Plan to buy Receiver and DVD player. (1 Viewer)

[Tim Bishop]

First time posting so......

Have read many postings over the past little while (especially the movie reviews and discussions) and wonder why no one ever says anything about Sony product.

To be honest,I work for Columbia Films so I get a small discount on Sony product and was planning on buying a new receiver. The STRDE685 looks on paper like what I need to go with my Energy Take 5+1 speakers. I currently have a Yamaha 585 which I will continue to use as a music only stereo with a couple speakers.

Am I wasting my time buying Sony ?

Advise please.

 

[Ted Lee]

hi tim -

welcome to htf!

regarding sony products, you may (or may not) be aware that the sony audio gear comes in two main models. their standard stuff and their "ES" stuff.

i've owned both.

i was not a big fan of their regular stuff. the amp sounded weak and the build quality was not very good. i got rid of it pretty quickly.

but i LOVED my ES receiver - i still wish i had it. it was rock solid, had beautiful craftsmanship, and a very strong amp.

so, if you can get the ES stuff, i say give it a shot. i would pass on their standard line. of course, how much of a discount are we talkin' about - that'll obviously make a difference too.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Yes. The standard sony line (non -ES) is inferior even to yamaha. The brands mentioned as being much better, would be HK, Denon, Marantz, Sony-ES, Yamaha, Integra and I know i'm missing some but thats a pretty big list there. There are budget receivers put out by those brands, that would walk all over a regular sony unit. Each of these brands have their strengths and weaknesses and some are better than others. I personally would put Sony-ES and yamaha a little bit below HK and Marantz, with Denon in between, or just as good. But all of these brands have very solid units that I would take any day over a standard Sony.

 

[Tim Bishop]

So if I buy the STRDA1ES that will give me what I need to go with my Energy speakers ? Or do I need to go up another level in the ES?
Trying to keep to a budget which includes and 36"XBR TV and Progressive Scan DVD.

 

[Ted Lee]

i think you'll be happy with any ES model - they should match well with your energy speakers.
if you want opinions on that (or any) specific receiver, do a search in the receivers forum.
also, if you can, try to go to a b&m store and get your hands on the receiver you're thinking about.
es receiver + 36" xbr + progressive dvd + energy speakers = nice setup.

 

[Tim Bishop]

Thanks for all your help.

Tim

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Tim. This Receiver Comparison Chart might help you see what features the other brands have for the same $$$. (although it does not reflect your discount ). From the chart, the only thing you really get by going up to the 2ES is 6.1 (for the rear-center speaker). But you dont have/cant buy a separate speaker so it really does not seem cost-effective to buy the more expensive unit.
The Energy speakers are not demanding/hard to drive so you really dont need to worry too much about paring them to a particular receiver.
And I love my Sony DVD player. It was one of the first that would auto-select the DD sound track. Very handy. I suspect the current generation of Sony DVD players are quite good. You would need to browse the "Audio Video Sources" fourm for discussions.
The XBR TV is also a fine choice. While all the HD sets look good with a good source, the XBR TV's seem to do well with low-quality sources like CATV/DSS.
So enjoy your discount and new toys!