Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Great amp and very sensitive reciever. I live in a fringe FM area and it really pulls the stations in. I use it to power some Infinity speakers. The sound and surround seperation is comperable to Bose in my opinion. Basically it rocks and my friends enjoy movies in 5.1 at this house. No trouble with this unit for 5 years now.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Sears

Summary:
I bought this, my first reciever, a couple years ago and it has never let me down. I push a couple of SONY 3-way floor speakers (ss-mf415) which can handle 200w. The sound quality is IMPECABLE. I found the reciever pretty easy to use and hook up, although I do not have surround sound speakers. I like the sound fields and use "dolby v" constantly. I like the remote commander that came with it; it can be used for any moderately new component, sony or not, that you may have. The reciever is getting slightly out of date by today's standards, it is Pro Logic 5.1 and has not digital audio inputs. From what i can tell from my research, this would force you to rely on a dolby digital decoder or a decoder in a fancy dvd player to enjoy 5.1 ch surround. The reciever does get hot after a few minutes of near-max amping. I love mine like a child so i either put a fan by it or blow on it every ten minutes or so. A good reciever, especially if you don't plan on using surround or have a dolby dig. decoder in you dvd player.

Strengths:
Power no hiss sound fields Remote Commander (don't listen to the other guys) stylish should be pretty cheap if you buy it nowadays

Weaknesses:
no digital audio in does get pretty warm

Price Paid:  $176.00 from Tandy Electronics (Like Radioshack)

Summary:
I purchased this AMP near 4 months ago and have had no major problems. I'm running 2 Genexxa GX 4000 speakers, 200 watts a piece. They sound great until about 20 points of volume when they start distorting. I'm constantly living in a 30 digree climate and after about 30 minutes of playing the AMP is boiling hot. I find the remote a pane in the ARSE!! Its flimsy and HUGE(But the glowing buttons are cool though)

But the STR-DE345 still has alot going for it. It has heeps of grunt and the treble is great. Its sweet to look at and has a cool Protection overload system. The Controls are well lade out and it has plenty of inputs including 5.1 channel dolby. Its cheap as chips and is ideal for a first REAL Amp.

Overal well done SONY.

(Does anyone out there have a copy of the manual for this amp in pdf format they could send me? If so please send to:

dogbeachpc@optusnet.com.au

Strengths:
Big Bass, Clear Highs, Looks Good,

Weaknesses:
No Optical Input, Crapy Remote, Useless Features

Similar Products Used:
not yet.

Price Paid:  $125.00 from EBAY

Summary:
I have had this receiver for less than a month. I use it for the sole purpose of playin music. I got it dirt cheap on ebay. Basically the only major problem i have had so far is that a channel went out i heard its pretty typical with all sony receivers. not a lot of hiss. I have it pushin 2 Audiobahn 12 in subs rated at 400W a piece.

Strengths:
5.1 ,Dolby digital decoding, cheap.

Weaknesses:
Gets HOTT as hell in a short time. screwed up remote. God damn front right channel went out gonna cost over 50 bones 2 fix.

Similar Products Used:
my first frieken receiver.

Price Paid:  $155.00 from Retravision

Summary:
Purchased to enjoy Dolby Digital DVD's in my room. Only has 5.1ch Analogue inputs for DVD. Has inputs for CD, TV/SAT, MD, TAPE and more. Also serves as a tuner. Performs well with movies and music (if playing audio CD's thru your DVD player made sure you connect the DVD's mixed stereo output to the CD input of the receiver). Has good sound quality and no hiss like other Sony receivers. Has subwoofer input and output which is good to see, and wire connections for 5 speakers. The sound fields are good, although I use the C STUDIO setting to get real 5.1 ch sound and the DOLBY V setting for watching Cable and other stereo sources. Very happy with it. Would recommend it for people wanting their first home cinema setup. The remote control is the biggest downfall, while it has more functions than the receiver's panel, it is impossible to read in the dark or dull light, it emits a radioactive glow, but that makes it harder to read. Otherwise a great receiver. Also handles video switching without loss in quality.

Strengths:
Great price and features
Dolby Digital Decoding

Weaknesses:
Remote Control, Lack of Digital Inputs