Very Good!!!

clean design, many options (too many infact)

While enjoying the features of the DB-840, I find myself a bit overwhelmed with the EQ setttings and preset sound feilds. Anyone out there having the same mystified experience? I find them hard to appreciate. My music sounds great, clean and clear. I've noticed already some flaws in CD recordings that I could never hear before. I think I'd like to overwrite some of the prescribed settings. Anyone try this?

Anyone interested in discussing the options available?

Currently setup:
AR-429ps towers
AR-c225ps center channel
(AR surrounds TBD)
Sony 5-disk CD player

Does everything great.

none

Used mostly for home theater, does everything you could want and more. Sounds excellent, great dts sound. Would recomend this to everyone. No hiss problems.

Solid build, looks good, impressive DD and DTS

remote

I read a lot about people complaining about hiss. I haven't heard any hiss yet. I use high quality cables. Maybe there are differences between the European and American models of the DB840?
I bought the DVD "hell freezes over" and I was really impressed with the excellent sound and channel seperation.
You can choose between the original decoded sound (AFD) or add an acoustic effect (cinema modes) to it. Both sound nice, it's a matter of opinion wich to choose.
There are many options to tune your soundfield (distance in feet/meters, position of speakers (high, low), material walls are made of).
My DVD player (Sony DVP 535) is connected optical. The receiver immidiatly detects the right signal (DD, DTS, PCM) and switches to the right mode.
For you 2 channel stereo freaks there is an "analog direct" button wich bypasses all of the internal decoders/soundfields.

I bought the receiver in Germany because prices there are very low (at least, probibly the cheapest in Europe). I paid 999DM, wich is about 370/400$

I highly recommend this receiver to anyone who is in for HT, but isn't satisfied with the Sony DE series. The DB series really make a difference.

Similar Products Used:

sony, teac, onkyo

Excellent sound, high quality components, nice design

Remote...light green text on white buttons.

This is my 4th Amplifier in less than 4 months, started off with cheaper Sony-models (DE), and tried a Technics-reciever as well, before I found the DB-840. It cost me a little more, but I couldn't stand the hiss of the DE-series, or the lack of functions on the Technics-model.
This amp has everything I want in a DD/DTS-reciever in this pricerange. I went for the silver-model, and the only thing I don't like is the remote.

The amp has lots of power, clean sound and excellent DD/DTS-decoding. The DSP-settings are ok, but who uses them anyway for music or DVD-playback?? Tons of rear inputs, as well as a video input in the front should please most users, but there's no digital cd-input.

This is definitely a good buy in this pricerange, I'm very pleased whit the unit after 2 months of using it, and I'm not easy to please when it comes to soundgear.

Similar Products Used:

Sone DE-series

Good clean sound, packs a lot of bunch. Solid, well built unit. Many configuration options, plenty of inputs.

Would like Volume to be done digitally and show up on the display, instead of just turn the knob up and it gets louder.

This is a review that I wrote about a month ago for my website The Digital Horde. http://www.digitalhorde.com
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I bought this receiver a couple months ago to replace my Kenwood VR-209. I was happy with the Kenwood, despite its limitations, but because of unforeseen circumstances, the Kenwood needed to be moved to another room.

I spent a lot of time shopping around and looking at different offerings from Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, and Sony. I decided that I wanted something a little better than the consumer grade stuff that stores like Best Buy sell, but I also didn't want to spend an outrageous amount of money either.

I was referred to the Sony DB line of receivers by a member of the Home Theater Forum message board http://www.hometheaterforum.com and am glad I was. Sony makes three lines of receivers. The DE line, the DB line, and the ES line. DE is their low end consumer grade line, ES is their high end, ultra expensive line. The DB line is a fairly new addition to Sony's product lineup, it was meant to be sort of a bridge line, something between the low quality DE's and the high quality ES's.

After a good bit of research, I learned that the DB line uses a lot of the same components that the ES line uses, and is much closer to the ES receivers than the DE's. In fact, other than the warranty and the price, supposedly there isn't too much different between the two, although, I'm sure the ES receivers are better.

Enough comparisons, how does it sound? Well, it sounds marvelous. This receiver was able to take my Infinity speakers to a whole new level. I didn't even know they could sound this good. It makes me wish I had picked up a better receiver a long time ago. I took advantage of a lot of the inputs, hooking my PC up to the coaxial digital input, my CD changer to an optical, and my DVD player to another optical input, an I hooked up my trusty stereo VCR to the video 1 analog input. The speakers were two Infinity RS3's as mains, an Infinity CC1 as the center, an Infinity BU-120 as the sub, and a pair of Infinity satellites as the rears.

Basically, this receiver could handle anything I threw at it. I played all sorts of MP3's through the computer, with varying rates from 112kbps, all the way up to 320kbps. Of course the higher quality ones sounded better, but they all sounded great. I tried some gaming through the computer, mainly Half Life Team Fortress classic, and for a minute there, I thought I was in the middle of a war the sound was so good.

For the CD player, I have tried several different types of music, some Star Wars and Star Trek soundtrack music, the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack, some Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine, and more. All sounded great. I especially like the different DSP's the Sony offers. They all have a unique sound, and I can play around with them as much as I like. I thought the "Large Hall" setting especially ruled with track 12 of the Conan soundtrack.

The Video 1 analog input worked fine with my VCR too. I threw in Star Wars Episode One, and also watched some stereo TV, and the pro logic sound was as good as Pro Logic can get.

Now for the most important part, the DVD sound quality. Before I begin, I will tell you that I did NOT use the input labeled DVD. My computer only works with coaxial digital input, so I had to use the DVD input on the receiver because it was the only one with coaxial. My Toshiba SD-2109 only has coaxial output, but I was able to use a coaxial to optical converter to run it through the optical input on the receiver. Strangely, the converter didn't work with my PC, only the DVD player.

Anyways, let me start with Dolby Digital. Being a digital format, you'd think that there isn't much difference between one DD 5.1 receiver and another, and you would be wrong! This puppy sounded a hell of a lot better than my Kenwood. It packs a lot more PUNCH, and sounds cleaner and more well rounded with regards to the middle range of sound than my Kenwood did. I wish I could compare it to other receivers such as the Yamaha RX-V795a and the Denon 2800, but I am unable to. I tried Predator, Star Trek : First Contact, The Matrix, and also Independence Day on this receiver, and they all sounded amazing. Once again the DSP's came in handy, there are several theater like DSP's with this receiver that give a person many options about how he wants to listen to movies as well as music. One scene that really sticks out in my head was the camp attack early in Predator. All the bullets zinging around, the explosions, the helicopter, and of course "Stick around" from Arnold all sounded amazing. I was about to duck for cover behind my couch, the bullet sound was so real.

I wasn't able to test the DTS capability of this receiver anywhere near as much as Dolby Digital. My only DTS disc is Man on the Moon! (Jaws is coming soon) The little DTS opening that played though was hella cool, and Man on the Moon sounded great, but it isn't really a great movie to test sound quality with. I'll try out Jaws when I get it, and I have no doubt that Jaws will sound great. To cannibalize the famous line from Roy Sheider - We're NOT gonna need a bigger receiver!

I did try the S-Video out on the receiver, and it worked fine, but I use component video cables for my connection, and I'm one of the people who likes to use his receiver for the audio, and the video will go straight to the TV. I don't really care for all the video stuff, though this Sony worked fine in that regard.

The remote is kind of a mixed bag. It has a little neat LCD display that is handy and easy to use, but many of the buttons are behind a little door on the remote, and it can be tedious to open the door all the time.

The unit itself is very heavy for a receiver and you can tell that it's well built just by looking at it. The front panel has a door that you can open up like the ES line, with a ton of buttons behind it.

I don't really like how Sony designed the volume knob. It has values ranging from 1-10, but basically the receiver tops out at about 6, and any volume higher than 4 will have your neighbors trying to kill you. The values from 7-10 are simply too loud to be clear, and they get a lot of noise and distortion in them. I did a little test by putting the receiver on the empty video 2 input, while my VCR was on video 1, and when I cranked the receiver up to 10, there was some bleeding from video 1, and a lot of noise. This is all basically irrelevant though, since at around 6, the sound is still perfect, and it is MEGA loud. This thing at 6 is a lot louder than my Kenwood was at full blast. You probably don't ever want to go higher than 4 or so if you live near the San Andreas fault, you may cause an earthquake, and kill many millions of Denon owners.

This receiver is a very nice unit, and I think it's definitely worth the extra hundred bucks or so over the DE line, and also a way better value than the 333ES which is about a hundred bucks more than this baby. I paid $450 for it locally, and you will probably be able to find a better deal on the net. If you go out to buy it, do NOT get it confused with the DE 845, their model numbers are very similar, but this is the STR-DB840. You won't find it at a Best Buy type store. And don't let salesmen lie to you saying that this is not as good as the DE845 since it's a lower model number (840 opposed to 845) this baby will blow the DE845 away without a sweat.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood VR-209

Fully adjustable, excellent decoding and sound

Runs warm (but not hot), is it a weakness ?

My first attempt in HT is a success.
This receiver has a very good value, as it is cheap and full of quality sound. On hifi no problem. Dolby digital and DTS works perfectly. The setup is a piece of cake.
Just sit down and enjoy your favorites dvds !

Many Inputs and Many surround sound inputs

Hiss, particularly while hearing sound from movies in Cable

Except for the hiss sound, great value for the money.
Does anyone know if the remote can change DVDs
in a DVD player?

Otherwise I like the remote design
except the part that I have to open it for entering
channel numbers...

features

hiss in Dolby pro logic mode (even at low volumes), high pitched hum in dolby digital mode

I believe I recieved a defective unit. When I use the 5.1 inputs, the unit is quiet. However, any DSP mode produces either hiss or hum (even when the volume is only at 3 or 4). I noticed this was a problem with last years model (spotty quality?). Anyway, this problems is real on my unit (I did LOTs of testing because of the inconvenience of returning it). Apparently SONY hasn't gotten all the bugs out yet in their manufacturing process. I am attempting to trade it for a new 940, hopefully without this problem.

Similar Products Used:

Sony D925

Great sound, value for the money, excellent performance

Remote control,

I have been using this unit no longer than a momonth.
Exscept many tips I also noticed;
- when the volume knob is almost full down the left channal
sounds much louder than the right one,
- cannot record from tuner to Mini Disc via optical cable
( did I do anything wrong - pls. help )
- cannot skip unused & disconnected units ( e.g. CD ,Phono )

So far so good.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE 630