Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I had one of these also till I cracked two circuit boards with the Monster "turbine" interconnects that are way too tight for their own good. Love the receiver as a 2 channel rig.

I am looking for a replacement unit if anyone out there has one not in use.

Paul

Price Paid:  $925.00 from Harvey

Summary:
Sony GX909ES was my second surround sound amplifier, although I use it mostly for CDs and Vinyl. Bose primary speakers w. sub-woofer, then I'm driving 3 separate rooms with Boston Acoustics or NHT speakers - plenty of power. Difficult to use as a surround sound home theater system, built-in "on screen" programming necessary and not intuitive to use, front panel cluttered with too many bells and whistles. Mine has required frequent repairs. Will never be a "classic."

Strengths:
Superior Sound from ES Series. Plenty of power

Weaknesses:
Complicated Design, hard to use w. too many bells & whistles

Similar Products Used:
Marantz, Kenwood

Summary:
I have owned my str-gx909es for about 4 years and have since teamed it upwith Yamaha's EQ-550, because the 909 did'nt have a pink noise generator built
into it. I found that the equalizer was a bit touchy to set properly, most 20
banders are. I also have the CDP910 and the APM66ESMKII's,I find that when I am listening to DDD cd's the sound is simply incredible, the chrisp highs and detailed mid range are astounding!!! The Amp section is very good and so it should be,@ MSRP @ $1499. I hear no hum and the naunces are very detailed. The bass can be a bit boomy if you use the dynamic bass reinforcement although.
(10db increase @ 100hz!)I would prefer to use M&K's THX150 sub for more bottom end. The on screen function is nice but I would prefer a stereo sub line out. Solid build and good looking a well as honest watts for your buck. This reciever
has more bells and whistles on it than any Sony reciever before it. The newer models don't have a spectrum analizer although you should'nt base eq settings on that necessarily. It could only be better if it had a 5.1 decoder.

Summary:
Sony sure takes a lot of criticism from audiophiles, but their ES models invariably feature excellent sound and build quality. I've had this receiver for 4 years and I love it. The 909ES features good dynamics and a deep soundstage. The sound is 'sweet' and non-fatiguing. It has an over-abundance of multi-channel features, which I never use, but for basic 2 channel and Pro Logic it is wonderful. And the veneer side panels are a nice touch!
A good choice if you find one on the used market.