From its specs, the STR-DE698 ($299 list) sounds like a great buy: it's the most affordable 7.1-channel receiver on the market, and it also features SACD/DVD-Audio inputs, as well as A/B speaker switching. However, once we got it out of the box and into action, "great" quickly turned to "OK." Blame bar-raising budget receivers such as Yamaha's RX-V550 and Pioneer's VSX-D914-K for raising our expectations.



Link: CNET