Sony STR-DG800 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver with HDMI Passthrough (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
A major surprise.
Initially I was skeptical that this receiver would be any good given it's price (which was below $250 during Amazon sale). I switched from a Pioneer VSX-816, which I liked a lot, mainly to get HDMI switching at an affordable price. However, I haven't been happy with Sony's sound or build quality in the past, so expected to return it after trying it out. I still have it and like it, with some reservations.   <br /> <br />PLUSES: <br /> <br />Low price. <br /> <br />HDMI switching. <br /> <br />Individual input labeling. <br /> <br />Passes HD video (component and HDMI) with no deterioration that I could detect. <br /> <br />Much better sound than I had expected. (I am not an audiophile and use the receiver mostly for watching video sources, not for music.)  <br /> <br />Good build quality, given its price. <br />  <br />Very good ability to assign video and audio inputs. <br /> <br />MINUSES: <br /> <br />Auto speaker setup is limited and not as good as Pioneer's. <br /> <br />Confusing menus, especially for assigning audio and video inputs to difference sources, but once you figure it out, it is very flexible. <br /> <br />Needs another component input (it only has two). <br /> <br />Confusing manual (and too small). <br /> <br />Can't attenuate analog sources to even sound levels, or retain last sound level setting for each input.  <br /> <br />No on-screen menu! That should be standard on any receiver requiring this much set up. Biggest omission in my opinion. <br /> <br />Upconverts video to component but not to HDMI (not really a surprise, but we can wish can't we.) <br /> <br /> <br />In summary, a pleasant surprise and worth a try if you are looking for an affordable receiver with HDMI switching that has decent sound quality.  <br />