Ease of use, appearance, price

No remote speaker jacks, No switched outlet

I got this from an awards catalogue at work, and was part of a complete Sony HD5000 setup including DVD player and speakers. Anyway, the receiver is a good first forray into the world of HT. For me in my hi rise apt, this amp has enough power. The price is excellent, and quality is pretty good...Let me say that I have NONE of the HISS people have been talking about...How can the same receiver hiss like crazy in some peoples setup and not at all in others? Oh well, just realize I have none of it...Anyway, since I paid nothing for it, I'm pretty happy...With this type of non-purchase, my philosophy is if its good enough so that you dont need to replace it with something better, then you did ok...By this definition, I Did OK! If youre actually buying, though, I would suggest stepping up to at least the 545 to get the 2 features missing which show up in my Weaknesses section....Hell, its only 50 bucks more! Actually, I would probably decide to spend the money and go for the DE945, or DB940 models. But, you dont NEED to in order to enjoy music and HT. This model, if you make sure to get good speakers, will provide you with very good listening pleasure, and enough features to include you in the HT revolution. Enjoy!!

digital surround

hiss, hiss, hiss, and hiss

I have only one complaint about the receiver. The constant un-amplified hiss produced at all volumes except in the "0" position. All those people who suggest that is is a cable problem could be confused. Cables will introduce a "hum" from some kind of power influence (bad ground, ground loop, etc..) not the hiss heard. Those who haven't heard either have an exceptionally good one or havenever listened to it at a low enough volume or at any volume without an input device turned on. I plan to take this receiver back and upgrade to one that is better or get my money back and buy another brand. That depends on what the other models sound like. Hopefully not hissssss...... I would not recommend this receiver to anyone who listens to anything at a lower volume. Anything higher than 12 and the hiss is drowned out and is unnoticable.

Easy to use, price

no s-video or component hookups

I bought this receiver for my home theater a few months ago. I have not noticed any hiss from my speakers when watching dvd or video. The only time there is hiss is when in TV mode and that is putting my ear to the speaker, otherwise it is not noticeable.

I watched the Daytona 500 this weekend with volume at 23 and it sounded INCREDIBLE! This receiver provides ample power of 80 watts and has a DD/DTS decoder for under $300. At this price it is one of the best out there. No, it's not the Sony ES series which costs about $500+ or more, but it is a nice receiver for someone putting together a nice home theater system without breaking the bank.

Similar Products Used:

sony

decent price

Its deaf, and its featureless compared to the JVC equivalent

I was really amazed to get this thing home, open it up and find out that my 10 year old boombox with a fully collapsed 1/2 wave telescoping antenna could hear FM stations that this couldn't, even after using a three foot piece of coax for an antenna. The tuning controls are annoying, the remote is hard to use, and the overall appearance isn't astonishing. In general this reciever could be summed up as
REALLY ANNOYING!

The JVC RX6500VBK is (as of may 20, 2001) the same price at circuit city, but has more inputs, more power, a better apperance, and far more favorable customer ratings than this reciever does.

I intend to exchange this POS for a JVC tomorrow morning.
Because of the JVC alternative, buying this product is a complete waste of money. You almost certainly will be disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

2 channel recievers

none

hiss, overrated "power", ugly, overheats, only one front speaker output

i agree with an earlier review. this thing puts out about only 30-35 watts continuous power. Full volume of this supposed 70 watt machine didnt even distort or challenge my 40 watt bookshelf speakers that i hooked up specifically to test this thing's "power".

it also hisses like a mother. and yes, i use monster cables.

My final thoughts:

1.) The 445 is a piece of crap.
2.) Sony sucks

Similar Products Used:

yamaha, onkyo

Price and quality

None

For the price this receiver is great for home theater. It provides 80 watts per channel (400 watts) and input for a subwoofer. It has a DTS and Digital Decoder for DVD's which works great! It has both optical and coaxial output and plenty of hookups for the TV, playstation, DVD, CD, and VCR.

What else do you need?

As for the hiss, get new speakers or better cable. I have not had this problem using monster cable with my Sony speakers.

Similar Products Used:

None

Affordable, I bought a floor model for a nice discount.

Hiss at low volume

I just bought the DE445 because it was a reasonable price. I'm about 80% satisfied and debating with myself whether I should go back for a better model.

DTS at a great price, easy to set up, Great service from local Sony store manager.

HISS!

Great value for a receiver with DTS. Watched Gladiator on companion S360 DVD and with volume turned up it sounded great. However when it is late at night and the volume is turned down...HISS is annoying! I am still debating whether to keep or return, a Yamaha or Denon with the same features will cost me double what I paid.

DTS at under $300.00 Canadian

HISS!

Great value for a receiver with DTS. Unit was purchased for home theater use and is hooked up with an optical cable to Sony S360 DVD. Do all Sony recievers hiss at low volume? I find it somewhat annoying.

Economical, power transistor output stages, decent musicality for an entry level component.

Remote could've been better. THD a touch high. Older versions can have excessive hiss. Exaggerative wattage ratings.

If given a choice between entry level Pioneer, Kenwood Technics, or Sony, I'd take the Sony. The STR-DE445 uses discrete transistor output stages, as opposed to amplifier ICs like Pioneer, Technics, and Kenwood use. Muscality was actually quite good. You just have to find the right kind of speakers that are both efficient and will allow the amp to drive them properly, as well as use decent speaker cable. (Don't use 4 or 6 ohm speakers with this amp as it is designed to use speakers with impedences at 8 ohms or higher. Otherwise, you risk overloading the unit, which is manifested by overheating and possibly even the receiver switching to PROTECT mode. Heed all these warnings and don't use the wrong speakers or the amp will eventually be damaged.) The only other brands that seems to use discrete transistors for the output stages are Teac and JVC. All in all, a good recevier for the money. However, if you can afford it, get a higher end Sony, or other receiver from a reputable brand. - Reinhart