Cheap DTS

The hiss, remote is pretty crappy and forget about reading it in the dark, i question power rating.

The hiss is quite bad, just like everyone else's in here. From every speaker at practically any volume, 1-10 are the worst though, very crappy trying to watch a quiet movie with or any quiet music.

Not sure what the hell is up with the testing at Sony, but it disturbs me to see that out of about 150 reviews so far, 100+ of them have this hissing sound. COME ON SONY, A LITTLE QUALITY TESTING HERE. And don't give me the BS about thinking sony did this on purpose to try to send buyers up to the STR DE 945. if anything it would send people away.

Power rating also seems a little overestimated.

cheap DTS though. so what can you say really

remote is hilariously hard to read, green letters on white buttons? who the hell!? back lit buttons woulda been cool, in the dark it's impossible to read the "glow in the dark" buttons.

don't buy this receiver, sony messed up on this one for sure.

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Denon, Harmon Kardon

DD & DTS

Bad clarity in stereo and a strong static.

Fine in ht modes. Could not increase the volume of the rears as much as i would like. Stereo listening is realy bad. Was better on my old sony str de 405 pro-logic reciever.
finaly an ok reciever but not an inch more.

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Sony str de405, Proson rv1800

Decodes automatically DD and dts. Awesome performance in both DD and dts. Shape and look. Configuration of headphones

May need to keep your hand on the volume buttons of the remote if used in small rooms (1.5m between left and right front/rear channels, 2.5m between front and rear channels... : I know that i am mad :))See below 4 d rest

So,
it seems that I'm the only lunatic person that bought a 100W amp for a VERY small room (lol).

Hiss Review:
Let me say that the Hiss IS real. I've read all reviews before buying the amp and admit that there's a hiss BUUUTTTT:
IT IS NOT as terrible as described here (I'm an audiophile: I know what i'm saying). For me it's just a normal small hiss which is only heard between volumes 1 and 3. If you pump just a small bit of power in the system (volume 7/8 above) it will not be heard (unless music is totally soft).
This unit may not be totally perfect for music, however it is quite ok for Home theater (i found it satisfactory in both). I did all setups without seeing the manual: piece of cake.

And PLEASE: Remote is not bad. One may have difficulty reading it late at night but it is NOT that bad (Come on!!).

Therefore, i believe that if this unit is used in a moderate sized room (more suitable than my room) the hiss will be LESS heard. After all, PLEASE: name one receiver (especially Home theater ones) which does not hiss a bit: they all do a bit...

What sucked a bit was the fact that in my room, being a small one, i cannot listen to music or movies late at night, however i think i'll cope with that. I also believe that although Sony was not too generous with inputs, it gives quite a satisfactory amount of inputs/outputs for the price of the receiver.

If you want REAL quality you need REAL money
If you want High-Quality DD and dts receiver, this receiver is good for you.

P.S: i didn't buy this receiver in $, therefore price mentioned here is literally rough (average)

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Cheap Dolby Surround processor (Aiwa mini-system), heard many demos

Good sound quality..especially when watching dvd movies.

remote control, hard to see..no turntable input.

Their is no hissing sound..i do watch movies late at nights when sound needs to be turned down low. With all the reviews read the complaint was the hiss..but for my unit their is none..I like the unit for the price i paid for i think it's a deal. There is a little heat but it hasn't effected the system..all I hope for that this last for 10 years like my other sony receiver,that I still have..and now runs my turntable in my bedroom..aloha

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technics, pioneers

None what so ever

The hiss destroys this product

It is totally unforgiveable that Sony let this product out on the market.How can a leading electronics firm be so stupid.Before you all start talking about cabels and speakers,dont I know all about it and it has nothing to do with this problem.What is the point of owning a sonic product when it sounds like crap(hissssssssss),to look at?The craftmanship of this equipment starts and stops at the cardboard box it came in.

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Amc,Yamaha

Nice styling

HISS, heat, no fine adjustment controls

I bought the unit without reading any reviews and boy did I pay !
The price was a big seller, the Sony brand was also a big one, but once I hooked it all up the results were teribble. My speaker system is composed of JBL N series speakers (N-center, N38 fronts, N26 rears, and a sony SA-WM40 12" powered sub). All wiring is 12 guage super stranded, and all power connections are power conditioned and filtered with isolation transformers. Why am I mentioning all this ? Because even with all this the level of HISS comming out of this thing at any volume setting is completly unacceptable. I went through three units, thinking that is was a manufacturing flaw, and it was only after the Audio section manager at Sears offered me to try an STR-845DE that I saw the difference. The manager was very nice and tuned me in to the internet price matching that Sears has and I ended up getting the 845 for $299.

The 845 was DEAD QUITE. What a diffrence between models. Sony should really re-think their product line. The 845 was also much faster on the dispaly updates and it offers a huge amount of customization controls.

My advice to everyone: If you like Sony buy the 845. Don't waste your time with the 545. In additon to the Hiss the unit overheats. All three units I tested shared these probelms.

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STR-845DE

Good Sound Quality, Easy To Use Controls, Great Sound Fields

Treble and Bass adjustment could be smaller increments

This is one of the best receivers I have heard in a long time. As you see above I have owned a couple and this is the best one yet. I don't hear any hiss in my Sony, and find the sound quality to be of the up most. I install sound systems for a living and would recommend and install this receiver anytime. The controls are easy to use, and it has great DSP sound fields. I really like the Digital Cinema Sound for movies. Mine doesn't overheat either (it could be the gauge of your speaker wire) although I don't listen to music at high volumes for more than an hour or so. I do wish that the treble and bass could be adjusted by increments of 1db instead of 2db. But for $300.00 that is an expected draw back. Anyway, to any one who is thinking about buying this receiver and doesn't want to spend anymore than $300.00 for good quality (like me) this is the receiver for you, so go out and get it and give it a listen.


Thanks,
Chris

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Technics SA-DX940
Yamaha HTR-5240
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Value, features

Not many. Wish it had a S-video input for DSS. Wish the remote was learning or had more codes.

I think some of you are dealing with defective equipment. Take it back! There is absolutely NO hiss coming out of my 545 in any mode, 2 channel, DTS, or the DSP modes. This one was purchased for my brother to upgrade him to home theater. The remote was not working right out of the box and Crutchfield replaced it in TWO days no questions asked! Thanx to Crutchfield for still providing the best service.

I am using Monster and Acoustic Research cables, DCM monitors in front and center and Infinity QPS-1 surrounds. The sub is a Cerwin 100w 10".

I turned the volume to 25 on every input and had to put my in next to the tweeter in any speaker to hear amp noise. There was no channel cross-talk at all either. In fact I am surprised that it has this low of a noise floor to be around $200.00. It is in a 17'X 26' room and it can really drive the speakers well. My brother likes it really loud and watches DVD movies at FAR beyond reference level which I think is 75db at the listening position. He shakes the house during movies.

The surround edits are a nice touch for a low priced receiver, however I would love to see more EQ tweakability since they could have added that for about .03 cents per receiver. Naming the inputs is nice too.

The remote controls the Sony 35" TV, and JVC hi-hi VCR just fine. However, it will not control our new Mitsubishi Dolby Digital satellite receiver which is really a Hughes Electronics model. I talked to Sony and they said there is no way to make it work. I may get a learning remote later.

I am VERY happy with this purchase at this price. I can honestly recommend this to anyone who is looking for entry level home threater receiver.

But if it hisses like a snake, take it back - its broken!

And ALWAYS buy from a reputable dealer so you know you are not getting seconds or someone elses returns.

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Adjustability, Power

Wish there were more optical inputs NO BANANA OUTS!!! speaker outs couldnt b any smaller cant even use monster cables

This is a pretty good reciever and when i first got it i did experience a hiss but i got smart unlike u people i bought a subwoofer and no more hiss. I must admitt im not really a sony fan but i think this reciever is pretty good but it is my 1st reciever so i really dont have that much experience. but all i know is i know good sound quality when i hear it and i must say my HT sounds exelent my system consists of:

Sony des545 reciever
jbls310 mains
bose201 rears
velodyne cht150 subwoofer
jvc i art27inch

Alot of features, but it comes at a price...that being the darned...

HISSING!!!

Well this thing does everything except make your breakfast and walk the dog. But what's the point with this crappy sound quality? Be forewarned, all the reviewers on this site are not suffering from mass delusions. The hissing is there and its insufferable. It doesnt matter what cable or speakers you use, or using digital vs. analog inputs. It simply is there all the time and it shouldnt be. I found out that alot of companies are trying to give more features for less price by cutting corners. I was warned that JVC and Sony were the worst, and it is true. Buy a quality product from the likes of smaller scale manufacturers like Yamaha, etc. Its funny, I have a digital Sony boombox from 2 years ago that hisses just like this thing does. On volume zero, and 0.1 and above..."HISS"...you dont really care if a boombox does it but a $300 recevier shouldnt. Kinda makes you wonder, doesnt it?

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