Good Sound, Like the remote (even my other half can use it)
Looks good, actually has nearly enough inputs for my use

In it's price range none that affect me

All the good things have really been said by other reviewers. So here are my personal bouquets and brickbats.

A lot of reviewers attacked the lack of bass, however with properly configured sub'd setup this is not an issue.
personally i kept the old HK stereo amp and use this to power a pair of 18" driven sub bin's left over from my sound re-inforcement days. Shake the floor with any LF effects. (other half keeps putting things on top that vibrate off)
All my speakers have been designed and built by myself with experience in sound reinforcement and club design as a good basis to start. All (front/rear/centre/subs) will handle a min 150w RMS so speaker distortion is not an issue for me BUT AMP clipping and overdriving is.
I've had no problems with this amp, it exhibits great dynamic range abilities and headroom, response to transients is brilliant.

The phono input is a bonus if you still have a record player for the vinyl like i do.

Whilst the 845 gets hot it has never got any hotter than the HK that was last in the position (actually measured) and has never shut down due to heat. This 845 is turned on at least 18hrs per day.
We had one little party/bbq were the ambient room temp was 100F and the sound level was 110db measured centre room and it never missed a beat for close on 12hrs till we had to turn it down for the neighbours.
Maybe i'm just used to big power amps that run hot and it doesn't worry me, i can understand why so people might be alarmed though.

The hiss in the rear speakers! the only time i have noticed this is when the surround decoders are attacking things that have no encoding for it to deal with. This then isn't a fault with the amp but the user for not selecting the correct sound field.
It is extremely sensitive to level/EQ adjustments


and Now for the two most common negatives given for this amp and really if this is the worst we can say, then, WHAT A WONDERFUL AMP WE HAVE JUST/ABOUT TO BUY.

I want to attack the remote and volume light debate/farce.
Get with it everyone, who needs ANOTHER light on the front in a darkened room whilst looking at video. CAN'T YOU TELL HOW LOUD IT IS WITH YOUR EARS.
The need for a volume light is obviously to impress those semi-intelligent beings that frequent the living areas of your house making seeming impressive statements like "only 1/4 volume wow, it must get really loud when you turn it up".
Really: WHAT USEFUL FUNCTION DOES IT SERVE.

NOW for the remote:
Yes it's hard to use at times.
Yes it can be confusing.
Yes it's a pain to swifty swith between inputs.
BUT HEY.
If i can get my non-technical, computer illiterate, remote hating other half to use it and understand it, IT CAN'T BE THAT BAD.
The only sad thing is here is AUS i can't find a config to drive my FOXTEL satellite decoder? maybe someone can shed some light.

I give it a value of 5 as the prices you pay in the US it is truly a bargain and giant killer.

Hey if you've got this far the system is:

Sony de845
HK Stereo amp to drive subs
Sony DAT Player
Denon CD player
Kenwood Marble platter Turntable.
Panasonic Video
Computer based DVD with Hardware decoder outputting composite video and 5.1 digital stream.
from same computer: fully digitised music collection in mp3 at 256kbs for use during parties etc using sound balster live card.
Front/Rear/Centre Matched 6-1/2" woofer 1.25 tweeter 150w power handling.
Subs: 18" drivers in 1.2m*600mm*600mm reflex port cabinets, ports tuned to 21Hz. Using 60Hz cut in 845

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lot's of different things over the years

Lots of hookups, instructions straightforward, good sound

still learning on the remote

With all other reviews already, I won't go too far into detail. This is my first leap into HT, and I'm slowly building up my system. I bought this receiver after lots of research (rated high in Consumer Reports, and of course thanks to all the reviews on this great site!), and all in all I'm very pleased with my purchase.

The lack of light for volume doesn't bother me at all, I wouldn't call it a weakness. Hit the volume up button until its as loud as you want, how hard is that? Also with the remote, I agree with all the others that its difficult to master, but I'm still working on the macro settings, and I'm hoping once those are set, things may get easier (of course, I could be wrong on that).

I did notice while shopping that there were receivers with better sound, more inputs, etc, but they were also hundreds more in price. I think for the hardcore audiophile this unit may be a little primative and not as powerful, but if you're a hardcore audiophile you probably already know this and so don't care. For the casual listener, I feel this is a great unit for the money.

QUESTION: Again, this is my first try at HT, so I'm not sure if I got this hooked up right. I'm using my PS2 as the DVD player (will be buying "real" DVD player down the line, but ya gotta start somewhere and I ain't no millionaire), and I tried hooking everything through the receiver. When I went to play DVD's, I got sound but no picture. After playing around, eventually what I did was run the audio cables to the receiver and the video cable directly to the tv, but now I have to switch inputs when I want to watch DVDs. Is there an easier way to do this, or is this the best way? Again, I'm new at this so apologize if this is a silly question.

Makes a good gift

Very boomy, gets hot and shuts off.

I ended up taking this unit back after having it turn it self off during the DTS intro at like level 3 while it was cool. After getting the Marantz SR 7000 I really became aware of just how bad the Sony was. Lack of a decent soundstage for both music and vidio. Very boomy sounding. Gets very hot playing just at 25% or power...the Marantz is never hot even with equipment on top. Goes into self protect mode often. To many silly DSP modes, its either surround or its not. Setup is not so simple and not so intuitive. The remote is ok but that flip panel is a bit on the flimsy side. I do admit it is a huge leap forward from the Sony model just below it, the DE 545 or something....man did that thing have a bad hiss problem. I would recomend this product to those just starting out and wanting to get something not to serious or expensive. But I would not recomend this to anyone with an for music or decent sound. Take Care.

My system so far:
Marantz SR 70000 reciever
Marantz DVD 7010 DVD Player
Paradigm Monitor 9 mains
Paradigm CC370 v2 center
Polk Audio rt25 surrounds till I can get the timbre matched Paradigms
run of the mill interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, JVC

Its versatility, and power!

No volume indicator, an average written users manual.

Before I purchase anything, especially items over 100.00 dollars in price I always do my research via the web first.

After reading several A/V reciever reviews and determining the price point that I wanted to pay, there was only one A/V reciever that would give me the most BANG for the buck and that was, of course, the SONY STR-DE845!!

Its versatility, power, and overall performance ratings are paramount for a sub 500.00 dollar reciever. After the decision was made to purchase it, I was surprised to hear that not only was it the best reciever in its class, but it was also selling with a *FREE* pair of excellent "rear" channel surround speakers. My God!! What more could a guy ask for... I was sold.

After bringing it home, I replaced me old Radio Shack "Optimus" A/V, "non dolby" reciever immediately. I wanted to hear what this reciever could do. I went out and purchased a DVD called "DUNE" the newer one, and used the DOLBY PRO LOGIC surround setting. My wife could not believe her ears!!! And frankly, niether could I. We were engulfed in this movie, not only from a visual standpoint, but from an audio and physiological standpoint as well. We not only could see and hear the movie, but we coulfd FEEL the movie as well. We were there... Almost actually IN the movie. It was a WONDERful experience. This reciever has changed the way we view movies and has increased my wife and I 's enjoyment and appreciation of movies. And it also does wonders for a relationship (smile).

The power of this unit is excellent. At 100 watts per channel and 32 bit DSP, BOY you'll be in for a treat!

My Current Set-Up:

Reciever : SONY STR-DE845
DVD : SONY DVP-S560D
Front Sp : ADVENT
Center Ch : ADVENT
Rear Sp : KLH (TW09B)

This unit comes highly recommended by me. For the price, you cant go wrong.

Maceo

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So you’re thinking of buying a surround sound system and want to know what to expect when you finally choose one. Well, let me start by saying that in some ways I envy you. You are about to be thrust into a jaw dropping new dimension of aural delight. The elements necessary for this experience are a Dolby compatible DVD player, a Dolby/DTS decoding receiver, and a 6 speaker surround package (email me for more info on these). I have a Sony 360 DVD, the Sony STRDE-845 receiver, and the Sony SA-VE315 surround speaker package. Despite appearances I’m not partial to Sony. I did find, however, that these 3 products were rated very high in both user and professional reviews and weren’t costly at all.

Ok, let’s start with some obvious differences between regular stereo and digital surround. As opposed to 2 channels of sound, you now have 6 (2 front, 1 center, 2 rear, and a subwoofer). Almost all voice data is sent through the center channel, thus making dialog much more easily perceived. The other channels are designed to reflect the scene being depicted on your television. The addition of rear channels enables not only side-to-side panning but front-to-back. While viewing a movie, this allows objects (like a missile) that may have been coming at you but went off screen to be perceived as whistling by your head and exploding behind you. This makes the movie viewing experience much fuller and incredibly immersive. Imagine watching the jungle scenes in Predator. Birds and bugs chirp away as a crisp breeze glides over the leaves of trees and bushes. In a 2-channel system these sounds come AT you… but in a surround system they come from ALL AROUND you. You feel like you’re in the middle of the jungle, not listening from outside it.

You’ll also notice, at least with the STRDE-845, some incredible sound imaging. In typical 2-channel systems, sound is perceived as being localized in the left or right speaker. But with the surround setup, this is far more difficult to pick up. Sound seems more to come from a general area than a particular speaker. I’ve heard bombs seeming to explode behind and to the left of my TV, boulders seeming to rumble across my carpet, and depth charges booming from behind my couch. The effect is really quite remarkable.

Beyond all these, you’ll be blown away by the incredible clarity of digital theater. For years I avoided getting a surround sound system and DVD player, believing that my pre-recorded videotape and hi-fi VCR were delivering as much high powered sound as I’d ever need. Wrong!!! Nothing prepared me for true digital sound. Ear piercing highs, bone-crushing mids, and deep, bellowing lows that caused glossy-eyed wonder in me. Particularly impressive were the LFE’s (low frequency effects – the .1 of Dolby 5.1). These are ultra low frequencies that produce devastatingly deep bass effects that seem to roar from the Underworld itself. Saving Private Ryan uses the LFE effect perhaps better than any movie I’ve heard. Grenade explosions, bomb impacts, tank-busting rocket launchers, etc. are produced so faithfully that at times you’ll find yourself flinching unexpectedly from the sheer force and accuracy of each detonation. Though I’ve owned my system for sometime now, I still marvel at how dynamic portions of a DVD will aggressively jump out at me with disturbing strength and then sink back to normalcy as the scene fades. My idea of movie heaven is a film that’ll shake me around violently in my seat, perhaps smacking me across the face a few times with a belt or two to the gut. With this system and a good action movie, I believe I’ve achieved Nirvana!

The complete cost for my system (DVD, receiver, and speakers) ran about $750. I couldn’t afford to buy everything at once so I had to replace items in my old setup one by one. I started by adding a DVD player. Immediate I both saw and heard the sizeable difference between it and my VCR. I then replaced my old stereo (a great sounding Onkyo) with the STRDE-845. Although the STRDE-845 is definitely made for HT, it was comparable in sound to my Onkyo in regular 2-channel stereo. But once I added my surround speakers, tweaked the STRDE-845, and cranked up the volume... BANG!!! BOOM!!! POW!!! It was unbelievable.

I cannot guarantee that all home theaters will sound this way. There are a lot of factors that determine whether or not a system will rock – everything from room acoustics to cables. But the Sony components that I have are very impressive and I’d recommend them to anyone. For an idea of what I thought of these components, check out my other review further down this web page.

Sound feilds, Dolby Digital and Dts, the dimmer, all the inputs and outputs, i've never had a reciever with a stupid little light on the volume knob some i'm happy about that, the remote is easily used and the lcd is very cool, no complants about the keys lighting up or not i don't live in a cave and i'm not that help less that i can't turn a light on

heats up very fast for people who love very loud music and movies keep in a well ventilated area

so far so good i have an Aiwa five disc which i hooked up to the mini disc tape optical you can rename the buttons so its no big deal, i also have a panisonic vcr hooked up and a directtv box movies are awesome i just watched final destination it was very clear sound,I have advent and optimus speakers hooked up to it(i'm not trying to impress anyone) Even though it gets too hot I'll giv it 2 5s

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optimus 2 of them the second one was a higher upgrade one those recievers can take a beating

DTS decoding, number of soundfields, number of inputs

Lack of lit volume knob, remote can get aggravating at times

I've been using my 845 for about 9 months now and I've only had one complaint. After several months my remote quit working. I changed the batteries and it still didn't help. As a last resort, I kicked out close to $10 for some GOOD batteries and that fixed everything. I guess it just takes alot of power.

I run my system at a moderate level and have not had any problems with sound or overheating, adn I've got a 5 disc changer setting right on top of it.

I don't know about how this unit would be for the High end audiophile but I would recommend it to the any average joe listener.

Good audio quality;
Plenty of inputs and outputs;
Soundfields highly customisable;
Discrete output stages

Poor documentation on features

This receiver delivers ample punch for home theatre. Even without a subwoofer, low frequency effects are still very impressive with the volume at 10:30 position.

On the front of music, rendition of voice and orchestral instruments is natural with both pops and classicals. Of course the speakers play an equally if not more important part in the equation.

The remote did take a bit of learning to set up and get used to. Personally I dislike having a lot of buttons on a remote and I can appreciate the simplicity of the menu driven design. It is quite logical given the complexity of the equipment. My only complaint is that it only supports very basic operations with my Toshiba DVD player.

Documentation is inadequate in a number of areas, I guess this is typical of Sony.

Similar Products Used:

None

Good audio quality;
Plenty of inputs and outputs;
Soundfields highly customisable;
Discrete output stages

Poor documentation on features

This receiver delivers ample punch for home theatre. Even without a subwoofer, low frequency effects are still very impressive with the volume at 10:30 position.

On the front of music, rendition of voice and orchestral instruments is natural with both pops and classicals.

The remote did take a bit of learning to set up and get used to. Personally I dislike having a lot of buttons on a remote and I can appreciate the simplicity of the menu driven design. It is quite logical given the complexity of the equipment. My only complaint is that it only supports very basic operations with my Toshiba DVD player.

Documentation is inadequate in a number of areas, I guess this is typical of Sony.

Similar Products Used:

None

Good sound, good starter surround system

Nothing I've found yet

I really enjoy this receiver. I haven't gotten surround speakers for it yet, however the simulated surround has been pretty good as far as I'm concerned. I'm only a college student and this system has been more than enough. I have my PS2 plugged in as well as my TV and it's great for both. Nothing bad yet. I got this instead of the STR-545 after I had read HORRIBLE reviews of it on here. This is a wonderful resource.

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None