Sony STR-DG800 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver with HDMI Passthrough (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
Slick, Compact, and easy to install - A good buy for sure
I recently upgraded my 5.1 THX Home Theater system, and chose this receiver to replace an old Kenwood KC-X1 Receiver and it's companion (seperate) amplifier (2 big, bulky mothers).<br /><br />  I had not been happy with the sound I was getting from the Kenwood gear and the Boston Accoustics THX speakers I use for some time now.  I put off upgrading for far too long because of the several hours of confusion I generally go through trying to add or reconfigure anything on my system (I have far too much stuff).<br /><br />  Finally I bit the bullet and purchased this Sony STR-DG800 receiver at probably 1/4th the cost of my old Kenwood gear.  I am totally satisfied with the decision.  The setup for the Sony STR-DG800 was totally painless, the installation instructions were clear and concise, and the configuring system for my room was flawless.  I was done within a couple of hours, and that included rearranging all of my gear.  When I tested the home theater sound for the first time I was in awe...  It was a mega-step higher than my old gear (which I thought was so cool before).<br /><br />  The only problem that I encountered, and one that Sony should fix immediately!!!! was the remote control.  Why is it that a SONY AV Receiver will not recognize (or be configurable for) a SONY DVP-CX985V 400 DVD disc carousel player?  So I rarely use the Sony remote at all, and have since programmed everything into my programmable Marantz remote controller.  For this reason alone I subtract a star from my review.<br /><br />  But all-in-all, if I had the decision to make again, I would be wise to make the very same choice again.  I like my system so much better now because I do not have to crank up the volume to ear-splitting levels to get great sound.