hello its me again, after watching a few more movies now im noticing a hisssss during quiet parts of the movie, this really sucks. i thought the 845 got rid of this problem. anyone else have this problem or know anything that can help please email me itranceu@aol.com, i dont wanna return it but i dont think i can handle the hiss it ruined my movie grr.. thanks for your time

Incredibly long features list, high power, ability to really customize the sound from each speaker

Tricky remote, doesn't like lightening

I absolutely loved my STR-DE845 receiver until a huge lightening storm blew it up... It fried the thing. There was no sound out of the front channels anymore. I took it in to a Sony authorizied repair center, they replaced 2 circuits inside. I took it home, and all the channels now had a buzzing sound. Frustrated, I took it back to be serviced. That was way back in March. It needs a "Digital PC board", (which is basically the entire motherboard) to be replaced. I guess that the repair shop had to receive permission to replace this item, though I have no idea why. Well, the part is on serious backorder, won't be getting to the U.S. until July 19. So all this time, I have to live without my Home Theater! Luckilly, Sony will extend my warranty for another year after I finally get it back, due to my inconvenience.

SO, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A HIGH-QUALITY SURGE PROTECTOR FOR ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT! Get one that not only handles AC cords from your components, but also coax cables and phone lines for your cable and satellite receivers. --Any way that lightening can enter your equipment must be intercepted by a good surge protector, NOT SOME CHEAPIE WAL-MART POWER STRIP! Learn from my mistake!

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Old Sony STR-D645 from 5 years ago

POWER POWER POWER. Easy setup, Remote

None that I can see

This receiver rocks! Blows away the 545. There's no hiss and the sound is GREAT!!! I've heard things from my surrounds that I never heard before.

I love the remote. I is easy to use and I love the LCD. I programmed the remote to turn on my TV, receiver, DVD, put the TV to the right input and since my wife is a little deaf, it even turns on the Closed captioning. All by just pressing 1 button!!!

I know I could do all this with S-link, but my componets are 15 feet from my TV and S-link doesn't work at that distance.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with this receiver. I am still tweaking it but have it pretty much dialed in.

Enjoy, I know I am.

Another quality product from Sony!

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STR-DE545

Power, options and ease of use

Volume dial lacks display light. Remote should have more user friendly controls.

I am completely satisfied with this receiver. I originally purchased the 545 but after reading the reviews about the HISS, I returned the box unopened and exchanged for the 845. There is no hiss. There is no heat.

The binding posts for the main speakers are a bit close together. Center and surround has only spring clips. Figuring out the inputs on the back was pretty intuitive and the manual is pretty good (except for the explanation of the equalizer functions). There is even a separate manual for the remote control. If only the remote could operate the television volume without going through four steps on the LCD, it might have replaced my other remotes entirely.

Everything works fine with plenty of power. I have yet to go past the 9:00 setting on volume. My wife like the FM radio reception. I usually use the receiver for home theater. Both Dolby Digital and DTS DVD's are outstanding. Coming from the "pro-logic" era of my former Sony 711 speaker, the new 5.1 features are riveting.

I can't quite figure out the equalizer functions yet. However, the various cinema settings are terrific. This receiver is a joy to use.

My system is as follows:
Receiver: Sony STR DE845
Main Speakers: Paradigm Minimonitors
Center Speaker: Paradigm CC-70
Surround Speakers: Paradigm Cinemas
Subwoofer: JBL PSW 1200
Television: Panasonic CT27D10
DVD: Sony S330
VCR: Sony SLV 780 HF
CD: Sony CDP C-245

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Previous receiver, Sony STR 711. Considered Yamaha 5240

Sounds great (especially in home theater use)!

A slight hiss from the rear channels, no volume knob light , and a crappy remote (but it looks very cool)

Before I start my review, let me just say that I believe you need to match you equipment well, in other words, don't buy $2000 speakers for a $300 receiver. Given that, I believe this receiver is a great choice for anyone whose front speakers were $600 or less for the pair. Also, this receiver really excels in home theater use, if you plan on listening to music more than watching your favorite DVD; I suggest you look elsewhere.

The Good

As a home theater receiver, this thing kicks ass. The sound is clear and powerful, I love watching Jurassic Park on it. There are also a lot of sound settings available for those who enjoy using them. Sony really did a good job putting this baby together; it looks and feels very solid. Some of the other reviewers mentioned heat issues, I haven’t had a problem with that and I don’t keep it in a particularly well-ventilated area. The equalizer on this receiver is pretty comprehensive and a great feature, there are also a lot of settings available to further customize and enhance the sound.

The Bad

The remote for this unit looks really, really cool; however, it's a pain in the ass to use. I would recommend getting a nice learning universal remote to replace it, like the Sony RM-AV2100. Some thing of far less importance is that there is no light on the volume knob. It’s not the biggest of issues, but for $300 you think they could have added a stinking light! The biggest problem is the hissing from the rear speakers. While it’s not very loud and you can’t notice it when audio is being played, it still sucks considering that the front speakers and the center channel are hiss free.

The End

In the end if it wasn’t for the hissing and the remote I would have given this receiver a 5 star rating on both value and performance. If you are primarily interested in home theater then it is a great receiver to get, I can’t tell you how happy I am with it. Here is a tip for all of those interested in this product, Sears matches Internet prices. They sell this product for around $400, but you can find it on the web for around $300. Just print out the Internet price and take to sears and they’ll give to you for that price. There are not many receivers better than this one in this price range. If you buy it, you won’t be disappointed.

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Will rock the house! Extremely versatile. 4 digital inputs, 2 sub outs. Extremely tunable EQ.

No level control of the mains. 27 DSP fields not practical if you have quality components. I usually leave it on Cinema EX. B (personal preference)

I've had this receiver for a year. I have never experienced
any overheating problems, or hiss from the rear channels.
Frankly, alot of the reviews seem to be about a different receiver than the one I've experienced. I leave it on 6 hours or more everyday!

Check out the budget receiver shootout in HomeTheaterMag.com archives, Feb. 2001 for an honest review. 93 rating on performance, 90's in 4 out of 5 categories. Avove 90 is considered exceptional. Enough said.

Spend more if you want, get less. As for the volume knob light, you're kidding, right? You hear with your ears not your eyes. Idiots!

Take the time to EQ each Speaker group (mains, rear, center)
It will make a huge difference.

My overall 4 rating is because I know there are other receivers that can do more, and better. But not anywhere close to this price.

Happy listening.

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Kenwood Pro Logic Receiver

Power, Sound Quailty, Functions, Everything about it, Remote

Tricky initial setup, Front speaker connectors, remote

This is an excellent receiver, The best that I have heard an the category and you can beat it for the price that I got as a open box buy. It was a steal i almost felt bad. I tsested it with an optical cord playing Matrix and I honestly heard stuff that I haven't heard before. The channel separation was superb. I have it hooked up to JBL Northridge products, N38's for fronts and N24's for rears and a NCenter. It definitely competes with my parents Bose system. Excellnt choice all for about $600, be patitent and use the internet andopen box buys wisely.

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Old Pioneer ProLogic

great powerful sound i use it with an m&k sub it has plenty of bass it was easy 4 me to configure grate built in digital decoder love dts BLUE LIGHT RULES

i have to swithc to analog inputs for my hccd disks wich come from a average dvd player the remote is haard yes but with patience it can set to do whatever you need macros rule

ample clean power esp for challenging speakers like my snells- amp needs achallenge to shine dts soundfields who
cares i always use dts

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sony str-de2020 lots'o power but not as clean

Its a Sony

Its a Sony

Great unit when its not in for repair.Ive spent enough money on shipping and gas to have purchased an ES. Sony replaced my 835 after a year of repairs, and now it has started again,nobody has been able to fix it and it stay that way. If you dont mind paying money to ups or driving an hour to the repair center,this is the reciever for you. good luck! p.s. come on sony...get your head out!!!!!!!

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strde835

dolby digital decoding,can adjust to 4 ohm or 8,plenty of power for my apartment

hissing in rear surround,not built very well(see below)

one week after warranty went out the speakers had no sound coming from them and manuel power button stopped working.went to fix it myself since i was screwed anyway and discovered the nut holding the speaker switch was never installed.this led to the circuit board breaking away from the main one in the front of the face.i re-soldered it back which fixed the problem and replaced the nut.what a piece of you know what.i am now going to sell it as fast as i can before it breaks again.i am looking at buying a marantz for almost duoble the price but heard it's worth it.

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