power,options=values $$$

a little overwhelming but I'm not an audiophile!

For someone that hasn't upgraded for over 20 years I was a bit overwhelmed and actually had to read the instructions several times. After several hours of disappointment I finally got tremendous results and was quite pleased! After 4 weeks of tweaking all of the sound fields I started experiencing problems with the audio cutting in and out. Next the controls on the face starting acting up ie: muting button would operate the bass boost. Buttons would not change mode from CD to Tuner and eventually none of the buttons were operational. The remote operated the unit fine but manual controls went south. Took the unit back to Circuit City and found out that thier 30 day policy means 30 days period. 44 days does not qualify for a return exchange or credit! A 7-10 service turn around became a 31 day turn around.Service ticket stated 2 printed circuit boards where replaced. Guess what? My sony STRDE-945 had the same problem 20 minutes after I installed it when I got it home. I spoke with the service tech and found out that Sony has variety of problems with this series. I will be writing another review when my reciever returns. I am dissatisfied with this whole mess and have learned my lesson well. NO MORE SONY! There is no value when you have to spend countless hours communicating with a service tech. I will spend the extra money and buy a quality peice of equipment!

Similar Products Used:

Sansui AU/TU

110*5Watts, 27 Sound environments, 2-way LCD remote, Many inputs&outputs DD/DTS

Not for retards that cant read a manual!!! It takes brain power.

(RICK SANDERS IS G*Y)....SONY will kick the living He** out of any and I mean The THX certified punk a** overpriced giant paperweight recivers that Onkyo cant really even build. Ive been looking very carefully at every reciver our best dealers in town offer I asked to Demo all that I was considering Kenwood's 410,3090,4090, Harmon Kardon 570, and Sony 845,945,555ES,777ES. I have come to the conclusion that the 945 is the best for the money. It dose not Distort in any of the 5 channels, Ive even had the sub checked to be shure, it is a very awesome reciver with more functions than a Kenwood would know what to do with or an HK for that matter. No heat problems either Definately a GREAT choice buy it if you want something that will last just treat it right and it will last. I love it.

110*5Watts, 27 Sound environments, 2-way LCD remote, Many inputs&outputs DD/DTS

Not for retards that cant read a manual!!! It takes brain power.

(RICK SANDERS IS G*Y)....SONY will kick the living He** out of any and I mean The THX certified punk a** overpriced giant paperweight recivers that Onkyo cant really even build. Ive been looking very carefully at every reciver our best dealers in town offer I asked to Demo all that I was considering Kenwood's 410,3090,4090, Harmon Kardon 570, and Sony 845,945,555ES,777ES. I have come to the conclusion that the 945 is the best for the money. It dose not Distort in any of the 5 channels, Ive even had the sub checked to be shure, it is a very awesome reciver with more functions than a Kenwood would know what to do with or an HK for that matter. No heat problems either Definately a GREAT choice buy it if you want something that will last just treat it right and it will last. I love it.

Power, features, 'tweak factor', price

None yet

Easy out of the box and set up, at least for me with a few peeks at the manual.

Solid construction, runs warm, not hot at all.

Good DPL sound, great DD 5.1 and DTS sound for DVDs.
My CDs sound great as well.

Using with Sony SAWM40 Subwoofer and Sony speaker packages.

27 DSP modes to select from, the Cinema Studio Ex B mode sounds great in all modes. (Usually this means I bypass the Auto Format Decoding setting)

Love the blue multi channel decoding light.

Many tweaks can be done from speaker size, to speaker distance, wall type, reverb, screen depth, virtual speaker off/on, bass, mid, treble settings, EQ, and SUR settings. Also has BASS Boost and dynamic range compression.

You can adjust the color, output, and dimmness of the display.

Connections - plenty for me, including 5.1CH input hookups. Also has 2 subwoofer audio outs. Posts for the front, clips for the center and rear speakers.

Ok, now onto the remote...learn it, love it! Has it's own manual...works every component I have, and is a true learning remote with SUB menus.


Two thumbs up, folks!

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JVC, Aiwa

Clean output/A/V switching

What volume is it at?

Well, I have talked to 3 different stores and still no one can explain to me why Sony would have a volume display for the lower class models (all the way up to the 545) for the volume. It would HELP ALOT if I was able to know what the "volume level" is at when watching a movie.
The remote is ok, but the fact that it defaults back to the receiver mode when opened, is a pain to say the least.
Sounds great!
Works very well with other sony products (plays nice with others)
Like the blue light (simple mind)

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STR-DE605
JVC-junk

Power. I haven't had the need to push the volume past 11 o'clock

Tuner requires you to program each station. In a small radio market like over here, it would be nice to have the ability to define a set number of stations that you can go through without having to go through all of the presets whether they are set or not.

The remote takes some getting used to but is great after that. Will remember 80 learned codes. The remote downloads some things from the receiver, but it doesn't match the items you can "name" on the receiver.

Don't like having the optical bus different from the cabled, but not sure if there are any receivers out there that combine.

Haven't been able to get the on-screen to work. Will continue to try.

It would also be nice for the remote to be able to work on the other components without having the receiver switch to that input (like being able to power up and rewind a VHS tape while watching digital cable.)

Kind of nitpicky things but I would rather let you know what it doesn't have than give you it's very long list of positive features that I really enjoy, like it's power, front inputs, A+B speakers, 5.1 inputs, the remote, visual aesthetics, and most of all the SONY name.

Similar Products Used:

None

Fantastic reciever. Nice sound quality. Many different dsp modes. Can be easily customized.

I kinda like the remote its not that bad once you know it. First new reciever I've had that had a center channel amp and I think it gives a bit too much to the center when its just an analog signal.

This reciver is great. Definetly worth the money. All the little extra modes and the ability to customize size of speakers and turn some off is very nice. This is my first reciever with Dolby Digital and DTS and watching The Matrix in digital just blew me away. Sound is very nice and there are lots of inputs. Just wish there was an opt in for CD. But i have an MD/CD player in one so its not bad. I like the 2 woofer outputs. Overall I can definetly recommend this product if you want a new DTS/DD reciver.

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Sony STR-AV1020
some old AIWA piece of crap

Lots of great features, tons of inputs/outputs, great sound, awesome bang for the buck

No 5 Channel Stereo, remote could be a bit more functional

I just bought this receiver a month ago and I love it. I paid a bit more for it at Best Buy for the four year warranty that covers everything. I've seen it on the web for 405.00 including shipping if you look hard enough. Start with ebay. I'm really just beginning my audio/video setup and the STR-DE945 is a great start. I've got just about everything I own hooked up to it. MiniDisc player, CD player, Computer, TV, 2 games systems, and a tape deck. This unit offers an optical output, which none of the others in this price range have, and I looked at quite a few units before I bought this one. One thing that stands out about this unit is the Pro Logic and Digital Surround. Simply awesome. I watched ID4 on DVD and was blown away by the sound. If you're looking for a well priced system with good power, lots of features, and enough ins and outs to hook up your whole house, this is it. It can't be beat for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-85

Sound quality. All the DSP modes and the 3 band equalizer for each speaker and that's not where the flexibility ends.

Most people would say (going by reviews I've read here on Sony receivers) that the remote is slow a too complicated. My opinion on that is take the time to learn it. You'll find most of the settings that don't change much can be addressed at the reciever end. It's a little slow in responding because it is a bi-directional device. I've had an STR-D915 for quite a while so the remote learning curve was not that steep. It's also a nice universal remote. My only obvious weakness in the receiver is the omission of the numeric keypad from previous models.

Going from a Dolby Pro-logic to Dolby Digital is beyond words. It doesn't even compare considering the STR-D915 is a pro-logic amp with less power going to the rear speakers, an issue that most manufacturers rectified in later models. As an electronic technician by trade, I would say the receiver runs warm not hot. In fact I have it in a relatively enclosed cabinet and have not run into any problems with it, it sounds great. One note I want to add. In a review I read on a different site <---SLAP, stated that these amps are sound tested "Out OF The Box" meaning that the reviewers don't tweak with the bass, treble etc., never mind the EQ capabilities of this amp. It has bass management so you can adjust the receiver to a seemingly unlimited speaker configuration ie: porting bass to larger front speakers in the absence of a sub-woofer. I also opted for Circuit City's 5 year unlimited parts and labor warranty. For $69 I couldn't refuse. I love 5.1 digital sound, now we just have to hope that the artists/mixers will start putting as much work into the soundtracks as they did in "Saving Private Ryan"

Similar Products Used:

STR-D915

The sound output is great. Allows you to tweak to your hearts content. The Dobly Digital and DTS are awesome during movies.

I think the remote is also fine. The only problem that I have with it, is the amount of time it takes to responsd. I do understand that this is a product of the bidirectional support.

I have been waiting to upgrade to Dobly Digital for awhile now. Most of the Sony receivers were always too expensive for me, because I wanted all the bells and whistles. I found this one for around $350 and had to have it. I have had it for about a month and have to say that is receiver is very good.