Sony STR-DE185 2 Channels Receiver

Pros: Price Point Great Sound for Price Sony Reputation Great Radio Reception
Cons: Lack of Sound Control Remote not backlit Cheap speaker wire connects

I bought this receiver to power bookshelf speakers (Sony SS-MB150H) for my home office. I wanted an economical and reliable system that had adequate sound. I have been impressed with the overall sound quality when listening to local radio shows, XM ...

Pros: 30 station programmable. Remote. 100 total watts. Mega bass.
Cons: No hookup for subwoofer. No hookup for phono.

Sony is by far the best electronic producer in the world. Sony is known to make great audio components and the STR-DE185 is one of them. I was so amused on how a $150.00 receiver would cost. The sound from it is great. But, for all you bass lover out...

Pros: Um...Cant really find any
Cons: Poor sound, cheap build

This thing sounds just plain awful. I listened to this receiver versus many many others and this was the bottom of the barrel. The audio reproduction is terrible compared to other brands out there. Compare this receiver to a 2 channel Yamaha or Denon and you'll see that there is no comparison. Every sound out of this thing is muddy. I'm not a big fan of any Sony audio and this amp is a prime example. Cheap build quality, few inputs and poor sound quality. You will be much happier with another brand. Try Denon,Harmon Kardon, Onkyo, Yamaha instead.

Pros: reliable, simple controls, nice feeling volume knob
Cons: weak. Very unsatisfying to someone who cares about sound, and has heard better.

I bought this amplifier at best buy as a freshman in college because it was cheap and I needed something to power the speakers I built. I am now a senior, and searching for a new amp. I've never been pleased with the sony. It just doesn't have enough power to drive the low end. I've never had any problems develope, it has been very reliable, I just wish I had never wasted the money. Last year, I ran a wire out of the headphones jack to the inputs of a 20 watt per side carver power amp, and the sound difference was astounding. Sony was much too liberal in the power rating of this amplifier. The power supply (which contributes to most weight to a traditional amplifer) is tiny. I guess you get what you pay for... Pay a little more than what this costs and you get a lot more. My roomate has an old (maybe 10 or 15 years old) sony stereo reciever with a big old power supply, and this thing is great. It makes the one I've got sound like a piece of junk.

Pros: preset text, good bass, sleep, easy use remote
Cons: search style tuning unless you use direct (type in the station), no sub output

I bought this amplifier for my DJing speakers (300w 15" down to 15) so I could use them in my room. I had heard this amp on my friends speakers (400w dual 15") and it sounded really good with his and it was the right price so I bought it. I love it so far. Sure it only has treble and bass control but it still has excellent tone. The bass boost adds a lot to it but sometimes over does it. It pushes my speakers really well for only being 100 watts max.

Pros: preset text, easy use remote, easy preset storing, good bass, great volume controls (muting while turning it down helps when u need to talk to someone on the phone),sleep option, and great overall sound.

Cons: general tuning is a search unless you use the direct button where you type in the station and no sub output.

Overall this is a great buy if your looking for a good stereo receiver.

Pros: Good cost/benefit ratio. Wide frequency response range (20 Hz to 50 kHz). Low THD.
Cons: Difficult to store radio stations. Only two output channels. No DTS or Dolby decoder.

I got this receiver on sale at a local A/V store. I have to say it might be the best 140 bucks I spent on a receiver. It does not come with many bells and whistles--just 100W x 2 channels, but the sound quality it produces on my vintage Sony speakers is excellent. The total harmonic distortion (0.09% according to the manual) is not as low as more expensive high-end models but is good enough and I did not hear distortion when the volume was turned up.