I purchased this unit for $460.00. I fired this baby up and never regretted my decision. 80 watts per is more than enough power for me. It's really nice to play with the different Virtual Cinema modes even though Sony went a little over the top with some, but who cares, this hobby is supposed to be FUN. Got the unnit hooked up to Paradigm 9se's for fronts, cc170 center, ps1000 sub and Atoms for surrounds. For Home Theater the sound is incredible, this unit does everything you could ask a model in this class to do, ( Use the A.F.D. function for the best 5.1 DD) %.1) but the Cinema modes are terrific. Music wise you'll this unit performs rather well. Overall the Sony STRDA 30 ES is a stellar performer, with lots of extras but it also gives you the option to keep it as simple as you would like. The remote is great for controlling other units. This unit will reamin in my stack for a long long time. If you can get your hands on this unit or the new 333E which i hear is almost identical except for the power increase....by all means BUY IT. I highly recommend this piece.

After owning this unit for about six months, I can say I am nothing but extremly happy with the sound and perfomance. From straight 2-channel audio operation to multi-channel home theater and audio this thing simply rocks! For the price of this unit nothing compares. There has been some talk of power "fudging" by Sony on this unit, which is true. But after comparing similar and higher priced units from other manufacturers, I find Sony to be the most honest.Of three reciever brands that I know the specs, these are the results.

Denon AVR3300$999 YamahaRX-2095$1499 SonyStrDA30ES$800

2ch. driven 95.9Wpc 139.4Wpc 92.5Wpc
8ohms-400hz

3ch. driven 85.7Wpc 62.3Wpc 85.3Wpc
same

5ch.driven 25.6Wpc 54.7Wpc 71.6Wpc
same

Frequency Response:Denon3300 No deviation greater than .9 db from 20hz -20khz

Yamaha2095 No deviation greater than .2db from 20hz-20khz

Sony30es Absolutely flat to 10khz, .3 at 20khz


THD+noise
1W (8ohms) Denon:0.31% Yamaha:0.67% Sony:0.22%


I own the 30es and the 555es and the overall flexibilty of the Sony is phenominal. EQ.'s for front, center, and surrounds really make this unit far more vesitile than any thing on the market.

In late June, I purchased a floor model 30ES on closeout for $421 from a local Good Guys store. It came with everything it was supposed to except for the box. I really thought that I got a great deal.
Within the first few days, I noticed that sometimes, when first turned on, there would be no sound at all. If I turned off the Sound Field, the sound would usually come on, but not always. Turning the unit off and on sometimes helped. Eventually, after periods ranging from 2 to 20 minutes, I could switch the Sound Field back on and everything would be fine. Really annoying sometimes, but since this was the only unit that the store had and it still had the 5 year warranty, I decided just to wait until I went on vacation in September and take it into the local Sony repair center before I left. This way the unit would be repaired by the time I returned and would be good as new.

I got back after two weeks and the technician in Irvine had sent the unit back claiming that he couldn't find anything wrong! After some heated discussion, they located a pair of speakers and I hooked it up and demonstrated the problem. It went back to Irvine. A week later I called to find out the status and was informed that the unit was defective and would be replaced with another unit. I asked about the option of getting a 333ES or upgrading to the 555ES for additional money. I was supposed to be contacted by someone from Sony in New Jersey to discuss replacement options. After almost another week, I called the service center again and was informed that I was getting a brand new 333ES. Apparently I was not given the option to upgrade to the 555ES.

Question: The one thing that's bugging me about this situation is that the 30ES was 100 watts and the 333ES is only 80 watts. I'm considering raising the issue to Sony and insisting that they allow me to give them another $200 for the 555ES. The other options would be to go to the Good Guys and see if they will upgrade it for me, since this unit is supposed to be brand new.

I'd appreciate some feedback on what other people think.

Addendum to my previous comments: I've been informed that the 30ES is in fact 80 watts, the same as the 333ES, so getting a brand-new 333ES for the defective 30ES floor model isn't such a bad deal after all. (I just have been confused with the STR-DE935, which I was also considering.) Never mind!
Incidentally, someone else indicated that they've had the same problem and the same initial response from Sony - no problem found! Anyone else with the same problem?

after reading these reviews i purchased the sony str-da30es unit for only $435 delivered. it was a mail order clearence price and i just couldn't resist! i am using it in conjunction with my dolby digital capable dss satellite receiver. i am using fiber optic cable for dependable 5.1 signal strength. i am using four equally matched speakers (center is specific type) and an 18 inch subwolfer (passive) powered by an old onkyo receiver (65 watts per channel). all speaker placement, distance and volume settings were done correctly. the correct power rating for the sony unit is 64 watts x 5 using 20 hz to 20khz. this system rocks and is totally incredable. sound is far better than any movie theatre i have ever been in! i considered ordering the str-da50es for reserve power reasons but after setting up the 30es i can only put the volume up to 1/3 without going totally deaf! i am running a 12 volt dc fan (out of a computor)hooked up to the switched power supply on the back of the receiver. fan is located directly on top of unit and blows up. receiver now runs cool as a cucumber and is not at all hot to the touch! i give this receiver a 5 rating! unit has incredible sound and is a great value!

Nice Sound

Very unreliable

I've had this unit for two years now. After using it for one year, it stopped working altogether. I had to send it in to a Sony Service Center and they were able to fix it. A month later, my home theater was up and running again (it was a long month).

Then at the start of year two, the volume control on the receiver (not the remote) stopped working intermittently. It would work for a few hours then stop working for a few hours. So I sent it in to the Sony Service Center. Some technician apparently turned it on, tried the volume control a single time and said "there's nothing wrong with this".

A month later I got it back, plugged it in and within a few hours, the volume control was having the same old problem. Now they want me to send it in again. That will make 3 months in the shop over the past year or so. That's simply not acceptable for what is supposed to be Sony's more professional line (the ES series).

I hate to say it (because I own several Sony products), but I will never buy Sony again. It's simply not worth the aggravation.

Great bang/buck

Semi-universal remote

I found this receiver to be great. I like the independent equalization of the fronts, rears and center channels. I just don't like the fact that the remote can only be programmed to operate a few different brands of DVD players.

Bought this Sony receiver over Denon 3200 and Yamaha 995. I liked the movie sound of the Sony. This receiver sounds unbelievable with sony s3000 dvd player. With the Super Speedway DVD I thought my apartment complex was going to fall down the LFE bass is incredible! Rear surround is also very good. I paid 560 from One Call and they are an authorized Sony dealer. I can't recommend this receiver enough especially if you are gadgety!

I GOT A NEW ES 30 AFTER A LONG TIME LOOKING.THIS ES SOUNDS GOOD WITH MY MK SPEAKERS.I ALSO BOUGHT A NEW SONY 530 DVD PLAYER ALSO GOOD.HOWEVER THE "BOOKS"THAT CAME WITH THESE UNITS ARE JUNK. THEY ARE THE WORST WRITTEN SET UP MANUALS.MY REMOTE NEVER DID WORK .TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER HE HAD NON TO REPLACE IT WITH AS A MATTER OF FACT HE HAD ABOUT 6 NEW REC.WITH BAD REMOTES AND DID NOT HAVE EVEN A REPLACEMENT REC.TO EXCHANGE FOR.TOOK IT BACK TO SONY THEY ARE ON A 4 MO BACK ORDER.SONY WILL REPAIR REMOTE AND FED X TO HOUSE.OTHER THAN THAT THE REC IS VERY NICE.I URGE THAT BEORE YOU BUY REC.AND TAKE IT HOME TEST THE REMOTE.COULD ONLY GIVE 4 STARS BECAUSE OF MANUALS AND REMOTE.

This receiver is phenomenal when it comes to features. The speaker setup is great and the bass redirection circuitry works wonders. The sound quality is above average and there is plenty of power for small to medium size rooms. Versatility is the key when looking at this receiver. However, I was dissapointed when trying to program my Scientific Atlanta Cable Box. It was no where to be found. This was fixed in the DA333ES. Get the DA333ES for that feature (and the 6 channel inputs for future formats). If you don't need these, you can still find the 30s going for less than $600.