After struggling with the decision between Sony's ES model (DA30ES) and the 835, I finally chose the 835 for simple financial reasons ($200 difference is a LOT, especially since this is for my secondary, bedroom system). The ES has a plethora of S-Video in/out, which I am sorely missing with the 835 (only 2 in, 1 out), but other than that, I am fairly happy. While a true audiphile laughs at integrated receivers, to my ears, the sound quality matches my main system's Krell amp, even through my home-made speakers. As a secondary system, I would have to rank this as a price / performance leader.

Im a service tech for one of major retailers and have seen many of sonys 98 models come in for a whole slew of major power problems, so when it came time for me to updgrade to a dd/dts reciever i didnt even consider buying sony. but after hearing the reviews on this site i decided to give sony a try. Everyone was right this thing sounds incredible for a reciever in its price range and lets just say that since i work for a retailer i got it for well under $300, 5.1 sounds incredible terriffic seperation this thing creates a huge soundstage, after one day of extended use i did not seem to expirence the overheating problem others seem to be having, so no complints so far!

Once again people have moved away from reviewing a product to reviewing reviewers.
Grow up.

This receiver works great and in the calculation of dollar value it is a great value. I've been around stereo's a long time. And the Sony 835 is a good unit. I used it to replace a Onkyo 727. The Sony performs as well in most areas and better in some. I have no problem with bass and it does not get hot. The fm and am sections are stronger than the Onkyo.

If you don't like it, that is your choice. Trying to criticize those who do is childish.

Jim

If you want honesty listen, this reciever is a waste of money, they are defective and run super hot. No discrete amplification or high current. All it is is a lot of useless features packed into a box. Stay away and dont listen to the man who cant spell but posts 5 start for this piece of junk all day long. In all honesty this is worth 2 stars if it didnt break but it gets a one.

i have the 835 in my den..and this is a very topend average receiver...to have DTSand AC3 in one unit so inexpensive is a gift .....those who have problems..tough luck.but i have recomended this receiver to 10 people and they have not had a single problem since they bought it 2 months ago...i have had mine for 3 months now and not a single problem....please if you are having problems...check to see if all your connections are ok...before giving sony a bad name...i have owened sony receivers and cd and mds for a long time and have never had a problem for over 10 years..maybe im just lucky...TELL ME WHERE YOU CAN FIND ANYTHING THIS CHEAP FOR ALL IT HAS TO OFFER.....STOP BUYING FROM LITTLE HOLE IN THE WALL STORES AND BUY FRM REPUTABLE STORES AND SEE THE DIFFERENCE...

I would say this is a receiver with lots of features. But, this thing lacks bass output, more importantly, when come to amplifying human voice through a mixer, it makes serious static noise when volumn or pitch is high. This is a DESIGN FLAW. I have changed several units and tried to fix this problem by grouding it or by ferrite clan to get ride of interference, but nothing worked. Definitly not recommended for Karaoke use. If you are serious about music, buy other brands.
Sony is not a good choice for high quality music.

The 835 is the best reciever I ever heard for Its price.....I had mine already for about two months and it hasn't ever showed me a sign that anythings wrong with it....I think its the best price wise.....And how its going I think Its going to last forever..

I bought the 835 after returning the 935 three times (for quality control and/or design defects). In general I find the 835 to be well worth the money. At this price point, it is feature rich and fits the bill of most home theater systems. It does not have the rear distortion channel problems like the 935. It is also not fair to compare this product to true "high end" equipment. The Sony line is like a Ford or Chevy, not a Mercedes, BMW, or Lexus. This is reflected in the price (For the record, I own a Ford automobile [Mercury actually], so I'm not "bashing" Ford or Chevy here). The remote on the 835 is easier to use than the 935, and it has most of the features. I am concerned of the overall quality though (based on my experience with the 935). So I'd recommend the extended warranty. (I bought a 4 year warranty for a JVC SVHS VCR and have used it 3 times - money well spent).
This receiver is a little noisy, but once again, remember the price. I own some vintage Adcom Equipment (GFA-1A, GFP-1A), and have some idea of what a "sweet" amplifier with a "full sound stage" and "depth of detail" sound likes. Of course, I am poking a little fun at those who prescribe such adjectives to electronics. I think you will find the best way to increase the quality of your system is to invest in better speakers and source units. Just moving your speakers around or relocating furniture will make a big difference.

The 835 is aimed at the Dolby Digital "newby." Buy it, enjoy it, and upgrade to a $3,000 receiver later when you have the money.

I absolutely love this Receiver and I have nothing bad to say about it! I have had it for a little over a month and I have it hooked up to my MD player, my CD player and my DVD player and for all the devices, the sound is superb! I have JBLs for fronts and some older moldel Bose for the rears and the combination is fantastic. The sound I get with some DVD movies is truely incredible (DD or DTS) - it sounds like I am in a theater! I bought this reciever more for it's home theater capabilities but it's standard audio quaility is every bit as good. I have had no problems thus far and I couldn't be happier with this product. For the money, this is definitley a GREAT deal. As a matter of fact, my parents liked my receiver so much, they recently upgraded their's to the 835 as well and they are also very happy with it. As a side note, neither of the receivers seem to get extremely hot. Also, I wish the remote control were a bit more user friendly with other devices. I would reccommend this unit to any one in the market for a new receiver/amp!

Purchased this a little over a week ago and was initially pleased. Didnt sound great but what can you expect for all the features at $399. Well it operated fine playing in the stereo mode but for HT forget about it. Continued to shut down and say protector. I thought i had a defect but i just got a replacement last night and same exact proble. Sony i am sorry to say makes junk for its standard cookie cutter line. You are much better off spending an additional 150 for a decent pioneer, onkyo or yamaha DD/DTS receiver. In fact, if you are going to spend 400 (which the 835 costs) go just Dolby digital and forget the DTS, but a quality product that lasts and sounds good, not one that has features that souns to goo to be tru. The 835 is Pure Junk.