Great sound for the money, plenty of inputs, very versatile

Don't like the remote

Even using my old Aiwa speakers, I could not believe how much of an improvement in movie and music sound I got after adding this receiver. The movie soundtracks were so much more full blooded and dynamic; on movies and music I could hear and feel stuff that I haven't heard on my Aiwa receiver. And it's a great value for under $500. Unfortunately the remote is not intuitive at all, which means that one of these days I'll have to open the remote's manual!

Similar Products Used:

Old Aiwa System

I finally have a receiver that can handle all of my devices and with good inputs(ie optical, digital, s-video). And I love the fact I can hook up other speakers and listen to something else in another room(setup to work outside actually)

Definitely worth the money I spent. Got from a dealer for only $380 plus $20 s/h and worth every penny. I actually love the remote. Everything I have is sony and it controls them flawlessly.

Similar Products Used:

just pro-logic recievers, but all sony equipment in other areas

great value, more than adequate inputs/outputs for this price range

none

Thanks to early reviews posted here, I switched from DE935 to DB930. More than adequate features for my modest home theater setup. Remote is quirky, but I like it.

Equipment:
Sony 27" TV, DVP-S530D, ES CD player from 5 yrs ago, Definitive Tech speakers (BP2004, C2, BP1X)

Similar Products Used:

DE935

Aesthetics, construction, sound quality, plethora of digital and analog I/O's

None, really, except I had to replace the shipped remote batteries with some very fresh ones to get it to work correctly.

I have had this system up and running for about 3 days. I recently hooked up a STRDE-935 for a friend and got to browsing Crutchfield and stumbled upon the 930. Whew! What a unit. I can't see how anyone other than an extremely discerning audiophile could get any real value for buying anything more than this piece. My only regret after reading these reviews is that I paid $600 through Crutchfield while everybody else has paid $450 or so. Sigh. At least they have good tech support. My initial exposure to "home theater" was through a second generation Yamaha decoder and some Boston Acoustic BA-5 speakers for surround sound; I thought, "what's the big deal?" Well, NOW I know. The Sony receiver is extremely impressive and, in spite of its not-all that well-written manual, fairly easy to set up and configure.

Similar Products Used:

NAD 3150 amplifier; Yamaha surround sound decoder

Sound, connections, price, remote, set-up.

It broke after 6 weeks.
Manual

I have had the receiver for 6 weeks now and it's being repaired. The right surround channel no longer gives any sound. Very sad!

Don't be put off though. I reckon it sounds fantastic. Try Saving Private Ryan (DTS) or the Matrix (DD 5.1), amongst others.

Some of the sound field modes can help out satellite or TV transmissions too.

You could also use it instead of central heating as it radiates a lot of heat!!!

I tried out HK-AV65 as well but the Sony felt better made to me. The high failure rate reported on the HK-AV65 also put me off but it looks as if the Gremlins got me anyway!

The manual is good but I felt that it lacked detail in places.

All in all, a very good product and one that I would thoroughly recommend.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR-65

All that I

I've seen listed here and more. "Headphone theater" great for late night with the kids asleep.

I'm no "audiophile" but I just wanted to add my two cents and say this is a great receiver. I've got a question- Why do I see old reviews,always negative, showing up with new names and dates but the exact same words. Some of these "Sony haters" should just go to the discussion group instead of trying to lower the review average. What a pitiful life he must lead.

1)Great DTS decoding 2)Plenty of power 3)Lots of setup options 4)Preamp outputs 5)All gold plated ins and outs 6) price

That some people will not give it a listen because of some other bad units from Sony.

Have enjoyed this unit now for about 5 months, have listened to at least 30 DVDs and better than a hundred CDs. Really like the depth of soundstage on CDs, this receiver made me break out CDs that I havent listened to in while. Have had no problems with hiss or any other noise. I think a good power conditioner can help with some problems, not factory defects of course but dirty power can ruin even the best of equipment. The DTS decoding is fantastic very open, and will draw you into the music DVD or movie you are watching. I give this receiver 4.5 stars just for the fact I have never listended to anything deserving of 5 stars in the audio world that didnt take a doctors salary to afford.
my set up:
Sony STR-DB930 receiver
Sony DVP-S550D DVD player
Rotel RCD-971 CD player
JVC HR-9600 SVHS vcr
Acoustic Research AR1 front speakers
Acoustic Research 308 HO rears
Acoustic Research AR2C center
MIT speaker cables and Interconnects
Panamax Max 1500 power conditioner

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, Pioneer Elite VSX-24tx

Very dynamic and wide stagesound picture. Even in regular Surround mode. In AC-3 the picture and balance is outstanding. The sound quality and presence, from low to high DB is excellent.

Quality control. My Canadian unit had to be changed because of Rear Right Channel Hiss, even on Tone Testing. Yes, I had to have a bad unit firsthand...

I do not care what some bad mouth audiophiles have to say, this unit is excellent. You have to hear it and see it for yourself. It has plenty of features to customize your room to a perfect sound, lots of power and precision without coloration at high power. It is excellent in HT as well as music. My unit is driving PSB speakers and sub, alpha and century series which recreates a very realistic stage, as it was intended to, by one of the best Hollywood recording movie studios. The 930 also becomes user friendly, after a while. It allows you to come back to preset settings easily. The remote takes a while to get use to , but is very versatile. I wish it had more video inputs as mine is already saturated, with 3 dishes, 2 videos and one DVD.
My only drawback is that I got a bad unit at first, but now that I have a great one, I still give it a five star. Get them before SONY reprices them...

Similar Products Used:

Only listened to Denon's 3300 and Pioneer's high end receivers.

I am also waiting for this unit from Sound City. A shipment was coming in about two weeks ago with a high demand. I was told that I would get one from that group. I also ordered a Sony Digital Dolby Sat. dish and receiver that was in stock. I got it one week later and it was double boxed and works great. I have bought a receiver in the past from them with a good price and fast shipping. I hope I will get this unit also in the next few days, but have not followed up on the order because I have a lower nut good model Sony right now and I have been busy with work. I have listened to a friends unit and like everthing but the remote.

Value, Performance, Feature Set

Additional Digital In/Outs

I searched high and low for a high performance, feature-rich receiver without breaking the bank and definitely made the right choice in the DB930. I was willing to spend AVR3300 money but I actually think the Sony is a smarter choice when considering the bang for the buck.

I looked high and low for the best price and finally called Christian at One Call. Friendly, prompt service with a competitive price matching policy, even with other vendors on the web. $409 plus shipping and Im a happy camper. I even secured a Sony DVD7700 for $699 while I was at it.

Im running the system with MIT Term 2's to a pair of Klipsch KSP 300's with acoustically matching center and surrounds. I couldnt be happier with the sound, especially since Im spoiled from my old Sansui 9090DB that has gone into semi retirement and always provided great, warm tube sound.

Judges score....."5"