Cool surround modes

The amps inside...

Well, i own a store selling a lot of gear. We got a guy raving about his sony amp, saying it would "whup all our amps asses!"
So I said, bring it in... we'll do some comparisons.
We Put it on a computerised A+B selection on the test system.
It comprised of martin logan speakers, Kimber speaker cable and interconnects, Rotel DVD and CD players, and an REL subwoofer. (and a projection screen, but no matter)
Well... surprise surprise.
The amp just carked it when we got above halfway... and did not have the dynamics of the others in the lower volumes.
It really sounded like a 300$ pioneer or something.
The yamaha and the NAD just blew them away, not because of the processing, but just because of the build and quality of the amps.
The other receivers were all similar soudning to the sony, but again, they just provided a wee bit more punch in both HT and CD recordings.
Then I decided to show him some real gear...
I showed him the Lexicon system, with a lexicon NT poweramp, and he just blew his mind. (he should for 10,000$)

He said that he wanted a trade in on the yamaha or the marantz... even though they are a little bit more expensive, they just are better.

I dont rate sony at all... and i proved it. They are a supermarket amp, but have a good following.
If you do decide to buy this reciever, then just trial some others, but if you cant afford anything else, buy it, it does have decent sound for the dollars.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha, denon, marantz,nakamici, NAD, lexicon (unfair comparison)

Connectivity,Power(110watts by 5),sounds good in plain vanilla stereo,both Prologic and Dolby Digital decoding are spot on.Excellent remote controller.

Parametric equalizier,not being able to adjust it from the remote control.

Up to a couple of months ago I had a Sony STR-DB925 which I was very happy with...that was until I heard the 930 at full tilt..some much extra power(the 925 was rated at 100 wpc into 4 ohms....it turns out that that it was closer to 55 wpc DIN)..the 930 checks in at a truly respectable 99.7 to a whacking 111 wpc with I think a total harmonic distortion of 10%...thats serious power for such a cheap reciever.I traded in my 925 for the 930..(the 925 was already 15 months old at this stage)the amp only cost me £200 IRISH POUNDS...what a steal..hooking it up was not a big problem as it was very similar to the 925..mind you I wish the binding posts were a bit bigger..I had to use cable connecters splitting the lines coming in(I bi-wired all my speakers with fairly hefty Audioquest cables)
The decoding on this machine is sweet and 2 channel stereo sounds great plus I am able to use my subwoofer in stereo..it was not possible with the 925..I don't know why everyone is complaining about the lack of an TOSlink input for their CD players..just stick it in one of the other ones and relable it CD.....

Great amp...highly recommend it!!!!

My set-up is...
Sony STR-DB930 Amp
Panasonic 36inch widescreen TV
Panasonic A-100 DVD player(chipped)
Panasonic 620 VCR
Philips VR665 VCR
Philips 770 CD-R Player+CD burner
Hama phonos throughout
Banbridge Profigold Shielded scarts
Audioquest Cabling throughout
Mission 773e main speakers
Mission 731pro surrounds
Mission 77C1 centre speaker
Mission AS1 subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DB925.

The Sony's strengths are numerous, Build quality, sound, inputs, features, on-board decoder, sub out, etc

There are no real weaknesses with the Sony, I know people have complained about the remote, but once you get used to it, it works very well.

Got the 930 to replace my aging 515, the 515 had 5.1 inputs but my Panasonic A350EB's DVD decoding was not what I would call sensational. Got the 930 home, connected the Panasonic to the 930 via the optical lead and WOW would probably be an understatement. I cannot believe what a difference the Sonys decoder makes, it made me replay all my dvd's again.
This is one SENSATIONAL piece of equipment and for the price it is a bargin (NZ $1400 = US $650). If you are contemplating this Receiver, stop contemplating and buy it, you will not regret it. What Hi-Fi rated it 5 stars.
And as a side note, due to the Panasonic not being able to deal with DTS, decided to now go out and get the Sony DVPS725, which What Hi-Fi also rated 5 stars. Will put the Panasonic in the bedroom ;o)

Similar Products Used:

Sony STRDE515

I love everything about this receiver...good, clean sound, great features.

The remote DOES take a little time to get used to, although its no problem after you get the hang of it.

Man--from the minute I plugged in Saving Private Ryan after hooking this receiver up--I knew I had made a good purchase. This is a great receiver, all around. The sound is worth every penny of the $450 i paid for it.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-D1015 (1997 model, i believe)

Power, Style, Build Quality, Sound Quality

None

I purchased my receiver from Larry at One-Call for $399, and I could not be more pleased with my decision. Before I read these reviews I was on my way to purchase another Sony "DE". I thought the setup process would be difficlut, but after two hours or so I had it up and running with my new Sony DVP-560 DVD player. I was very happy to see the big blue light when watching the first DVD movie. I have not had any "hiss" problems, but like other reviewers I have not had the volume past 11 o'clock. My Klipsch 4.5's have never sounded soo good, eventhough I feel less bass than with my old DE. The manuals are a little vague, but they get the job done. And as far as the remote goes, I like it, but it is slow, and can require several actions to control other equipment (flipping the cover up and down gets old). The built in sound fields are good, although I doubt I will use all 27 of them. This is and awesome HT receiver and it plays CD's pretty well also. For the price I feel you will not be able to find anything close to it. I would recommend it to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE1015

Build quality, versatility, overall sound

Slow remote

I commented on this product about 8 months ago, and, having spent more time with it, I must say that I marvel at Sony's ingenuity and ability to build a quality receiver at this price. I do wonder, however, about comments by several reviewers who mention where they can place the volume control level and still remain in the room. Those who can turn the volume up to 2 or 3 o'clock must have incredibly inefficient speakers. 11 is the most I have ever done, never noon. 110 watts needs efficient speakers. 90dB or better w/ 1watt at 1 meter. 110 dB with no audible distortion. Isn't that the name of the game?

Similar Products Used:

Other earlier Sony receivers

Plenty of power

None so far

I received a DVD player for Christmas from my wife which just re-ignited my desire to upgrade for 2.0 to 5.1. I have an acquintance who works for Sony that can get a very good discount price (about half of list price), so at first I opted for the STR-DB830, based on reviews from this site. After waiting 2 months with none available (according to friend), I moved up to the DB930. I have had it for two days now and couldn't be more pleased. The remote doesn't seem as bad as I've been led to believe here. I was a little taken back when I couldn't find General Instrument cable box listed as a supported device for the remote. After a little trial and error, I found a device (Jerrold/G-1) that works for it, but basic functions only (pwr, chan up/down). I programmed a Macro on the remote to allow my wife and kids to turn on cable with minimal diffuculty. My Sony DVD (DVP-550D) is connected optically and has worked flawlessly wdecoding AC-3 and DTS audio. The S-link connection from DVD to Receiver will automatically turn on the receiver and select the DVD source when a DVD is started. Now I'm itching to go HDTV and HD Direct-TV and progressive scan DVD output and much too much stuff on my "I want" list right now.
I agree with some others that with all those almost useless sound fields, a simple 4 channel stereo mode would have been nice.

Best DTS/DD AC-3 receiver on the market in its price range!

THE REMOTE takes getting use to it but works just fine!

SOME people report a HISSING ?? ** I just can not hear
it and my advise to them is to CHECK their connections **

Most likely some PEOPLE do not know how to hook up
a Receiver properly and need HELP !!! Maybe their
speakers are CHEAP ? Who knows ???

Why complain about this receiver? It ROCKS !!!

This is the best receiver in this price range PERIOD !

If you want better go shell out $ 1000 + dollars **

Goodguys sell this receiver for $ 599 and I got mine for
$ 399 ** I saved over $ 200 plus dollars !! Not Bad !

I am VERY VERY HAPPY with my receiver and the DTS/AC-3
kicks some butt !! GREAT SOUND OVERALL !!!

Get it before it is gone !!!

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood, Denon, Sony

Great sound and digital effects.

Remote! Remote! Remote!

Forget everything else...I'm returning this unit because it has the WORST remote cntrol I have ever used. (It may even be worse than the Sony LCD "table-top" remotes...but I've never used those.)

Other than looking a little like a Star Trek "transcoder" it has no good features. Although initially it seems able to control any product at all, the reality is that it cannot even do some of the most basic functions. When listening to the radio, for example, there is no way to automatically move up or down frequencies to the next station!

And suppose you want to power on your DVD player. It takes 9 movements--and you have to look at the little screen in order to do it. Then, if you want to raise the volume, same thing--9 movements back to tuner mode.

Do NOT buy this produce without spending some time with it in the store. I can't stand it!

Similar Products Used:

Denon, JVC, Technics home theater receivers

Many inputs, functional remote, well presented package!

The first thing I would like to address is the hiss! Whether it is because I am in Australia (differnet power to US) or I got lucky, I have no hiss problem with this unit. Yes I do get hiss, at about 9 on the dial, but you have to stand with your ear very close to the speaker to hear it. This is normal of most amps though. The remote, personally, is great. The power of the unit is more than sufficiant for any purpose I expose it to, and the decoding is on par with any I've seen. As for the lack of four speaker stereo, I simply use a set of gold banana plugs, swap my rears to my 'B' channel, and select A & B! Easy as that. This is obviously not the most desired way to operate, but a simple fix to a simple problem. The drop down door gives me some concern. I can see myself snapping that off when I unplug the PSX and close the entertainment unit door, but it does simplify the face of the unit.