My review is sorta lacking cause I only used this amp for 2 days. The salesman claimed it could push four CV floor speakers (4 ohm resistance). Alas, but it could not - at least not for more than 2 days. On day number 2, the amp switched to protector mode. So long DE525...While it did work, I was pleased with the overall sound. The surround modes also did a nice job but you can't power A+B in surround so I had to used smaller speakers for the other channels. A good amp - but not one to be used with 4 ohm speakers unless maybe you only push two of them at a time.

Last year I purchased this reciever, and for the price it was great. My old reciever gave off a lot of background static, but when I hooked up this one my static problem was completely gone. Sony makes very good products for the price. In the future I'm hoping I can move up to their top of the line ES series which will set me back a few dollars!

Before I bought this Sony STR-DE525 I had a 1981 JVC 50 Watt per channel reciever. It worked pretty well until the left cheannel went out a couple weeks ago. I think that the Sony is great, especially compared to what I had before it. I love all the DSP modes and it has plenty of power and bass to make my Technics SB-CR77 speakers sound great. Overall the only complaint I have is that the remote flip up cover is kinda chessy but oh well, at least the reciever does a great job. I got it for $250 at circuit city, and it is a terrific buy for that price if you are looking for a decent reciever with lots of power and for a cheap price.

There is no reason to buy this overpriced receiver when you can get an better receiver for the same price. Being just another naive customer, I bought one of these jackson's for one day, but I returned it because CD's sounded like records, and ended up getting an Onkyo for the same price instead. It says its supposed to be 100 watts by 5 but all the 'less powered' Yamahas, Onkyos, and HKs I listened too blew it away. Sony also tends to add all these useless soundfields that you'll never use anyway. I would recommend against buying a sony receiver, and if you don't believe me, just go to the store and compare them to other brands.

I bought the STR-DE525 on a clearance sale at Future Shop for $250 about 6 months ago (back when the receiver was going for $300+). My main reason for purchasing that particular model was because of all the features and power it offered for the very low price. I was VERY pleased witht the sound quality running it on my Pioneer towers (which aren't really known for sound "quality") and Bose center channel and (no-name) sorrounds. Before I had a Pioneer 110x4 Pro-Logic amp (which blew out)and the Sony kicked its butt up and down with features and sound quality/clarity. The only thing the Sony lacks is a good Bassboost. It works well and is very clean, but if you don't have a sub, it's not enough (The pioneer had a stronger bassboost, albeit a little muddier). I'm planning on buying a sub which should hopefully solve my only complaint with this excellent receiver (especially for the price). I don't mind the remote, although it is a little bit cheesy. I haven't tested the 5.1 Dolby digital yet (because I don't have a DVD drive) so i don't know how well that works. Overall, I give this receiver a 4.5 for it's overall quality, power, and excellent price.

Hey, I got this baby for $159.00 as an open box product atBest Buys.

Kicks ass at this price range for a Dolby Digital ready receiver.

Great output, clear crisp sound. I have this hooked up to my
Samsung DVD907 that has an AC3 (5.1 channel) decoder built-in
to it. Watch Star Trek First Contact with the STR-DE525. It
will blow you away!

I'm going to change my surround speakers with Sony's wireless
rear speakers as the STR-DE525 receiver has a built-in wireless
speaker jack.

Great product at $159.00.

Bought this rather large amp for $475 australian which was very cheap at the time. Did its job well with my old set of speakers (set of Pioneer PD426 floor standers).
This amp excels at pumping large volumes of power for home theatre noise - pity it fails miserably with music.

After a long awaited speaker and cd player upgrade (Mission 704's and a Rotel RCD971), I put the system through its paces.

Allowing a few weeks for system wear in, I heard little difference between the old system and new. Trying to trouble shoot, I substituted the 525 with a Sherwood integrated amp I had spare. The difference was amazing.

The Sony 525 has a virtually non-existant sound stage, harsh slightly rolled top end and a muddy bass/midbass. The bass boost function was little more than a boomy bass effect which was quickly turned off. Vocal were undefined at best, instruments scratchy and distant.

Preset sound modes such as Live House and Jazz club were virtually useless, resulting in an unrealistic boxy sound (I prefer to have my sound set myself rather than what some Sony sound engineer thinks music should sound like).

Headphone jack sound quality was appaling, as was the obviously cheap reciever circuitry - my walkman has a better FM sound. The only things this amp had going for it were the pro logic functions, generally good build quality and the high power (yet fairly low current) output for A+B speakers.

I'll be selling mine to the first sucker I come across and buying something decent from a proper hifi manufacturer.

Rating:
3/5 for features
1/5 for sound quality

Overall i think this amp/receiver isn`t too bad. When powering my diy home speaker setup (consists of a pair of large column mains, a pair of di-polar surround towers and 2 active subs) the 525 performs rather well, with more than enough output. My only nitpics are the remote with its cheesy fliptop and the far to a coarse volume control. Oh i also blew the amps left channel output within the first 2 weeks, but since it was fixed i`ve had no other problems (and that was over a year ago)

Got this receiver from a Sony outlet store for $199. Have had it for about 6 months now. I have it hooked to a Pioneer CD player, circa-1981 Technics speakers, and a KLH subwoofer. Definitely has enough power to get very loud. When playing music, it fares pretty well - at least, it has managed to bring out details I've never heard before, on CDs I've spun a hundred times before. I have yet to try it for home theatre yet; must invest in 3 more speakers first. And the remote: why can't you turn the receiver ON with the remote?!Given what I paid for it, and given too that I am not a raving audiophile, I'll give this receiver 4 "speakers".

Power, features, powerful remote, good looks.

volume control on remote isn't precise as I would like.

I have used this reciever with two Pioneer 3-way 16 inch speakers, and it sounded great, despite the cheap speakers. I have also used it to power a 10 inch KLH powered sub, which also sounded excellent, and really suprised me, considering it was a KLH, and vibrated the walls of half of my 3000 sq. foot house, and was audible from the street. After the KLH burnt out on another reciever, I returned it and bought an Infinity 12 inch sub, and that sounded TERRIBLE. I had a lot more respect for Infinity before i bought and returned the sub two days later.
Now the Sony is driving two sony mini-towers, and is connected to a Sony 5 disk changer. I have no problems with the remote, except that the volume control is course enough that I have to sometimes change it on the reciever to get it just right. THE REMOTE CAN TURN ON THE RECIEVER, or any other Sony device connected to it, without programming, just press the source button (eg. CD, Tuner, TV etc.) and it works as a power on button for the reciever and other devices. The Power button turns it off. The flip up top is an efficient way of putting more control options on the remote without making it huge. The next sub I am going to use with it is the KEF 30B which should perform excellently.
Even though this reciever has gotten some bad reviews, I believe it is a superb device and can be enjoyed much more if one takes the time to skim over the manual for the reciever AND the ($50 dollar) remote, which has its own manual, and play with the different settings. It is also capable of labeling all preset radio stations alpha-numerically, as well as all sources. The different cinema and music settings sound good with a surround system, or even with just two main speakers. I highly recomend this reciever for its value and quality.