Amazing! You got everything you will possibly need for a great price!

Well as I can see not many girls participate here. I got this receiver because I find it rather sexy. It has a massive and detailed built. I like the fancy lights and the way it sounds. It takes some time thought so as to tweak the settings of the soundfields but it is rewarding. The sound will get nearly perfect (there isn't any perfect receiver). The remote takes some getting used to but if I want to control my Denon DVD, Sony projector, Philips SVHS, Marantz CD player, Sony Minidisk, Yamaha CDR, Technics Deck, then you need something like Pronto (which I have). I am happy with it. I was looking for 3 weeks so as to find something convincing and this unit has every input, output and features you might need! DTS, Dolby Digital, 32 bit DSP programs. The rest you can read below and find out.

Great DD and DTS Decoding
Awesome sound at a great price
Plenty of optical and S-video inputs and outputs
Crisp, clean, pure sound
A few great DSP modes for movies, however, a lot of useless ones as well.

Many of the DSP modes a useless, but at least you get a choice of how you want to listen to your system.
Remote takes some getting used to and doesn't exactly control all of my other components, however, it is pretty good about controlling other Sony products.
I have noticed the hiss in the right speaker for the first few minutes of music DSP modes.
Sub-woofer preouts are too close to power cables.

This receiver sounds great! Plenty of power and great crisp, clear sound out of my Klipsch KSF 8.5 fronts, KSF C5 Center, and KSB 1.1 rears.

The DTS decoding is great, especially compared to the Yamaha RX-V595a where in certain movies (Dante's Peak), the DTS decoder would drop out of a brief instant.

For those of you who experience noise from the subwoofer outputs, here's an important thing to remember: Always keep the speaker wires far away from the power cables. I was initially getting noise from my sub, but after I reconfigured my wiring, I have not noteced the problem at all!

For those people who have supposedly experienced this overheating and entering protection mode, check your power strip. The receiver requires a power strip with a high AMP rating; regular computer power strips won't cut it. I found this out from experience. My receiver was working great from a 15 amp power stip, then I changed to a 10 amp power strip with line conditioning (I originally thought this was the problem with the sub-woofer explained above), and the next day the receiver went into protextion mode during the Matrix. I talked with the salesman and he told me to check the power supply and haven't had a problem since. I work from home, so the AMP is on about 12 hours a day with no problems at all.

Overall this is a great receiver. After about two months of owning it, I went back to the place where I bought it and re-compared it to the other receivers, Yamaha, Dennon, SONY ES; and I was very pleased with my selection of the STR-DB830. This sounded right on par with the more expensive receivers. This is a great buy!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V595 and Yamaha RX-V595a

Adequate inputs, appearance, build quality, power, price

Remote is terrible, no adjustment for subwoofer crossover point, no optical input for cd source, runs pretty warm

Overall, I would say this is a great receiver, especially when price is considered. I am not really a big Sony fan, but the specs on this receiver speak for themselves. Initially I was going to purchase an HK AVR65, but I'm just not sure that there is a CLEAR, TANGIBLE benefit to spending that kind of money. I have this receiver hooked up to an Energy Take-5 speaker system and an Energy 12" powered sub, and the output power is more than sufficient. The Take-5 speakers are not particularly efficient (88db), therefore, I have to assume that the power output of the receiver is decent. This system easily fills my listening room with clean sound at more than adequate levels. Not only that, but the room size is 14X20 with 25' ceilings-that's a lot of air space to fill.

In my case, the unit is installed in a built-in entertainment center, with minimal ventillation. This resulted in ambient temperatures near the receiver of 110 degrees and up. I didn't notice any cooling fans in this receiver, so I'm guessing Sony uses heat sinks instead (maybe that explains the weight of this thing). I wound up fabricating a forced air cooling system in the wall which seems to keep things very cool.

The remote has a nice shape & feel, but works only marginally on non-Sony components. Plan on buying a good universal remote if you don't already have one. This is probably the weakest part of the entire unit. One other gripe is the lack of an optical input for the CD source.

Price considered, it's a great deal.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Technics, Kenwood, HK

Great receiver, even when you don't consider the low price.

Can't turn power ON from the remote.. Only off.

I have always been an audio/video enthusiast, but have not
had the chance to upgrade my system until recently.

DOLBY DIGITAL, huge improvement over PROLOGIC.
It Rocks!

Naturally at this price, it does not have all of the high
end features of more expensive ONKYO'S, but at $369 it
is a great, great value.

I purchased it based on reviews on this website, and I
haven't been disappointed.

I haven't noticed it running any hotter than the SONY
Prologic receiver I replaced..

Similar Products Used:

Using a SONY DVD SP-300 player.

Good Price and Performance

This receiver works great and it is really a big savings compared to there ES system.

However, When I connected my TV video out to the receiver there's no audio coming out to the speakers. I've already checked all the connections and config and everything looks fine but still no audio.

My TV is toshiba CF27G50 and it works fine before with my old receiver. Please give me feedback regarding this.

Similar Products Used:

Sony Prologic receiver

Excellent Sound and equal Power to all speakers. DD & DTS. $400-$450. Excellent build quality. Auto Format Decoding. Lots of inputs. Speaker management. Good EQ and Bass Boost functionality.

None. No frills remote.

What can I say other than I can't believe I've suffered with the Onkyo for two years. The DB-830 breathed new life into my old speakers. I compared the 333ES to this model and felt it didn't warrant the extra $250. Sonically, I couldn't tell a difference. Also thought long and hard about the DB-930 but saw the remote can be a nuisance. Yes, the DB-830 remote is lacking in functionality but it's a good no frills remote. Take the $$$ you save buy buying the 830 and get yourself a pronto if you're that concerned.

Prior posts said the remote doesn't turn on/off the unit. RTFM? Yes, the remote DOES turn the unit off and on.

Bottom line is that this receiver rocks for both movies and music!!! I have my DirecTV hooked up to the digital outputs and it is simply fantastic. DVD is next. If you've been living with regular dolby, do yourself a favor, it's time to upgrade. After having the sony for a week, I will never buy another Onkyo product again. So Bye Bye Onkyo...have a nice time in my cold garage hooked up to some nice KLH speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo

Clean, powerfull power supply, great DD and DTS, Solid build, great looks

Glow buttons on remote, really bright blue light for DD and DTS

Look at a Sony 555ES They look almost Identical (the blue light is smaller and on the door instead of up top) This is ES Quality at DE Price. I got it for my birthday back in August and thought the Pro-Logic was pretty Good, but felt I was missing something. I got a Sony DVP-S550D DVD Player Last Week as a Christmas present(from myself)and hooked it up using the Coaxial digital conections. I get giddy like a school boy every time I watch a DD or DTS movie. My local theatre holds no Joy for me anymore. Now if I can just get the $$ for a 36" Sony Wega Flat screen TV and 2 pairs of Sony SS-MF 515's (for front and rear surrounds) and I'll be in A/V Heaven. Thank you Sony!!

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STR-DE925

Price, connectivity, DTS

remote--cannot even read the component buttons

Good bang for the buck. Very versatile system and very upgradable. Sounds is clean although I did not audition it alongside other brands, eg. yamaha or denons, or the ES series.

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Sony strav-920: which still sounds pretty good after 8 years, and still without a fault. Damned reliable (maybe too much so...didn't have an excuse to upgrade)

A terrific combination of features, quality, and value!

Honestly none that are worth mentioning - ok, maybe the remote could be somewhat easier to use in low light, but since I bought the DB830 for it's sonic integrity and value, it's not worth complaining about the remote!

Really one of the most pleasant purchasing decisions I've made in the consumer electronics industry. Not a lot of bells and whistles that I would neither need or use, efficient, clean sound, and very user friendly. I've driven both a pair of Definitive Technology BP2004's in one room with the DB-830, and a home theatre system of two Paradigm Mini-Monitors, two Paradigm Monitor 7's, and the Paradigm Center Channel CC-350 (no need for a sub-woofer in the small A/V room) - I've had incredible listening experiences with the DB-830. A great piece of A/V equipment for the mid-level enthusiast, both for home theatre use and for phenomenal two-channel sound!

Similar Products Used:

Technics and Onkyo mid-range receivers