Power, Price, Build Quality, Flexibility, GREAT SOUND, 5-Year Warranty

Component-video bus does not have sufficient bandwidth to carry HDTV signals.

The V555ES is a great mid-fi receiver for the money. The Virtual Matrix6.1 mode is pretty convincing, provided you're not far from the sweet spot. It does a good job of filling in the back of the soundstage, and gives greater impact to front-rear pans, even on regular-variety 5.1-encoded software. I nearly bought the Integra 7.1, but could not rationalize the added expense of both that unit and adding another speaker, particularly since my HT room is medium-small.

There is an "Analog Direct" mode for SACD listening.

I am suprised that no reviews have yet mentioned the built-in, adjustable crossover network. This is possibly the unit's most useful feature, and is very handy for users of sub/sat speaker systems. You can independently adjust the bass cutoff frequncy for all five speakers (from 40-200Hz in 10Hz steps), which is a feature no other manufacturer offers in this price range. Also, the bass-management is excellent, remaining consistent when switching between stereo and multichannel sources.

The unit did run hot to the touch in 8ohm mode driving a Boston Acoustics System 10K, so I switched it down into 4ohm operation--stays cool as a cucumber now. I have had no protection mode problems, or speaker selector switch trouble. No trouble of any kind, in fact.

The V555ES is (shockingly) much better-built than the Denon 3801, and does not run out of juice in multichannel operation like the 3801. The sound remains clear and articulate right up to reference-level volume. It is also worth noting that the V444/555ES receivers use a Class-A amplifier, where most other units in this class use Class-AB amps. You CAN hear the difference.

The remote works very well, but it just isn't ergonomically shaped for hand-held use. Better to place it on a coffee table, I think. It offers some user-customization, but is no match for a Pronto. The remote's large display is what sold me on this receiver: I have a SONY 300CD MegaChanger, and wanted to be able to read disc titles without squinting. If you're not in need of this feature, I'd recommend you go with the V444ES instead--it's the same unit as the 555, but without the touchscreen remote, and can be had for around $600.

One interesting thing about the unit that is not mentioned in the manual--the unit will power "ON" just by pressing either the "MUTE" or "VOL-" buttons on the remote.

I will undoubtedly keep this receiver for the duration of the warranty. By the time the 5 years are up, there will be an entirely new generation of decoders on the market, anyway. Worry-free listening!

Similar Products Used:

SONY STR-1090D, STR-DE935, Integra 7.1, Denon 3801

S-Link control of my SONY TV,VCR,CD changer and DVD changer. Cool touchscreen remote that even downloads all titles from my 200disk CD changer. Great DSP sound fields. Lots of power. Able to customize speaker sizes, placement, TV placement, bass, mid & treble for each speaker, lots of power.

2way remote is probably a bit of overkill, except for maybe initial setup and when wanting to choose a CD. $16 SONY remote controls all standard functions of the unit just fine. Slight hissing when volume control was past "11 o'clock" position. After speaking to SONY & POLK, I tried the receiver in 4 Ohms and this greatly reduced the hissing.

The setup of the receiver can be a bit intimidating, given all of the customizable settings. (Things were worse for me, as my receiver was missing the remote, which the dealer still hasn't sent me, so I had to do them via front-panel controls).

However, once you spend the time, it really pays off. I'm happy, although I would not have spent the $1,300 list price. I paid $859 plus shipping...$899 total. And yes, SONY honors the 5 year warranty, even when purchased from a non-authorized dealer. I called and asked...

I have no heat problems with this receiver, even at 4 Ohms. No protection faults either (which I did have with my old SONY 805G during it last 3 months of life...)

Similar Products Used:

Old SONY Dolb Pro-Logic 805G with Air Egg controller.

Would like to follow up on my previous post, specifically in regards to the remote. It seems that the reason I was experiencing difficulty with the range of the RM-TP504 remote was because my RCA cones were emitting interference that greatly reduced the reliability of the Sony remote. The cones were placed too close (3 inches) to some wires that caused them to fire randomly and thus disrupt the IR stream from the Sony. Once the source of the interference was removed (i.e. the wires), both the cones and the Sony remote functioned flawlessly.

Plenty of power

Poor quality, hissing and popping, unclear manual, useless remote, very bright

I bought this receiver thinking I will own it for years. Too make a long story short, the quality of this receiver has been nothing but poor. Right out of the box, several features did not work. There is excessive hissing and even occassional popping. The sound is very bright. I have Klipsch Reference speakers all around which are bright to begin with but coupled with this receiver, the sound is terrible. I've completely deattenuated the mids with the EQ. I'm in the process of trading this unit in for a better sounding, higher quality receiver. I am surprised since I do and have owned many Sony products and have been happy with them. I would not recommend this product.

Musical Clarity. Excellent DTS Surround. Multi - Set up features.

Absolutely terrible operational instructions. Any equipment with an MSRP of $1300 should have a nice detailed booklet. The unit needs a light on the volume knob.

This Sony 555 has made me very happy. I spent over a month comparing it to other receivers in its class and I’m happy that I decided on the 555. I read many of the reviews on this site to help me in my selection. I almost bought the Denon 3801, but after hearing them both side-by-side, same speakers, same music and the same DVD, I chose the 555 for the sound quality it displayed. Other reasons for that decision were the price of the Denon ($1300.00), the Denon remote was “plain Jane”, and the two year Denon warranty versus the Sony ES five year. This unit continues to impress me as I learn more about it and how to tweak the set up and use the remote.

The remote: That’s one draw back that a first time owner might find. The remote is fantastic, but it’s taken me a month to fully understand it. The remote manual is pathetic to say the least. But, it does everything a universal is supposed to, and once you learn the two communication features it becomes a very useful item. I love the way my preset stations (with names i.e. “”99.7 “The Blitz””) displays on both the receiver and on my remote screen.

The unit: Has been fantastic. I have found the Amp to push more than enough power to all points. The music coming through my Def Techs sounds incredible. I’m hearing strings and actual breath intakes that my Onkyo never picked up. Bass is excellent and the highs are crystal clear. The 5.1 surround sound on my DVDs sounds great. I have found that it fills the room with sound a bit better than the Denon I demo’ed. My fronts and center sound incredible, my rears are not very good (KLH’s). Can’t wait till I upgrade them. I haven’t worried one bit about not having a true rear center, my DVDs are all 5.1. I might change my opinion on that subject in a few years, but for now I’m satisfied. No hiss and no fires like the reviews have indicated below.

Price: I paid $979.00 total, out the door. The Sony dealer had it on sale for $899.00. I think this is an incredible receiver for under $1000.00. I would definitely try to negotiate for under Grand if you intend on purchasing this. I don’t consider myself an Audio Expert, but I did my homework and at least for my ears, this receiver was head and shoulders above the others. My Value Rating is based on the price I paid. I guess would only give it a four if I had to pay the $1300.00 MSRP.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Denon 3801, Pioneer and Yamaha

Great sound, sufficient power for living room. Lots of adjustables for the amplifier section, TWO remotes -- one LCD full function remote & one quick & easy (small) remote.

Amplifier section DIED after 5 months of operation. The speaker output would go into thermal shutdown at turn-on (with or without speakers connected). VERY bright lights (especially DTS on) even with max dimmer.

Great sound while it lasted. More than enough parameters to muck with -- individual level, eq, and bandwidth adjustments for each set of speakers, and individually settable parameters for each component.

The problem came when it started to go into thermal shutdown occasionally at around four months. Then, it completely shutdown -- everything worked great except the speaker outputs. The amplifier section (except headphones) completely shutdown. You could hear the solenoid click the output off a few seconds after turn-on.

uBid gave 100% refund (after two months worth of emails).

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR-6200 (made in china!, smaller power supply transformer than SR-7000, crappy remote).

NONE

Hissing and Sound

Iam not happy with this ES-thing.Before I had an $500 receiver from Yamaha.But it sounded a lot better and no hissing!One day I was Extremly Stupid and I bought this receiver at the Sony-Overtoom in Amsterdam.When I was telling about the hissing they thought that I was Extremly Stupid.Thanks to the mainoffice from Sony I got an second one.But also hissing!I was very dissapointed when Sony-Overtoom refused to give back the money .I spend a lot of money fot this ES thing.Ofcourse I know this is no High-End but for $1000 you may have some soundquality and no
hissing!Sony is telling me that the main reason of the hissing(they finally admitted!)is because of the range untill 100KHZ.Only usefull if you want to buy an superaudio player.But still I have questions about that because when the volume is down there is also hissing.
IF YOU WANT TO BUY AN GOOD RECEIVER FOR ABOUT $1000 NEVER BUY AN SONY ES!!!
At first I highly recommend an Yamaha ,Denon or Pioneer for that money .Iam sure for 100% there will no problems with soundquality and hissing.
And don't believe the Extremly High Standard thing from Sony.You will be, just like me ,only Extremly Stupid when you planning to buy this receiver.
PEOPLE FROM AMSTERDAM DON'T GO TOO SONY-OVERTOOM BECAUSE THERE SERVICE SUCKS!!!
GOOD LUCK.

plenty of power, very stylish and solid, great sound.

The remote is cool, but not always very practical. And too subtle EQ settings.

First of all. I'm really (really!) fond of this reciever!
But (as always) there are some drawbacks that I would like to verify with other readers.
Before I had this sony, I owned a yamaha reciever. It was definitely less high-end, but it had more body in the low frequencies, sometimes I miss the real punch in the sub parts. (I do not use a seperate subwoofer, but I do have front loudspeakers that can deliver). And the EQ settings can't really make up for it, I guess It's the warmth of the yamaha.
What do other readers think about this?

And then the remote; I have to say. I think it's really cool!
But sometimes it just takes to much time with all the menu's to get to the right button, so in the end you'll grab your regular TV or DVD remote...

And last but not least, after reading some reviews about the hissing, how much hiss is normal??
If I listen very carefull, I do hear some hiss, but in regular use it's not really anoying me..
But is this normal or do I have a defective reciever???

Similar Products Used:

a yamaha reciever.

None

All, especially build quality

I have a V555ES receiver, but I am very anxious to trade up for it's replacement. I have been told different things about the VA555ES coming out soon hopefully. Sony has been rumored to remove the problematic remote and the other rumor has Sony putting the old 777ES amps back in. I wish I had picked up a 777 when I had the chance. Has anyone gotten any word about the upcoming new models. No one here has reported anything yet, and the local dealers are keeping their mouths tight, as they want to move remaining inventory. I understand this practice of retail, but I would love to know what may be headed our way in a couple months.

Thank you for the help!

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo

Simple clean front, Great sound, Good FM and AM signal. Lots of inputs in the rear.

Remote has too many layers to accomplish tasks - like using DSS reciever.

I bought this reciever because it has phono inputs as well as home theather (Not even Mac gear has this now). I was worried about the heat (read about it here and felt it on the models at Soundtrack.) Not a problem for me - Hooked up to my PSB Stratus Golds and C6 center channel - switched to 4ohms. Much better sound than the 5 year old 1050 Yamaha it replaced - even in ProLogic. [I was never that pleased with the Yamaha - maybe because it replaced Mac gear I had, but there were connectors that stopped working in the back and the sound just did not sound the same.] The S-link is great to hook up the Sony DSS reciever and DVD player.

I have had it switch back on its own to DSS from tuner twice - but only if I left the DSS reciever on.

I am very pleased with the sound from this unit and at the price I got - I would be hard pressed to find a better unit.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha Reciever