Remote - setup with minor kinks - subwoofer setup is delicate, but once it's right, it's RIGHT ON

To start with the negatives, the remote is a bummer for this type of unit. It has many preprogrammed manufacturers, but I can only get a hold of my VCR, everything else STILL needs its own remote. Some behavior is questionable when using the set-up (the mode buttons "stick" even though I was finished setting it up?), but now for the good stuff.

This is my first surround system, and I purchased it at a good price through Sony's employee program. It's the European edition, and boasts a s***load of inputs, including phono for those buffs out there, not many receivers in this category provide that. My DVD player is cheap (and codefree) but using the optical out, I don't have to worry about squat, the DE635 will decode anything and even notice what's going on, selecting surround sound as soon as the inputs provide it. All inputs also remember your preferred mode of listening. Given, 27 modes are a bit over the top. But rest assured, you will find several that you will come back to again and again.

Setup was quick, even though I did it in steps (I didn't get the speakers until a week after the amp, and the subwoofer came even later - so I guess this recount will seem evolutionary). Many have stated it, and I agree, that speakers make or break this receiver. I first had only the five-speaker package SS-FCR115 hooked up, but the two-way front speakers held up pretty well in terms of bass and I was sometimes afraid to hear my neighbors knocking. They didn't, but now that I have the SA-W305 active subwoofer two things might happen: (1) I might miss my bus more often in the mornings listening to DVDs like the "Fantastische Vier UNPLUGGED" and (2) I might have my neighbors over more often. Nevertheless, I got the surround speakers for next to nothing, and they aren't half bad, who in reality can really crank their system at home anyway? It's powerful enough for me...

Equipment:
Receiver...STR-DE635
Speakers...SS-FCR115
Act Sub...SA-W305
DVD...Scott
VCR/TV...Blaupunkt

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Previously only had a mini system. Bummer!

lots of sound options

no BASS ! not enough digital inputs

This is my first 5.1 receiver ,i had an Akai amp for about 13 years.
When i hooked up the i noticed a BIG difference between these 2.
The Sony sounded dull , no bass.
the Akai(2*50w) bass level set at 0 but had alot of bass!
i had to set the bass settings to at least +9 to get some bass out of it, what a shame..
The dvd part sounded great after adding a subwoofer, but
after i adjust the treble or bass settings for the surround to +4 or higher , i hear an annoying buzz in my right surround speaker each time i push the up or down volume on the remote !
speaking of the remote , you can only use it at daytime because you can't read those white buttons with green!
Better save your money and buy a Yammie !

Sound quality, Dolby Digital / theatre effects

Need more inputs/outputs now

I have really enjoyed this system for a year and the only reason I am considering getting a new one is that I'm hooking up a DirectTV system and now I need more inputs and outputs. This Sony has coax, optical, and 5.1 RCA hookups, but no S-VIDEO. I have DVD and SAT now with S-VIDEO (only one S-VIDEO on the TV) and 3 components (CD, DVD and SAT) with optical digital outputs.

The improvement in sound quality was HUGE moving from the HK AVR20 (admitedly, the bottom end of the HK line!). This system drives two sets of speakers--a Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble IV in the kitchen and III in the living room. No problems shaking plaster off the walls and delivering solid distortion-free sound through the house. I am not a great audiophile expert, but I've been through the typical college and beyond, male-typical audio evolution over the past 10 years and this is the best system I have ever had, in terms of sound quality and general performance. I think, for a person desiring to set up a home theater, but not ready to drop >$300 on the receiver, this is a fine choice...however, the current year models are probably at that price point and better now--e.g. Sony STR-DE645 or greater.

Most of my complaints have to do with connections and the remote. The remote is OK, but you cannot read the buttons without bright light and a microscope. They glow in the dark, so after a year of using it, you sort of know what to do. The volume knob has no light to indicate its position, so raising the remote volume is a blind/aural exercise--be careful! In other words, its hard to tell where the volume is set.

Need more inputs and outputs. No S-VIDEO...that would make it possible to hook up DVD and Dish, then switch between them on the receiver and have one output to TV. One day, they will get it right, I guess...for now, not a problem until you have multiple video inputs and can't work around it on the TV.

Need more digital optical inputs. What do I do with all these cool new components? I don't know if it makes a big difference in sound quality, but I want to be able to use the best on everything!

There is a separate output for an active subwoofer...great if you have one. Otherwise, you end up splicing lots of speaker wire to hook in your non-powered subwoofer in parallel with the main speakers. It would be nice if there was a separate powered speaker connection so I could plug the subwoofer(s) in separately.

There are an awful lot of confusing controls and soundfields on this machine. You can select things like "Cinema Studio A" or "Stadium". Usually, the auto detected sound field is best. These things are gimmicks. If you REALLY want to simulate the effect of Eminem rapping in a church--go for it.

I'm going back to Cambridge Soundworks today to see if the latest models are more component friendly. This model is the best I have ever owned, was a great deal at $299, and I'm sure would be a great deal today for probably significantly less. It just isn't a $1000 Harman Kardon and you shouldn't expect that. But it should serve most of your needs pretty well. I'm giving it a 5/5 because I consider this "class" to be value-priced, dolby-digital systems.

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Harman Kardon AVR20 (upgraded from, a year ago)

Great sound quality. Great stamina.

Can't tell where the volume knob is set at in the dark.

I really have no complaints with this receiver.

Sure, it gets hot...but that's why the thing has vent holes on the top. I had my STR-DE635 receiver running loud with the volume set between the 12-2 o'clock position for 4-5 hours straight when I had a party at my house, she performed flawlessly! Never gave up, not even a hic-up.

Playing movies with the volume knob at around the 12-1 o'clock setting didn't have any effect on the receiver either...yeah, it gets hot running at high volumes, but it performs great under these conditions...it also helps to have the receiver in a spot where it can ventilate properly, I could easily see this thing burning out without sufficient heat venting.

The STR-DE635 is a good receiver, highly recommended.

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This is my first Dolby Digital receiver.

Great sound.

Remote buttons, Vague op manual.

Bought this receiver at C.C. on sale for $269. Has all the options you could want for a great price. The remote on the other hand is a little difficult to read especially when selecting your audio sources. No problems with the hissing experienced with some of the earlier postings. I did however experience the receiver running too hot during the first 5 hours out of the box. My rcvr lies in an enclosed ent ctr. Went out to Wal-Mart and purchased a personal fan which sits on top of the unit for $9.95 and have no more heat problems, cools all the other components as well. Enjoy!

Sony DVP-S330 (DVD)
Sony SLV-720HF (Hi-Fi VHS)
Pioneer CLD-V820 (LD/Laser Karaoke)
Pioneer Ct-1170W (Dual Cass)
Sony Trinitron
Bose AM-5 spkrs
JBL Ctr/Surround spkrs
Yamaha Sub-woofer

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Sony STR-DE315

Dolby Digital, Equalizer function, Soundfields

Green letters on green keys (that faintly glow in the dark)

I love the unit, has great power at only 80w x 5. Bass is no problem for me with a JBL woofer that cracks the foundation. Easy to adjust surround speaker levels and equalizer levels. Sony's digital cinema soundfields make movies seem larger than life. A excellent unit with digital for under $300. P.S. - I wonder about people that can't find the "hidden panel" on the remote.

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Sherwood, Pioneer

Processing quality, build quality, ease of use, flexibility

Spring clips, lack of pre-outs(besides subwoofer outs), poorly marked remote, only one optical input, only eight charaters allowed for naming inputs

For the price, this receiver is a no-brainer decision for anyone taking the plunge into Dolby Digital. The 27 different soundfields are very well processed, lending to very believable acoustics of the various venues. I enjoyed setting up each soundfields, and found that it was a much more user friendly operation than setting up most digital receivers(has anybody had the displeasure of using Denon's on screen menus?)Overall sound quality in regular stereo mode is commendable, but a lack of solid lower bass(around 40hz) was evident. When will Sony wake up to the fact that 100 hz for the bass boosting circuitry is too high? Most speakers can handle 100hz very well, and certainly don't need it to be boosted. Programming in the redirection of the LFE channel to the main front speakers did not work very well. It didn't seem to make any difference when subwoofer was switched to "NO". My main speakers are normally controlled and thunderous, outperforming any seperate powered subs(including the best Velodyne has to offer), but were extremely mediocre when connected to this unit. To remedy this, I will have to Bi-wire my homemade speakers and run a seperate power amplifier to their built in subwoofers.
Whatever jackass decided to put green writing on green buttons on the remote needs to be shot. Every time I want to select an input, I have to hold the remote an inch away from my eyes in order to read it. The ergonomics of both the remote and the unit itself are great, though. My life has been a lot simpler now that I can replace 6-7 remotes with this one. I have used a lot of universal remotes, but this one seems to cover a lot more ground than most.

I have had Sony surround receivers in the past that have eleven characters allowed for naming inputs, which was great. Only eight on this one. It is the equivalent of trying to come up with cute liscence plate phrases instead of being able to call the inputs what I want(DVD player is DVDplayr, etc.) Spring clips are expected in a receiver of this price, but binding posts should be the standard for every decent receiver. I replaced the spring clips in the back with some good five way binding posts for the front pair of speakers.

I haven't noticed any excess heat as descibed in other reviews. I definitely agree that the unit looks very cool with the blue light blazing. I believe that I will be very happy with this once I set up the power amp to run the subwoofers and memorize which buttons are which on the remote.

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Several Sony es series preamps, amps, processors, receivers

Great Sound, Nice interface

Heat, Remote

I agree that this unit gets extremely hot! I left it on overnight and it warped the plastic on my DVD player which was resting on top of it. I know, that was stupid.

The remote does suck, it's got these component selector buttons that are clear with green writing on them that are impossible to read when it's dark. And it doesn't reprogram to many brands of DVD players. Also it's kinda confusing controlling a Sony TV with it-- but it's that way with all of Sony's stuff.

But it has a ton of inputs and the auto format decode feature is cool. It sounds great(I didn't hear any hiss on my unit), for the money it's a steal. Just DO NOT put any components on top of it!

sorry to have to post here... but would anyone happen to have a scanner among the owners of the 635?? I'm after one for a customer of mine and it's backordered from the sony parts warehouse and is not available on sony's webpage. If you could scan the manual and send me the file i'd be VERY appreciative... thanks.
Paul.

oh..... and since i have to give a review.... as i read the page it was getting 4/5 total ranking so i'll give it a 4.. nice receiver but you can do better with newer models...

God quality bass, I like the dimmer function, easy to use, the naming feature of the tuner and I like the jogger dial, although it takes some getting used to, it rocks.

Gets pretty hot, the remote sucks ass, and all the buttons are in the wrong place on it. I would have liked to see a clock on it.

It looks good, it works good, and it sounds good. The dimmer turns off when you do something so you can see it better, but then it turns back on again, I like that when it's dark. I would have liked to have seen a clock or something like that. but oh well. I like the sleep timer, very adjustable. Very good layout of the buttons on it and I love the jogger dial. The remote sucks big time gonga balls and I hate the thing, I use it for volume and changing the channels only. All in all, it's worth it, just don't use the remote :)

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My 1st one, so I guess a CD player is as close as I can get.