to automatically switch the monitor to one video input. Your choice according to Sony is to either use component video exclusively or to manually switch the monitor whenever you want to use a non-S-Video source.

2) There are not channel up/down buttons on the 90ESG remote. You must use the cumbersome on screen display to change channels. (320 by 240 line resolution). This forces you to keep at least one additional remote to change channels.

3) The 90ESG does not save the audio mode (surround mode/2 channel stereo) selected for each input. If you switch from DVD movies with AC3 to CD for music you must use the one screen display to through several layers of menus to change to 2 channel audio.

4) I though I could solve all of this with a fancy programmable remote, but the 90ESG uses some wierd customer IR that prevents you from using any 3rd party remotes.

I don't think Sony tests their products with consumers at all. I cannot belive they forgot the items mentioned above. My friend's Mitsubishi Diamond Star receiver doesn't have any of these shortcomings. I only wish I could have received a complete refund instead of an exchange for the 80ESG. (The 80 does not have the 3rd party remote limitation).