Customer Ratings & Reviews

I purchased this as the centerpiece for a dedicated system for my turntable, the Audio Technica AT-LP60X, paired with two Sony SS-CS3 floor-standing tower speakers. Got it at an excellent price during the holiday sales at Best Buy. My main attraction to this receiver, aside from being at a price that fit my budget, was the dedicated phono input. Overall the sound of the system is clear, and certainly loud enough, but it does lack a certain "UMPH!," for lack of better words. It sounds/feels very "safe." Almost too clean. But it's still a vast improvement to what I was using a before. I do like the very clean and minimal look of the front, but I feel some of the user interface could be better. I like the very large volume knob, but it could feel tighter; more confident. There's another knob right next to it that's about half the size for switching between the various inputs. It makes no sense for input selection to be determined by twisting a knob, except that it reduces the buttons needed on the front of the device. It would make much more sense if this knob was, instead, used for tuning the FM channels. But instead tuning through the channels and FM presets is done by small buttons on the front panel. This is cumbersome and slow. When cycling through FM channels you can't just hold the button down to speed through the frequencies (on either the receiver or the included remote). You have to press the button again each time it lands on a station. So, you switch to a station, it takes a second for it to load, THEN you press the button again and it finds the next available station. Again, this would be much easier with a dial. The remote does everything that's on the front panel, and even more, and it does it better than the front panel. In fact, if you get this DON'T LOSE THE REMOTE! The sound quality is very good with the speakers, but as I mentioned earlier it lacks "UMPH!" It feels "safe." However that could be just the speakers, or my turntable, or both. I've also heard of stereos needing to "break in," so maybe I just haven't owned or listened to it long enough. Despite the weird interface issues and the lack of character in the sound, this is still a great piece, especially for the price. Be aware that I am NOT an audiophile, nor do I have any experience with hi-fi systems or nice home theater systems or anything like that. This stereo, and the speakers, are perfect for someone starting out on a limited budget, but want to do better than an all-in-one type of system or a soundbar or something like that. Overall I recommend this product.

It seems to work fine , only problem I have with this unit is that it doesn’t have a lot of Bass . My speakers could be part of the problem. Definitely a great size. Fits well in stand .

My 35 year old amp finally died. I have a wonderful pair of Polk Audio speakers that I want to stream music to using an Amazon Echo Dot. I needed a replacement amp with enough power to drive them. This receiver is doing that just fine. At some point, I may use the bluetooth to stream from other devices. I'm disappointed that there is no way to adjust balance between speakers. The receiver has FM (no AM), phono inputs (which I may use if I ever get around to digitizing my album collection), and pairs of RCA plugs that look like they would work for connecting and recording to a tape deck. I would recommend this to a friend who had the same use case, but would suggest they spend a little more if they want to use it as the heart of a home audio setup.

So I purchased this because I wanted a stereo receiver with A & B speaker options so that I could split audio to 2 separate sets of speakers. This was to replace a 20+ year old Sony home theater receiver. In that regard it works fine. It has a solid number of basic input options including the Bluetooth which I have tested but typically don't use. Like the old one, I appreciate the basic design of the front as I am one of those that doesn't like a lot of lights, dials flair and flash. All in all it does everything as expected- with the exception that Sony has decided that the only input option for an FM antenna is a tiny, hair thin single wire type antenna befitting a motel alarm clock, not any kind of serious home use. Let me be clear, shame on me for not researching better but there is NO option for connection of a coax or even spade terminal 300 ohm antennas. I have a very good FM antenna at the highest point of my attic and with my old receiver connected via about 50 feet of coax I received A LOT of channels with excellent clarity. Much to my chagrin, this receiver got TERRIBLE reception no matter how I oriented the tiny wire. I came very very close to returning the receiver, but after a little online research I found that I could purchase two-wire connectors that would plug directly into antenna input. A 300-75 ohm balun and some soldering later I had an adapter that I could connect my coax antenna feed to and presto, got all my FM reception back. This is not a sophisticated piece of hardware as far as what it does, so the lack of a common, useful antenna connection cripples its use as an FM tuner. While I do use several streaming services, I can't be the only person that still wants an FM radio, particularly for listening to local sports without a subscription service or other methods of dubious legality. If you are interested in this primarily for over the air FM reception, be aware that it really requires a bit of DIY work to connect even a pair of rabbit ears

This receiver is very sleek and will blend in extremely will with any modern home. I loved the looks and the Bluetooth connectivity was also excellent. I never lost connection. I also appreciated the phono input. Super easy to use. The sound is just okay. It does have clear sound but the lows are non existent and there is no sub out connection. Technically you can find a sub that would be compatible but overall this is a low end receiver that will be well served by someone that appreciates its design over its sound. The sound isn’t bad, but for an extra $100 you would still be in budget receiver category and could get better sound. I ended up returning this and replacing it with an older Denon that absolutely blows it out do the park. For the price, you can’t expect much more. If you want above average sound, you will have to set your sights elsewhere.

Bought this to replace an older stereo for my TV in my bedroom. While I liked the Bluetooth audio and the phono hookup and other aux hookup but it did have a separate jack that uses headphone jack to headphone jack for like an I-Pod or other portable devices I was not pleased with the radio side of this stereo it had FM only you couldn't manually tune the radio it has seek and preset function only plus it has no AM the FM antenna has only one wire and does not have any external connections for a stronger antenna hookup. For the price it's a nice two channel 100 watts total output stereo it's great for making any TV sound much better than the speakers that came with the TV. It does come with a remote.

Although this is an adequate stereo amp for the price, the sound signature is woefully inadequate. Even with bass and treble at their highest setting, there is little richness in the sound. Poor bass response isn’t helping the situation. Essentially a very flat sounding amp. If you’re looking for a basic analog amp to enjoy spinning some vinyl and hearing that classic 70’s warmth and expansive sound stage, look elsewhere.

Overall, this is a good receiver to "get the job done". I have had a few difficulties with it, however, that have irritated me. One is that when I am connected to some bluetooth devices, there is a loud static noise when playing songs or videos. I love the bluetooth feature, so I have been using it, only to have my ears hurt from this sound at the beginning of songs. All that beings, said, this receiver does seem to produce a clear reproduction and has an easy to use remote. My Klipsch reference speakers sound great through it when I have the bass turned up a bit on the receiver. As others have mentioned, the EQ options are just bass and treble, and the bass tuning is frustrating as it seems low and when I cut bass up it starts to get muddy (tuning too much into the mids/bass).

I ordered the wrong reciever. Does not have HDMI. Other then that, it works ok on blutooth.

Right off the bat the speaker connection clips broke during set-up. Both left/right but fortunately, this receiver has a speaker B set option. I hooked up the speakers with great caution and success was obtained. The above is the cause of 3-star review. Bluetooth connectivity is strong and sound is what one might expect from this very budget-friendly receiver - Good Sound.

The sound quality is above average except that I have to crank the volume control above 20 to hear the sound clearly and fully in medium to large size rooms. Specific complaints about the operation: First, it's all but impossible to use the controls on the receiver in low light. Nothing is backlit (not even the on button). The dial that selects inputs and sources is a pain. "Sleek design" here means inconvenience in finding and selecting inputs (CD, phono, etc.). I prefer a panel that allows me to select an input source with clearly identifiable buttons. Even worse is the remote, which also has no lighting, so it's impossible to use in low light or semi-darkness. Have a flashlight handy. More frustrating is the remote's user-unfriendly, overly complex way of accessing features. Nothing is straightforward. Most actions require multiple steps (on control buttons that are not always clearly labeled). I hate having to scroll through menus and guess which button to press to increase or decrease balance, for instance. Many functions I cannot access UNLESS I USE THE (DARK) REOMOTE (e.g., adjust the balance). Conventional knobs on the receiver is a much more user-friendly method and one that would not require searching for buttons on a dark remote. While the "pure direct" feature allows adequate sound, because of room acoustics I have to adjust bass, treble, balance--from the dark remote. Inferior to my 25-yr-old deceased Denon. I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars, but I'll give it 3. It turns on, and there's good sound after I spend more than an hour reading the manual and making adjustments where I can.

I bought a Yamaha 100 watt reciever and was very disappointed in it's sound and output level. Gave it away and bought the Sony. Its basically the same as the Yamaha. If you just want to make noise, this is the unit for you. It is gutless until you crank it almost wide open and doesn't produce much bass at all at lower volume levels. When your almost maxed on volume the bass does somewhat come alive. Feautures work as they should and it hasnt blown up in a month of torture in my garage. It's tough replacing old school recievers because non of this new stuff measures up.

This receiver was perfect for what I needed. I wanted to set up a little turntable system so the built-in phono pre-amp was very helpful. Also didnt want to get too carried away with speakers so the 2.0 was just enough. Speakers I bought to go with it were 6ohm Sony 3-way bookshelf speakers. Audio quality was decent for a while, but then eventually (after about a week) it started shutting off on its own. I moved it to a more ventilated area, re-checked all the connections including speakers, changed power strips, went direct to the wall, changed outlets and tried it on a circuit with nothing on it, unplugged everything... same result every time. Would shut off for an hour, turn back on, and die again 20 mins later. It was great while it worked, but I had to return it and did not get another one because I didn't want to have to potentially return it again. Some other thoughts... the pin connectors for the speaker wire in the back were difficult to work with. I wanted to use 14ga wire but could barely get it in there without it fraying all over the place. Even 16ga was a challange. The volume knob felt very... not high end. Very plasticy feeling and a lot of weird resistance turning it that felt like a clickly plastic mechanism behind the knob. Great price and features and audio quality, was absolutely perfect for what I needed but ended up exchanging it for a more expensive receiver with features I don't need and getting a separate phono pre-amp. This is a great option though provided it works.

I returned his receiver because the only way to adjust treble and bass was through the remote control. Needless to say if the remote broke then it’s just a hassle. Returned it and bought the Yamaha at the same price - which by the way is pretty good. What I was looking for in a cheaper receiver.

First the pluses. Sound quality is very good and the bluetooth feature is appreciated. Now the not so good. There is no place to plug in electrical connections for other system components such as a fan or CD player. Output opinions are pretty much limited to std speakers.

Unit is easy to use with out all the bells and whistles. The volume level seems weak when listening to radio. I have to set it pretty high for minimal volume. That said, a much younger more technology wise person blue toothed their phone to it and the level was much better. I am comparing this to a 30 year old Pioneer unit that crapped out. All in all its an acceptable unit for the price.

Typical good quality Sony product. It looks good and sounds good. The bluetooth feature is a much needed update to the ten year old Sony unit it replaces. I do wish that it still had a USB port for older media.

Will need an amplifier to pair with it if you’re using the phono source. The Bluetooth connectivity is pretty solid it just doesn’t have enough power at 100 watts for what I was trying to do

Item is perhaps fine but I liked the sound of the Onkyo I settled on a bit better. When shopping in store, the lack of an optical in was not a concern. After hooking everything up, we decided we also wanted our TV sound to run through our stereo system which was my primary reason for returning. If you want both Bluetooth and a phono hookup on a tight budget, this may be your unit. Lacking other features which can be found for ~$50 more, I personally don't find this to be as much of a value.

Overall, serves its purpose I wanted it to. The negative aspect was the antenna connection with the small flimsy wire, I needed to hook up to an exterior antenna to pickup a local station with a weak signal which required directional type that I custom built. The programming of stations was a bit vague but I got it taken care of at the moment. Sound quality was good and the remote eliminates the need to have to reach the location where it sits. I had to return the first receiver I bought, it also had a remote but what good is a remote if you can't turn the unit on as it had no power on button. I don't know what the thinking was when that unit was designed. I had to spend more money on the second one to get a remote with a power button and it was also a 2-channel and not 4-channel like the first. $65 more for less features....You should have more selections available in store