Sony STR-DE835 Surround Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Down to the cut and chase. This is a great Reciever. I am constantly looking, reviewing and comparing electronic equipment and would say that I have a good knowledge of the market. I give this product a Five Star rating because of the features it carries at the price it gives. If you want a Reciever that can do multiple S-video, digital, analog inputs/outputs for each component,(such as a DSS satalite,VCR,DVD,CD,MD,LD,Ect.)this may not be the Reciever for you. Sure the Reciever can recieve all of these components, just not in S-video & Digital. For support of all these functions you need a bigger (and more expensive, I might add!) Reciever. But if your looking for a Reciever that can handle three Digital/S-video,+ multiple analog inputs/outputs this is the reciever for you! It has plenty of power which is clean and very clear. I love the fact you can adjust individual Bass/Mid/Treble levels and frequencies, the distance and height of the speakers and Type of speakers. These funtions gives the listening point that sweet spot. It also has full Dolby digital/DTS decoding along with 27 soundfeilds that compliment the sound even further. This Reciever has allot of the functions and abilities of the higher end Recievers without the big bucks. Plus, it's from a reliable and reputable company. Sure this Reciever doesn't have it all, but that ALL includes the price.

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Sony's STR-DE835 A/V Receiver employs Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for incredible theater like surround sound in your home. Sony's Digital Cinema Sound system also provides the adjustments necessary to customize sound to your own listening environment. This home theater powerhouse provides 100 watts to each of its five channels which means you won't be asking for more power anytime soon. Discrete output transistors provide for low distortion for less background noise during those quiet movie moments. 5.1-Channel inputs, S-Video inputs/outputs, four digital inputs and a pre-programmed remote control complement the back panel.

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Yamaha RX-N600 Digital Network-Ready Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had this unit for about 2 weeks now. Sound is as good as anything in this price range. I was coming from a Sony 900 series receiver which was failing. This is my first Yamaha. No other manufacturers had networking capability that didn't cost 3 times as much. Plan on spending most of a day setting this up unless you do that kind of thing often.
Most of my comments center around the networking and USB functions because that's why I bought it, to perhaps eliminate my PC as a music source and go direct from this receiver. We'll, it kinda works... The remote is a bit of a sore spot too as with just a bit more functionality it could have been really good, I could have gotten down to one remote but unfortunately it does not control my cable set top box.
Strengths
*Works great with my Sony VCR, remote controls everything nicely.
*Ipod dock (an extra item purchased separately) seems to work very well. Does not play Ipod video though. Remote controls this too
*Nice remote, after you figure it out it is pretty logical. Controls 3 of my 4 components nicely.
*Internet radio is a real winner, seems to have jillions of stations arranged fairly logically by locale. It would be very difficult to duplicate this on your PC unless you enrolled in a pay service. Its like having a short wave radio.
Near misses
*Remote works great with my Sony DVD player, but make sure you have the side switch on "source" to control play, fast forward, etc. Otherwise you won't be able to move the cursor through DVD menus that appear in the movie menu and make choices on how the movie plays.
*If the Remote could just have a little learning it would be great. You won't know if it will control your unit until you try it out. The list of remote codes that Yamaha supplies is vague, does not list models just a bunch of codes for each manufacturer. You just have to try each one for your manufacturer and see if any work. Hit or miss.
*Net/USB did not work with my Creative Zen Nomad jukebox MP3 player, but did work with a Corsair Memory 2gb flash voyager stick. Go figure. I did notice recently that I can set my Zen to act as a mass storgae unit, and to be fair I have not tried that yet.
Weaknesses
*Network music does not work with Microsoft Media Player 11, only 10. I called Yamaha and they said Media Player 11 was not supported. The N600 does not connect reliably to the media library store, sometimes it works fine, sometimes it errors out or just shows an empty list. Very finicky. Media player 11 is in beta so beware, it will become mainsteam shortly and is not supported. I'm not sure if/how Yamaha will remedy this for me.
*Plays wave, WMA and MP3 but not Itunes
*Crude character interface display for the Net/USB functions, like looking at a pong game on an old IBM CGA PC. About as much functionality as a typical MP3 player, you have to scroll through a page at a time in everything. A pain in the neck if you have a large music collection
*Will not control my Motorola DCT700 Comcast cable box, I tried all the Motorola codes and Yamaha says that's all there is, if they don't work you are outta luck. I am.
*Remote has no learning capability.
*Limited inputs for other components, but enough for what I need
*Documentation is OK but the manual is all there is. There is no FAQ or deeper level of detail on their website or anywhere else that I could find. You have to call Yamaha and you will get a live person, but from what I found from 2 calls is they didn't know any more than the manual.
Conclusion: Would I buy this again? Probably not because the networking is so limited, and that was the main reason I selected this model. If you buy a good receiver and go with an attached high quality PC/soundcard you'd be better off.The Yamaha interface does not come anywhere close to the ease of use and nice presentation you get on any PC media player program. That's like comparing a typewriter to using a PC with Word. The USB feature is nice but could be a lot better if it supported more devices.

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The RX-N600 is the first Yamaha receiver to offer network receiver functions. Using network connection and Windows Media Connect ver.2 technology, it lets you play MP3, WMA and WAV music from a remote PC. You can also listen to any of the thousands of stations available on Internet radio.

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Denon AVR-1905 - AV receiver - 7.1 channel Review

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(More customer reviews)I am extremely happy that I chose Denon AVR-1905. It is more than an entry-level receiver that offers 7.1 output and plenty of connections. I have it hooked up in 6.1 mode and it sounds awesome. Component video up-conversion is a blessing while connecting to your T.V. You don't have to fiddle with multiple remotes any more since you connect just one cable to your T.V monitor. I get great picture quality even when I am watching VHS. Denon's speaker test mode coupled with my sound meter helped me achieve flatness in sound.
The receiver has plenty of component-video and S-video connections. As such it has 4 composite inputs but since you would not use composite for DVD and DBS inputs, it left me with two composite inputs for VHS and Karaoke system. That's the only downside I found. Great product overall. You cannot go wrong with Denon.

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Denon AVR-1905 AV Receiver provides power and versatility for your home-theater system. For optimum Dolby Digital and DTS reproduction, the AVR-1905 features high quality, wideband audio amplification, which creates high quality sound. The output stages provide 80 watt power output for each of the seven main channels creating superb sound reproduction quality. Use the 7 Channel Stereo Mode to turn your two-channel sources, including tapes, stereo radio and stereo video into surround sound to enhance your listening experience. Adjustable Cross-over Switching gives you the ability to select the best cross-over frequency to match your subwoofer to your main speaker system On-screen display and multibrand remote with glow-in-the-dark keys for added convenience Unit Dimensions - 17.1w x 6.7h x 16.4d

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Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)My previous receiver was a 9 year old Sherwood. It was a little above a low end unit. It started buzzing and I decided it was time for a replacement. I have 2 nice Wharfdale floor speakers, a nice center, decent rear surrounds and 2 really decent sub woofers.
I read extensive reviews on several brands and decided that I would purchas Onkyo. I went to Fry's looking for the 606 model. They were sold out and just received the 607. I purchased the 607.
I wanted something HDMI based that allowed audio through the HDMI cables. The thing was a snap to set up. Make sure to run an HDMI cable to your TV from the receiver so that you can do on screen programming.
As I said, I have 2 sub woofers and the 607 has two output RCA jacks to enable 2 subs. No more RCA splitters. I fired the thing up and was shocked at the sound quality. The thing sparkles and the lows are clean and deep. I adjusted the individual speaker levels with a Radio Shack db meter on an easy to use Onkyo menu. I did not use the calibration system built into the receiver. A few trips through the menus and you have them mastered. The menu system is REALLY SIMPLE.
Unless you have some REALLY expensive speakers, this is the unit for you. Great sound quality, simple setup and easy menus make this a good choice for the novice or mid range home theater enthusiast.
I highly recommend the unit.

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The TX-SR607 raises the bar once again in the competitive world of mid-range home theater. With HDMI 1.3a inputs for up to six components, it’s ready to handle all your high-definition video and audio needs. Whether it’s a Blu-ray Disc player, a cable or satellite box, or a gaming console, your video signals will be traveling first class. Lower-resolution analog video signals, meanwhile, can be upscaled to 1080i and fine-tuned by Faroudja DCDi Edge™. HDMI version 1.3a also transports the master-quality HD audio formats, DTS-HD Master Audio™ and Dolby TrueHD. The very latest Dolby technology, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, enhances the spatial sensation

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JBL CS480BG High Performance, complete 6-Piece Home Theater Speaker System with Brackets (Black Gloss) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start by saying that I couldn't be happier with these speakers. I did my homework when it was time to take my 6 year old HK SAT-TS2 5.1 system off the wall and make the next step toward turning my living room into a true cinema. Although I have the 6.1 capable Sony receiver and Blueray player (AKA PS3), I decided to stick with a 5.1 system due to the size limitation of my living room (13x16). My room was already wired, but the system does come with speaker wires and subwoofer cable. Another bonus are the two sets of speaker brackets. This system includes fixed (uni-directional swivel) and pivoting brackets for all the speakers. I also liked the departure from the spring clip connectors. These speakers have quality screw terminals that can handle a 10 gauge wire. The only issue I discovered was that the fixed bracket for the center speaker may create a short between the speaker wire terminals. A little electrical tape solved the problem and I was finally off to the races. HD TV, Dolby Digital 5.1 movies, and PS3 games have been raised to a new level with this system. Zero buyer's remorse!

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The CS480 is a beautifully-designed, high-performance home theater speaker system.The system features four identical satellites, a matching horizontal center speaker, and a powerful 125-watt subwoofer.The satellites feature JBL's advanced titanium-laminate dome tweeters and 3-1/2" drivers for unsurpassed power and realism.The voice-matched center channel speaker uses components that are identical to those used in the satellites for seamless pans, with two midranges for extra power and clarity in the dialogue channel.The attractive contemporary design of the system and its black high-gloss finish will complement any flat-panel television and the decor of any room.Wall brackets are included for the satellites and center channel.

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