great unit for 200.00 ish.December 2, 2008 i was very disappointed when i opened the box. 399 mrsp is way over priced for this unit, however i only paid 200.00, if it wasn't for the hdmi inputs and out (not just repeater) i wouldn't have gotten this.
cons feels cheap, display is not up to par with other, not enough inputs only 2 optical and i coaxial
pros hdmi switch works well, ez setup with mic. great unit at 200.00 price.
Pretty good for the price, could be betterDecember 1, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
There are many good and bad things about this receiver. I've had it about a month now with no major problems. I would like to start by saying that the people who said there is no A+B are pretty stupid. You can't make it come out both by click either A or B, you need to set a soundfield for it to come out both. I have it hooked up as 5.1, 2 speakers in A and 3 in B, which is recommended. Make sure you set all the speaker sizes to small, even if the front are large. This will make the sound richer by having the deep sounds come out of the sub.
Ok so lets start with the good. It has 3, yes 3 HDMI inputs that do carry sound, unlike the competition in this price range like Onkyo, which i have for my other setup. It also has many other inputs, too many to count which i don't use, except 1 video input for sound from my laptop. It also has many soundfields to choose from that will let you experience different sounds for your specific application (e.g. music, movie, video game).
Now for the bad. My biggest problem is with the remote. You need to point the remote directly at the receiver for it detect it. This might not sound like a big deal, but it gets really annoying when you have something on the coffee table that blocks its line of sight, or you just don't feel like taking your hand out from under the blanket. Another problem is i couldn't program it to my cable remote from comcast. I bought myself a logitech harmony remote for Christmas, so hopefully that will fix the problem. Even though they are not on the same remote, every time i turn off my tv, it auto turns off the receiver for some reason, which could be perceived as good or bad. Sometimes i would like to listen to music from the tv, without it actually being on and wasting energy, so i always need to turn the receiver back on after i turn off the tv. Also, every time i turn on the receiver, it goes to the TV input for some reason, even though my cable box is plugged into SAT. For some reason, the TV input puts out the picture but no sound. Also the menu is pretty bad, and the display isn't the best, but i'm not to stuck up on that. One last thing to mention is this does not stay at a steady 105 watts per channel. It fluctuates a lot, so you will be just as good going with an 80 watts per channel receiver as this. I don't mind, but you might.
Now that i'm looking at all the bad written down, it makes me want to lower it to 3 stars, but i will leave it at 4 because it serves its purpose well. I will also say, i did hear a large improvement over my old receiver, with much higher highs, and lower lows, as well as almost no background static. Over all i would recommend that if you're on a budget to buy this. If you have money to spare, i would buy a better receiver from Denon.
Great AV receiver for the moneyNovember 18, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've had this receiver as part of my home theater for 6 months and it's worked flawlessly; excellent picture and sound. I'm not a HT expert by any means but I did a lot of research before buying my components. My TV is a Samsung 52" LN52A550, and I have a Motorola DCT6412 cable box and PS3 connected, everything with HDMI. I was interested in getting a receiver where the HDMI inputs/outputs would handle both sound and picture, since I'd read that on some receivers the HDMI doesn't handle sound. I have Polk Audio Monitor 60s, a Polk Audio CS1 center speaker, and a Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofer, which I mostly only power on when I watch movies. I bought some back speakers but have never hooked them up, mainly because I'm very happy with the sound as is, plus I'd have to run wires all around my living room. Anyway, with this receiver you can run your system as 2 channel, front plus center, 5 channel, or 7. It comes with a microphone gizmo where you can have the system calibrate/balance your speakers for you, but I haven't found that necessary. There are also many, many listening settings and adjustments you can make and options you can choose, but I've so far mostly gone with the defaults. I went to a site called [...] where you can enter your components and it will tell you the most effective way to hook them up. It saved me a LOT of time, since there are so many options and possible combinations. The one thing I don't like about this receiver is that apparently you have to do either HDMI or component connections and you can't switch - i.e., you can't use the optical output for other components not connected through HDMI if you're using HDMI connections. Although I gather that there are switching devices you can buy and that some higher end receivers will do switching. But for my needs and the money I had to spend, I'm very happy. If you're considering buying this, I recommend downloading the user manual from Sony and glancing through it if you have specific questions.
Excellent for the moneyNovember 17, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
You wont get full HDMI (video AND audio) routing, and 7.1, anywhere else near this price range. Plenty of features here...
Dont listen to people nay saying the audio quality. They are either pros or they have buyers remorse that they payed more. I have had both Onkyo and Yahmaha receivers in the past, and I can say that unless you are a TRUE audiophile, you will be very happy with this receiver. It sounds great paired up with some quality speakers.
If you have: a 42" 1080P tv, a decent speaker set up, an xbox/blu ray player or ps3...just save your money and dont look back. You will be happy.
not what we hoped forNovember 16, 2008 4 out of 18 found this review helpful
Perhaps a case of "you get what you pay for". It wasn't till we had the receiver all hooked up that we realized you can't play speakers A and B simultaneously, defeating our purpose of music in 2 adjoining rooms. Sound quality was poor, as was the FM signal for all but 1 of our local radio stations, even with a power FM antenna. Maybe this is more suited to a home theater set-up, rather than strictly music? We have since returned the item.
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Onkyo HT-SR800 Black Home Theater System $335.96 - $499.00 from 2 stores. User rating:4.0 out of 5.
Neatly Covering All A/V Formats, Precisely Tailored for Your Home
When it comes to all-in-one home theater, the HT-SR800 has made a clean break from the pack. You're looking at packaged home theater that neatly integrates your high-definition entertainment and your HDTV through an HDMI channel that transports video with a resolution all the way up to 1080p. Ably supported by component video switching, the HT-SR800 will handle most of the A/V components or formats currently available, as well as the spectacular quality of high-definition discs. Also, reinforcing the convenience of matched components, this package is the first to use an Audyssey room-correction technology specifically designed for integrated systems. The options - XM Radio (including 5.1 surround sound radio with Neural Surround decoding) and iPod integration-can really extend your reach, making the HT-SR800 one of the more complete home theater packages available.
Special Features-
HDMI Pass Through (2in/1out , 1080P compatible) - A separate audio connection is necessary
"Audyssey 2EQ" Auto room calibration w/Microphone
XM and Sirius satellite radio ready
Sony HT-7100DH Home Theater System $349.95 - $378.08 from 2 stores. User rating:3.0 out of 5. Grab your popcorn and revel in the intense movie-watching experience that is the HT-7100DH home theater system. Take your entertainment to new aural heights as 900 watts of surround sound fill your room while you watch high definition DVD media or listen to XM satellite radio. For fast and easy setup, the HT-7100DH automatically calibrates the included speakers for an optimal sound field and the most dramatic effects. The Digital Media Port (DMP) is also great for when you want to listen to external sources like Bluetooth devices or Walkman music players in powerful 5.1 channel digital surround sound.
Bose 3-2-1 Home Theater System $958.24 - $999.98 from 2 stores. User rating:3.1 out of 5. If you've been looking for a surround sound solution that doesn't require hours of setup and creative ways to hide the wires, the search is over. Introducing the Bose 3-2-1 system, a revolutionary advancement in home entertainment that's much easier to live with. Designed to provide performance and simplicity unmatched by conventional component or all-in-one solutions, this system delights the ears and the eyes.
Five speakers are replaced by two. A stack of electronics is replaced by a single media center that includes an integrated DVD/CD player, AM/FM tuner, amplification and signal processing. A patented Acoustimass module hides easily in a corner or behind your furniture. And everything is easily connected with just three wires and a power cord, making setup a snap. The 3-2-1 system combines an Articulated Array speaker design with proprietary signal processing to give you much of that same performance. Hear the roar of a train from left to right from just two visible speakers positioned in the front of your room. Enjoy a spacious soundstage and lifelike surround effects whether you're watching the game, listening to a favorite CD or enjoying the latest on DVD.
Sony DAV-IS10 Home Theater System $399.97 - $558.99 from 5 stores. User rating:0.0 out of 5.
The 5.1 channel home-theater-in-a-box system features five tiny speakers - each about the size of a golf ball. The system, matched with a compact, single disc DVD/CD player/receiver, includes a unique subwoofer that helps the tiny speakers create sounds typically reserved for full size speakers.
While the system features small speakers, it packs all the power of conventional home theater-in-a-box systems with 450 watts of total system power (satellite speakers 50W x 5, plus 2-way subwoofer 100W x 2). The system is specially tuned to deliver a natural sound field that takes the focus off the subwoofer while supplementing mid range and lower frequencies.
Philips HTS3555 Home Theater System $250.81 from 1 store. User rating:4.9 out of 5. This state-of-the-art digital home entertainment system delivers powerful surround sounds and a theater-like audio/video experience. The ultimate in both style and performance.PRODUCT FEATURES:Dock included for GoGear and iPod;USB Direct plays photos and music from USB flash drives;MP3 Line-in for music playback from Portable Media Players;1080i HDMI with high definition video upconversion;DTS, Dolby Digital and Pro Logic II surround sound;12-bit/108MHz video processing for sharp, natural images;DivX Ultra for enhanced playback of DivX media files;Plays CD, (S)VCD, DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R DL;Plays DivX, MP3, WMA and JPEG digital camera photos.
