Why is Sony rarely discussed?

[Zapdude]

Been following the threads here for about a month. Like many other posting on this site, I've narrowed my shortlist of receivers to:

Denon 3808CI
Pioneer VSx94
Yamaha RXV3800

Why is there so little discussion about Sony? The STR-DA5300ES seems to have as good a set of features as any of the above. Are there problems with this model?

 

[Seth=L]

Been following the threads here for about a month. Like many other posting on this site, I've narrowed my shortlist of receivers to:

Denon 3808CI
Pioneer VSx94
Yamaha RXV3800

Why is there so little discussion about Sony? The STR-DA5300ES seems to have as good a set of features as any of the above. Are there problems with this model?

The Sony STR-DA5300ES has more features than other receivers in the same line, but I believe it uses the same amplifier section that even the Big Box store model uses, the STR-DG1000. On that budget you should throw the Onkyo TX-SR875 into the mix, or if you plan on having mostly HD sources and have a good HDTV or upscaling DVD player get the TX-SR805.

 

[GlocksRock]

I think many people here have found that they either dislike Sony for their lack of quality products, or because they have resorted to unethical behavior in the past and we choose to boycott them.

 

[yettitheman]

I think many people here have found that they either dislike Sony for their lack of quality products, or because they have resorted to unethical behavior in the past and we choose to boycott them.

That, and typically, for the same price on a different brand, you can typically gain much more of a mature feature set. The higher end of the Sony spectrum, can compare to other recievers, however, I am personally against them, just because they seem a bit anemic compared to other recievers.

The key word is to look for the ES line.

 

[j_garcia]

Because Sony focuses on features and pretty much nothing else... The ES line is decent, but still not on my personal list to recommend much less buy.

 

[croseiv]

Old Sony ES was premier quality stuff. Now the newer ES is okay, but not like it used to be.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

The only Sony I would ever own is the PS3.

 

[Zapdude]

Thanks folks. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

 

[cbraver]

Sony Records has pissed me off so much that I basically don't even pay attention to any Sony products anymore. They just have a completely different set of values than me, and that conflict is enough for me to boycott them.

For an artists perspective, I give you Slightly Stoopid (they don't mention Sony in specific, but, you'll get the idea ... it's at 1:58):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F98uph6zmQ&feature=related

Speaking of Slightly Stoopid, don't let the name fool you. Buy "Chronchitis," I bet you guys will love it!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Does your boycott mean you dont watch movies from Sony or any of their associates or that you just dont buy their gear?

Sony Records has pissed me off so much that I basically don't even pay attention to any Sony products anymore. They just have a completely different set of values than me, and that conflict is enough for me to boycott them.

For an artists perspective, I give you Slightly Stoopid (they don't mention Sony in specific, but, you'll get the idea ... it's at 1:58):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F98uph6zmQ&feature=related

Speaking of Slightly Stoopid, don't let the name fool you. Buy "Chronchitis," I bet you guys will love it!

 

[cbraver]

Does your boycott mean you dont watch movies from Sony or any of their associates or that you just dont buy their gear?

Haha, pretty much, but it's not something I get too stressed or passionate about, though. If I really liked something from them, I'd probably buy it. Honestly, they don't make it to hard on me though, haha.

I certainly don't buy their gear. Ever since they suckered me into buying those memory sticks (back before iPods) that I had a hard time even loading music I had PURCHASED onto. I returned that quick, but it left a bad taste.

As far as movies and music, Sony back in the day had some great stuff.. Santana, Bob Dylan, to name a few. The old stuff I'll buy. I can't think of any new records from them I have purchased, though. Not out of my distaste for Sony, but, distaste for the music itself. I have a bunch of stuff from small labels...Skunk, XL, Naked, Defected, Bombay, to name a few that are sitting next to me right now.

But, I'm not a true boycotter.

 

[mike c]

I ALWAYS buy their TV's ... in fact, I'm getting ready to order a crap load of flat panels for my dad's house.

that and the PS3 ... no other sony equipment for me

 

[fmw]

Why is there so little discussion about Sony? The STR-DA5300ES seems to have as good a set of features as any of the above. Are there problems with this model?

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. But, apparently nobody else does either. I read a lot of preconceived notions, guesses and biases in this thread but nothing concrete at all. It seems to me the Sony line has a lot of value. I don't have any experience with it but I can tell you I'd take one today to replace my Onkyo 605. The 605 is recommended and popular but I certainly don't think much of it.

 

[avliner]

... I'm getting ready to order a crap load of flat panels for my dad's house...

That's the good'n ol' Mike we use to know...

Cheers, Chuck

 

[mike c]

That's the good'n ol' Mike we use to know...

Cheers, Chuck

not my money of course

it's fun spending someone else's money.

 

[avliner]

Never mind Mike,

your new born baby will do that, for sure... It's just a matter of time:

 

[bballerr]

I own a sony DG600 (little bit lower budget, I got my eye on the onkyo once I go start building up my home theater for real) I got it because its got a ton of features for a $200 receiver...Ive gotta second the anemic part though...I dont have an ideal setup with sattelite speakers in a 3500 cu ft room, but it struggles with lower sensitivity (89 db) speakers. My parents have an old panasonic and my uncle has an onkyo, they go louder much easier

 

[Matt34]

The Sony STR-DA5300ES has more features than other receivers in the same line, but I believe it uses the same amplifier section that even the Big Box store model uses, the STR-DG1000. On that budget you should throw the Onkyo TX-SR875 into the mix, or if you plan on having mostly HD sources and have a good HDTV or upscaling DVD player get the TX-SR805.

I think many people here have found that they either dislike Sony for their lack of quality products, or because they have resorted to unethical behavior in the past and we choose to boycott them.

That, and typically, for the same price on a different brand, you can typically gain much more of a mature feature set. The higher end of the Sony spectrum, can compare to other recievers, however, I am personally against them, just because they seem a bit anemic compared to other recievers.

The key word is to look for the ES line.

Because Sony focuses on features and pretty much nothing else... The ES line is decent, but still not on my personal list to recommend much less buy.

Haha, pretty much, but it's not something I get too stressed or passionate about, though. If I really liked something from them, I'd probably buy it. Honestly, they don't make it to hard on me though, haha.

I certainly don't buy their gear. Ever since they suckered me into buying those memory sticks (back before iPods) that I had a hard time even loading music I had PURCHASED onto. I returned that quick, but it left a bad taste.

As far as movies and music, Sony back in the day had some great stuff.. Santana, Bob Dylan, to name a few. The old stuff I'll buy. I can't think of any new records from them I have purchased, though. Not out of my distaste for Sony, but, distaste for the music itself. I have a bunch of stuff from small labels...Skunk, XL, Naked, Defected, Bombay, to name a few that are sitting next to me right now.

But, I'm not a true boycotter.

It looks like plenty of reasonable explanations and personal experiences to me.

What don't you like about your Onkyo?

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. But, apparently nobody else does either. I read a lot of preconceived notions, guesses and biases in this thread but nothing concrete at all. It seems to me the Sony line has a lot of value. I don't have any experience with it but I can tell you I'd take one today to replace my Onkyo 605. The 605 is recommended and popular but I certainly don't think much of it.

 

[Swerd]

Sony used to be one of the best consumer electronic companies. Unfortunately, their quality control and customer service have gone down the toilet. I have heard enough horror stories from friends who have bought Sony DVD players, TVs, computers, HT receivers, etc. such that I would consider never buying another Sony product. I'm sure there are people who have had good experiences with recent Sony purchases, but there are plenty of other good products available that don't come with Sony's potential for trouble.

 

[fmw]

It looks like plenty of reasonable explanations and personal experiences to me.

What don't you like about your Onkyo?

I don't like the little ticks I hear occasionally from the surround processor. It sounds like quantization errors. It's distracting and a common problem with this unit. It bothers me enough that I'm going to replace the receiver soon. It won't be an Onkyo to be sure.