Sony STR-DG520 5.1 Audio Video Receiver - Black

I bought this receiver, along with a Blu-Ray player, for its HDMI inputs. Hidden in the fine print of the product description are the words "pass-through", which apparently means it can "pass through" audio to a TV via HDMI, but not to speakers which are connected to the receiver. Further research revealed that I'd need to buy the STR-DG820 or 920 to get this internal audio-processing capability. Uh, what's the point of the receiver if it can't utilize the audio via HDMI? Yes, I could connect an optical digital or coaxial cable (in my case, I could only do that for either my satellite receiver OR the Blu-Ray player but not both, but that's another story). I sent it back.

My 9 year old receiver finally died. Complete set up took about two hours, but it took me a 1/2 hour to get out the old receiver and components to make way for the new one. Once out of the box it was a really easy set up.

For Video: My Blu-ray player through HDMI connector goes directly to the HDMI in on TV. My FIOS HD DVR box via HDMI goes directly into the TV.

For Audio: Blu-ray to new receiver via optical; FIOS HD DVR to new receiver via optical.

I have all video going directly to TV and all audio to receiver.

Harmony remote: No problems out the gate with this receiver using a Harmony 688 remote once updated. This is unbelievable. When I buy a new component it normally takes a call(s) to their support, because the remote doesn't work with what they had for their update.

Ipod: This unit does not come like some others with a slot for your ipod. However, for 20.00 you can buy a cable with 2 x RCA's on one end and that small single headphone jack tip on the other end. I just plugged in the RCA's in the back of the units "SACD" slot and hid the cable underneath the unit. When I want to play the ipod through the receiver, I simply pull out the cable from under the receiver and plug it into my ipod and set the receiver to SACD.

Performance: It took me a while to figure out the all the settings and menus in the set up. It will play great without any fussing in 5.1, but if you want to get it working to your personal satisfaction you will need to go into the settings.

The sound of the unit is great. It blows away what I was used to previously having a 9 year old receiver that I bought when DTS was brand new in the home theater market, so I am very pleased.

All in all it is a great unit for the price. No extra frills, but it gets the job done...at least at my place.

Im not going to write a lot because I don't have the time.

This receiver has done nothing but the best for me. Everything about it makes the set-up experience and the actual sound experience better than I have had before.

100% positive.

Recommended!

I was shopping for a replacement for my Onkyo TX-SR304. One of the shops I went to had this on clearance for less than $100. I took a chance and bought it, was skeptical about Sony Receivers. When I got home I hooked it up and made some adjustments and was surprised. Love watching action movies - it had much more "kick" than my Onkyo. Great frequency response - kudos to Sony! Some notes: would recommend turning Bass & Treble to full, NO HDMI pass through, set crossover to 150Hz for small speakers & 80Hz for big speakers.

I am an otherwise tech savvy consumer who was temporarily confused after buying this AV receiver. Having purchased my last receiver in 1991 I was only peripherally aware of some important things to note.
1. As stated in another review here (I wish I read it before buying) this receiver doesn't decode Dolby audio over HDMI, a.k.a. HDMI pass through. The manual doesn't explicitly say this--it uses the term pass through but not the part about requiring separate audio. While HDMI normally carries video and audio, using HDMI with this receiver will only give you video (unless you turn dolby off, but that makes all your speakers expensive dust collectors). I was using an HDMI cable, for example to connect my HD DVR to my TV. When I ran an HDMI cable to the receiver and then from the receiver to the TV I had video but no picture. When I asked the magnolia people in best buy (where I bought it) if I might have something hooked up wrong, they offered to schedule a home visit for $149. I**ots. There are seperate digital audio inputs. Two, in fact. So where you used to run a single cable, now you will have to run two: something for video, HDMI or component AND an audio cable (optical or coax). Looking back, this doesn't seem to difficult but it sure stymied me for a day.
2. Only signals that go in via HDMI can go out via HDMI. It can't go in as component and out as HDMI. This isn't as subtle a point once you have the system in front of you, but you should be aware of this if you are planning on running a single HDMI cable to your TV (as I was).
3. A much smaller point is the different types of dolby. there are a number of encoding schemes. The receiver has an auto feature which is supposed to detect the dolby standard and properly decode it for your speakers. It works almost perfectly. On a few channels and for a few programs, that I knew were dolby I was only getting sound out of the front two speakers. Simply pressing the dolby select button to try different dolby schemes I found the right one and sound came out of every speaker. For all I know the one I found was the one always in use but for some reason to autodetect didn't work on that particular transmission.

More expensive units overcome the first two points. I think the 920 model for instance can use a single HDMI for vid and audio. I know more expensive models allow you take analog inputs and convert them for transmission over HDMI to your TV. Still for $190 you really get a lot of value. I looked at more expensive models and while they had more features (such as those mentioned above) and more inputs and channels, it seems your speakers will make a much larger difference in the actual sound than anything else. Unless you absolutely need one of the other features, spend the extra money on speakers. And, if as a first time surround sound buyer you are wondering if 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 should be a concern-- don't be. The majority of stuff is 5.1 and detecting the difference between 5.1 and 7.1 requires extremely sensitive ears in someone less than 30 years of age and a very precisely setup system. Get a better 5.1 rather than a poor 7.1 system.


The manual stated that some components will not be able to transmit audio over HDMI-- this is misleading or at least incomplete information. I would have given this 4 stars except for the fact that I called sony tech support, got through in less than 2 minutes and talked to someone very competent who explained to me the need for a separate audio cable. For this reason I am giving it 5 stars. Again, a lot of value for the money.