Great sound, solid build, lots of optical digital inputs

REMOTE!!!

I have used the marantz remotes before this and I was very unhappy with the Sony remote. I don't mind the speed but the remote is useless for watching cable / tv since there are no number keys or menu keys on the top level of the remote.

There is also no remote button to switch between digital/analog inputs. This is a pain as my cable box only outputs digital on some cahnnels so I must walk over to change it. I know there is an AutoSense feature but it doesn't work with my cable box.

I would like to see terminal posts for the rear and center channels in the future. They are not too bad although as Sony used a fairly big clip.

Overall it is a nice unit , I reasearched a lot of receivers and I choose this because of its features and quality. The price is steep but one has to expect that of (All) Sony products. Another negative for Sony is their system of "fixing" prices. You really cannot find a deal on a Sony product beacuse all dealers sell for the same price (at least here in Canada). You might find it for $10 -$15 less but nothing worth juming over. I find that you can use as an advantage though, getting salespersons to through in cable, ext. warranties ect...

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Yamaha

Many inputs, onscreen setup, 110Wx5

Remote (Pain in the butt to get used to, macros don't work so well) When I turn on my Hologen lamp, it powers on the reciever too.

Awsome amplifier. If you don't have alot of income it can still be easily affordable. Construction qualiy is very good, nothing "jiggles" or rattles. I havn't gotton all the speakers needed for SS yet, but it sounds very good in 2 channel mode anyway. My say though, the remote is just a pain. Not ergonomic is any way. I only give it 4/4 stars because nothings perfect.

Similar Products Used:

Aiwa, other Sony AVR's

Power (much more oomph watching DVD movies than my old Sony receiver), number of I/O, easy to hook up, remote can handle my Toshiba DVD player, GE 35" TV and Magnavox hi-fi VCR without any learning sessions like my old remote! Very attractive receiver and the remote is really cool looking (like a cell phone).

Remote- the keys on the front could glow brighter to make it easier to see in the dark, but the backlight LCD screen on it is very nice. The glowing red dot on the main volume knob that is missing on the new Sony models would indeed be nice as someone else pointed out when using in dimly lit rooms.

Surround sound on Video 3 setting has a hiss, video 2 has less hiss but noticeable, video 1 setting no hiss like DVD / CD setting and is what I use for my hi-fi VCR input.

First, thank you to the reviewer that mentioned that Sears matches lowest internet price ($348 a few weeks ago + $23 shipping)! MSRP is $600, Sears wanted $500 for it, Circuit City wanted $480 but wouldn't match prices. Sears did with no hassle, the additional $23 shipping "surcharge" was well worth the instant gratification of being able to walk out of the store with it and hook it up, and having a local store to return it to if I have a problem.

Great sounding unit with power galore!

Purchased this and a Toshiba SD-2200 DVD player two weeks ago, they rock the house with my Definitive Technology sub, Klipsch KG 3 mains, and Boston Acoustics center channel, old Marantz main speakers for surrounds. Saving Private Ryan on DTS is jaw dropping, far superior to the more compressed sounding Dolby Digital version of it... its like you are AT Omaha Beach with the soldiers. Bullets and explosions are going on all around you - a mind blowing experience.

You can't go wrong with this unit, especially if you can use one of the other inputs that don't produce hiss. Since I don't have enough external components, I can easily use the ones that sound great and avoid the troublesome sounding inputs.

Similar Products Used:

Sony

Equalizer, Digital Modes, Power

Lack of LED on Volume control makes it hard to tell where the volume is when you turn it on. Remote control is not straight forward...really have to learn it well. Lack of emphasis on High Frequencies even with the equalizer adjusted accordingly.

Overall I am pleased with the unit. I have sent my receiver back to Sony for checkup. When hooking up front speakers ONLY, 2 ch stereo mode, all surround turned off...when I turn the balance to the left speaker I still get ALOT of audio out of the right and vice versa. I also noticed that even at low volumes two different sets of speakers tended to breathe way too much even at very low volume levels. Sony Technician has been excellent in communicating with me and letting me know that he is checking it out, etc. Look forward to getting it back from repair to find out if it is my speakers that are bad or if somnething is wrong with the receiver. Sony Service Center has been excellent!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Adcom, Onkyo

Lots of features. Enough inputs for a newbie without busting the bank. Optical Input

None so far. I actually like the remote. How many times am I going to adjust something in the middle of a movie?

I'm impress by all it's bells and whistles with great sound to boot. For $420, you can't beat it. Of course, I've only had it for a couple of days.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX6???

Awesome power, excellent and easy to setup for any speaker type and location. Dynamic and warm sound that fills a room.

Remote takes some fiddling with to learn, but is eventually a true "lazy mans" friend.

Not a bad word to say about this receiver. Am using this receiver with BOSE AM-3 cubes in the rear, an older pair of KENWOOD tower speakers in the front, a BOSE vcs-10(great) center channel, and SONY WM-40 12"sub(great bang for the buck).

This receiver, with its sound customization, is making my dinosaur Kenwoods sound like a $2000 pair of B&W's.

Absolute bang for the buck, pure enjoyment that I would refer to any of my friends and family.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood

Power, tons of features.

A pilot light beside the volume knob would have been a great help. Sony should sell this receiver with a small fan.

Great sound for both music and movies. I use Dahlquist M905 for mains, a Klipsch SC-1 for the center,Klipsch SS.1 for the surrounds and Velodyne CT100 for the sub. This A/V receiver delivers sound like you're in the theater. Power is great, clear and pure. I originally bought the STR DE545 but it just don't have the number of inputs I needed. I returned it after two weeks and got this 945. I strongly recommend this to anybody who likes watching movies in DVD format. If you can't afford the higher class Onkyo or Denon, this is for you.

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Onkyo

Solid system, powerful, outstanding features and well worth the money.

It's not a really expensive Harmon-Kardon.

On the debated remote...
If you're a nerd like me that likes all the slick little remote features and could spend hours figuring it all out, you'll love it. If you'd rather just use the thing, it's really not all that difficult. Maybe 10 minutes max with a bit of manual reading would do the trick. Either way, it's the BEST remote I've found that comes with the reciever. If you like gadgets (and ones that do something) this thing is great.

The important stuff...
Let it be known I'm no expert or pro, but a guy with some common sense and a secretly nerdy electronic side. This reciever is by no means top-of-the-line, but for its price range I found it to be one of the best, if not THE best. If you're looking for good value, this is it. If you want a little better quality look for an HK that's comparable and expect to pay at leat about $100 or so more.

Power: How can anybody really complain? I've never made it past halfway on volume, and surely never even needed to. I don't agree with anyone who calls this anything near weak.

Features: Come on it's got the Dolby Digital and DTS decoders built in, it has more inputs that I know what to do with, and even simulates those cheesy fake surround environments. I don't know what more you can ask out of a reciever.

Other Crap: Well the volume knob moves when you turn it up and you can dim the display. I found that to be fun, but who cares.

Conclusion: You can't beat this for the price, and it's a good, solid, powerful reciever capable of doing most things that other recievers can, and a sweet remote to boot. If you do good shopping (try mysimon.com) you can find a price that might surprise you. Good luck!

Similar Products Used:

None -- just compared to a lot.

Number of digital inputs, ability to customize for speaker placement, two year warranty, two way remote

Switched rear power outlets can only handle 120 watts. I have a 400 watt Velodyne 15" subwoofer that wants an outlet capable of 7 amps. This means that each time I use this unit, I have to physically turn on the Velodyne's power and then off when I am done simply because this receiver is not capable of handling the power requirements; Sony wait times are long (17 minutes or more) for help and then you get disconnected sometimes.

I currently have Bose products and am used to a little higher level of service. This receiver is complicated and will require a significant level of dedication to extract the most that it can deliver. While it is a very capable unit, I want something that is simpler to use. I just don't want to deal with all the various sound fields. I want bass and treble knobs. Going through the manuals (X 2) I feel that I will be a candidate for another advanced degree when I master this unit. The manuals leave something to be desired. For example they talk about the front speakers frequency (120Hz, 90Hz, 60Hz). I know that these are frequencies that are most likely crossover frequencies for the subwoofer. Which do I use? I know that this depends on the speakers, both the size of the speaker, its power efficiency, and the room acoustics and placement. Does the manual give any hints or suggestions? No, not one suggestion does it give. While the speakers response can be increased/decreased in 1 dB levels why should I do this? What am I looking for. In short, people who buy this type of receiver in this price range will generally need some additional guidelines as to what these settings mean and what they do. They manual provides no guidelines. Audiophiles will purchase Krell because they know what to adjust and why. This unit is just too much trouble. While there is nothing wrong per se with it, I will probably return it. The sad part is that I bought it because of the reviews at this site. I just don't get my kicks out of something you need an engineering degree to use to its fullest.

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None like this unit. Others have been two channel units: component Yanmaha, NAD and Bose

Great power!, tons of features, and another great sony work of art that won't bust you in the walet! Even though I did pay a little higher for it than normal.

I am not impressed with the on screen stuff, or I just have figured out the rest of those features.

Great buy, friends love it.

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Not many