Great AV receiver for the moneyNovember 18, 2008 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 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 0 out of 2 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.
EXCELLENT UNITNovember 10, 2008 0 out of 2 found this review helpful
All I have to say is excellent unit for the price. Been looking for a long time for a 7.1 receiver. The prices were out of my reach. Fortunately this unit was well in my reach and it being a SONY unit is a extra plus. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a 7.1 unit.
Bang for the buck.October 29, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this as an open-box [...]. It didn't come with the auto-calibration mic, but not a big deal. This receiver was so easy to set up using just 3 HDMI cables. I hooked up my PS3 and my cable box(DVI to HDMI) to the receiver and the third HDMI cable to the TV. Other than the speaker wires, there are only 3 other cables stickin out of the back of this thing. No birds nest behind my TV anymore.
If you are not looking to spend a bundle on a receiver, I highly recommend looking into this one. It sounds great. It's easy to set up using all HDMI cables, [...] you'd be hard pressed to find something of similiar quality.
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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.
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.
Sony DAV-IS10 Home Theater System $354.95 - $558.99 from 6 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.
