XO adjustment, Analog Direct, multichannel indicator, matrix rear decoding, HT sound quality, 5-year warranty, remote

hiss, hot, volume control dither, Front Panel display, user manual, remote

I bought this receiver to replace a 3-year old Sony STR-825. The 825, although a good entry-level receiver, was showing its age and limitations as I became more of a HT enthusiast. I paticularly wanted a receiver capable of DTS decoding, and since I would be pairing the receiver with a Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD/SACD player,a receiver with analog direct was desired.
The first thing I noticed about the 333 is that it is heavy. So heavy that I decided to mount it in the bottom of my A/V rack so as not to get the CG of the rack too high. Setup was straightforward. Liked the binding posts. Since I wasn't upgrading my speakers, I didn't expect to notice that much audible difference between the 825 and 333ES. My expection was incorrect. The sound of the 333ES was much better than the 825.
I primarily use the recevier for HT so my comments relative to its strengths and weaknesses are from use in that environment.

After several months of use, here are what I consider the strengths of the unit:
1. Highly flexible adjustable crossovers.
2. The multichannel 'blue' indicator. First time I saw this, I considered it a marketing gimmick. But real quick, I realized that this light was the fastest way to find out if the right track had been selected on a DVD. It's saved me many a time from watching a DVD in Pro Logic.
3. Analog Direct is a nice feature except that it also bypasses the Bass Management. So unless your front speakers are full range, SACD playback lacks low bass because the subwoofer is cut out.
4. The virtual rear channel provided by 6.1 matrix decoding is more effective than I'd expected even for DD movies that are not EX encoded. Because not all EX movies set the flag that the receiver uses to automatically switch to 6.1, I have it set ON (instead of AUTO) all of the time.

Weaknesses of the unit:
1. Receiver generates a hiss on all channels when no signal is present on an input. Hiss is not apparent unless volume is cranked up to -20db or higher, or unless you put your ear to a speaker.
2. The receiver gets hot. It needs to be well venilated. I certainly wouldn't set another component on top of it.
3. Occasionally, the volume control will start dithering right after a volume adjustment. Adjusting volume again will cause dither to stop.
4. The front panel display could have been better designed. There is no DTS indicator (only way to tell if DTS signal is being decoded is that the multichannel light is ON, but the Dolby Digital indicator is OFF). The channel indicators are too small - especially the LFE indicator. Dolby Digital and Pro Logic indicators are same color and adjacent. Makes it difficult to tell which indicator is lit.

Finally, there is the remote. I love the remote. I took the time to read the manual and programmed it to be able to work all of my A/V equipment. The rest of my family hates it. They think it too complicated. After observing their frustrations with it, I have to conclude that the remote has a learning curve that is too steep for the casual user. It's probably time to switch to a Pronto, or equivalent.

Great sound quality through Polk RT25i's, nice programming features.

After intermittent problems with two of these units, I've given up and moved on to Yamaha RX-V1000.

After the intermittent 'no sound after power-up' problem I described in a previous review, I returned that V333ES and upgraded to a V555ES. I was interested in having component video, more amp power, and getting rid of what I thought might have been a lemon.

Although this isn't the V555 review section, I'll tell you about it anyway, so I may add to the list of people that are having similar problems with the new Sony ES receiver line:

Sounds great through my Polks, like the V333ES. But...

After an hour of music enjoyment in 'AUTO FORMAT DECODE', the surround and centre channels started crackling (they're not even supposed to be on in this mode while listening to two channel stereo). This problem would come and go about every 10 hours. It didn't matter what the signal source was either - Radio, optical in, etc.... it would only stop when I defeated the DSP section by selecting the 'ANALOG DIRECT' mode. RF interference, bad cables, noisy power lines? Doubt it - I have power line filters, good cable/terminations, and the problem would even occur with nothing but the radio on running into headphones. Later I had a professional installer double check my connections.

After two units (V333/555ES), I had to let go, even though I loved movie/soundtrack performance when it did work properly. I simply couldn't bring myself to hump these beasts in and out of my apartment anymore, and keep worrying if the problem was going to surface when I had guests over watching the latest greatest feature on DVD. Also, Sony seems to have a preference for fixing out-of-box failure units (read: customer waits for two weeks), rather than just exchanging them for another unit that hopefully does work. Such is my Love/Hate relationship with Sony - after an excellent twenty-year relationship with this company, I'm beginning to smell complacency coming on. Who do you think you are Sony? Bang & Olufsen? I paid for the best, now give it to me in ES. And don't get me started about some minidisc stuff I own...

After this two month fiasco, I returned the V555 and firmly asked for all my money back (the dealer was very professional - no questions asked), and switched to a Yamaha RX-V1000. Runs way cooler. True 6.1 compatibility. Component video I/O's. The option of either black or gold colours (I took gold - looks tooo sexy...). The sound? a little brighter, a little more clinical (yet detailed...), I'll probably get some nice tower speakers that don't have metal tweeters like my Polk fronts - that should warm up the sound to my liking. I'm not knocking Polk, they're great, but you have to match your speakers to your amp like a belt has to match your shoes.

And oh yeah, the Yamaha produces sound every time I turn it on. Who would of thought of that? Nor does it snap and growl at me just when the music starts making me feel good. Hey, these Yamaha engineers are onto something...

Clean up your production problems Sony, and get rid of these silly flaws that sink the Titanic. Then we'll talk about your rating.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V1000, RX-V596.

versatility - inputs galore!

no component video input, almost too many features

This was a recent purchase in conjunction with a home wiring job, and my "jury" is still out on this receiver. It's loaded with all sorts of sound schemes, regular stereo, virtual this, virtual that, arena, stadium, club, etc.

Amp sounds great in my KEF speakers, but I could not get any audio out of it on one occasion. Only after turning it off and on again did it drive the speakers.

Remote is impressive - "Remote Commander", but it can't turn on/off my Sony CDP-CE245 CD player. It's got lots of functionality, but I hate hitting loads of buttons to get one-touch features on my other remotes (like PIP channel changing on my TV).

I think I overpaid ($625) for this unit, but bought it in conjunction with a complete home theater system and home wiring, so I'm not complaining about the price.

Wish it were a little easier to use - settings are a bit overwhelming! Also wish it would accept component video inputs.

Great build quality, 5Yr warranty, endless advanced settings, DSP Modes, sound quality, adjustable crossover on ALL channels.

Remote and manual ust like everyone else has mentioned

I cant say enough good things about this receiver. I was about to buy the DB940 but I'm glad I didnt. I purchased this SHIPPED from J&R for $530. Not bad considering most places sell it for $799. If you are looking for something in the $500 range, this offers the most bang for the buck. Awesome build quality, very solid and heavy. Plenty of inputs, endless advanced settings. The DSP modes are also very handy and I find them to work very well. The remote is nice with the LCD display especially if you have a SONY 50+ disk change because it will download the disk info to the remote so you can see what is in each slot. In 2 way mode the remote is pretty slow, but you can disable that. I havent tried it in 1 way mode, since I purchased a Philips Pronto so I wont need all the remotes for my equipment. THe manual is also pretty flimsy. It would have been helpful to have a description of each of the DSP modes, crossover settings, on screen display, and buttons in the manual. With some time, these can easily be figured out though. Another great thing about this receiver which is nearly impossible at this price point is the fact that you can adjust the crossover on LF, RF, Center, Sub, and LR, RR in 10hz increments. A huge advantage especially if you have full size tower speakers or very small mains. Overall this receiver offers more for the money than any other receiver in its class. The remote and manual are minor annoyances. Thumbs up!

Similar Products Used:

Old Onkyo Integra

Solid build, great stereo sound and 6.1 surround sound, stays relatively cool, looks great, value for money

directions, difficult surround settings, no light on volume dial

Although I have not had the receiver for long, it blows away my former Sony non-ES high end receiver. It produces full clear sound out of my not so great speakers with enough bass to shake my house apart. The auto signal decoding for surround sound is great and I think I may never have to leave the house again for a movie. A cool neon blue light is also displayed when a digital/DTS signal is being processed. To tell the truth, I think the unit produces as good as if not better surround sound than you experience in a theater. The unit also looks great, is solidly built, has a long warranty (think 5 years) and stays relatively cool compared to my last unit.

On the down side, the directions regarding the surround settings are not very clear. They seem to think that people buying an ES model know everything there is to know about fine tuning the unit. Also, the volume dial is not lighted. Although the sound level is displayed on the screen, I would have preferred it if the dial was also lighted.

All in all a great value for what you get. I paid $539 with shipping and they even double packed the unit for its protection during shipping. The people were very friendly and very eager to please. I would pick one up in a second at this price if you can. When I told a guy at a retailer how much I paid for the unit he almost fell down and said he didn't blame me for buying it there. They were selling it for $799.

Similar Products Used:

Sony non-ES Pro Logic receiver

Sound, price, features.

The remote is a bit slow

Wow. From the below reviews I'm glad I didn't mail order this receiver. Despite the money that can be saved, there isn't one piece of audio equipment that I would mail order. In addition, when I screwed up my 555ES my local shop took great care of me. So if it was me I'd buy locally.

I have yet to have on problem with this receiver. I've had it almost 3 months and it has been on for at least a couple of hours a day everyday. It never gets hot, has never gone into protect, nothing, even when being driven at close to half way on the volume knob. I have no problems with hiss. even at higher volumes.

I think it sounds fantastic for music, warm and rich. Much more detail than my past Sony's. But with movies it can start to sound a bit thin at higher volumes, not bad mind you, and this happens at a louder level than I typically listen at. For the price it has an amazing amount of features. However, I wouldn't buy strictly for the virtual 6.1 sound. If 6.1 is important buy a receiver or processor that can do it for real. The DAC in this unit is better than any of the others I've heard from Sony. Past units have been bright but this one isn't.

It doesn't have bass boost, big deal. I never use it anyways. If you need bass boost you need to try different speaker positions or buy a sub.

The volume knob doesn't light, but the receiver tells you the volume on the display.

Digital inputs, including coax, can be assigned using the audio split button or naming the input on the front panel - you can then download the new name into the remote.

I feel it's a great buy, but buy it locally, make sure they will stand by what they sell so if you have any of the below problems you can return.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DB840 Sony 555ES

Looks, Ease of use, Built solid, virtual 6.1, price!

Some problems with protector but resolved, no multisource unless powered by other unit.

I just got this receiver. I was debating between this model and a few denon's and yamaha's. After pin pointing a budget and everything I decided to go with a Sony ES model for 600 dollars. I figure you can't beat that. I upgraded from a previous Sony 945 pro-logic model. Now I have a Sony ES DDigital model. So any receiver I would have purchased would have been a huge jump for me. So far I have had only one problem with the unit going into protector mode when the volume was on passed 3. But Resolved it by properly wiring my speakers. (There must have been a short) All in all I like it. For the price I think this is a no brainer.

Similar Products Used:

Previous Sony model receivers.

Powerfull, Beautiful, Clean, tweakable, cheap

Heavy, 1/10 work properly, warm-hot operating temp, poor onscreen display

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IF YOU READ ANY REVIEW READ THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Okay, first one I got worked great for one day. From then on the protector circuit would trip if any RCA cable/input was used. Even if it wasn't connected to anything on the other end. Yes that's very bizzarre. That's why it was replaced.

The replacement works fine. But now a few words about sony. The advertised warrantee is 5 years. My warrantee card says 3 YEARS! Something stinks. The only response I got from them was a message bot from thier support mail. I used to work in a service shop. The rule of thumb about sony was that a few of them were lemons and they were cursed. Nothing fixed them. Everything else was a great product. This is the case here. Except now it seems to be more often than not you will get a bad one. So the trick seems to be getting a good one.

Here's how you do that:

1) Mine does not hiss in any way shape or form even when I put my ear on the speaker. If yours hisses replace it immediately. For the love of GOD!

2) If your protector circuit trips "ever" replace it. Don't take chances. Sometimes will soon be all the time.

3) Mine does not get hot. If yours does, replace it. I mistakenly left it on for 24 hours enclosed in a small space. It was pretty warm. But it was not hot.

4) test all functions when you buy it. If something doesn't work, replace it.

A word of advice:

The manual plainly states you must complete the speaker setup function before using the unit. There's a good reason for this. Ever crank your stereo only to find your speakers were unplugged? The popping sound you heard was all the current blowing out your output transisters. As you set each speaker to off you will hear a relay click off. People who didn't do this may account for some of the bitterness on this board.

Lets say you've had this for a while and can't return it. Somebody will finally figure out what is going on here. Eventually a proper service manual will be printed and a replacement board will do the trick. Don't give up. Press the sony service center to the point of having the managers home address. The Attorney General is free and likes to hold people's feet to the fire. I've used this route before. Believe me when he comes out a solution will be provided.

Nitpicky things I don't like:

The on screen display looks better on a trs-80. Unless you like a blue background and white text generator. (oh wait you can change the color!)

A graphic display of the EQ would be nice!

Sometimes it takes it a while to decode the stream from my DVD player when playing audio cd's. Only on the first track.

If you are lucky enough to pay a good price and you get a good one you will be happy. It's got the juice and it sounds great. Personally I think it's beautiful. LIVE HOUSE really fits the acoustics of my room. Outstanding sound detail. Fairly flat and warm. Just how I like my Polks.

I will now clear up/clarify some of the comments by other reviewers:

Dude, it is not thirty pounds. My kid is thirty pounds. I hoist him up and play horsey. The UPS man looked like he was going to die bringing it to me. The shipping weight says 80 pounds. I'd say it's around 50-65 pounds.

You "can" reassign inputs and output to different functions. The only dedicated port is the phono plug. The reciever can be made to understand that the optical input of the cd player is used for the 2nd video input.

The bass boost does work! You have to change your speaker size to small and then it works as a toggle.

A few reviewers touched on this but:

It does "not" support DTS. It decodes DTS. The difference is that you are supposed to move your front center to the rear. And then you use some "virtual matrix" BS feature to simulate a front center speaker. Whoever royalties DTS should require removal of the DTS logo from the unit. Cause that is a scam.

My review will be for a "working" unit. Neh HA HA!

Excellent sound quality. Remote can download names of CD's when using a Sony Mega changer. 5 year warranty.

DSP modes are more confusing than Yamaha. Manuals are not very helpful. Remote control is slow to respond when in 2-way communication mode.

I purchased this unit based on a friends recommendation on Sony ES receivers. My first couple of months were trouble free. This receiver sounds great for both music and movies. I eventually exchanged the Sony for a Yamaha RX-V800.

I've only had the Yamaha for a couple of days. So far I'm very happy with it. The RX-V800 costs the same as the Sony but has many advantages. The DSP's are logical based on the name (unlike the sony). It also sounds better than in DD5.1 mode. However, I thought the Sony's playback of CD audio was superior. I also like the remote for the Yamaha better. This is the first "learning" remote that I've used that was actually able to replace all my other remotes! I'll post a more details on the RX-V800 when I've used it for a few months.

After a couple of months my receiver would not play any sound except in ANALOG DIRECT mode. At first, I thought I accidently configured something incorrectly(the controls are very confusing unlike the RX-V800). There is no number to call Sony tech support listed in the manual. The manual instructs you to contact your ES retailer. So the store gladly exchanged the unit for another. Once again, I was happy. But after another couple of months the same problem returned. At this point I was very concerned. I didn't want to keep exchanging the unit for another so I firmly asked to exchange it for a Yamaha.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V800

Lots of A/V inputs, 3 band parametric eq for each channel, full bandwith power 110 watts per channel for all 5 channels, solid metal chasis and aluminum face plate/volume knob, DTS and Dolby Digital decoder.

Remote design needs work, owners manual is terrible, no standard bass/treble controls one must use only the eq controls product delivered failed to operate after a few weeks see summary.

Okay, I'm going to be objective despite my problem with this receiver. First of all I will talk about the problem then I will describe the over all benefits/downfalls of the product. By the way, I didn't pay $800 for the receiver but I promised to keep the price a secret to the sales guy. I guess Sony makes a big deal about price policy or something. Funny, if they spent that energy on quality control, maybe the retail price would make more sense. I have a feeling that if you shop around you can find this receiver for about $500 (new). Just a guess on my part:)

I've been listening to the STR ES v333 for a few weeks now. For some reason it started to freak on me. As stated in other reviews, the receiver goes into protection mode when the volume is turned up to a (belive me here) moderate level (-60db on the digital display). Note: speakers used are an older, yet adequate pair of JBL 2800 (8" two ways/1" titanium dome 8 ohm nominal impedance). I first thought there was a problem with the speaker wire so I checked the connections (all okay) and then unhooked the speakers and played the various source units. The problem continued. Seems to be a problem in the pre-amp stage where it for some unknown reason, goes into protection mode. It continues to due this with no speakers attached and only a source unit (cd, and dvd) All you can do is turn off the receiver and turn it back on. I hope that this is just a bad unit, but I am concerned since others have reported the same problem with the unit. I hear the onecall.com has good customer service and they sure were helpful when I placed my order. They are closed now so I hope there will be no problems with returning the product. I'm still debating as to weather or not to order the same product. I'm a firm believer that there are problems with units in any companies product line primarily because the quality control of overseas production is low. I guess the manufactures figure their cost/ratio benefit out weighs the consistent quality production that was once the standard. I also noticed that my Yamaha is built in Japan and not Malaysia or China or Taiwan. The Sony unit is made in Malaysia and I wonder what their quality control procedures are? The comparison between the SOny and my older Yamaha is really not apples to apples, but as far as reliabilty you see my point. On the other hand, I did order this via the phone from what I think is a reputable vendor, but now I wonder if they are purchasing class b products or something? Like I said, the Yamaha was trouble free for me except for the display light which did last 6 years. Basically if a receiver can last me 6 to 8 years without a problem then I feel that is reasonable. I figure after 6 years I'll want to purchase more current technology anyway. Who knows what technology will bring us by then.

As far as Sony, the reason I choose their product line is that I was tired of having different brand components which have different chassis width and just an overall different aesthitic look to them. Sorry that is the artist in me coming out. Also I am a firm believer in purchasing a good quality receiver with full band with power, high current capability and inputs/outputs to meet future needs. At the same time I usually purchase entry level source units since I only need basic features in them and since there always seems to be something new coming out. For example, I own a Harmon Kardon CD player that has digital outs and a nice built in stepladder 18 bit d/a converter which I paid $500 for. Thing is it still works but now I'm not even going to get the benefit of the built in da converter now since it makes more sense to use the newer (better) da converter that is built into the newer receivers and I don't need to do that either since the DVD can play back CD's. I paid the extra money for the nice da converter that it had and really I feel I made a strategic mistake. It made me sick to think I spent $500(not really but that was the normal price) for a CD player with a plastic face plate. I think HK should start putting some money into their chasis metal front face plates. Who wants to spend the extra cash for a plastic face plate. I already know about the famous "discrete components" line. Perhaps not a bad arguement, but then their power lacks. Yes, I know "high-current power" but Yamaha and Onkyo have that high current as well at better price points. If you ask me HK is living on its name value that was earned from a former history when they used to make high quality components. The signal to noise ratios on even the cheapest digital source units are so high that you are going to get clean sound anyway. So I choose Sony because they offer products for each source type (VCR, TV MD, DVD, CD, DAT, 3 head Cassette etc...)at reasonable prices. My other preferences lean towards Onkyo and Yamaha, but their source units tend to be a little more costlier, in that they don't offer a basic model at a lower price. A lot of electronic pricing is pure marketing. Especially with the specs. Nothing is more misleading than the THD specs of which none can be heard by any human as long as they are under 1%. Of course there is the famous power rating at 1 khz instead of full bandwith too. Specs can be useful, but you can only consider them to a degree. S/n ratios for all components say a great deal about clarity and clean sound and with amps if you can find one that comes close to doubling its power when the impedance halves then you got a nice amp.

So now that the complaining is over I will tell you that I still think this receiver has to be one of the best out there for its price range. The chasis is solid with a nice aluminum face plate (unlike all HK's and the Marantz 5000). Onkyo and Yamaha have a very nice chasis as well. I liked the Binding posts provided or each of the five channels and also the b speaker set as well. Plenty of digital inputs, component video, s video and of course the 5 channel pre-outs including a pair for the sub as opposed to the usual single pre-out that is usually offered at this price point. All inputs/outputs are gold plated.

This amp is heavy and i know it sounds funny, but the weight has a lot to do with what type of power supplies are inside and overall construction within. I listened to a variety of music from classical, rock, blues and jazz. This amp really seemed to produce a nice midrange and solid but not overstated low end. As far as the built in eq I think it gives you the power to change the tonality of your speakers over what most other receiver have to offer. My only irritation was the lack of an easy simple bass and treble nob that would be nice to use when one may want to by pass the eq. Sometimes you just want an easy accessible way to turn up the bass or treble and this unit totally lacks in this area. Who wants to adjust each speaker everytime you want a little more bass etc...Power on this unit was wonderful when it was working, but that is the true dilema. If the product has a short life it really isn't worth paying any price for. Perhaps this may be a lesson for making purchases via mail order, but as I said before this is most likely either a product line problem or perhaps I just ended up with a bad unit.

I'm going to send the unit back for a replacement, but if it fails again you can bet that I will never buy a Sony receiver again. I would rate the product 5 stars in the value catagory, but considering my experience I would have to knock it down to 4. The overall rating would really be at 4, but again the problems really affected my rating. I couldn't ever give this product an overall 5 star due to the awkward controls, both on the unit and the remote.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first Digital receiver. Previously owned a Yamaha rx 460 stereo reciever which is still preforming fine except for the display light which burned out about 6 months ago. At least the Yamaha lasted 6 years before there was a problem.