Couple of months ago, I blew up my trusty, old Sony STR-D2090 by passing 220V through the speaker-output. A very effective way, I might add...
I initially went for the STR-V595 for the price/performance but the sales-rep told me the STR-V595 wasn't available until september '99. He pointed the DSP-A595 out to me and made me a great deal on a RDS/EON-tuner.

The 595 is a back-to-basics amp. No thrills, only the best sound possible. It misses the on-screen-display, DTS-decoding and some other gadgets which are available on the STR-V795 for instance.

I truly *hate* the remote... common complaint it seems. Who ever thought of *two* buttons for on _and_ off?? I miss the optical/coaxial-input for CD and the phone-input could have been dropped instead.

But... when it comes to sound, with or without Dolby Surround/DD/DSP, this unit makes the day. Clear and detailled with enough 'oempf' to wake up the neighbours.

A great buy!

I just bought the DSP-A595 a week ago, and compared to my old Technics SA-GX550 Pro-Logic Receiver (which for the money was very good) the difference is amazing. I rediscovered what Home Theater was about in the first place, and every movie I listened in Dolby Digital was like a whole new movie to me (despite the fact that I had already listened to each one of them in Pro-Logic like 50 times). The difference between the two systems is really incredible. My home theater consists of a Sony 34" TV, a Sony DVP-S500D DVD Player, 5 Technics speakers (for the moment, I don´t own a subwoofer, but my room is too small for one, anyway)and a Sony MDP-405GX LD player. First of all, what really surprised me was the power specs for the Yamaha. The manual of my old Technics claimed to have 110 watts times two in stereo, and 75 watts in the three front plus 75 watts split in the two rears in Pro-Logic. So, when I realized that the Yamaha had "only" 65 watts (so the manual says) for each one of the five Dolby Digital channels, I thought I would experience a lack of power. Not so! Let me tell you that the 100 watts from the Technics were a lie! The 65 watts of this unit are amazing! They seem to be like 150 watts, and I´m don´t even using 40% of the power capabillity! But, most important, the sound is very clean (the "natural sound" logo is absolutely right!) and detailed. For the price (here in Argentina I paid $980 american dollars, ¡which is considered relatively "cheap"!)the unit is a steal. You get excellent DD and Pro-Logic decoding, plenty of power (believe me, if you too have a small romm -mine is 3meters by 3 meters- you won´t need more power), lots of inputs and also one external decoder input. Maybe a six-channel output for external amplification, in case you decide to move out to a bigger room, would have been helpful, but I really cannot complain. And, at least for me, DTS is not a problem. How many DTS DVD´s are out there anyway? Just a few, and they are more expensive than the DD ones. Yes, DTS sounds better (slightly, I must add), but everything carrying the logo seems to be way more expensive. Besides, there are lots of DD Special Editions DVD´s which have lots of extras. But if you buy the same DVD in DTS, the higher bit rate occupies that much space in the discs, that you don´t even get a subtitle!! Sincerely, I prefer the DD sound PLUS the extras.
Going back to the Yamaha, I really love the remote. I know most of you hate it, but I don´t see why. In a few minutes, I was controlling my entire system without any problems. Once you have experimented with it, it´s a joy to use. And I really like the "lightsaber" design. My only complaint is that it is not backlit (altough it does glow in the dark). But, if you press the "DSP" button, you get a brief (two or three seconds) ilumination in the input selector wheel.
So, I really have nothing bad to say about this unit. Even my Technics speakers (which are a piece of shit) seem to sound a lot better now. I was planning to replace them, but I now think I will keep them for the moment. Everything seems to work better with the Yamaha!
The DSP modes are OK, but I preffer my music "straight", so that is also not a problem for me. The Cinema DSP, on the other hand, is quite good. I often use the "digital theater" mode, but most of the time, "Enhanced Dolby Digital" is more than enough for me.
In a word, this unit is GREAT!! I highly recommend it.

By the way, Star Trek : First Contact in Dolby Digital rocks!!

I purchased the DSP-A595a a couple of weeks ago for $450 equiv. I initially was looking at the rx-v795 for the DTS at $700. I opted for the 595a which is DTS capable and has the the additional outputs the old 595 doesn't. I also purchased with it a Yamaha TX-492 tuner for $170. Not bad for separates. Well my fears about driving my old crown jewels (Magnepans MG-Ia's) were totally unfounded. I put aside my old Proton D-540(powerfull little amp) and even added a pair of Klipsch KSB 1.1 as rear speakers ($350). The 595a drives everything so effortlessly it's amazing. The sound is a bit brighter than that of the Proton but the bass is more solid. I love the DSP settings. The remote is as awkward and user unfriendly as they can get, however its preprogrammed settings work well enough so I have successfully retired my Philips cd, Panasonic VCR, Grundig Sat. decoder and SHARP TV remotes and uncluttered my coffee table. My only problem is balancing the front with the rear speakers because the Klipsch are very sensitive and put out a louder sound than the Magnepans. I 'll find the solution soon I hope. The 595a's manual is very good too. I hope to keep this Yamaha for twenty years, as long as my Maggies and my NAK tape deck. Thanks to all you guys who submit reviews. Reading carefully through your lines one can definately narrow the selection among the zillions of black boxes out there. I reserve one speaker for the perfect machine that costs less than $200 and give the rest to the 595a.