This is a letter I have submitted to Sony for their response. Before the units self-destruction it provided a superior level of performance. But unfortunately the ability to appreiciate the overall quality of a product greatly depends on the support one receives. I realize things break and require repair, but I feel, overall, it's the desire to make things right that counts the most.


Sony Corporation,

I am writing to your company to express my dissatisfaction with the level of service that I am receiving from your company. On April 22nd, two months after purchase, while watching television, my Sony STR-V555ES, serial number: 8805220, burst into flames and sent smoke throughout my home. Only afterwards did the protection circuitry turn on and display a message to shutdown the unit. I disconnected the unit from the audio/video system and unplugged it from the wall. After waiting 30 minutes I plugged the unit back into the wall only to be greeted by the protection error message. I called the Sony Service Center and explained what happened. I was told that it was probably a heat problem and to take the unit to the nearest Sony Service Center to have it repaired, which I did on April 23rd. I explained to the customer service person that I saw flames, followed by smoke and was receiving an protection error, which she wrote on the repair request, work number: W********.
On April 24th, I then went to the Sony website to check on the status of my unit. It stated the unit had been received and was waiting to be seen by a technician and that it could take as long as 10 working days for the repair. In my 20 years of experience as a electronic technician/engineer I thought 2 weeks was alittle long to repair the unit, but because of Sony's good reputation I waited patiently. After waiting two weeks without the central part of my home theater and audio system, unable to watch movie or listen to music, I checked the website, on May 7th, to find that the unit had not been repaired and that it stated I would have to wait an additional 5 days. At this point I'm now concerned, but I waited until Friday, May 11th, to speak with a Sony Service Center Representative again. They stated that parts were on local backorder and should be received next week. I called the following week to check the status to find that the parts had not been received. Because of my technical background I asked what parts were on order, I was told some resistors, capacitors and an IC chip! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Instead of replacing the defective circuit board, which has been standard procedure for sophisticated electronic components for the last 10 years in computer industry, some technician was going to solder new parts on to the board! In the interim not knowing if that will fix the problem. In my experience when doing component level maintenance on a circuit board the full extent of the problem can not be known until the parts have been replaced. Precipitating a cycle of ordering and replacing parts until the board was fixed, which often took weeks. Also the possibility of damaging the replacement parts or adjacent components on the board was very high, which is why we replaced the entire board to facilitate a quick turnaround for our clients.
I feel today that this is an exceptionally poor way to service a highly sophisticated high-end piece of equipment and I have serious doubts about it's ability to provide the level of performance that I expected and paid for. I feel the only viable solution is to replace the defective receiver. I feel that the unit was seriously defective when I purchased it and that over three weeks is an unacceptable period of time for repairs to begin. Considering the explosive nature of the defect I feel that a replacement unit is the only solution that will ensure that I will have a reliable component and not have to worry about more issues arising from this repair method. As the owner of a Sony 36XBR400 Wega television, a Sony S9000ES DVD player, a Sony SCD-777ES, and a Sony 400PS computer monitor I hope that we can come to a satisfactory conclusion so I may continue to have confidence that your company stands behind their products and provides exceptional customer service. I await your companies response.

In fairness I will post any and all responses I receive from Sony. After spending hours on the phone and in the end getting the runaround and being told that the unit will be reparied and returned with no ETA given, I feel others needed to know.

Sound, build, es quality, looks, and remote.

None

This unit is awesome for home theater. The 5.1 decoding is excellent. There is no true 6.1 on this unit. There is a "virtual" 6.1 channel. However, it still sounds better than some of the 6.1 receivers out there. The improved remote is very easy to use. Some people say this unit runs hot. Mine runs great. No protection problems or shut-downs. The sound is far superior to the Denon I had. Don't let others brain-wash you into beleiving there is a problem with this receiver. Compare this unit beside any other in it's price range and see for yourself. Hands down, one of the best home theater receivers in it's class.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Onkyo, Sony ES.

Power, Clear Sound, Improved Remote

People who hate Sony and continue to come up with these ridiculous stories so people will sway their purchasing decision.

I've been following Sony ES Receiver reviews for almost one year now, and I can't believe the level of ignorance demonstrated by some of the reviewers.

This AMP and many other Sony AMPS sound great. There are no known "Protection Fault", or speaker selector switch cover-ups. There aren't any dark alley meetings for Sony execs to discuss avoiding recalls (no matter what your aunt's 3rd cousin working for Sony tells you).

The previous LCD remote was lousy, but this one is much improved. The sound is just as clear as my DA30ES, with a couple of extra features. Unless God has gifted some of you with highly sophisticated hearing instruments, you would be hard pressed to find significant differences between this receiver and that of many competitors. Attend a demonstration, and judge for yourselves. Make a choice based on what your own ears tell you.

Similar Products Used:

DA30ES

Hey guys. I've been searching for something to fix the heat problem with this reciever on the net. I saw one thing that says if you run the reciever in 4ohms (the little switch on the back) the unit runs coller. You lose some power on each channel but I dont think it makes much of a difference. The unit does seem to run cooler. Is this my imagination? What do you guys think?

Awesome sound

Unlit volume dial

This is without doubt a very well built unit. Although I had a problem when I first got the unit would not play on the A channel but would on the B very strange, I returned it to sony and the claim that it was in perfect condition and nothing was wrong. As strange as this may sound I took the unit home and reconnected it and to my surprise it worked. I spoke with a friend of mine who is a tech for sony and told me that cony has been keeping the problem under the table. but has been repairing any unit brought to them and stating to customers that there is no fault. This is being done to avoid a major recall. Shame on sony. I was going to purchase there HDTV Model#KP-65XBR10W but I must say That I will not. I will go with a Mitsubishi.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 945

Clean, mid-fi sound. Ample power for an apartment home theater setup. Produces very tight bass. Mid and highs are bright, but detailed and crisp. Myriad adjustable parameters. Adequate inputs for almost any setup. Remote is comprehensive and programmable. 2nd room A/V capability.

Remote hasn't the range for convenient operation. I will try the AC adapter (optional accessory) and see if its a power-related problem or simply a weak IR signal that's not improved by the power source.

Given my admittedly mid-fi budget, taste, and experience, the STR-V555ES has exceeded my expectations. It produces extremely clean, undistorted sound for music and home theater. On DVD audio (e.g. Sessions at West 54th) the detail is abolutely stunning. Music from digital sources, though bright, is as broad and detailed as I've heard. Obviously, this unit is far superior to the Sony receivers I've previously owned. It is also much cleaner than the STR-DB940. Elsewhere, the DB is favorably compared to the ES line. I disagree. The ES line trumps the DB in terms of the most important metrics: quality of sound and distortion-free delivery. If you are considering buying the DB instead of the ES, make sure you understand that by saving a few hundred dollars, you are sacrificing an immediatley noticeable level of audio purity.

The STR-V555ES is feature-laden and indimitading to the uninitiated. Its hookup options can be confusing(not a criticism, per se, just a byproduct of a comprehensive unit.) The remote is excellent, but underpowered. I hope the AC power supply will solve this. 2nd-A/V support is a dream and has elimated any need for an additional DVD/MD player. With Sony's RM-VL900 remote and an RCA cone RF transmitter/receiver, I'm able to control everything flawlessly from my 2nd room.

In sum, I find the beautiful sound and comprehensive back panel well worth the additional cost. The remote is the only drawback, and only because of its lack of power.

P.S. I haven't had any "PROTECTOR" problems nor any problems with overheating. In fact, the unit has stayed on all night on several occasions at 8 ohms with nary a hint of percolation. The unit remains barely warm to the touch. The overheating problem is not universal!!!

System:
Sony STR-V555ES Receiver
Sony KV36-XBR200 Television
Sony CDP-CX350 Compact Disc Changer
Sony DVP-C600D DVD Changer
Sony MDS-JE320 MiniDisc Deck
Sony SLV-777HF Video Cassette Recorder
Boston Acoustics CR-9 monitors
Boston Acoustics CR-2 center speaker
Boston Acoustics CR-400 subwoofer
Boston Acoustics VRS Micro surrounds
Motorola Cable Box with AT&T Digital Cable
Technics Direct Drive Phonograph
RM-TP504 Remote
RCA cone-style RF-to-infrared converter/repeater.

2nd Room:
Panasonic 27-inch TV
Pioneer Mini-System receiver with 6CD changer, dual tape deck
All controlled by Sony RM-VL900
RCA cone-style infrared-to-RF transmitter

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-D760Z, Sony STR-DE725, Sony STR0-DB940 (in-store comparison)

Solid sounding unit when working properly

Have had numerous power-on problems & protection errors. Unit runs extremely hot. Sony's support is not satisfactory.

Just completed the rennovation of our basement, and installed a new home theater set-up - all Sony. I have a 36" XBR TV, V555ES Receiver, SA-VE815ED Speakers (Nice!, DVP-S570D DVD, SLV-N80 VCR (So, So). All in all, a great set-up, except for the V555ES.

I've got an early model (approx. 800,000 Serial#) and had problems with intermitent power on problems. The receiver's problems begin when you first power the receiver up. What will basically happen is that you will get no input or output from the receiver although it physically appears ok. No audio, video, on-screen set-up of the receiver - nothing. The multi-channel light will not go on with dvd's, etc. One other thing that I noticed is that you do not here the speaker selector switch's relay "click" when you turn the knob (headphones won't output anything either). The unit does not go into protection mode either during this time.

If you cycle the power on the unit, it usually won't help until maybe a dozen + times later...it's hard to say. I
defaulted the programming to factory, re-programmed the unit, and rewired the unit to verify all connections.

Called Sony - they concluded that everything sounded as if it were set-up/programmed properly. They said the equipment I have is their top of the line, and should not act that way - ever.

Got my hands on another unit (much newer serial# in the millions). Was running great, until the second movie of the night...Protection Error came on. I shut the unit down (smelled way too hot) put a larged fan on the unit, waited approx. 1 hour....Turned the unit on and I still get the error. Obviously an overheating problem. Seems silly that the protection circuit wouldn't shut-down the unit, and re-set it upon cool-down.

I've read similar problems that others have had with other ES receiver models. This unit seems better, but I would add an aux. fan near this thing. If you talk to Sony, they will read you a press release regarding the heat-build-up problem stating that the unit is operating in spec., and that the heat will not pre-maturely wear down the components, nor cause FIRES (why would they need to state that?)! Well, if it continues to run that hot, the unit will not last that long.

Hey Sony - build your products (at least your "top of the line" units) back in Japan....

Back the unit goes.......

Fairly neutral mid-fi sound, good build quality, 5 year warranty, flexible connections, component video switching, good analog bypass, very flexible and powerful remote

No true DTS-ES or DD 6.1 processing it's "virtual", still mid-fi sounding, may not have enough power for a large room or inefficient speakers

My home has a fairly small area for the AV system. I previously had a fantastic setup for 2 channel stereo that I was reluctant to change for home theater, but I really didn't have the room for 2 dedicated systems. Therefore, I decided to upgrade as best as I could. My previous system included:

Audio Physic Tempo II speakers
Audiolab 8000Q preamp
Audiolab 8000P 2 channel amp
Denon CD player
Transparent cables

I changed the audio to now include:

Audio Physic Tempo II main L/R speakers
Sonus Faber Solo Home center channel
Boston Acoustics VR-MX rear diffuse field L/R speakers (compromise to wife's aesthetic concerns-cherry matches Audio Physic and stand)
Sony DVP9000ES DVD/SACD player
Sony STR-V555ES AV receiver

In summery, the Audio Physic speakers are amazing...when driven with the right amp. I am a big fan of British electronics and the Audiolab components made the Audio Physics really shine. Superb imaging, sweet highs, incredibly musical and lyrical midrange, adequate bass. Very neutral especially with voice and solo instruments. The Sony receiver however, even with the 9000ES, SACD, and the analog bypass, does sound a bit midfi-ish. A bit on the bright side with the treble being a bit harsh. Perhaps I need to let it burn in a bit more. Overall, however, the sound for 2 channel audio is good, not great. However, the unit really shines in home theater. AMple power for my smaller room. Dynamic and quick. The brightness of the amp is not noticeable with movie soundtracks. "Three Kings," Jurassic Park, U-571 (in DTS!), were amazing.

After having auditioned the Denon, Yamaha, Integra, and Onkyo AV receivers in this price range I can pretty confidently say that they are all pretty similar. They ALL have the curse of mid-fi sound-too bright, and a bit harsh. I think what made me choose the Sony was: component video switching, 2 coaxial digital inputs, 5 year warranty, build quality, LCD remote.

If you have the money for good separates like Proceed, Krell, Theta, then go for it. The sound will be much better. But, if you don't really want to spend much more than $1200 total, the Sony STR V555ES AV receiver is an excellent choice.

Very decorative (kinda like that horseshoe rug around your toilet)

Third degree burns if you touch it, constant overload protection, complicated speaker setup, piss poor sound and sony manufacturer

I can't say enough bad things about this product or sony for really letting down loyal customers. I will try to keep this short because first of all I am not the kind of person who would ever take the time to write or comment on anything on this site or any other on the web. I must tell you I am the biggest idiot here. Because I actually read these reviews before making my new receiver purchase. AND I STILL BOUGHT THIS ONE!!! I thought a few people got a lemon and that can happen sometimes. I figured if it happened to me I could have it fixed under the extended warranty Right? WRONG!!! I bought this receiver 5 months ago and have had it in operation for about 4 hours. It has spent the rest of the time at the repair service center and has now been at sony for the last 8 weeks and they are saying it will be about another 8 weeks. However, I am lucky this time because I explained this to the manager at ultimate and he will gladly credit me for a different BRAND not model. My unit had every problem listed in all your reviews. And finally went to sony on its third break down (which was always within ten minutes of plugging it in). I used to be a huge sony fan. I have so many components in my 5 bedroom house that I am not going to list them. But all I own is sony. That is why it is a crying shame and with great disappointment that I have to switch brands in audio equipment because sony lead us down this great electronic road to nowhere and then pulled the plug. And before you say it was just a bad model and you will get a better one, consider this, Sony cut their spending on research and development in the audio department by millions just five years ago so that they could redirect their development to the visual department. Yes, they have a nice trinitron T.V. but that doesn't do YOU a damn bit of good when your stuck with a $1000.00 pile of crap receiver and the nightmare that will soon go with it. I urge you, PLEASE do not support sony until they remember quality and customer satisfaction has got to come first. If you let them get away with this, you will be walked on over and over again! Please tell your friends this is not the way to go. Word of mouth and power to the consumer. Thank you for your time.

Similar Products Used:

Sony str-d1015

Touchscreen remote, Build quality, sound quality, warranty, digital sound field processing power

no AC-3 RF input (I have a laser disc collection). Most other manufacturers don't offer this either !

I had a long review typed up, but this website didnt process it properly. An error occured and I lost what I typed.

To make a long story short, you can't beat this receivers features and performance for the money. It even sounds as good if not better than some pricier brands !
It's Dolby Digital and DTS matrix processing is excellent !

Let's face it folks, you buy a product like this to perform good clean surround sound processing and A/V source routing.
The STRV555ES performs this task with ease. If you want a single box solution instead of separates, you are willing to accept certain trade offs in performance. In most home theater applications, these trade offs are minor. Speakers is where the biggest difference can be made in sound quality.
The touchscreen remote at this price point is unheard of...especially when you take into consideration the warranty that Sony is offering on their ES receivers.

I have had this receiver for one week. The secret to really enjoying this product is patience. You must have this when setting it up. Once it is totally integrated into your home theater properly, you won't be disappointed. If your mind is made up that THX and seperates adds a gigantic increase in value to your home theater, you're are absolutely right. Check your wallet, I think it is considerably lighter now with all that added value.

I think this receiver is onto something with the whole idea of "bang for buck". If you purchased a lemon version of this product, you must be having bad luck. I have news for those people. It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is, they all have a certain number of product failures and they all have designed in obsolescence. Product failure is always frustrating. Don't crucify the brand unless their service is lousy when a failure arises.

Take care and enjoy your choices. I'm enjoying mine !

My system includes :

STRV555ES
Adcom GFA-5500 (powering front speakers)
Sony DVP-C660
Panasonic Laser Disc and SVHS VCR
Panamax Max 1000+ surge suppressor
Denon 3-head tape deck (soon to be replaced with minidisc)
Paradigm Eclipse reference bipolars
Paradigm cc-350
Paradigm ADP-150
Paradigm PS1000
Sony 35"XBR

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSPA970, Sony TAE2000ESD, Denon AVR3600.