Looks and surround sound.

Lacks power, and of course...it gets hot.

Overall I was impressed with the sound quality and surround effects, however for claiming 100 watts per channel it was much less powerful than my Nak. I found that the bass was boosted beyond normal levels and I was unable to effectively reduce it. At times my Boston subwoofer would distort, and would require the bass boost be turned down a lot on the receiver. I also had problems with the volume control. For some reason it would only go up in small increments when the volume button was held down.

I would say that at 300 bucks this is a great buy, but I wouldn't get too excited about the retail of $800.00. I've seen this product drop hundreds of dollars over the last few months. So who knows what it's really worth.

I returned it due to its lack of power. I'm not really sure why Technics lists the RMS power for 6 ohms when every other manufacturer lists ratings at 8 ohms. Seems a little misleading to me.

Similar Products Used:

Nak AV-500, H&K AVR-500, Onkyo-DS595

Rockin' home theater audio, high end stereo sound/features, looks, build quality, simple setup, GOOD remote

so-so DSFs, no coax digital inputs, VCGA only works in stereo mode, thin bass using Dolby Pro Logic sources

Believe the hype - there is NOTHING that can touch the sonic quality of this Technics SA-DA10 for 3 times the price. Technics loss in attempting to enter the mid/high A/V receiver arena is YOUR gain. RUN, do not walk, to any Fry's which still has these champagne babies left, and pick one up before they are snapped up at this ridiculous price (like I did). If you're used to low end hardware, the quality will hit you first, from it's brushed aluminum surfaces & knobs, to it's hefty weight, to it's bi-amp wiring and full on DVD-Audio support. In other words, it's a true mid-level AV receiver. VCGA (Variable Gain Control Amplification) mode is a stereo epiphany - your ears will not deceive you - I'd never heard analog stereo sources with this much balance and depth before. Too bad it only works in stereo - not for multi-channel sources.
I drive a Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble IV HT with this rig, and this Technics exploits 'em to a level I never would have believed. Any DTS source through this setup will leave your jaw agape (I use a Pioneer DV-434) from the clarity and depth. My wife is happy, because we've dumped the 6 remotes we used to use, since the Technics remote handles our Pioneer DVD, Magnavox VCR, and Mitsubishi TV just fine, thanks. Oh yeah, and it controls the real DVD functions, not just the basics.
Hate to sound like a cheerleader here, but I shop/research hard for high tech/high value, and this is the Value Mother Lode. In comparison, my Sony is embarrasingly cheap and remote-challenged. I'm giving it to my brother. And take the shortcomings in context - they're only shortcomings against an $800 Marantz, NOT against anything anywhere near this price point. Bottom line - GET ONE NOW. You will thank me.

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Sony STR-DE550V, Denon PMA-500V

appearance super clean sound fine volume control

runs hot i wont set anything on top except eggs for breakfast

i set out to buy a yamaha or onkyo i compared all the specs and read many reviews during the course of my research, i saw this unit and the appearance made me take a look. i went through the process again including this unit. if you can buy one of these for what i paid you will have found one of the best values that you will ever find. i am not an audiophile.but i have a good ear . i am veeeeeeeeery satisfied with the overall performance it makes my old cerwin vega d-9s come to life by the way i am running an eq to compensate for poor room acoustics.if you find one for 326 beans nib pay the people in a hurry grab the box and run like hell cause ya just stole it.

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sony onkyo

Decent power, looks great, good features for the price

remote worked w/ everything except TV, gets hot, had to buy the store demo

The bi-wire, bi-amp capability told me this was a pretty decent amp section, and running 4 ohms all the way around I needed something that could hang. it does so very well...

Does get hot, but even when there is no signal. Is it a amp issue or a power supply issue? At Fry's it wasn't even hooked up to anything, it was just "on", and it was hot...

Remote is ok, except it won't run my TV...

Sound is great. Very clean, and precise. DD and DTS is fantastic on DVD's. Sound is very bright on soundtracks. Makes my center really come to life. The other sound modes are great for listening to all types of music. I like that I can differentiate between them. They are not all the same. VGCA is nice, but won't work with sub...

Overall great value. Blows away anything in the price range. Relaible, based on previous Technics ownership, and this unit's six month (or longer) "burn-in" on the shelf at Fry's. Just enough features to be inviting, and not so loaded that it's intimidating. Low impedance capability a plus. Perfect for initiating one to home theatre.

Similar Products Used:

Technics stereo receiver
K

DTS, Dolby Digital, Pro-Logic encoding with multiple optical outputs

No co-ax output for DVD

Waited for months to purchase a true home theater receiver to replace my pro logic system. Bought a DVD player and needed to upgrade. Looked at many receivers including Denon, Sony, and Yamaha. The features that I wanted on the other brands were going to run me around $500. Talked to sales rep at a local electronics retail and he steered me towards a Technics. Started looking at the SADA10 which was listed at $350 and found that it really met any current need for my DVD. He came down on the price to $250 (eventhough I saw that others on this site had purchased for $199). Only had one left and I knew that model had been discontinued . Bought the sytem and hooked it up to my bose system (which by the way gets some nasty reviews) and it sounded great. Great flexibility with the delay and level inputs for center and surround features in 5.1. Notes say that in stereo it delivers 2X100W/8 ohms and 5X80W/8ohms in 5.1. I'm not pushing any big speakers for my system so it sounds good in a small living room. I have a friend that has a Yamaha with two Anthem amps pushing the system. Overall his system certainly makes mine look entry but I also did not pay 10 grand. If you are looking for a system for an upgrade then I would recommend this one if you can find it and at the right price. I'm sure that in a year or two none of this will matter because only those that bought a system in the $1,000's will still be with the current market.

Similar Products Used:

Technics Pro Logic system

Class A Amp setup means low crossover distortion, anti-resonant base, excellent build quality, excellent componentry, good power, clean sound, low impedence and bi-wiring capability

class A amp setup means a great deal of heat emissions, no coaxial digital input

First things first, this is a Class A amplifier, meaning that it was designed to help minimize crossover distortion and help maintain low noise, even in low power amplifiying situations. However, the disadvantage to all this is that a class A amp is always active whenever the amp is on, even if it has no load going through it. This means that it will get hot, which is the trait of these things. What matters, however, is how the receiver can manage the heat.

Anyway, this is one hell of a receiver. Build quality is impeccable, and amplification is clean and powerful. Provided that you give it ample breathing room and don't overdrive these things (and you should be careful with any amp anyway), this amp will last you quite a while, and with the super low markdowns these things have from their $799 MSRP, this is quite the steal! - Reinhart

Wonderful clarity and power. Great sonic ability and depth for music and HT.. Gold finish and bi-wiring a plus

none at all in this price range

First off,the fit and finish is first rate. No black box here. I have this reciever hooked up to mirage om7s..and the bi-wiring feature sounds awesome since my speakers accept this kind of connection.The fact that they are rated at 6 ohms is a plus since I can also get the most out of the recievers 100 watts. Many of the people claim that this reciever runs hot..well I must be lucky because mines fine. The fan comes on at about 9:30 on the dial and runs as cool as an ice-cube. I find that the volume dose not come to life until the 9:00 position anyway..so the fan comes on around that time..maybe because I have mine BI-wiried makes a difference? People should remember that If you run any reciever -Example..8 ohm reciever running 6 ohm speakers..will make a reciever run very hot..Its important to match a speakers impedence with a recievers impedence! If you can find one of these recievers..RUN and get one. Its simple with no frills- GREAT sound at a BARGIN price!

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sony,dennon,kenwood

Build Quality, Power, Easy to Use

No coax digital in

I spent 3 or 4 months reviewing and researching recievers that would work great for home theater with out sacraficing sound quality when listening to music. I first bought a harmon kardon avr1601, but soon after canceled the order when i came across the techics sada8. This was quickly replaced by the sada10. After listening to a few recievers and comparing features, power raiting, reliability and so on with other recievers i am sure that the sada10n is the best purchase i could have made for 250 dollars brand new. It is true that this receiver does run hot. At first i was a little scared because of this, and even more so after i left town for a weekend and when i came back a roomate told me that he could smell the burning all over the house when he was using it while i was gone. After using it for a few months i am pretty confident that heat should not prevent anyone from buying this. At high volumes, above half way on the volume control, the fan in the back turns on and it runs ice cold. Below is my current system:
Technics SA-DA10N
Infinity RS-8 (fronts)
Infinity HTS 20 Surrounds
Infinity hts 20 center
Sony Ps2 for DVD player (until i can afford a pscan)
Sony 27" VEGA

For Movies
The reciever is exceptional in Dolby Digital, i haven't been able to use it in DTS yet becasue it detects the sound format and plays in DD as default over DTS. When watching American Histor X i could hear teeth scratching on the pavment, it was amaizing!! Fight scencces in gladiator are sweet. All in all a agreat ht reciever.

Music
I put in Enya, my favorite setup cd, when i was setting up speakers and it sounded great. Since then i have thrown everything at it from rap, rock, classical, acoustic.....
They all sound clear and natural

Remote
Remote works fine, alott of people complain about this poart of a reciever i think that if you use it enough it will become second nature. i think it is fine for gettting the job done

By this rciever if, and you probablly can, fiind it for around 200-300. It has all the options that you'd find on a 1000 reciever.

Similar Products Used:

none

Very good imaging, warm and lush sound. Is this really a japanese receiver?

None so far

I am a stereo guy, HT does not interest me much since it cost too much to do it well. I was looking for a receiver to replace NAD314 amp in my living room (hard to use it through "little hands-proof" cabinet without a remote). I was quite happy with NAD but for the convenience sake I was ready to sacrifice it. I already had a Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player so I decided to go for their flagship receiver hoping that the quality they've put into the player would also be present here.
I did not expect much since I used to own Technics amp before and it was pretty bad. Was I surprised this time!

I hooked it up in my main stereo system just to get an idea what this thing can really do. I played some SACDs and CDs through it and noticed: warm and lush midrange, good imaging, polite but smooth highs, average bass, nice vocals. Overall very pleasant, natural and non-fatiguing sound without any harshness. I think I like it better than my NAD amp (bass definition not as good but close). I would never though you can get this sonic quality for $300.

Universal remote is good, the only thing I would like to see here is some indication (LED) which device is being controlled when the receiver is off.

I have not tried its HT capabilities and won't for a while since I don't have surrounds or sub.

I am sure other receivers can offer more features, multi-room stuff etc. This one has great sonics and that is most important to me. Highly recommended

Bi-amp, build/finish, sound.

Size and weight! - about 5 millimetres too big for my HiFi rack...

Bought the amp in a deal struck at the shop to include Wharfedale speakers all round, (Diamond 8 centre, 8.2's and 8.3's). Did the usual of unpacking, setting up, moving furniture etc, and was then gutted at the fact that the height was about 1/2 cm too big for my HiFi rack!!

Anyway, once a suitable placement of the amp was found I sat down to several cd's and dvd's sounding amazing!

Speakers are matched perfectly to the amp and I would recommend them as a good purchase.

Also purchased a dts cd, (Best of the Police), for the most revealing music I have ever heard - fantastic!

The ONLY thing I am gutted by is the price that you Americans have been able to pick this kit up for - I payed about £300 after a lot of haggling with the manager of the shop, (it was still in the window for £475!)

By far the best amp I have ever had.

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Sony STR-DB940