INPUTS/OUTPUTS
CLEAN POWER/EXCELLENT PROCESSING

REMOTE

GREAT RECEIVER..IVE HAD THIS UNIT FOR OVER 8 MONTHS..I BOUGHT IT IN LONDON AND USE TRANSFORMER FOR THE POWER CONVERSION..I CANAT BELEIVE PEOPLE HAVE SO MUCH NEGATIVE TO SAY ABOUT SONY,, IVE OWNED SONY'S FOR OVER 10 YEARS ,NOT ONCE HAVE I GOT TO RETURN ANYONE OF THEM..THIS RECEIVER IS EVERYONES DREAM THAT KNOWS HOW TO FIND GOOD SOUND FOR LITTLE MONEY...I AUDITIONED THIS UNIT WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED UNITS AND ITS HAARD TO FIND A DIFFERENCE(IF ANY),.HOW CAN YO COMPARE UNITS IF THEY ARE NOT IN THE SAME ENVIRONMENT? I HAPPEN TO BE A FRIEND OF A STEREO STORE AND WE COMPARED IT WITH THE ABOVE UNITS..WHICH COST ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH AND USING SAME DVD,SPEAKERS AND INTERCONNECTS...LIKE I SAID NO AUDIBLE DIFFERENCE...FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ALREADY OWN ONEOR ARE PLANNING TO BUY ONE..DONT LET THE NEGATIVES FROM SOME OF THESE LOWMINDED HATEFUL PEOLE GET TO YOU...LISTEN FOR YOUR SELF...IF YO CAN AFFORD IT..BUY ONE AND BUY ANOTHER UNIT AND COMPARE IT IN YOUR OWN ENVIRONMENT AND SEE..YOU WONT BELEIVE THAT SOMETIMES YOU PAY TOO MUCH FOR SOMETHING YOU CAN GET CHEAPER...ONLY YOU CNA TELL IF IT SUITS YOU AND USE YOUR EARS AS YOUR JUDGE...

Similar Products Used:

DENON 3300
YAMAHA 2092
ONKYO 777

great output, lots of usable features.Great bass response and clearity for mids and highs.Like the way you could individually adjust the mids the highs and the bass for the left front or right speaker, center channel, and rear right or left speaker.

The remote, I have to right infront of that baby but that can be solved with a remote extender. Since it is infra -red it is expected to behave this way.

This is my best receiver ever. I was considering buying the STR-DA333ES from Sound Ideas in Gainesville. They were never in stock. Then I went to best buy just to browse and I saw the STR-DE935 but they were out too.(Good this come for those who wait) I then went to Sears, circuit city and they were all out. Well to make the long story short, I spoke to my brother and he reffered me to this site. I discovered I can purchase this baby only a few bucks more than the STR-DE935. Onecall had the best price $382. I bought my from cructhfield- it was more expensive $500 but I liked the easy payment plan they offered because I was able to buy the receiver and a CD player. I love this baby. I have not realized the full potential since I don't have a DVD player. Output is clear and crisp. The bass is tight.If you are considering the DB930,this does as much. Can you tell a 10watt difference, Do you care if your receiver opreates two different rooms? By the way you will need another amp to do that too. Do care for and extra output? It these mean a lot to you then go with the DB930 otherwise select the DB830 and save over $100. Read your manual and get to know the this baby. The 830 it's in a class of it's own. Check it out!!!

Side note, any Ideas on a DVD players, I am kind of torn between the Panasonic A120 and the the Toshiba SD2109.

DOLBY DIGITAL, DTS, POWER, PRICE

LACK OF DAC CONVERTERS

I HAVE HAD MY DB830 FOR 5 MONTHS NOW, THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT'S DOLBY DIGITAL I WAS LIKE "WOE" IT SOUNDED GREAT AND IT STILL DOES TODAY. LISTENING TO THE EAGLES IN DTS WITH MY EYES CLOSED WAS LIKE BEING AT THE CONCERT OR THE CONCERT BEING IN MY ROOM(VERY REAL).... BUT THE SONYS PERFORMANCE IN PCM STEREO IS NOT QUITE AS GOOD. WHEN I LISTINED TO MY METALLICA MASTER OF PUPPETS CD ON THE YAMAHA RXV595A RECIEVER USING A DIGITAL(OPTICAL) CONNECTION I WAS PLAYING AIR GUITAR AND BANGEN MY HEAD TO THE BEAT. HOWEVER THE SONY DID NOT HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON ME. IN MY OPINION YAMAHA IS BETTER FOR MUSIC, SONY IS BETTER FOR MOVIES.

Similar Products Used:

YAMAHA

DD/DTS decoding, multitude of A/V in/outs, Full-bandwidth rated 100x5 power, front a/v input, inexpensive version of Sony ES

Sound bleed between some analog sources, 48khz DAC, no switching between s-video and rca composite,

After selling my STR-DE525 I did a quick upgrade to the DB-830 to get dd/dts decoding and more/cleaner power - of which I was not disappointed.

Sony is a master at adding every possible gadget and processing technology. You can't beat its auto-format DD and DTS decoding (that blue light is cool!) plus the 30+ 32-bit DSP's that it adds to any 2 channel *or* 5.1 channel source. At first I loved all those modes but as I've grown more into an audiophile I've reverted more and more to the standard 2ch-direct stereo or the afd 5.1 and bypassed the modes. However, the DSP's are great for enancing video games (like my PS2) and at making older dolby surround movies a bit more exciting.

All tone and effects controls are seamlessly performed from the remote and done digitally - which is very nice.

The 100x5 watts full bandwidth power is great - although I know that my 4 Infinity Delta 60 towers are begging for more. But for standard home theater, it's a good start.

Now for the bad: Sound bleed! Yes, I heard about this after I had bought the receiver and decided to check it for myself, and indeed it's true. There is bleed-over between all the analog video (1,2,3) sources, the analog tape input, an the analog cd input. This can be a problem if you have a VCR plugged in all the time (like I do) where sound fromt the broadcast is continually being pumped into the receiver. Even so, the bleed-through is not very noticable (unless you were listening to blank noise on another source, the amount of volume being played back would easily drown out the bleed-through). Even so, it's a pity this is even true at all.
Luckily for me, the only analog input I use is the VCR, and my CD player is connected via optical input. Also, the bleed-through does *not* affect the 5.1-inputs nor the phono inputs (thank god!) so when I run a turntable or SACD, neither are affected.

Overally, this really is a great receiver, especially considering the price point. I bought this used for $250 a year ago, but even then it was selling for around $350 in stores, and by now you can get it for around $200 - or get the much newer/better versions for around $400.

Overally, I give it 4 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE525, JVC receiver (forget model number)

Good sound
Fairly powerful
Tons of customization
Good looking
Well built, heavy

Poor remote
Excessive hiss in DSP modes
Volume control useless above about 5(more gain than power)

Powerful, stylish, feature laden receiver. Wretched remote- keys are invisible, operation is confusing. I use a Cinema 7 anyway(a great cheap remote) which is much better. Equalizer, sound field control are very cool, fun to play with. Gets a little hot, but not too bad. Biggest problem is hiss in DSP modes. Audible from about 1 foot away with no input and 0 volume. Audible from about 6 feet away with no input and 5 volume(this is very loud- the maximum 10 setting would probably need a 1000W receiver). There seems to be base level hiss and then one which increases with volume. Very quiet in 2 channel stereo(no DSP). I've heard other people having this problem, but I don't know whether it a design or fab defect. Does anyone has one which is quieter than what I've described? Its not really noticeable under most circumstances, but its irritating.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood vr407, Pioneer 509S, Sherwood 9090R, TEAC AGD-8900

Great sound, adequate power.

Very limited combinations of S-video and Digital inputs

This is a very good sounding amp with decent power for my 11X15 den. I bought this system with the idea of using it as a building block for my home theater system, but as I added components, here is the big drawback: It is impossible to connect any two devices (in my case, satelite receiver and DVD) to both S-video and either digital or optical audio given the limited number of S-video inputs on the back panel. There are adequate digital/optical inputs for CD/MD. I had to resort to using the RCA outputs from the satelite instead of the AC-3.
It seems that the DB-930 has all the inputs necessary, and I would definitely consider stepping up to that model if you are considering using S-video and expanding your system.
3 stars for lack of S-video/Digital audio combinations.

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi 3A

very easy on the eyes (unlike the other sony line carried at best buy) great sound and many sound feilds

tape and MD are on the same chanel needs more coax. ditital inputs

i bought mine from onecall.com for $315. i am very happy i did now. before i bought it i went to stores around town to listen to the recievers i kept liking the sony quality and sound. at frist i though i wanted the 930 but decieded to get the 830 because i didn't need that multi room bull crap (did you know you need anthor receiver or amp to power the speakers in the other room) so i save $100 bucks. you lose like 2 inputs but i don't use all that i have now and a whole 10 watts even if i had the 10 extra watts they wouldn't be used. this thing is so loud i can't stand to put it pass half way. i have found no hissing ethier unless i was hooked up to somthing that didn't put out good sound like my t.v. i would recomend this to anybody who has $300 bucks it is a great receiver for the money

Full over features, Inputs/outputs, and produces clean sound. Built very well also.

# of Tape Monitor loops.

When I saw this reciever in Crutchfield I couldn't believe it, my dream had come true. A Sony reciever better than the Best Buy/Circuit City shlop but more affordable than the ES. While yes it's not quite as well built as Sony's ES line it is overbuilt for it's price. At under $500 it's gotta be the best Dolby Digital/DTS receiver I've ever seen. It's packed with features and provides good, clean output- enough to drive my low sens. NHT SuperOnes to unlistenable levels without strain. The remote is rather good but I think I may still purchase Sony's touchpad somewhere down the line. The only complaint I can think of is that there's only one Tape Loop and it's not even a Monitor. I ran into problems because I have a Tape Deck, MD, external EQ, and a BBE signal processor that all require Tape Ins/Outs with the BBE requiring a Tape Monitor in order to run all signals through it. Anyway, if you're a budget HiFi guy like me and pride yourself on getting the most bang for your buck, you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal than this.

Good clean sound. Great look/display.

EQ adjustments are more than a one or two step process. Remote could have been a "Learning Remote".

At $430, a great price for a great product. I've been a Sony consumer for quite a long time. I upgraded to the DB830 from the DE915. My favorite Sony component purchase so far.

Price. Got mine at Good Guys for $300 new on clearance.

none at this price

I was looking for a reciever with preamp outs on all channel and just my luck, Good Guys were clearing these out at $300. Can't beat that price. I was just going to use the reciever as a preamp/tuner control for my parasound amps, but it sound decent by itself. It doesn't have the purity and impact of a sparate amp, but it has a sound that is easy to listen to. Very warm and airy. Good for casual listening.

Similar Products Used:

Parasound amps.