I have had my unit for about a day now and these are my experiences..
my setup is

DVD player Sony 7700 connected via coaxial digital out (Am planning to connect via analog as well. (monster cable for all connects)
CD player SOny cdpca7es connected via optical digital as well as analog
TV: 6 year old Mitsubishi 27" inch with S-VHS
VCR 6 year old Mitsubishi S-VHS HI-FI VCR.

Front/Left/Right Speakers: Infinity Overture 1's with powered subwoofer/amp (150W)

rear ( Infinity Minuttes, that I intend replacing with the fronts when I get the Infinity RS-10's or equivalent)

1) Setup was relatively easy till I got to the remote.

2) Remote was not being able to communicate 2 way with the receiver. On the communicating with receiver screen on the remote, on clicking ok, would give an error code by beeping 5 times. Many functions were therefore greyed out.

3) Finally figured out the culprit was the S-link that I had connected between my Sony 7700 DVD player and the receiver. Completely prevents the remote from communicating with the receiver.. Further investigation from the 7700 manual say s the unit can be controlled from a Sony TV. My impression of S-link was the Receiver could control the DVD player as well. Maybe anyone else using that can post their experiences. Once the cable was removed, remote worked like a charm.

4) Sound quality seems amazing although I have not played a DTS movie or listened to regular music CD's yet only watched a movie (Platoon) in Dolby Digital.

5) Have programmed the macro feature on the remote to turn tv on, set the right input, turn dvd player on, start playing, power on receiver and set to DVD input.
Works really good and is great for my wife..

6) only gripe with the remote I wish there was a way to extend the amount of time the backlight remains on.. Seems to be too short at the minute, although I am aware of the prior battery problems with the older remote..

7) interesting thing in documentation that caught my eye. When using coaxial digital in, the word length that the unit can handle is 24 bit vs 16 bit when using the optical digital in.

Tremendous unit, much improvement over the 50. I've yet to turn the volume knob much past 1/4 of the way (damn apartment life), but this unit is making the most of my 5 Platinum Sound speakers and M&K Sub. Watched "Private Ryan", and although the dialogue was a bit muddy at times (due to my choice of sound field, and the fact that it was only a videotape) the sound-field-enhanced experience was remarkably reminiscent of the theater. Explosions and gun battles were extremely ambient and involving. Same for the true acid test, "Terminator 2". I must have re-watched the opening Cyborg/Human fight like 80 times.
On music, there really is no way to say how amazing this unit is. Even using my portable, 8-year-old Sony Discman and a crappy link, CD sound is clear and dynamic with tight, punchy bass.

All in all, an excellent buy. I got mine for $700+S&H from UncleStereo ... I would suggest you talk them down from that, people are selling this unit for less (I've heard as low as $649 ppd). Not that I'm griping. The unit is easily worth what I paid for it.

I just mail oredered my SONY STR-DA555ES 20 minutes ago and it's great. No other receiver might sound as crisp as this one will when I get it. I got a demonstration of it over the internet and it really made my KOSS's thump. My wife doesn't know it yet, but she won't be getting the ol' bone for a while when this baby gets me home.
Can anyone help with the hooking it up to my:

MAINS -- 40" Sound Stretchers
REARS -- Creative Labs Sound Blaster Speakers (excellent highs)
CENTER -- Martin Logan ElectroStatic
CD PLAYER -- Audiovox 2 disck changer w/ 2.5 bit oversampling
DVD -- DIVX Enhanced hitachi
VCR -- Symphonic 2 head reel master 3
VISUAL -- SONY KVW-9000 50" LCD

ps. this is definately a 5 star...my nipples are hard!

I traded in my STR DA50ES due to some minor repair issues. I was told this STR DA555ES would not be different from my old reciever.(This was not a true statement)the New Sony STR DA555ES has change very much for the better. I can't even start to explain. My wife is going to leave me also, I keep telling her she has her hobby, Her Horses and I have mine, this doesn't seem to work. currently I'm workin with about 250 DVD's which this reciever pushes them to there limits. even watching the TV this unit rocks the house (also keeps the horses on edge in the barns for my wife.) this unit pushes my Klipsch speakers - I mean pushes them well!
My old complaint was the remote. The remote seems to be fine this time around. Sony has changed it and it controls all of my equipment just fine. My old STR DA50ES remote was usless and the batteries would be dead in two days, regardless if I used it or not, so I used the remote from my STA DA80ES which no longer works my STR DA555ES except for power up and volume.
I don't like the fact that the Sony specs state two monitor outputs when in fact there is only one S-Video and one RC. I have two monitors that both have S-video ins that I would prefer to use. Currently I have one monitor on S- Video and one on RC they work, so far with out any issues.
The speaker wire layout works very well, very easy compared to the STR DA50ES.

Current setup;
Rear- Klipsch Hearesys
Front- Klipsch Kornerhorns
Center - Bose
Subwoofer - Klipsch
Sony STR-DA555ES
Toshiba DVD
Panasonic SVHS
Toshiba 36" TV
JVC 36" TV
Monster cables

Not too shabby of a unit... My brother has the older 50es and his remote sucks compared to the new one. The new remote has lasted for a week which is longer than he has got on new batteries. The new macro feature is cool so the wife can set up the VRC and DVD with one button. The remote works well with the rest of the sony equipment, but my toshiba big screen and DVD are missing some commands. This puppy makes my not so great JBL-HS 8" towers, 6" rears and using the big screen for center, sound oh so good. Ya I need a center channel althogh I must say the way it sits now is very clear and litte distortion is heard at lound volumes. Setup was very easy, only one monitor or display output is provided with 3-VCR, 1-DVD, 1-SAT/TV inputs. You can set up names for all the preset radio stations, and if you have a sony CD changer the CD can be named also. Setting up the sound fields on the remote is easy and very functional. You cannot control the A/B speaker setups from the remote. I paid $700 for this unit from Unkles in NY. I should of talked them down another fifty bucks, but I can't gripe too much this reciever is definitly worth the price I paid. Good Luck! Rock On!

Features and performance for the $$'s

Features are NOT easy to access and program. As others have observed, output jacks are NOT GOLD PLATED but should be for this price range. Remote is NOT INTUITIVE. Practice Required.

I received my STR-DA555ES two days ago after anxiously awaiting UPS to enjoy their Thanksgiving Holiday and get back to work. I ordered my unit from Sound Distributors in Las Vegas because they were competitive on price and seemed to have a good track record of service. After hooking up the unit to all of my other stuff ( a 6 hour job with cleaning contact, arranging cables, checking polarity, etc.), I hit the power, installed batteries in the remote and took a listen. FM to begin with - nothing earth shaking here. Then I went throught the speaker setup porocess, and used the noise generator to check speaker volume and placement. OK crap --- rear surround speakers were reversed. Worked on that yesterday as well as trying to S link all my stuff (Receiver, DVD player and CD changer) together. This caused my remote to NOT WORK. Unhooked S link cords and all was bliss. Now for the sound -- tested with the opening battle scene from Saving Private Ryan in Dolby Digital (AC - 3). WOW! Spacial localization, clarity, depth and impact. All the attributes I was hoping for were there. Haven't watched a full length moving yet, but I am very encouraged. The receiver definitely has the clean power to drive my speakers (Polk RM7300 satelite system) way beyond a comfortable listening volume. I would recommend this unit be on anyones short list to audition for home theater.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood Surround Sound (Pro-Logic) receiver.

I had a STR-DA555ES for about 30 days before sending it back to Oade's. The sound quality and construction were superb, but a few design decisions by Sony led to me deciding to return it.
One, the money and effort Sony invested in that stupid two-way control could have easily taken care of the other issues I have! There is no compelling reason to have a two-way remote. It is a gimmick, period. It is easy enough to use, when you aren't having to adjust the contrast in order to see the thing! It worked great with my Sony TV / VCR / DSS units, but the poor visibility made it awkward to use.

Two, Sony did not make the digital inputs user assignable. They give you only one coax digital input, and set it to DVD. I have an older CD player with a coax output, and I couldn't set the receiver to logically attach the coax to the CD! To make matters worse, 2 of the five digital inputs (the only coax and one Toslink)are hardwired to the DVD input. Once you plug in your DVD player, you are letting the other input sit there wasted.

Three, I have floor standing Vandersteen 1B speakers. They sound great with the 555. However, the crossover freq. on the 555 for the sub is limited to 100Hz. I would prefer at least 80Hz or lower to enjoy the bass from my main speakers.

There were many, many positives to the 555 however. It looks and sounds great, is easy to set up, is built like a freakin' tank and has a 5 year warranty. It also can be had for around $640.

I replaced the 555 with a Pioneer Elite VSX-26TX - And am much happier! The sound is awesome!

I am going to give the 555 a 4 rating, only because I can't rate it a 4.5 . With a normal remote I would probably have kept it and suffered with the input and crossover limitations.

sounds great, great tuner, lots of inputs and output options, easy to use

NO 96KHZ INPUT, REMOTE CUTE BUT A PAIN IN THE #$@

yeah sure the remote LOOKS cute. Sony really needs to work on this one. Here we go:
1. Back light turns off to quick and you should not need to hit the button to light it up. Why not just touch the screen and have it light up?
2. Non learning, something that big should. I have a Sony Digital 8 camera model 310 that can not be run by it.
3. Why in the Hell can't you edit the sound fields from the remote? You can see them, but they are light color and will not budge. You can not even raise or lower the rear/center levels!!
4. But my favorite, if I want to just watch TV (no surround sound) If you hit the damn TV button everything turns on. So what happens, I have to use the actual TV remote. They should have a JUST TV set up button.

Don't get me wrong the amp is great, tuner can bring dead stations to life, and the digital theater sound processing is nice. I love the individual level and crossover settings.

Don't let the remote grab you!!! You are better off buying the 333ES or the Sony 830.

PS if you want a good price go to www.sounddistributors.com

Similar Products Used:

denon 2800, and an old reliable Pioneer V405

sound, power, adjustablity

1) the remote 2) the remote and finally 3) the remote

When people say this is the best receiver for the price I think it's important to mention the price. Forget MSRP. When I was shopping around for a receiver, I shopped around based on the price _I_ could get for the receiver. But I must admit I was a bit biased to begin with from reading so many great reviews about the receiver. The sound is more important to me than the remote, so I can live with the remote. I got the receiver for $690 before tax. Tax in IL would add about 7-8% (almost 50 bucks), depending on where you lived. Only thing about the receiver is that since it puts out 120 watts, I had to go shopping for speakers that could handle that. I know, I know, you can put 100 watt speakers on it and still be OK, and it's not the wattage that matters so much, etc. etc. Anyway, those speakers start to get expensive, but I ended up with the M&K s-85s after trying out the Mirage FRX series. This receiver sounds fantastic. The DSP modes aren't too extreme, they change the sound a little or a bit more depending on what you use. Most people say to just use the Auto Format Decoding.. whatever. It still sounds great. Everyone comes over and sees the remote and says "cool." I say "don't be TOO impressed..." Almost wanted to get the 777 for about $1050 but that would have broke the bank. For me (i.e. NOT an audiophile) the 555 is more than adequate. I have not had any problems. knock on wood. I am reviewing the receiver, not the remote (even tho they come together) so I give 5 stars.

Similar Products Used:

none

Immersive multi-channel sound and soundfields, s-link control (to compensate for remote)

Remote, not enough coax digital inputs (too much focus on optical)

First, a little context... the 555es is part of an experimental whole home system that I'm building, which consists of the following setups:

Classe Audio SSP75/CAV 500 amp/M&K 150THX
Pioneer VSX9900/Vienna Accoustic Haydns
Tact Audio RCS 2.0/Ayre V1/Vandersteen 5's
Sony 555es/Atlantic Technology 250's
1 yet to be chosen

While the Atlantic speakers are not the greatest (understatement) I've swapped around equipment enough to get a solid sense for this receiver. An interesting note is that it provides an even better surround experience with the Atlantic speakers than the Classe. While the Classe blows it away on the M&K system (it better for $6000) and for music, the mediocre resolution in the Atlantics allows the superior soundfield processing of the Sony to result in a better overall movie experience.

I paid $675 for a unit without a box at our local Magnolia Hi Fi, and for the price, I do not believe this unit can be beat. In fact, I've been a long time fan of Pioneer elite systems, and due to my experience with the Sony and its Ctl-AII control (much better for whole home systems), I will be continuing to buy Sony for my other projects.

Last night, I watched Stuart Little, and the overall experience was awesome. In the Central Park scene, you could really feel the action and water behind and to the sides. A few times, I honestly checked to see if I heard something from outside the room. Very immersive.

WRT the remote, it's extremely poor. Hard to read at movie lighting levels. Backlit only on part of the screen (not function select), and conveniently designed to accidentally turn off the unit if you try to use it one handed. Luckily, I'm replacing it with my own remote system that will interface to the Ctl-AII port. Generally, I wouldn't choose or exclude a system based on the remote, all else being equal.

Overall, I am as happy with this system as I have been with any. The only real compaint I have is that my whole home integration would be easier if there were more coax digital audio inputs and fewer optical (optical do not go far).

If your looking for a great consumer electronics surround system at a reasonable price and you can accept a somewhat poor remote, this system is for you.

Similar Products Used:

Multiple Pioneer Elite recievers, Classe Audio SSP-75