Built-in equalizer, quality construction, assignable digital inputs, optical digital output for CD, high power-low distortion

none- not for this price.

In my opinion, this receiver was a great buy at $599. I have read all of the feedback on this forum regarding this receiver before I took the plunge. I, too was a skeptic, based on some of the negative feedback regarding this unit in this forum, but upon re-reading the comments, I concluded that some of the negative comments were from Sony haters, or those who did not possess the techincal skills required to operate this top notch piece of equipment. For those of you who had legitimate problems, I hope I don't encounter those.

Mine does not have any unreasonable hiss (most high and low end receivers I have auditioned have some form).If you stick your ear in the speaker, you can hear a slight hiss, but turning up the volume to full gain did not increase the hiss level, at all. I have JBL 4312 Control Monitors in the front, JBL Control 1 Monitors in the rear, and a Polk CS 150 center channel speaker connected to this. At normal seating distances from the speakers, hiss is not audible. For those of you familiar with the famous JBL 4312s, you know those babies can be unforgiving with those titanium tweeters. I often leave this unit on all day and have on two occasions run it for 24 hours straight. Top gets warm, but not hot at all. Adequate ventilation is the key. I have mine in an entertainment center with about 6 inches of space above it. DD and DTS decoding are out of this world.

Remote is easy to use. I say that because I overcame the learning curve that came with the remote that came with the DB930 receiver (both 2-way designs) I like the improvement over the remote that came with the DB930 as this one is a learning model. I also use a Sony model 2000 touchscreen interchangeably with this, as well.

The optical digital output for CD was a welcome addition as I can now output CD sound digitally from my 300 disc Sony changer as opposed to running it through my Pioneer PDR-509 in monitor mode as I did in order to get digital cd sound because of too few digital outputs on the DB930 to accomodate my setup.

For the money, this one of the better buys out there. Sure, there are newer formats 6.1, 7.1, 50.1, etc., that are already out there or are on the horizon. Let's face it though folks, the mainstream (5.1) will be the bread and butter format for some time to come. Besides, how may DVDs are there in the market that include all of these 6.1 and 7.1 formats? Meanwhile, the 6.1 virtual on the V444es does a great job of providing the rear center channel sound effect.

The audio split works to perfection. I often like to listen to music while just viewing the picture on the TV.

Haven't tried the 2nd room option yet. I plan to use powered speakers to output audio only into my sunroom.

Thought that I would miss the red indicator on the volume knob that indicated the volume level as is on the DB930, but find that I prefer the readout on the receiver. If you were sitting at the wrong angle, you couldn't see the indicator, anyway. Readout on the receiver is easy to read. On-screen displays make tweaking the eq settings easy.

This one is a keeper. It interfaces perfectly with the rest of my (mostly Sony)system. I just wished they had added a serial connector to allow for upgrades so I won't go broke trying to keep pace with technology! Would love to be able to upgrade this unit to DPLII. Oh well, I can't have everything!

My system:

Sony V444-es receiver
Sony DVP650c DVD changer
Sony CDP-CX300 CD Changer
Sony 53" Rear Projector
JVC HR-S7300 SVHS VCR
Philips 6000 Directv-TIVO
Sony TC-W825 Dual Well Cassette Deck
Pioneer CDR-509 CD Burner

Speakers:

JBL 4312 Control Monitors (front)
JBL Control 1 monitors (rear)
Polk CS-150 Center Channel
dbx 15" passive sub
Sony SA-WM 40 12" 120 Watt Powered sub

Similar Products Used:

Sony DB 930, Yamaha RXV 870

Sony 3 year warranty,clean power

None

This is a well rounded receiver in the price range.
sound is clean and undistorted even with volume maxed out.
The remote is easy to use{please people read your manual!}
The features are great,the power is excellent,base production is wonderful and it is very easy to use and operate.
It has performed well beyond my expectations.
The ES line is definitely a grat product from what I can see
or hear so far.

Similar Products Used:

Denon

Build Quality, Sony reputation, Wattage and current capability, Hefty power supply and large caps.

Remote is cumbersome, Audible clicking noise (see review).

I bought this unit last week for a close out price of $428. I have to be honest and say I went for the deal on this one realizing that the unit did not have the latest technologies (DPL II and legit 6.1/7.1 capability). DPL II may have been nice but the wife is not going to allow me to add more speakers for the new 6.1/7.1 formats. The five we have, plus sub, is a bone of contention as it is. In comparison to my old H/K AVR85 (which recently quit on me) this unit sounds better, has more flexibility in its operation and has better build quality and looks. I read the reviews here before purchasing and decided to try it out for myself. It is a great sounding unit that requires dedicated effort in setting up to get the most out of its potential. I have not noticed any out of the ordinary hissing in my unit. In fact compared to the other two stereo systems in the house it is much quieter but the hissing is there. I guess that is based on how particular each individual is in listening for it. Also, as for the heat, it does get quite hot when played at reference level but it is no hotter that my H/K AVR 85 got or even my old H/K AVR 25. Also, I am running my unit with the impedence select switch at 8ohms even though my KEFs are 4 ohm speakers because it sounds better. I'm not sure of what actually occurs within the unit other than maybe the switch puts a circuit in series with the output to add the 4 ohms so that it senses 8 ohms. Has anyone else had issues with this subject? Email me. I do not like the remote. It is usable but it is quite cumbersome and there are not enough dedicated buttons to learn all controls. Glad I have a Pronto! My only issue with the receiver at this point (one week of ownership) is that when viewing the DSS with optical input there is an audible clicking noise each time I change the channel. I am not sure if it is the receiver or the DSS. I tried it through the analog cable and there was no pop. I intend to try the unit with one of my bedroom DSS receivers and also try a new opti cable. I would purchase this unit again for this price. However if it was still selling for the $1000 list I would buy the Denon 3802. I will post another review in a month or two to re-evaluate the unit if I haven't returned it because of that damn clicking.

Similar Products Used:

H/K AVR 510, Denon 2802, Yamaha RX-V1000

Great sound, lots of inputs.

Remote and Manual, could have been lot better

This is basically same product as STR-V555ES only without LCD remote(Don't want to spend extra $200+ just for the remote)
This is very good product considering its price...it drives my infinity interlude setup(IL60s, IL36c, and IL10s for surround speakers) pretty nicely. This receiver does better with movies than music(but music is still great) although i will buy a better receiver(Denon avr-5800)or separates to match my speakers.
I was going to give it a 4 stars but considering its price, i would not be hesistant to give 5 star rating. There are better receivers out there, but for the price, i think this is one of the best.

P.S. I have not heard any hiss that many reviewers were complaining about..and this receiver sounds pretty much identical to 777es(which said to be better than sony's newer lineup)

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo

killer dts and dd decoding, analog direct, great dsp soundfields, sleek design

6.1 virtual. sony could have included the real thing... its a shame but hey, its not the end of the world...

I graduated from the Pioneer to the Sony DB series. I loved the DB series so much that I decided to get the ES series.
The digital decoding is amazing and the sound has got to be one of the cleanest and powerful on the market. I've read about how much better the older flagship models are but I've never heard them so I guess I wouldn't know any better.
I don't hear the major hiss that other reviewers are complaining about. There is a hiss when using the Cinema DSP modes but only if you crank the volume past the 12:00 mark. It's deafning from that point on. In analog direct, I've turned the volume full tilt and there was no hiss whatsoever.

This unit rocks the house... mine at least. peace.

Similar Products Used:

db940, cheap pioneer entry level reciever

great sound, ease of use, digital inputs for DVD, CD, TV, MD

Runs very hot, manual could be better

It was a good buy. The receiver has many features, I have not used them all yet. The only negative I have experienced is the amount of heat. The receiver runs very hot. I will probably exchange it for another one.

For the price I paid and features, I am happy with it, except for the heat problem. I will review it again after I have had it a while.

Similar Products Used:

Sony Receiver DB840

Great clean sound lots of power

No 6.1

Just bought to up graded from my 30 es and I tell what A diffrence in the sound from the 30es lots of extras.This unit realy makes my Phase tech speakers kick.still to early to realy see what happens to down the line but I tell you this system realy kick....well see what happens down the lline but so far great system....

Similar Products Used:

sony 30es

Number of digital inputs.

See review.

We originally purchased a Sony STR-DB940 from Crutchfield after having seen it at a local store for much more money. Shortly after receiving it, Crutchfield put the Sony STR-V444ES on sale and we decided to exchange the DB940 for it. Big mistake.
The V444ES did not sound as nice as the DB940 - and that was when we got sound out of it all. (No, it never hissed, but then, we never had the volume any higher than about "11:00".) However, it would work fine one day, and then the next day no sound, no matter which component or sound field we tried. We called Crutchfield several times, and each time they had another suggestion for us to try (turn it off and back on, change the impedance switch - these are 2 of the suggestions we received). None of these suggestions fixed the problem.
After the 7th time this happened, and our 3rd phone call to Crutchfield, we decided to send it back. (BTW, please don't construe this to be a critism of Crutchfield; we were satisfied with their customer service, their attempts to help us with the problem, and the way they've handled the return.)
One note regarding our Value and Overall Ratings - if the receiver had worked properly, then it would have been a "fair deal" for the price (3 stars), but since we had to return it as defective, the Overall Rating is a "complete waste" (1 star).

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DB940

lots of power...

hissing... should have bought another denon 3801...

I bought this unit to replace a sony es receiver that I had
purchased over 5 years ago. I wanted to have 5.1 sound in
the den. So I took the old receiver and moved it to the
living room. The old es plays great still, I hooked it
up to a pair of brand new AR-5's for music in my living
room. Its to bad that I had this purchased at the Sony
store and can't get my money back.

Along with my 444 receiver came a brand new 345 cd player
which was dead on arrival. I am not having the greatest
of luck with sony currently (vaio computer quit on me,
warranty is out and they want 1500 to fix it, and its
only 18 months old). This receiver has proven to me that
sony is not the same product it was five years ago. They
do still make a great TV, I have a new XBR 36 400. But
this receiver is not as clean as my old one. Its should
be embarrassing to sony to have ES on these receivers.
This is not a top of the line product. The denon 3801
is a far better product for only a couple hundred dollars
more.

The best thing about the es 444 is its power, other than
that all you get is adequate sound. Adequate sound is
okay if you are not buying ES product. But to buy the
top of the line sony product and to get a hissing sound
coming from the center channel when the center channel
isnt even working is unacceptable. It's as if the
bottom line with sony now is sell as much product
as possible without regard to any type of quality
control what so ever.

I would have been happy with the purchase of this
receiver for 200 dollars, but paying 500 for this
type of product is surely a rip off. ES use to mean
quality at sony. I think it now stands for Exetremely
Stupid. Because thats what we are when we pay the type
of money we pay for ES product.

Similar Products Used:

sony es, denon, marantz...

Great sound, and bang for the buck.

Remote, manual, lack of bass & treble controls.

For the price, I think that the quality of this product is tremendous. I have experienced no problems with overheating, as some other reviewers have, and no hiss at reasonable listening levels. The sound quality is great and the number of inputs is generous. I compared it side by side to a comparably priced Denon, and it blew the Denon away.

I think that Sony could improve upon the manual. I spent a lot of time experimenting to figure out what the unit can really do. It would have been much easier to have a decent manual. The remote control is the least intuitive piece of electronic equipment I have come across in years. Sony really should have built in some kind of treble and bass controls. The controls offered by their equalizer just doesn't cut it. Luckily by speaker package is well balanced and the lack of controls did not presnet a problem. In a less well balanced package, I can imagine problems.

All in all, thought, I must say that for the value, I am happy.

I spite