I am now giving this HTR-5150 ($20 on CL) unit to my college son for use in his apartment at college with the warning to treat it with great respect. His roommates (7 of them!) have speakers but no stereo. It has always performed flawlessly and has a great clear sound. Since I also have a Yamaha RX-V1, two Denon 3805's, and a Denon 3801 hooked up via distribution amplifier to a pc for living room this unit has been in garage storage. I also own Yamaha RX-V870 in bedroom, Yamaha R-V1105 in kitchen, a Pioneer VSX-9300 in home recording studio, and another Pioneer VSX-9300 in garage I figured it was time to share this fine receiver. I have more vintage speakers than any sane wife would allow but I'm a CL junkie for these fine products at low prices. My least liked receiver is the Yamaha RX-V1 although it is great for movies it never gets "all" speaker stereo right. I digress, the HTR-5150 is a well built musically sound receiver, don't hesitate to buy one on the cheap.

I wrote a review when I first purchased this product. It is acting up now so I'm writing another review. Sure, it's been a good recieve, but it's time for 6.1. I already commented on the lack of inputs in my previous review, but now it is stuck on DTS mode ALWAYS! Therefore, I get no output unless I put in a DTS DVD. I tried to reset the receiver, but no luck. Well, it's time to upgrade anyway. I've read good things about Denon, so I think I'll go that route.

Great sound quality, as long as the Pro Logic and Enhanced Pro Logic modes are avoided. Ample power. 2 Optical inputs.

The Dolby Pro Logic modes completely lack bass, although I''m not sure if this is a characteristic of Pro Logic itself, or something with the receiver. I needed an additional $20 A/V switcher box to hook up additional devices due to a lack of inputs (although I don''t know if ANYONE makes a receiver with 8 A/V inputs)

I purchased this receiver mainly for playing video games. I needed something with optical inputs for my Playstation 2, and this fit the bill. It certainly has more than enough power for my needs. I''m quite pleased with my purchase. Sure, there''s better stuff out there, but I don''t think it''s possible to find anything better for under $200

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Sony STR-DE945

Power,features,outputs,quality

Yes, remote is hard to read, but you get over it quick!

I finally upgraded from my Pro logic Denon. After numerous listening sessions to the Sony,Denon,Onkyo, the Yamaha stood out by far. Not one salesman could look me in the face and explain how the 3 units above could compete with the Yamaha.
If you want a quality receiver with more options than you'll know what to do with, buy this receiver. I have Boston Acoustics all around except for the M&K Sub.
There is a huge difference between Dolby Pro and Dolby Digital. The sound is much cleaner and hits you from all directions.
There is even a bigger difference between Dolby Digital and DTS.
You will sometimes forget that your in your house and not the local Cinema when watching a DTS movie.(Saving Private Ryan).
OneCall $390

Plenty of power, clean sound, lots of features and inputs

Remote OK but could have been engineered better

After researching on the Net and reading reviews on this site and others, I picked the Yamaha over the Pioneer, Sony, and JVC competitors. The build quality is much better than the Pioneer and the JVC, and all of the Sonys (except for the new DB830 and DB930s) had too many problems, according to the reviews. This is a solidly-built receiver, very heavy, and runs cool. After running full-tilt for two hours, the top is barely warm to the touch. Lots of inputs are great, I hooked up my DVD, VCR, TV and PlayStation to it and still have several left over. Would have preferred better connections for the surround speaker wires, but this is not a big issue. Remote does the job but is a little tricky to use. 5150 puts out plenty of power for my Energy Take 5s and my ES-X:8 sub, Dolby Digital is incredible and DTS blows you away. In essence, I think it's the best buy for entry-level to mid-level home theater and for people on a budget, like me. Got it over the internet for about $400, cost about $500 retail, so shop around. Very highly recommended!

DTS, s-video switching, great price/performance ratio

remote

This is a great mid-range receiver for home theater. Clean sound, s-video switching, a front-panel s-video input, looks good, too. I've got a Dishplayer 7100 satellite receiver, Magnavox DVD player, Hitachi VCR, and Toshiba TV connected, and I've got plenty of inputs left over.

I don't care for the remote, though. Small buttons, hard to read labels, and not very universal - though nothing short of a Phillips Pronto really is.

FM/AM reception is good, not really any worse or better than expected.

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Kenwood Dolby Surround receiver

sound quality, sound separation

remote

I decided to purchase the Yamaha because of all the good things I read in audioreview.com I wasnt disapointed. I really cant compare this unit with any other because this is my 1st true HT receiver. I considered the Technics 930 but it runs so hot you can fry an egg on it; and thats when its only on standby mode. I recently watched "Saving Private Ryan" in DTS and the sound is amazing, truly amazing!!! My speakers are: mains - def tech promonitor 80's; center - infinity cc-1; sub - atlantic tech 162 pbm; surround - an old set of boston acustics.

Superior sound, DSP modes, more power than advertised

Like everyone else, learning curve for the remote, but I like it.

After being out of the "stereo" world since the mid 70's, my decision to purchase a HT system was a long, drawn out affair. Found a real steal on this receiver at Ecost, $339.00 + tax (Tennessee) + shipping back in early December. I compared a lot of different units using this site. I'm very happy with my purchase. I also had to buy some new speakers and most of all a new turntable so I could dust off my albums in the closet. The home theater experience is overwhelming. I've got the speakers on my Philips/Magnavox 32" (MX3297) turned off now. The mono programs even sound great. The HTR5150 has plenty of power and runs cooler than any other receiver I looked at. Unfortunately, I'm in an area where I can't take full advantage of the tuner. Just a handful of powerful FM stations within a 50 mile radius. This unit can't be beat for the money

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Compared JVC, Pioneer, Marantz, and Yamaha before buying.

Very clean and loud sound. DTS and Dolby Digital.

None

I knew Yamaha was good, but I wasn't ready for the excellent sound coming from the 5150. I helped my parents set up a true home theater. (Carpeted walls and a DLP projector) I am using Infinity RS-3s for the front and a Infinity CC-3 for the center channel. The rears are Infinty QPS-1. Thease speakers make an excellent combination for the 5150. For subwoofers we are using two Infinity BU-120's. I have never heard a system this good. I give most of the credit to the Yamaha. Even though the screen is 140" diagnoal, everyone always comments on the sound quality. The whole system costed 1500 dollares. I have heard the Bose acoutinass system and it doesn't hold a candle to this setup. I just ordered a 5140 and am intrested to see if the sound is much different. (Other than the lack of DTS).

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Denon and Kenwood

Clarity, ease of use, lots of bang for your buck!

None. (Not even the remote!)

I bought the Pioneer VSD-X608 first as I had always had good luck with Pioneer in the past. My previous receiver and CD were both Pioneer and I never had any trouble with either of them. Got the VSX home and MAN what a heap of trash! Indecipherable controls, muddy sound, junk junk junk! I went back two days later and forked over the extra $100 for the 5150 and haven't looked back. It took me half as long to set it up, and it sound five times as good. Crystal clear highs and rumbling lows are all very distinct through each channel. I'm running Infinity RS4s up front with an embarassingly cheap JBL Flix 10 center/rear setup. Once I can save a little more and go to the Infinity CC-3 center and QSP-1 surrounds I'll be in a total state of bliss! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME LOOKING AT ANYTHING ELSE! GO BUY THIS UNIT RIGHT NOW!!

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Pioneer VSD-X608