Review on Sony STR-DH520 7.1 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black) - Discontinued Model by Angie Creek

I didn't expect to buy this AV receiver. I mainly looked at Harman Kardon and Denon, both expensive but brands I have no problem with. Sony, on the other hand, is a company I've grown tired of lately (mainly because their new products seem poorly designed and cheap). This receiver is not what I expected from Sony. It is housed in a very nice all-metal body, has 7.1 channels (130 watts per channel), a very good remote control and excellent performance. I decided to buy mainly because the Harman Kardon and Denon receivers were a bit overpriced for what I needed. I have a JBL Cinema 500 sound system (5.1 channels only) and don't need a "premium" receiver to use them. It was a great thing! On the other hand, I think this is the only area where Sony still feels relevant. I connected my speakers (which was very easy), selected the setup via the front panel display (more on that in a moment), connected my consoles and booted it up with no problems - a painless process (10 minutes or less). Well, here are the only real issues I have with this receiver, but these can easily be justified by the lower price: - No on-screen settings menu. It gets really annoying when you have to navigate through all the settings on the front LCD. -- Standby mode. I understand why that is, but I get frustrated when it goes to sleep every 30 minutes. I disabled it for every connected source but it refuses to stay enabled. My TV turns off when no HDMI signal is detected. Once it goes into standby mode, I have about 1 minute to turn it back on before my TV turns off. -- The size. Like any receiver, this thing is big, heavy, and... well, just big. It's only annoying if you're short on space next to the TV and want it next to the TV. Now for performance. I haven't had any performance issues with this receiver, that's all I can say, but everything works exactly how I'd like it to. My speakers have a maximum output of about 100 watts, so I never cranked the volume all the way up. I got to 40 on the dial and it was almost too loud. So I can't imagine what the 100 will look like. All in all, this is an incredible purchase if you can get it for less than $200. I love that Sony has a two year warranty on parts and labor and I don't expect any issues with that. My last receiver lasted 9 years before I replaced it and it still worked. I would recommend it if you are looking for a cheap, good looking, simple and great working receiver.