Sony STR DG510 5.1 channel Receiver

Pros: powerful, auto set-up, good sound quality, easy menu navigation, sony name recognition/quality

Cons: Only one digital coaxial input, HDMI pass through only

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At this price point, I think all receivers only have HDMI pass through, so unless you are willing to spend more that's what you get. My only real complaint about this receiver is that it only has one digital coaxial input (it has two digital optical inputs), I think sony could have given this receiver one more coaxial input and still kept the price down. If you have a lot of gear to connect you should consider a more expensive receiver as this is a budget model. I have my dvd player, digital cable box and home theater PC all connected and I am out of digital inputs (there are one or two stereo inputs which I am not using). If I add another piece of gear to my set-up (considering getting an x-box 360 or Wii) I won't be able to get surround sound from it since all that is left is analog stereo inputs. Overall, this is still a great receiver which can be had for under $200.

Sony's budget 5.1 AV Receiver. I would rate this Basic AV box average however with its HDMI inputs and its automatic audio calibration I rate this receiver 4 out of 5. Although there are HDMI this is only for the video "Sorry... no Audio” You must pass audio through this receiver using digital optical or analog. I like this receiver because it is simple. This receiver is easy to install and you do not have to worry about getting lost in a sea inputs and controls. The only downside to this receiver is the fact that the DVD in does not use a light Optical sound for higher end bluray and standard DVD players. You must use the traditional Coax optical. Still for the price this is a very good AV receiver.

I bought it for the great price. This shipping was very quick and the packaging was excellent. Sellers like this make shopping on eBay a pleasure. I have always been a little hesitant about shopping online but with these kinds of sellers, paypal protecting my charge information and the great prices I am quickly becoming and eBay addict.

I like the price, quality and sound. I do not have one hundred things to say about it,______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I decided to upgrade my electronics after my most recent purchase of a flat screen HD TV. I did some study on the internet for receivers with HDMI features. The Sony STR DG510 seemed to be a reasonably priced receiver that would do the job.
I hooked the receiver up per the manuel using the HDMI connections. I could'nt get the sound to come out of my speakers when playing a DVD. After futher study, I found out that Sony had botched the HDMI feature. Instead of hooking it up through the HDMI In port, you have to use the HDMI Video 2 port and use a fibre optic cable for the sound. The DVD (not a blue ray) did'nt have a optical plug-in port, just a fibre optic.
I read sonewhere that Sony was saying that it was software problem, but its really a hardware problem.
Sounds great now, but I went through lots of hoops to get there.

Simply put this is a low end reciever. Do not expect this to be a perfect reciever. I like it because it met the requirements I had. DO YOUR RESEARCH first before you buy. First of all, it is much smaller than normal recievers, I needed this because the cabinet it is in is shallow. Second, the HDMI ONLY passes thru VIDEO NOT AUDIO, so you will have to use a digital audio cable as well. Again, this was something I needed. The configuration is pretty specific, there is not alot of room for reconfiguring a complex setup. I would say this is great for either a setup similar to mine, or for someone looking to have an effective home stereo system for less money. I would not put more than 2 HD devices on this, (at least two devices requiring digital audio). If you are using as a second reciever, the setup could be something like a media center PC, game system and a VCR. Something like that would be appropriate because of the Video only pass through on HDMI. If you have an HDMI television and HDMI source such as a DVD player, you would likely bypass the reciever anyway, because it is unlikely you will be able to have audio.

Its a good little reciever as long as you KNOW that it can work with yoru setup. If I had any other setup with the amount and type of equipment I have, it would not have worked.

The sound out of this receiver is better than my older one. I thought I was going to eliminate a cable by just using the HDMI cable for both audio and video,but I called Sony and they told me this unit was not able to do that. So I bought a optical audio cable and am happy with its performance.

Most people may already know this, but I did not, when I bought this receiver, so I am going to help a few people out here maybe. Okay, I bought this receiver for the HDMI ports. My old Sony receiver is alive and kicking - just without HDMI - and I wanted to upgrade. This is for you people who get something and get all upset when you need to buy something ELSE to make what you just bought work right. I want you to understand that the HDMI ports on this receiver (I do not know about others) are HDMI PASSTHROUGHS. This means that the HDMI signal can only pass THROUGH the receiver straight to the TV, and is not actually doing anything at the receiver. So this means you also have to hook up a digital audio cable (whichever kind your device has - optical-coaxial) to hear surround sound from the receiver. Receiver has one HDMI output and 2 inputs, 1 coaxial digital audio in, and 2 optical inputs; which is plenty. I have a PS3 and my PC (my PC has a coaxial audio output) hooked up, which allows me to listen to music, watch DVD's, BD's, and play games. Could use the PS3 for all of that, but I only use it for games and BD's. So, anyways - this a very great receiver with plenty enough inputs/outputs, with HDMI for a very great price. And I never have had a problem with any Sony product, so I would say this is a very great deal.

This item was simply an upgrade to what I already own. The receiver is an excellent addition to my home theater with it's HDMI inputs.

I bought it because Sony equipment I have had in the past was so good, both in quality and appearance. After setting the unit up in the system I found audio only on one side at normal level. I called Sony for help three times, no one could help me, no one suggested a thechnical look at the unit. This would not have happned a few years ago.

This receiver has most of the advance features that would normally be found on a high end receiver. Best bang for the buck!

Wanted a receiver w/HDMI inout-outputs. While my cable box does not have HDMI out (yet) I have not tried that function...everything else seems to work great and the price for this receiver and what you get is great. I am using it for a bedroom w/5.1 surround...perfect piece of equipment!

I needed a new unit to replace my broken one. The price was right and the Sony reputation is good. The unit performs well as I needed to match my speakers. It takes a little getting use to the different features, but all around good unit.

The receiver was very easy to set up and produces excellent sound. The included microphone made calibration to the room acoustics super easy. The two HDMI inputs allowed me to easily switch between inputs to the Bravia television, which has two HDMI ports. This is a step up from the Home Theater In a Box (HTIB) units, in which you can add your own DVD or Blueray player, and your own customized speakers. For small rooms (10' x 15' and under) the power on this unit is acceptable. You can turn up the music without blowing the neighboors away.