I bought this from A Sony outlet in 1999 as refurbished an paid about 380 for it. I am still using it today. 10 years later!!! I had 1 minor problem with it not powering on a few months after purchasing it. sent it for repair it its been running fine since! I can say that my unit has lasted very well, and the quality of the components for me has been great. I am a professional Sound Engineer running and designing theater sound systems. I have very trained ears and this unit delivers. The D / A section is really good. The amplifiers are pretty clean, and depending on how sensitive your speakers are you can have it plenty loud enough. If this receiver doesn't have enough power, use an external amp with the pre-amp outs. the Remote is a little annoying, but with S-link you can see CD track names on your remote!!! (really amazing for something made in the late 90's) The remote is a little clumsy, but usable. the S-link functions were great for me, I was able to set it up where my mother could use it. she would hit play on the DVD player, it would turn the receiver and TV on automatically and to the right input. like i said amazing for something built in the late 90's. I now don't really use the video switching since digital video is now standard, but the plethora of digital audio inputs make it easy to still use this with today's technology. There are much better receivers out there now (10 years later) but for the money that i paid, and considering its still working great I can't complain. It does run hot, but i put a 12v fan on it, when the fan is on, it keeps it nice an cool. for those saying that the transformer is loud. its not, its barely noticeable. if you look in any theater, the AMPs and speaker processing is in another room, why? so that you can't hear it, or feel the heat that they put off. this sony is fine to put in the same room as your theater.

Everything.

No 5.1 inputs so you can't waste your investment using the tinfoil and plastic device inside your cheap, throwaway DVD player.

Picked this up from someone who needed some quick cash. It was in perfect condition inside and out,and my thought was that I could easily sell it for twice what I paid. Then I hooked it up to test all the functions. It's been in the rack ever since, and has become my go-to pre/amp ever since. I sold my Rotel RB-980BX amp, boxed up the AudioSource preamp, and left the AudioSource Amp One in its box to join the preamp as wonderful heirlooms. This Sony ES receiver does everything I want it to do and more, I got it for next to nothing, could still sell it for twice what I paid, but I am quite attached at this point. While music is my first love and concern, I do enjoy movies on the weekend, and had been using a Vantas tri-amp/processor (emergency backup and potential museum piece)to accomplish this. My front speakers are B&W 600 S3s, the center is a DCM CX, and the surrounds are Cambridge Newton 100's. Due to an anomaly of the room, wiring the rears was a problem and that is taken care of by a Kenwood RFU-6100 surround digital amp and sender/receiver system that does the work for the Sony's rear outputs, but that is another story. For music, its first responsibility, the Sony acquits itself extremely well, standing up to the measure of not only the AudioSource and Rotel amps and an earlier Yamaha M-40, but the AudioSource preamp as well. The sound is clean, clear, precise and detailed, while having an almost tube-like warmth that is extremely rare in high-end transistor equipment. It also puts Carver's imitation tube-sound in its place for a lot less money - or it would if one could find one of Carver's freaks anymore. In short, the front-end of this thing, pre-amp and left and right, are all first-rate and extremely surprising, especially in light of what's become of Sony's ES line circa 2004-'05. Pity. As for the movies, I'm easy anyway, but this thing, helped along by the odd array of surround speakers and a Boston PV600, puts me in a really GOOD theater, not some mall closet. Truly an amazing performer, the only thing missing is the redundant anyway 5.1 input set on the back, which Sony apparently realized later was some sort of standard which had to be met, even though it adds a mere 2 oz. to the total weight of the exactly-the-same DA-333ES. Yep, the identical same but with the 5.1 inputs so you can use the decoding from your Best Buy DVD player after shelling out a grand for a receiver that can create just about any ambience you want. Does that make sense, really? So look around for someone in a pinch who has one of these not-quite-state-of-the-art DA30 or DA50ESs and steal it. You won't miss the 5.1 inputs and you won't miss 6.1 or 7.1 either. Just how many of us actually own places big enough and well-designed enough to even warrant that kind of thing? Modesty - less is sometimes actually more. I'm tickled with this thing and can only hope Sony will return to this level of build, quality, design and all-around pleasantness and give up the over-priced, under-performing silver washing machine looking stuff before it's too late. Then again, with eBay it's never too late, is it?

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RX-0980BX amp, AudioSource Amp One, Yamaha M-40 amp, AudioSource Preamp/Tuner One, Vantas DPA-S50 amp/processor, B&W DM17s, ADS-L1230s, B&W DM 600 S3s, Sony DVP-NC650V, etc.

Small touches very nice. Customizable text displays for components, A/V jacks in front, optical input for all devices, separate audio and video selector (watch TV and listen to CD at same time), good clean power, (A)uto (F)ormat (D)ecode very useful, good selection of other sound modes. Good decoding quality for DTS, DD 5.1. I'm still amazed at the quality LFE (Low Frequency Effects) adds to the cinematic experience.

Remote does not offer *full* control of all devices. 0.5 second delay for AFD can cause you to miss a little audio at start of program. Usually not a problem but I like the short THX or DTS *demos* included on most DVDs. Being an older model, it does not support DD 6.1 or Pro Logic II.

I have used this product since 1998 and I have been extrememly happy with the performance. Being on a budget, this receiver was more than I had previously considered spending but it was a good introduction to high-end audio (this model is the entry level for the Sony ES line.) I use this system to power 2 Cerwin-Vega RE25 towers, a Cerwin Vega E-D63 center channel, 2 Epitome in wall rear speakers, and a BIC America Venturi 150 watt sub. I have been completely satisfied with the performance and quality and probably will one day replace this with another Sony. My prime viewing location puts me at about 20 feet from the front speakers with the rear speakers just behind the shoulder line and to the far left and right -- about 10 feet on either side. I found the sound quality to be excellent, the power and volume to more than adquate to fill my living room, and the features to be beyond what I expected. I have not seen the problems other owners have experienced. I have yet to have a failure of any type. The settings for speaker size, component specific EQ and sound settings, and the fairly wide db range for adjusting speaker volume and balance make this a joy to own. The remote controls *most* of my other components to some degree but there is no pre-programmed setting for my Dish Network box. Because I use only limited features for some of my other devices, the lack of total control is not a big minus. I currently use the remote for my Toshiba TV, Toshiba DVD, and Sony CD. This receiver has a nice collection of Optical inputs but is limited to one digital coaxial input.

Similar Products Used:

Previously owned Fisher and Pioneer mass-market consumer devices. Definitely not in the same category.

5 year warranty. Handles 5.1 well.

It was a decent product in 1998 but technologically has gotten long in the tooth. If I am compelled to replace this unit I will look into the Denon 1802 or the Onkyo 595 (or better yet wait for the newer version of the Onkyo 595 that should be rolling out in the next few months.)

I purchased a floor model at a discounted price in 1998 and had not trouble from the unit until approx 3 weeks ago when it would not power up at all. It took me a few days to remember that the unit has a 5 year warranty and bring it the the store I purchased it from. Magnolia is Sony authorized to repair Sony products and so I had a shorter wait (9 days) than other reviewers have reported. Unfortunately, when I brought the unit home yesterday and hooked it up the center channel was distorted and made crackling/crinkling sounds running either the inbuilt test tones or playing Avia audio test tones. It is now back in the shop. It sounds like several other reviewers had similar problems.

lots of connections and easy to use

extremely poor sound

At first glance, this receiver looks like something amazing. I auditioned it for a friend who was looking at stereo as a first priority, then home theater. It was extremely simple to hook-up. But, that ends the list of things this unit does well. For stereo, the amplifier was awful! It didn't control the speaker's bass drivers and had mid-range was comparable to my clock radio! The top end was not detailed and extremely painful to listen to. This unit could not even be compared to Onkyo and Yamaha receivers running between $400-$700. The quality of the Onkyo and Yamaha units speak for themselves. Please listen to all options available for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo and Yamaha

I am using the 30es preamp section with a rotel six channel amp bridged to three channels. I am very satisfied with the unit's home theater ability, but I am still looking for improvement in two channel stereo for my cd's. For the money, this piece is hard to beat. 3 stars music. 5 stars for ht. 5 stars value. 4.33 rounds to 4.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this unit's preamp section? Would I be better off going to the new Sony 9000 preamp?

Realistic power rating. Great features/flexibility. Good looks. Good sound.

Remote designed by the devil himself.

I really like the flexibity that Sony provides with their receivers. I've used the 3 band equalizer to help with problems in my listening room. I've had my 30ES now for about 9 months have have experienced zero problems so far. My speakers are rated in the mid-80's for sensitivity, requiring a little extra work from the amps that work them. However, I rarely have pushed the volume past the halfway point. After that, sound just becomes to loud for comfort. Most DVD movie listening is at about 35%-40% volume. Listening/HT room is 3128 cubic feet. Bought the receiver new as the 333ES was coming out, and paid $400.00 for it. Very happy with purchase. Overall sound when compared with higher end equipment is about a 3.5 - 4. However, in the area under a $1000.00, I give the sound a 5.

Similar Products Used:

Sony non-ES, Onky, Denon A/V, Sunfire A/V recievers.

All the whistles and bells, and everything else

None for the reciever itself but the manuals are not that well written

Hi, my name is Mitchell and I am only 14 but consider myself to be a hardcore audio listener. I got this reciever from Gramaphone for 460 dollars compared to the 800 dollar regular price. I am very pleased with this A/V ES reciever. I like the sound fields that it has and are fun to play with but I never use them when I sit down and really listen to music. I also am pleased with the DTS and Dolby Digital features but have yet to use them in my case because I don't have a DVD player or a CD that has Dolby Digital on it. Anyway I am using the reciever to drive my front Magnepan MMGs witch are 4 ohm Magneplanar speakers. And i'm using the Pre-outs on the reciever to feed my powered subwoofer. I don't have a rear channel or a center channel and I'm not in a hurry to get any. The combination that I have sounds simply astonishing and I LOVE the sound. Its sounds real and life-like with no distortion even at loud levels. I regularly go past the half way mark and it still does wonderfull. I do have a 12 volt DC fan on top of the reciever because it does get hot some times. I also really like the remote because it has a LCD screen and it displays information from my CD player such as the CD name and track. As for the source I have a Sony CDP-CX300 and a monster cable optical digital connection. I think this connection helps the sound because the MMGs are sensitive to the sound quality. Now for the bad list of the reciever. The worst thing about this reciever for me is the manuals, but they aren't really that bad. I can understand them but I had to do some reshearching to get the whole picture. Next is the remote. Only once the remote didn't work. I fixed it by removing the batteries and putting them back in. Now it works fine. Other than that I can't think of any other cons about the reciever. All in all it's a very sturdy reciever and hope to keep it for many years.

clean, straight ahead fidelity

a touch analytical though not really in the mass market sense

I have used this product since 98. I have no problems with it. The issues raised in many of the comments previous are interesting though I've never experienced anything like them. The remote controls all of my equip. though you have to experiment to find the details. There are in fact two sub outputs though for cleaner fidelity you should run line from the preouts or speaker wire to your subs and run the processor as "sub- no" and set speakers at "large". Processing with minimal dsp (automatic format or straight "normal surround") is good and DTS and DD movies have plenty of impact and crisp highs. The amp is good, handling the full load with clean authority on both my older Pioneer "hi fi" speakers (89db efficiency) and newer and more efficient Polk rt1000i's; 80 wpc is not that bad considering the better high eficient speaker designs currently available. Nobody really buys amps based on power unless you need headroom in excess of 200 watts or so. Pay more att. to speaker efficiency and the size/acoustics of your room. The receiver handles serious dts soundtracks such as Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator and even The Haunting WITHOUT clipping or shutting down or giving out with the volume placed about 11 o'clock (I don't have to go past that usually). Of course I'm using separate subs to handle the deepest bass. I wonder if some of you got a hold of defective units. There is no feeling of loss in the upper, mid, or low frequencies. Imaging is good if a little conservative in its sense of layering. Two channel listening is equally good as with 5.1 movies, though you should turn off all processing or it will seem digitally clouded. Overall sound in all formats is lean and analytical perhaps, but at this price point you should be less hard on yourselves. A more expensive set of high end separates will obviously blow away any receiver save the Denon 5800 and one of the B&Ks.

Similar Products Used:

mass market Pioneers

Good Clear Sound (DTS and DD 5.1)

Remote - limited pgm, can only operate RCA or Sony DSS.
Reliability after 1-2 yrs.
Expensive

I bought this unit because of the Sony ES name and reputation. Now I am not too sure about it's built, quality, and reliability. After approx 1 yr, the remote control LCD display would just go blank. After approx 2 yrs, the unit started giving out popping/static noises in DSP modes when powered up cold. I took them back to the Sony Service Center at Irvine. It took 9 work days (11 total days - incl Sat&Sun) to resolve the problem. The remote was replaced. Some cold joint was found in Unit and resoldered. Well, guess what? Unit works only for 2 days. The remote that was replaced also had a defective screen with a different problem (Not sure if it was new or refub) Both items are now back for service. Hope this 2nd time around will be the end of my misery. I have a Sony VAIO laptop (Made in Japan), Sony 32 WEGA & Sony 27 Triniton (Both V series)- I don't have any problems. But, I must say that my experience sofar with Sony ES in the long haul isn't a good one.

Similar Products Used:

Older Technics Prologic (Made in Japan - Still working!!!)