No disrespect meant, but you asked us for our opinions of the receiver. However, you don't want anything negative. I actually own a Sony receiver. I think their low end stuff at 50% below MSRP is not a bad deal at all. Some people like the ES line. My issue with the ES line is that it knocks on the door of higher end Onkyos, Yamahas, Harman Kardon's, Marantz's as well as the lower end of Rotel, NAD, etc.
First things first. You're asking about an extremely old receiver. It has no modern video switching, video processing or upconversion. It even lacks component inputs.
A lot of people have complained about this particular model going into PROTECT mode. Sony and Onkyo both seem to have problems with overheating receivers. I don't know what's up with that.
Now, you originally asked about receivers. That is cool. Receivers are basically units that combine (pre+)amplification, audio processing and AM/FM radio tuning into one box. Obviously, many receivers do more. However, those are the basic requirements. Before we would recommend a receiver to you we would need to know what speakers you have, your listening preferences, your room size and your budget. Please do not even think of buying a receiver before buying speakers--PERIOD. Speakers should determine your receiver requirements not the other way around.
