Great Sound: clean & powerful

poor user's manual

I bought this receiver from One-Call for $478. It is connected to 4 Energy eXL-15's, an Energy eXLC - center, and An Energy eXLS-10 sub. I also have the Sony DVP-C650D DVD player.
This receiver really sounds good. I never hear any hiss, bass output is strong, and one you get it set-up it is easy enough to use.
I have found that some of the sound fields enhance my enjoyment of different movies and music. For instance, the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" DVD in DTS sounds very "live" with the "Large Hall" setting. Using Sony's various "Cinema" sound stage settings on Dolby Digital DVD's, it seems like you have more speakers than you really have surrounding you.
I have been very impressed by this system and so have many people that have come to my home. I would the recommend the STR DB930 to anyone desiring a good quality receiver at a reasonable price.

DVD sounds amazing! I found an awesome place to buy dvd at http://consumer.20m.com

I picked this up to replace my Kenwood 1090VR in anticipation of needing two optical inputs. Overall, I find the experience of the two to be similar, except the bass is somewhat fuller on the Sony.

Anyway, on to my main point. I want to address the two main complaints that I saw of this receiver before buying it, neither of which seemed to be a big turnoff. As for hissing or noise or whatnot, I haven't heard any. People seem to be attributing that for when their receiver is turned above 7. I personally can't turn mine above 3 without making my windows rattle in their frames so it's not a problem for me at all.

The other complaint I've heard is that there is no '4 speaker stereo' mode supported out of the box. This is the case, and I didn't know how much of a difference that makes until I rigged it up myself. That's right, a simple (under $50) modification can turn your DB-930 into a 4-speaker stereo machine, and it sounds great. I picked up a Speco SSB-5 speaker switch at a local electronics store, then wired it backwards so that the 'AMP' plug on it went to my rear channel speakers, the 'SPEAKER1' jack went to my rear channel outputs on the DB-930, and my 'SPEAKER2' jack went to the alternate front channel outputs on the DB-930. Now, when I want to use 4-speaker mode, I switch the amp's speaker select to A + B, and the speaker switch to 2. The difference is phenomenal. I leave my CD input (through the digital optical jack, Sony CDP-CX270 changer) set to A.F.D. and the results have been night and day better than out of the box. Thought all you 930 owners or prospective owners would be interested in knowing this.

Features, price, sound quality and cool looking

No digital input for CD, manual can be better

If you are on a tight budget, but are not willing to settle on an entry-level unit, this is the receiver to get. I've compared other receivers under $500, but they seem to lack one of the following features:

* pre-out for all 6 channels;
* S-video switching;
* binding post for all speakers;

DB930 (or 830) has them all. The 2-way LCD remote control is actually pretty cool, IMHO.

A digital input for CD would be nice, but that can be easily remedied by renaming an unused digital input.

Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Denon

Too many Optical Inputs/outputs
Clarity of sound
PRICE.

Weight/Hissing noise
Complicated Remote

Mainly interested in a receiver where I can
hook up all my units and have a decent sound
quality.Got the recommendation from a friend..who is suppose
to be an expert did all the home work for me and recommended
this unit and the dealer for me.Except for some hissing noise from the surround speaker and hard to figure out LCD remote I have no complain.
Paid only $419.00 shipped,through a mail order store in Orlando Victor's 407-345-5200 about $100.00 cheaper than
the local retailer.Got the receiver few days ago,working great no problems.If you buy through a mail order store make sure they are an authorized Sony dealer.
BA 5.1 speaker sys
Sony DVPS 530
Sony HIFI VCR
Pioneer 46" TV
Dish Network
Pioneer Cd changer

DVD sound quality is noticably different. I guess optical cable does make some difference.I definately recommend the unit.

Similar Products Used:

HC AVR300/Pioneer VSXD 6__

Best price/performance combination.
Lots of inputs.

I am very happy with this unit. You can't beat the features, performance and inputs for this price. The price ($399) saved me $$ that I then was able to put towards better speakers.

I personally like the remote, it controls all my components very well. The only couple of strange things are: you can't program your stations from the remote; if you want to control a tv with pip and other features, you need to program it as a "User" device, rather than using the "TV" position (but the TV setting works fine for normal operation, like volume and channel selection).

I love the "bass boost" button on the remote. My wife doesn't like the sub up too high, so I keep it lower and use the boost most of the time, and disable it at the very loud scenes. Of coures it finds no use when I'm listening by myself.

The sound modes are pretty cool too. For example, you can put on the football game and set it up to sound like you're in an outdoor stadium.

I got my unit for $399 plus shipping from One Call (800-340-4770). This is $200 less than my local stores sell the unit.

THD in Surround mode, inputs, construction,

None yet

I call my self an enthusiast instead of an audiophile because I hold very high standards for the term "Audiophile". My first "DB930" went into "PROTECTOR" as soon as I hooked it up. I reset the unit and it played OK. After that, I noticed a "BUZZ" comming out of all speakers in all modes. I finally exchanged the unit for the current STRDB-930 I have. As soon as i received it, it took me 15 minutes to hook it up with (SONY MDSJE520..analog and digital; Technics SLQL1 turntable; RCA Sat Dolby Dig Receiver; RCA HIFI VCR, Sansui cassette; DVPC600 dvd...Optical; KV32V42 TV...The system is outstanding. I sold my STRDE935 because it did not have the pre-outs I needed, plus the 930's THD in surround is .09% as compared to .9% for the 935. My unit now has NO distortion in the surround speakers. Except for the Sansui which is great for stereo, the other units couldn't compare. The 930 also seems deeper than the 935 i had. Overall, as previously stated, the unit is great for the $400 I spent at OneCall. The RMLJ302 is actually good to go and operates everything I owe. It's designed to operate your receiver, so that's why the master volume controls the receiver's volume. To control your TV volume. simply program your TV to "User1" This will allow your remote to operate the TV without affecting your receiver, and give you mor "sub" choices as per the instruction manual (see the notes). Enjoy.

Similar Products Used:

Sansui AUD9 (18 years and still have), Pioneer pro-Logic, Pioneer Dolby Digital, STRDE935

Price, Features and Power

Remote

After thinking long and hard about upgrading a sub=par 12 year-old system I started looking at Pioneer and JVC receivers thinking I wouldn't be able to afford a good Sony. A local dealer pointed out the 830 and 930 as "bridge line" units between the DE and ES lines. I purchased from J&R for $400 which was $100 less that local dealer and $200 less than Bryn Mawr Stereo (another lcoal dealer).

Love the receiver. Cranked up it sounds great. I was concerned about hissing after reading posts but none detected. At the time I purchased this unit I also picked up the Cambridge Soundworks Movieworks 308 speaker package ($519 hifi.com) and the Sony 330 DVD wihout decoding ($249 J&R). System sounds great and comparitively inexpensive for the quality of combined components.

Local dealer missed out on price and it cost him 5 sales. After I purchased - 4 other guys I work with all upgraded and bought this unit - everyone is happy and I looked like a champ for suggesting it.

Similar Products Used:

None

Tons of inputs, well built, and delivers a PUNCH!!

lack of onscreen programming

I've read a hundred or so reviews on this forum about the db930 and was moved to think long and hard about tossing aside (not literally) my current receiver Sony's STR-DE915. For being a few years old and at one time top of Sony's "High Fidelity" line, the receiver kicked rear. I had it tweaked to produce amazing bass without a sub that filled the room and brought the house down with special effects.

I decided to upgrade and so did a friend of mine. We each purchased from ONECALL.COM who price matched SOUNDCITY.COM's awesome special at $425 shipped. I ordered it on Tuesday and got it on Thursday morning (2 days later). AWESOME!

This machine puts out. The separation is amazing. The power is awe inspiring. The remote is cool, although I immediately programmed by PHILLIPS PRONTO remote with all the new commands.

I'd highly recommend this receiver over any Sony DE model. I liked the sound I received from the 915 but I just didn't know it could get much better without spending an arm & a leg.

If you are thinking of buying, buy this model. Call ONECALL.COM and get a price and see if they have it in stock. If so, call around (start w/ SOUNDCITY) and get best price and ONECALL will match without causing a fuss or making you prove the price. They hear it all day so they already know who has the deals.

Sony has my vote and I salute them for taking the build, durability, inputs/outputs, and power from their famous ES line and created a little priced machine that could.

Value, Sony Product Integration, Configurability, Versatility

Wow! I didn't think a receiver would make that much difference in my setup! Basically, I got the AVR780 and a set of Onkyo speakers about 12 years ago, and have plodded them through since then. However, I recently picked up a DVD player and wanted to get a full DD/DTS system. Haven't yet picked up any new speakers (I think I want the Energy Take 5's, but I haven't heard them yet), so the current setup uses the Sony 530DVD, the DB930 receiver, and my Onkyo 15" speakers.

Like I said, when I first turned on the system I was amazed at the difference in the sound quality. I heard sounds coming out of the tweeters that I hadn't heard before, and the stereo separation was noticably better than the older receiver.

The system itself is very well built, and I like the general layout and setup of both the receiver and the remote. I like the remote: pretty cool 2-way setup, and the LCD really helps when sitting back from the receiver at night.

I hooked up my DVD player through the coaxial connection and fired up "The Mummy" in Dolby Digital (front speakers only). I'll have to replay it again later w/o DD, but I thought the effects on the movie rocked. I got the same effect here as I would get in the theater: the imaging on the action scenes was good, left to right, and the "shocker" scenes hit good and hard: really scared me a couple of times. Don't remember that with the old receiver. Can't wait to get the surround setup.

There are a couple of things I would like to see in the receiver. None of these detracts from what I think is a great product. If someone can help me out with these, it'd be greatly appreciated:

1. I first tried running S-Video from the DVD player and the DSS to the receiver, RCA from the VCR and PSX to the receiver, and S-Video only to the TV. Nothing from the PSX or VCR. Unfortunately, my TV has to be turned on and off to get input to switch between RCA and S-Video. It would be nice if the Sony could convert between these two formats.

2. Is there a way to change the labels on the remote for [MACRO1] and [MACRO2] so my wife can remember what they are?

3. No EchoStar support on the remote! Phooey! Also, I think any remote on this level of machine should have learning capability. Unless I looked over it in the manual, this one does not. I also don't have a setting for my Harman Kardon CD player. Anyone know one that will work?

I got the receiver for a great price (significantly less than the DE935 in stores) from SoundCity (www.soundcity.com). Barry Chen helped me: he was helpful and my order came very quickly, double boxed, and factory sealed.

In short, I'd recommed the DB930 to anyone who is looking for a great A/V receiver at a reasonable price. I couldn't be happier.

Similar Products Used:

Older Sony AVR780 System (circa 1988)

Plenty of power & inputs

Only 1 coax digital in, Phono support is limited.

Overall I am very happy with this receiver, its surround processing and digital support is excellent.

Watching DVDs and even pro-logic television is a dream with this.

I have one complaint, it phono support is bad (well it is for me) I use a Rega Planer3 with AT OC7 dual moving coil head and I have to continue using my 12year old Luxman just to get any warmth out of vinyl.