I bought this reciever through a friends recomondation and I'm very pleasedwith the sound and build quality of this piece of equipment. It's excellent
for two channel stereo and exellent in dolby digital, or dolby pro logic.

I'm very impress with the features, clarity, and power of this receiver. I enjoy using all the different sound field when listening to music. I use this receiver the majority for my home theatre to power 2 fronts, 2 rears, the center and a subwoofer. My only complaint is that this receiver does not have a test tone for the subwoofer so it makes it very hard to adjust my subwoofer to match my remainding speakers. I am satistified with it's features, power and clarity in sound reproduction though.

I bought this receiver a year ago and I have had nothing but enjoyable listening experiences. I purchased it for the variety of sound fields that were offered and it's versatile component accomodations. With an eclectic array of CDs in my collection, I was able to customize my sound fields to suit the genre that I wished to listen to. The acoustic sound field setting offers great bass production and the live house settings give you the feeling that you're at an actual gig. Very cool! This model is definitely a better buy than the two pricier models above it. It offers a great bang for your buck. And who can beat the 5yr warranty? Make no mistake, the ES stands for Excellent Sound. Good job Sony!

Greg!!!!Please E-Mail me.
I would like to speak with you about the Ta900ES!!!!!



BTW Forum!
I give the 80ES a 2 Star rating!
Its give a weird voice tone that sounds like the person is talking out of their nose. (Get a simulation by pluging your nose and talking) A very annoying sound.!!!!

I originally had purchased a Sony STR-DE825 A/V receiver and was pleased withthe clarity, presence and spaciousness of the sound through some Snell type 'D'
speakers. At times, when the volume level was up past 3/4 it would distort.
(I was trying to simulate live concert audio levels) this was with several types
of music: Sharon Isbin, Pink Floyd, Count Basie and Stevie Ray Vaughn. wanting
too much I suppose, I returned the unit (only $399.00!) and spent $1099.00 on
a Sony STR-DA80ES A/V receiver after being told it would handle the power
requirements better with less or no distortion. The audio store was right, it
didn't distort at the same level that the STR-DE825 did, but the STR-DA80ES has
a muddy sound without any presence. the instruments aren't defined as well, they sound almost blurred together and rounded off at the middle to high
frequencies and there isn't a live feeling to it as was with the STR-DE825.
It sounds flat and lifeless. has anyone else had similar problems with this
model? at $700.00 more than the STR-DE825 I am suprised at the lackluster
performance. any suggestions on another brand? I am hoping to be able to return
this one. I give it 1 star for sounding like a clock radio. (I forgot to mention that I tried this unit with the direct pass activated and also with eq & different sound fields, none improved the sound to the STR-DE825 level).

I've had this receiver for about a week now, and I must say that I've had to go through (or am in the progress of doing so) my entire CD collection all over again. This receiver truly brings out the best in music. I listen to virtually all of my music in the direct pass mode, simply because the signal is clean and quite copacetic. One of the best facets to this new toy of mine is the amp itself. I was previously an owner of the str-de715, which, when turned up a little over halfway, would distort and lose power. I began shopping for new speakers, since I felt that this was the source of the problem. However, I was positively elated to find that with the DA80, all of my music was clean. This receiver also has tremendous bass, although I think that some of that may be accounted for from my CD player (sony CDPXA1ES, another very fine product). I am very impressed by all of the inputs (all gold plated, of course) as well as the very uncluttered apperance of the front. One should not be detered by all of the bells and whistles on this receiver. It is a monster, and a true workhorse if ever there was. This receiver also delivers superlative performance in the arena of home theatre. Each of the speaker groups (front, center, and rear) have their own bass and treble controls. WOW. I can't wait to get a DVD player ( I'll get that with the money that the DA80 saved me on speakers). I really should shut up now because I could go on for days. Five stars.

I've had the STR-DA80ES for about a month now, and I'm very happy with the sound. I use it to drive NHT2.5i's in a bi-amplifier configuration, using the NHT SA2 to drive the subwoofers. I find the Sony to be fairly clear, especially in the direct pass mode. I think the sound fields are a waste.
I give it 4 stars

I've owned my DA80ES for about 1 year now. I use it with B&W DM601 L/R speakers, a B&W CC6 center, an Energy ES-10 subwoofer, and Energy EFX dipole surrounds. It's by far the cleanest, quietest, most detailed receiver I've owned, but I'm relatively new in audio. It is also solidly built, worthy of its 5-year warranty. I use it with the following sources: DVD, S-VHS, TV, CD, cassette, and Sega Saturn. For AC-3 I find that the Cinema Studio A works best, for TV/VHS/Pro Logic I like Cinema Studio B, and for music I find myself always going back to the Direct Pass mode. I plan to upgrade to separates when I have more money and a bigger place. But for now I find that, in my small apartment, my present system can deliver a totally involving experience as is, which is all I could ask for. For the money and for my purposes, I'd say it deserves five stars.

I HAVE OWNED THE UNIT FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS, I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT'S CLARITY, POWER, AND FEATURES. THE SOUND IS VERY SOLID, THE BASS IS TIGHT AND THE MID'S AND HIGH'S ARE VERY CLEAR. I READ SOME OF THE ARTICLE'S THAT TOLD OF OVERHEATING, MAKE SURE THAT THE IMPEDENCE IS SET CORRECTLY ON THE REAR OF THE UNIT MY SPEAKERS ARE RATED FOR 8 OHMS SO I SET THE SWITCH TO 4 OHMS. I HAVEN'T HAD ANY OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IN FACT I THINK THE UNIT RUN'S VERY COOL, AND AT TIMES I DO PLAY MY MUSIC AND MOVIES VERY LOUNDLY. MY RECOMMENDATIONS TO ANYONE WHO IS HAVING OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT IF YOUR SPEAKERS ARE RATED FOR 8 OHMS AND BELOW, SET THE SWITCH TO 4 OHMS.

I HAVE OWNED THE UNIT FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS, I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT'S CLARITY, POWER, AND
FEATURES. THE SOUND IS VERY SOLID, THE BASS IS TIGHT AND
THE MID'S AND HIGH'S ARE VERY CLEAR. I READ SOME OF THE
ARTICLE'S THAT TOLD OF OVERHEATING, MAKE SURE THAT THE
IMPEDENCE IS SET CORRECTLY ON THE REAR OF THE UNIT MY
SPEAKERS ARE RATED FOR 8 OHMS SO I SET THE SWITCH TO 4
OHMS. I HAVEN'T HAD ANY OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IN FACT I
THINK THE UNIT RUN'S VERY COOL, AND AT TIMES I DO PLAY MY
MUSIC AND MOVIES VERY LOUNDLY. MY RECOMMENDATIONS TO ANYONE
WHO IS HAVING OVERHEATING PROBLEMS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT IF
YOUR SPEAKERS ARE RATED FOR 8 OHMS AND BELOW, SET THE
SWITCH TO 4 OHMS. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THE UNIT IS THAT SOME OF THE FEATURES ARE NOT AVAILABLE ON THE REMOTE AND IT DOESN'T HAVE DTS.