never got that far

no monitor loop

I was really looking forward to upgrading to Dolby Digital. I read all of the reviews here and liked what was said about the 333, so I called OneCall.

My entertainment system requires a monitor loop to function correctly. I asked "Larry F" at OneCall if the 333 had a monitor loop and he said it did.

I bought it. It didn't. If you need a monitor loop, don't buy this A/V receiver.

I do have to say that OneCall shipped the rig to me on time, and so far, they're nothing but apologetic for Larry's mistake.

I'll be completely happy when they offer to ship it back at THEIR cost.

Looks like the higher end Kenwood is what I'm going to go for. I've always liked their amateur radio gear.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-D990

Ample Audio/Video Ins/Outs, DD/DTS built in, nice ergonomic front panel, 2 sub outs, clean design on rear, 2 way remote for other Sony equipment like CD changers, 5 yr warranty, nice hefty build quality, front panel A/V inputs, sleep timer and mute option

No component video, pause during first remote keypress, power (would have preferred 100-110 watts for more headroom)& 1 sec delay to lock onto DD/DTS tracks

I was never a big fan of Sony gear (they don't use great inside components) - yet their stuff keeps piling up in my home theater setup for one reason or another (check out my review on the 530D DVD player I bought 8 months ago). If it weren't for the excellent letterbox performance of that DVD player I would have bought a Toshiba or Marantz. Anyways...

When I was in the process of searching for an A/V DD/DTS reciever I never thought of Sony. I was looking at Onkyo (676, 777), Denon (3300) and Yamaha (5280). Those all made sense and have great reviews. However, they all cost around $590 - $999 depending on model. And believe me, I am the biggest "I can can get this model on the web for $150 cheaper" buyer you can find. But, always covering my bases I said "haha, how much is Sony selling their crap for". So I checked out the ES line (nothing else considered from Sony) and saw that the ES333 was selling for 1/2 retail at OneCall.com. Well I checked the specs and this sucker hit everything I wanted except on-screen display and power capability. Now that says alot for Sony - give em credit. So I said what the heck, I'll buy it. If anything I am getting a dedicated amp soon (looking at Outlaw 6.1 for $1099) in case I am not satisifed with the Sony.

Well, it came double boxed from OneCall.com (great sales dept) and I was pleased. I hooked her up to the following setup:

NHT SuperOnes
NHT SuperZeros
NHT Super Center
Velodyne CT120 sub
Monster ilink sub cable
AR 16AWG speaker cable
32" Toshiba TV w/S Video

Let me tell you I was pleased from the get go. HT sounded great, no significant noise from the front 3 when in low passages, no hum, my sub takes some stress off the amp so it only gets warm during intense movies, and the display can be dimmed! Not bad. Component video would be nice but hey this was only $386 - just connect your component video directly from your DVD player to your TV. No biggie. Good setup options for surround channels. I will say the equalizer is a bit strange. You have to go through too much to set regular ole' bass and treble - separate knobs would have been better.

Overall, good quality, build and sound. Of course this isn't a Krell or Conrad Johnson amplifier, but it suits my needs well for the time being until I can afford a dedicated amp which is always the best choice with cinema.

Cheers!

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, Onkyo 676/777 & Yamaha 5280

Good digital front end; plenty of inputs; 5-year ES warranty; pre-outs for all channels

It doesn't sound like separates; only one digital COAX- hardwired to the DVD input- and it can NOT be reassigned. For an $800 unit, the remote is a bit awkward (that's one of the things they're changing about the new- "replacement" model); lower speaker impedence(s) make the usable power DROP; no video switching (see below)

Background:

My last system was just a 2 channel stereo [Adcom 555 preamp, and Sumo Polaris 2 amp]--- i've been watching DVDs in just 2ch. mode. I bought an ES dual-cassette tape player back in 1989 and helped a roommate pick out a 5-disk CD in '93, also ES-- I think highly of the brand (well, higher than regular other Mid-Fi stuff).
The deal ($800 -> $386) made me finally move on it and the speakers for the other channels.

System:

Fronts: Either B&W DM602s and/or DefTech BP8s
Sub: Sunfire
Center: B&W CC3
Rear: Anthony Gallow Micro Sats
[rear and center speakers set to 'small' on the Sony, the fronts i tried both]
DVD: Panasonic A120
Interconnects: AudioQuest Quartz throughout
Spkr Cabling: Kimber 4tc throughout
Power: Monster 2500 HT line conditioner
Monitor: Panasonic 32" (#?)

First Impressions:

Double Boxed from Onecall, and shipped insured. The unit itself is solid and clean (like most other ES products).

The remote:

It's not as bad as others say. Specifically some bonehead below says: "...you cannot even TURN ON the Sony w/ the remote..." --AH, yes you can, see page 16 of the manual. It's not a learning remote, but the stock codes will work with most new stuff (it did with all of my Panasonic gear and my girlfriends Pioneer CD changer).

The Inputs:

Plenty of them, all vid-ins come with S-Video... but here's the catch. Lets say your DVD is S-vid and so is your DSS system... but your VCR and X-10 system are standard RCA cable.... well then too bad b/c if you choose S-Video OUT of the Sony to the TV, the sources on the coax/rca cable will never be seen (so i'm still connecting to my tv- that has only 3 inputs- directly).
Also, there are 4 optical digital ins (and one out) but only one coax-digital in... and that is hard-assigned to the DVD input. My dvd has both, so no worries, but another device i have has only a coax output.... SO, you cannot reassign the input-- your only remedy is to 'relabel' your DVD input and say, your CD input- so that they show correct on the LCD/dot-matix, but incorrect on the amp lights and any remote.

The sound:

Not bad, but if you run tough speakers, you're gonna want more. My last amp (the Sumo) had nearly 3db of headroom (that translates into nearly double the RMS power for peaks) and it nearly doubled it's power when going from 8 ohms to 4 ohms--- not the Sony, the power actually goes from 80pc to 75 pc :( [understand this still sounded better than my brothers 8xx sony a/v reciever, but when you're used to quality separates you know better]
With the B&Ws (in full range/pure, no-sub mode) sounded OK, but the treble was harsh compared to my separates. And a flatter soundstage. With the DefTechs, it sounded weakish. The low impedence of them made the amp warm even more and it sounded REALLY compressed at volume.
When i alternatively ran both sets of fronts as "small speaker" (via the setup menu) and utilized "auto format decode" (ie: stereo PCM) and had it use the subwoofer out the amp had an easier time (b/c it was only powering bass-less fronts). But the soundstage, and treble annoyances stayed the same.
The stock soundfields work well, in moderation. The game formats are really cool for watching VT (go hokies!)

Using the pre-outs:

I tried hooking up my Sumo via the pre-outs and WOW. What a change to the fronts. The rears can be effectively driven off of the Sony's amp, but the fronts really come alive with a good amplifier.

Summary:

good digital, good finish, great warr, poor internal amps.

Ratings:

i assume you'll get it for under $400, and I assume you'll NOT use an external amp for the speakers... that's why it gets 3 stars overall and 4 for the value.
Truthfully for $400 for this thing and another $600 you can find a used Demo's 5 channel B&K or Rotel that'll rock.

[Why not a 5 star? is it really the best of the best? is it reference? NO... but can you build a good/great system around it? YOU BET]

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Denon- both non 5.1 systems