Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony STR-DE485 Audio/Video Receiver with Surround Sound

Sony's STR-DE485 is quite a good entry-level A/V receiver. The sound is crisp and clean with little distortion at any volume level, and the FM tuner can lock on to even the weakest stations. With 6 available inputs, the unit is capable and a great component to build a home theater around.

Sony also offers the longest warranty in the industry -- competing receivers offer only a 1 year or 90 day warranty while Sony covers both parts and labor for a full two years.

Quality and warranty aside, however, the Sony name commands a price premium as opposed to competing products in its price level from Pioneer, Kenwood, and others. Competing models may include S-Video inputs and Doly Pro Logic II decoding, both of which Sony's STR-DE485 lacks. Most comparable receivers also offer an output of 100 watts x 5 channels, where the STR-DE485 only offers 80 watts x 5 channels.

I had a similar case with bass sound, which did not come sufficiently good from str-de485. I used a subwoofer and adjusted the surround sound levels with the available controls on the amplifier/receiver; it improved a lot. This is a good product with a low price, especially for home usage. 80 watts is more than sufficient to shake the windows.