many inputs,outputs

can only use the music soundfields in two channel mode.

overall this is a great receiver. I agree with most of the compliments that everyone is giving it. My only gripe is that I can only use the music soundfields in two channel mode.(livehouse,stadium,ect.) I know that these soundfields are intended for music, but with my 725 I was used to using these soundfields in cinema mode which was great for watching ballgames and other sporting events. If sony had left the options that they gave us on some of their older receivers, I would have given this one a five, but I'm only giving it a four on features because of the above mentioned gripe.

Similar Products Used:

sony strde725

Sound Quality in Surround mode, Overall Power, # of Inputs

Remote, No on-screen display

I originally purchased the STR-DB830 but I exchanged it for the Yamaha 795 because the 830's remote did not control anything in my system. I then upgraded to the 930 after seeing it at Oade.com for $420.

The 930 adds the 2way remote, more power, and 2 room capability over the 830. The remote is "cool" when looking at it, but it is a pain to use. Maybe it will grow on me. At least it controls everything in my system (RCA DVD, Toshiba TV, Sony CDX-505, Panasonic HiFi VCR, General Instruments Digital Cable Box).

Sound Quality exceeds the Yamaha when viewing movies (especially in the center channel). However, the Yamaha had a slight edge when listening to two-channel CD's.

Overall this unit is a great value and I am extremely happy with it. Sony's rep for receivers will surely go up after the success of the 930!!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 795A

power, clarity, features and remote

nothing

This is a very impressive reciever. I simply cant fault it. Some people say that its only average sound quality in 2 channel mode but I dont know where they got that from. With a descent pair of front speakers this amp shows alot of power and clarity. In 5.1 digital mode its very hard to beat. The DTS version of saving private ryan was incredible and really showed this reciever at its best. I have had it for 6 months and I wouldnt change it for anything Ive heard.

I read that even when swithed to a digital source the amp does show some hiss. it does on mine... But the amp doesnt fully swith to digital until a signal is recieved. when it gets a signal the hiss dissapears...

awesome amplifier with 5 x 100w RMS and superb DTS and dolby digital decoding.... and an exellent remote thats not difficult to use....

Lots of input and outputs

Unacceptable hiss

I was very excited to get this receiver, especially after reading all the rave reviews on this site. But after owning it for 3 weeks, I returning it today.

If your turn up the volume past 50%, you get a very obvious "hiss" from the front speakers. Even if you select a "dead" input with nothing hooked up, there's always the hiss. I haven't experienced this even on much cheaper receivers.

I'm not sure how this unit could have received so many good reviews with this obvious problem. I'm just a casual listener, and even I can't tolerate it. No amount of inputs and outputs can make up for poor performance.

I'm very sorry to give this a bad review, especially after how excited I was about it initially.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 788

Great versatility
Plenty of S-Video inputs
Plenty of digital inputs

Cheapie binding posts (2-way only)
Remote is...quirky

1st off...John, from the previous posts: You've used it for over a YEAR? B.S.! Unless you live in Europe, that's unlikely! And you do not review anything about the receiver...you just mention random, off-topic junk!

OK--It's a great machine. I've had it since early December and it works flawlessly. The remote is quirky, comprehensive, and lacks some desired flexibility and customization features.

As previously posted, many of the soundfields are gimmicky; Studio A-C and the Auto Function Decode working best for HT; AFD, Small Hall, Live House works best for music (IMHO).

The binding posts CANNOT accept spades--bare wire or bananas only, which is a pain.

Also, there is no switching/conversion of composite to S-Video--this is only explained in the manual, not in anything Sony has put out about the machine.

A good box with plenty of features and solid sound.

Price, build, inputs, power, flexibility, memory.

No Optical CD input.

For the price, this receiver is solid. The build is excellent, produces clean and powerful sound, and the number of inputs is abundant.
I connected the receiver to a pair of Paradigm Monitor
7's and PDR-12, a Sony MDS-JB930 (minidisc recorder) and CDP-CX260 (200 cd changer).

HISSING with 0 no input signal:
It appears that the hissing problem is not as bad
if you set the decoder to 2 Channels. Then no matter the input, analog or digital, the hissing starts past 5 on the dial. Even under the phono RCA inputs, if I set the decoder to 2 CH, then the hissing goes away.
Anyway, you can't avoid "hissing" at such high outputs (50 to 60+ watts) unless you are willing to spend A LOT MORE.
And at that point, your speakers become the bottleneck.
So given the price, $400, and options, this receiver produces clean and solid sound.

HISSING with input signal:
However, I've been noticing a high freq hiss when I turn
up the volume while playing music, i.e. past 2.5 on
the dial. But I think the latter is most likely due to
my sucky CD changer. The optical output of the
CD changer really bites on non-ES sony cd players.

Overall, I think the receiver is great for the money.
If you can spend a couple hundred more, go for the 333ES.
BUT I think you have to remember that once you are willing
to spend on a better receiver, you MUST spend that much more on everything else, or you'll just discover another bottleneck in your system.

sound quality, price, style, and remote

none yet

Great receiver for a great price. I just returned an Onkyo and HK both I would rate below this Sony. And I paid $800 for the Onkyo, (thank goodness for the return if not satisfied policy). I bought the Sony based on the reviews on this site, I figure 200 people couldn't be wrong, and you weren't. The remote compared to the other receivers was actually pretty good. I even went as far as buying an "all for one learning remote" for $100 and the Sony remote I feel is better than that. All in all you can't go wrong with this receiver, it well worth the money.

Similar Products Used:

hk avr300, Onkyo tx-sv676

110 watts per channel x 5.8ohm-s 4-8 switching direct ground drive O.O5 THD all channels driven

remote somewhat clumsy can be overcome with practice

ES -series components at a discount rated price oversized lapped core power transformer off center isulator feet frame & beam construction aluminum front panel cinema studio EX-modes 32 bit DSP engine with 27 acoustic environments pre amp outputs. Complimantary parallel push pull amplifier s video switching with 4 inputs and 2 outputs 3 optical digital inputs and 1 coaxed digital input 5.1 multi channel input s-link control system 9-function input selector with phono input. Sony really went back to the drawing board with this reciever it's capability is far above what you would expect for it's price you could spend a whole lot more on another reciever but i very seriously doubt your gonna get anymore for your money this is all the bang for the buck and then some considering the few draw backs with the remote this is a reciever i can honestly recommend to my friends the STR DB930 is a rare find these days get one while you can

Similar Products Used:

HK65 Denon AVR 1700 NAKOMICHI AVR8

* The number inputs
* Solid construction (heavy piece of equipment)
* Lots of DSPs
* Way cool remote

* No component video in
* No digital in for CD
* Can't channel a RCA video input to S-video output
* Poor documentation

I did a lot of research prior to buying this receiver and I must say that everyone that contributed to the product reviews helped me a lot. (Thanks guys!) I bought this receiver at Soundcity like many of you and just love the look, options, and sound of this receiver.

Truths/Myths (according to me):

Remote: When researching this product I tried to look for similarities between everyone's comments. Unlike a lot of people, I like the remote. Yes, it isn't programmable/learning and it is somewhat slow but you can't get a cooler remote for a receiver in this price range. Anyway, I am not really in a hurry when I am enjoying a movie or listening to my favorite tunes.

Heat: I was somewhat concerned about the heat issue that several of you mentioned. So when I got the receiver, I did a burn-in test and left it running 12+ everyday for several days. The receiver got warm with a temperature somewhat akin to the feel of the back my TV. I did not smell anything weird coming out of it nor did the receiver ever cut out on me.

DSP: This receiver has 27+? DSPs and each one can be customized. They are fun to use but after finding the one you prefer, you'll probably just stick to a few. I really wouldn't recommend choose this receiver over another comparable one just because of this.

Hissing: I notice several reviews commenting on the hissing problem. I am not an audiophile so I have never had an opportunity try out receivers that costs several thousand dollars. With that in mind, I tested the receiver by switching it to phono with nothing connected to it and there is hissing audible from a volume level of 3 on up. Now, when I listen to music or a movie I do not hear an annoying hiss in the background. So this really isn't a problem for me but maybe for someone with more acute ears.

Mixing inputs and outputs: Although I understanding why Sony designed it this way, I find it to be a nuisance. I have an older Sony VCR that does not have S-video out so I connected it to the receiver with RCA a/v cables. However, I thought that I would be able to output this to the TV via the S-video out of my receiver (yes, my TV has S-video in). I found out quickly that the two are on separate circuits (according to the manual) and it can not be mixed (my assumption and test result). I tried to hook-up a video RCA cable between the receiver and TV using the same video input on the TV as the S-video cable. Again I quickly learned that my TV defaults to S-video when both are present. So I ended up having the S-video on one input and the RCA video cable on another input on my TV. It works but is a pain to switch back and forth.

Documentation: There are a lot of settings and tweaks available with this receiver and normally, I would find it to be great. On this occasion, it is somewhat annoying because I know the receiver is capable of a lot tweaking but the darn manual does not explain the parameters in any depth. I still haven't figured out how to best setup the EQ for each speaker. If someone has a recommendation don't be shy, share it with us.

Overall, I love this receiver and do not regret my purchase decision. If you are looking for a quality receiver in this price range I would highly recommend it. If you are an audiophile willing to part with more money, then there probably a lot of high-end receivers better than this one. I hope this review helps someone as the previous reviews have helped me.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Yamaha

Style, Lots of inputs/outputs, remote - yes, the remote!

Sound quality and hissing being amplified through the speakers only at volume level at 3 on the dial. The remote won't work with my DVD player (JVC XV-501BK).

I've been reading this site for 2 months now and read all of the reviews about this product from various posting. I was anxious to get this receiver home for an awesome experience. I had returned my JVC to get the Sony and had to be without a receiver for about 2 weeks. To make a long story short that awesome moment never arrived. As soon as I turned it on and to a comfortable listening level I was dissappointed. The sound was worse than the JVC I had and I only spent $299 for that over the Christmas holiday. (Personally, I liked the JVC, but it had a hissing problem too, but only at an extreme volume.) The reviews hooked me on the db930. Not only wasn't the sound crystal clear (the way everyone claimed it to be) but I'm getting a hissing/humming sound out of the speakers. I start to pick it up noticeably when I turn the dial pass three. I only have a DVD player hooked up. When I switch to phono (no turntable connected) the hissing gets louder. I going to send it back and request another one. Maybe its only a defective piece and not the whole line. I only hope!

My speakers are Shahanian Acoustic Obelisk rated at 6 ohms.


As for the remote, all you have to do is read the manual. It took about 30 minutes reading and playing with it to program it. Now I can control my descrambler, TV, and the receiver. Too bad about the DVD.

Similar Products Used:

JVC RX-888BK