Sony STR-DE845 Surround Receiver

Rating:
Summary: No regrets whatsoever
Review: Guys...if you're looking for a high-powered receiver to drive your speakers, look no further. I have bought the 845 and am driving the Bose AM15 home theatre speaker system with this...it is just wicked! Initially I had some reservations on using Bose speakers with a Non-Bose receiver but after a lot of convincing from the salesperson and Sony I bought this. And I must say that I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, my salesperson also said that this combination would sound much better since the Bose receiver does not have any customization features whatsoever whereas the 845 provides one with an array of features and effects. Also the remote control can control any brand of A/V equipment which makes life much more easier and simpler...I'd recommend you guys to go for it!

Rating:
Summary: Everything You Need, don't be Fooled!
Review: I bought this receiver to finally finish off a home system I had wanted for a long, long time. When I bought it the sales girl told me it was the top of the line receiver that they carried at the time. It was the store demo unit in a small town so I knew it didn't get all that much use plus I bought the 4 year extended warranty (parts and labor). I got it home and hooked it up to my Acoustic Research surround speakers with a 125 watt powered sub woofer. I was blown away! Everyone told me I had to spend at least $1000 on a receiver and another $1000 or more on speakers! I spent $284 on the receiver and $299 on the brand new never hooked up before speakers and we are enjoying movies like never before! This receiver does everything you'll want it to do and more. If I had one complaint it would be that it only has one set of 5.1 inputs on the back and I have the DVD player running through it. If it had one more set I could run my 5.1 capable satilite receiver into it also. This receiver has more power than you'll ever need, we can't even turn it up 1/3rd or we are blown out of the house. Everything is adjustable from the remote which can also run sub routines of other components you have hooked up to the receiver. You'll love this RECEIVER!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginer's surround sound receiver
Review: I found the 845 reciver to be a very well thought out piece of equipment. It has 100watts X 5 channels, Dolby Digital and DTS processers, and a wealth of connections. All the RCA jacks one could ever need, 4 S-Video inputs, 4 Fiber optic, and a dual sub output for those who like their bass thick and chunky! And to top it off.... this year it includes Sony's Remote Commander, which will control just about everything you own. I would recommend this receiver to anyone looking for Digital surround sound, versitility, and reliabilaty.... that won't break the bank!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginer's surround sound receiver
Review: I found the 845 reciver to be a very well thought out piece of equipment. It has 100watts X 5 channels, Dolby Digital and DTS processers, and a wealth of connections. All the RCA jacks one could ever need, 4 S-Video inputs, 4 Fiber optic, and a dual sub output for those who like their bass thick and chunky! And to top it off.... this year it includes Sony's Remote Commander, which will control just about everything you own. I would recommend this receiver to anyone looking for Digital surround sound, versitility, and reliabilaty.... that won't break the bank!

Rating:
Summary: This is a great product!
Review: I'm not a Sony worshipper or prone to hyperbole (see 3 star review on Sony changer CDP-CX400) but this is the first stand alone receiver I've bought and I love it. I use it for music listening and between the 3 band EQ and 27 DSP modes I can customize the sound to my idea of perfection. The volume is unbelievable. On my old systems I would turn it up halfway to two thirds, on this one third is loud enough. I've heard complaints about the LCD remote but I love it. There is an extensive set-up which is good but could be confusing for the novice. My only minor complaints would be lack of a digital CD input. You can use any of the four that it has but 1) you may want them for the components that are supposed to be there and 2) if you are using a Sony CD player with Control A1 capability, the Control A1 only works when the component is hooked up to its matching jack. It also gets quite warm when it runs for awhile but it is well ventulated and has never overheated. The biggest drawback is that this model has been replaced with the 875 and seems to have lost some front panel functionality (instead of having a button to select each component you have an input selection button that you have to cycle through) and EQ range (845 +10/-10 875 +6/-10). The newer model does create a virtual rear center speaker (not an input for a real rear speaker)and has renamed two DSP modes after concert venues in Europe (and I guess recreated their acoustic environments). Sony also added banana plug connectors for all 5 speakers (instead of just the fronts) but took away the option of hooking a second pair of front speakers to use instead of / addition to the primary pair. The remote is also simpler (way to listen to your customers: they want the cheaper remote, sure we'll do that). Haven't heard it (only looked at it and played with it in the store) so I can't comment on the sound. Anyway, this is a great receiver if you can find it. If not, the 875 should suffice but I'd rather have my older model.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of convient features
Review: Sony put out one kick[in] product with this receiver. The number of inputs and the do-everything remote control are simply phenomenal. I can control my vcr, tv, dvd player, and receiver all from the same remote. You don't even have to program it - you simply select the manufacturer of each component from a list.

The unit has some serious power too. I'm using it temporarily with some old 80W speakers, and I can barely put it halfway without it becoming too loud.

If you're looking for a good quality receiver that's full of useful features, this model's it.

Rating:
Summary: This was the best A/V reciever that I could get last year
Review: The rating is 1 star less, due to following reasons 1. It may not support or have any extension capabilities for 6.1 ch & DTS ES. Well nobody would have thought about it then. 2. I could not configure the remote properly for all the equipment. The reason may be that I have everything SONY except Bose speakers. Of course I can atleast turn of everything with one button. The rating is 4 starts because 1. Very good Sony Digital Cinema Sound with different music formats 2. I can use this for both VCR & DVD 3. It recognizes, DTS, optical cable inputs automatically 4. It handles Bose home theatre system very well Four of this points do not mean 4 stars. This system is very good. Give a break and let this unit take some rest, by buying RCAs 1-to-2 conversion jacks to connect your DVD/VCR directly to TV.

Rating:
Summary: This was the best A/V reciever that I could get last year
Review: The rating is 1 star less, due to following reasons 1. It may not support or have any extension capabilities for 6.1 ch & DTS ES. Well nobody would have thought about it then. 2. I could not configure the remote properly for all the equipment. The reason may be that I have everything SONY except Bose speakers. Of course I can atleast turn of everything with one button. The rating is 4 starts because 1. Very good Sony Digital Cinema Sound with different music formats 2. I can use this for both VCR & DVD 3. It recognizes, DTS, optical cable inputs automatically 4. It handles Bose home theatre system very well Four of this points do not mean 4 stars. This system is very good. Give a break and let this unit take some rest, by buying RCAs 1-to-2 conversion jacks to connect your DVD/VCR directly to TV.

Rating:
Summary: I love my 845, well, not literally!!
Review: This receiver is just amazing! I went from the 445 to the 845, and I have to confess that I only changed because I bought a full set of five Cerwin Vegas, LS12's front, LS5's center and rear and an LW12 subwoofer, and I wanted a few more watts to get the most from the Cerwins, not entirely necessary really, because the 445 is no slouch in performance and still went very very loud, then I connected the 845, OH MY GOD! this receiver is a beast!! I put on a CD first, a jungle cd from the UK, I cranked it up and nearly had a cardiac arrest, it is breathtakingly powerful.

The controls were set flat "as always for music" using only the two main speakers, the bass treble and midrange blended really well, the low bass notes common in jungle music were deep and low, and kept good pace with the music, the treble sounded rich and clear. An audiophile "if there really is such a thing" would no doubt think the sound was just brute power with no class, besides you cant get a great sounding receiver for just a few hundred dollars right!!! wrong, you can, and this receiver if you are lucky enough to find one, would be a great place to start.

I found mine in mint condition, I have seen the new 875 and appreciate some of the changes sony have made, banana plugs, front panel hookup, great, but the remote, the front panel nahhhh dont like em! the 845 for looks and that awesome remote wins me over easily, and I intend keeping it for a long long time, just wish I could have found the silver version, WOW I really like those but you dont see that many of them around, hope this helped you.