I'm sorry, but I was very disappointed with this product. I've read through all of the reviews and it seems that this receiver is not worth the roulette you're going to play by buying it. My problems were the same as most of the other reviewers', but I also found that my input jacks for both dvd and video were not functioning properly. When I watched a movie, I would get distorted sound, the crackling and popping was there, same with just watching tv. The hissing in the rears wasn't present immediately, but presented itself in about 2 weeks of heavy use. I have no quams with the remote, it actually worked fine for me! But I feel that just knowing that the above problems may happen are reason enough to avoid this product from SONY, it just isn't worth the headache. I agree that sony does make other excellent products, but they fail in their attempt to make a reasonably priced digital receiver. I took mine back and exchanged it for another brand.

I purchased my Sony STR-DE935 about a week ago from Circuit City, it was an out of box special;it came with only the unit, no remote, no manual for 350.00. I purchased it under the assumption that I could buy a remote/manuals for under 150.00. I was wrong. The remote is 150.00 w/shipping, the manuals are 7.00 a pop w/shipping. I was looking at 164.00 for the remote and 2 manuals(1 for the unit/1 for the remote). So, I took it back, at bought a new one for 499.99. After setting it up, I turned the power on, and it started to hiss and pop, then it went away, I couldn't get the unit to stay on the choice I had selected, whatever I selected, it would start randomly selecting other options like DVD,Tuner,Video1,ect. When I got it to stay on the TV selection, I couldn't get a picture on my TV(I suspected the Monitor out jack was blown). So I turned it off, and about 10 seconds later, it turned back on. Back in the box it went and back to Circuit City I went. I traded that P.O.S unit for the original out of box unit (they didn't have anymore new one's in stock, and being impatient as I am..),made a deal the get the remote thrown in with it. Part of the deal in buying this receiver was Circui City threw in some cheap rear speakers for free. Well after hooking the unit up to these speakers, I found that the speakers were being distorted, I thought the problem was the speakers and I was about to replace them until I ran into this web site. As I read through the pro's and con's on this unit I learned that it might not be my speakers at all, but the unit itself. So I swapped the speakers with my front ones,yada yada yada....distortion out of the fronts. I packed it up, returned it for a refund, went to Magnolia Hi-Fi which was having a huge demo clearance sale, and I bought a Yamaha RX-V795 for 499.99 and it works perfectly.
My major complaints about this unit and Sony are:
1. There customer service via email SUCKS. Don't use if you have less than a year to live, you wont get a reply, I am still waiting for mine.
2. The remote looks cool, but I felt like I was racing against the clock to get all of my entry's entered before the remote clicks off.
3. The rear channel distortion problem.
4. The popping/hissing, and poltergeist activates.
5. Sony's POOR quality control.

I feel it would be a great receiver, if you can find a problem free unit. I give it a 1* because of the problems I had with it(and being that I found the Yamaha for the same price doesn't help Sony either).

I'm sorry I did not wait for the reviews to come out. Rear output is terrible with static and distorsion. Features are outstanding but what good are they if half the unit does not work. I can not believe Sony would allow such a defective product to hit the streets. Purchased a Denon 3300 to replace it and am very pleased. Believe the AM/Fm tuner is better also.

lots of power. DD DTS. lots of
cinema modes.

dose not have banana plugs for center,
and rear chanels. Gets a little hot
but it's not a big problem it's a big
reciever that deals out 550watts.

I've heard all the review on this
reciever, and i think it's underated
I've had this reciever for over a
month now and for the money I think
it's very good. It has plenty of power
110watts per chanel DD and DTS. If
you understand how to set the cinema
and music modes, and have a fair pair
of speakers, this product will do
quite well. As far as the remote gose
it is realy not that hard to unders-
tand if you
have have fingers and a brain you'll
understand it in about a week or two.
Bottom line, this product is pretty
clear lots of power and my favorit
lots of featuers. If you can get this reciever for $450 and under you have
a good deal however if you dont understand much about eletronicks
and if you do not like to play with
buttons then go and pay $250 more
dollars for basicaly the same sound
but a lot more simple.

There are none, this receiver blows!!!

How can anybody buy this piece of junk it's sounds so bad. It has a 8% THD Rating! 8%!!!, what kind of bull crap is that?

This receiver is absolutely horrible. Compared to a Harman Kardon, or Onkyo which have farrrrrrrrrrrrrr more amps Harman and Onkyo beat this piece of Japanese garbage hands down. A HK has 320 watts of power and 45AMPS, this Sony has like 550 watts and 14AMPS. Do a side by side of both and see which goes louder, has more bass, imaging, detail, and clarity, if you think and hear right you'll say the HK. I have a HK AVR 65 hooked up to a Nakamichi PA-1, KRELL PREAMP, Bryston FB amps (2 amps for fronts, 1 amp for center, 2 amps for surround) I also have a Velodyne FSR-18SUB. a 172" Sony LCD Projector Screen, a Onkyo DVD Player, a 20BIT JVC CD Player, Yamaha 3 Head Cassete DECK, JVC S-VHS, all cables are kimber kable. Total setup $110,000. So what's better Sony, or HK, Onkyo, or Yamaha. HK, Yama, and Onkyo.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR65, Onkyo TXDS676, YAMAHA RXV-1

Lots of Power/ Cool BLue Light / lots if inputs

Remote /

This is a real good receiver, lots of features....and a real nice EQ that you can customize EACH surround sound speaker....the only complaint that I have is the remote...
#1 can't see buttons in the dark! My Toshiba big screen tv has a lighted remote THAT IS AWESOME...I'd rather program my TV remote to work the receiver :)
I love buttons and even though I have the remote to work with my Direct tv receiver....it's just to much Hassle to work the TV, Picture in Picture, SATELLITE, and receiver with the 2 way on, and switching from source to source, flipping the cover on the remote up and down trying to get to other buttons!!!! I I hate this remote so much I am going to send this receiver back and get the Sony STR-DA555ES with touchscreen remote....at least I can see this in the DARK! with bose acoustimass 15 system..... the SPEAKERS SOUND AWESOME....WOULDN'T TRADE FOR ANYTHING!

Similar Products Used:

JVC / SONY /

Great Flexibility in sound selection. Large Number of inputs

Remote is confusing. On-screen menus would be helpfull.

Just purchased unit. Was easy to hook up. Sound is very good and unit has tremendous flexibility in customizing effects to suit individual taste. Remote is very confusing to use. Had to read the manual a number of times before I got it right. I also found that adjusting all the parameters required me to be close to the unit to see the small screen. With all of these features menus on tv screen would be helpfull. Only problem I have had is when unit is set to auto detection mode it does not detct dolby pro-logic sources. I have to set it manually. This unit replaced a high-end Pioneer Elite receiver and it is just as good if not better at about 1/3 the price.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer

POWER!!!, That little blue light is damn cool!!, dts compability, Remote

Gets HOT. NO optical CD input, not enough coax. digital inputs

Overall, I love It. The remote is awesome [after a week of playing with it]. The dts formatted dvd's sound great on it. My complaint about it being hot, bought a fan for $1o from wal mart, plugged it into one of the switched power outlets, stuck it behind it, problem solved. The LCD section on the remote stops working, but spin the batteries around and its as good as new.Try hookin it up to some Bose speakers and turnin that baby up, SWEET!

power, cinema studio soundfields for DVD's, DTS decoder(cool for Waterworld and Private Ryan),appearence,optical inputs-a-plenty, BLUE LIGHT is awesome....and the dot matrix look makes it look more pro then my former pro logic rec.

i know how to use the remote but for SOME reason i cant DOWNLOAD the functions(it was a demo model), gets hot, remote speed,

This is a good piece of equipment..........the remote is cool but for some reason i cant download the damn functions....and i know that remote inside and out...must be a glich.....but i rarely change settings so i dont care bigtime, cool EQ, banana plug inputs r great for my 12 gauge wire...would of been nice to get my centre channel thru that type of plug,optical is cool....naming the functions is cool, movies sound great on this thing with an Acoustic research Optical Cable.......so sum up.good sounding item, great power for what you pay for, hook up the wires right or PROTECT will light up your room.

Similar Products Used:

my home thatre setup is good.i just got a 36" toshiba TV, i own the VR12 Boston Cntr Channel, have a proscan DVD and Sound Dynamics towers spkrs and rears

Lots of power. DD DTS

lack of s-video input for sat/TV. Remote

I love this product. The only things I do not like about it is the remote is slow to react and lack of S-video input in Sat/Tv setting.