WOW! What a unit. Over the past few months I have purchased and returned the Sony STR-DE925 and the Sony STR-DE935. I returned the DE925 thinking the DE935 would be a better unit. The 935 had a few more features, but the sound quality was not as good as the 925's. After reviewing comments here I searched Sony's site for info on the DB-930 but found nothing. I did locate a picture, but little specs at http://www.sonyeurope.com/cons/hifi/hifiqs/qs_receivers.html#content. Called a QS receiver in Europe (Quality Series) the unit shown at this site is rated at 120 Watts per channel, but the US version says 110 Wates per channel on the receiver and in the manual. I called onecall.com and purchased the unit for $470 delivered! This price beat Circuit City's for what I payed for the 925 and 935. The only difference with onecall.com is that they will not take back a unit simply because you don't like it, it has to break within 15 days, otherwise you have to send it off to Sony.
OK, onto my review. Immediately I noticed this unit was heavier than the 925 and 935. Peeking into to top cover reveals a larger transformer and capicitors, indicating this unit can drive more current into your speakers. Although the power rating for all three units, the 925, 935 and 930 is 110 watts per channel the 930 drove my speakers harder, I can't explain harder, I just noticed a huge difference in sound quality in both 2 channel and 5.1. Another thing I noticed immediately was the lack of a numeric keypad on the 930. This keypad is on the 925 and 935 and is used for direct tuning of radio stations. The DB930 can direct tune with the remote only. I did not find this to be a con.

Need I dare say that this is a 'handsome' unit. The button layout and look, combined with the drop down door (ES look) really impressed me. This unit looks like it means business and it delivers. From the gold plated connectors, the large speaker posts for all 5 channels, the 5.1 IN and 6 channel pre-amp out, extra s-video connector on the front of the unit, 2nd audio out which I use to run stereo to 900 MHz wireless speakers throughout my house you can not go wrong. If you are looking for the BEST Sony receiver without wanting to enter the ES line then this is it! I must add that, in my search for a receiver, I only considered Sony as I have a 32 inch XBR, and the Sony 550 DVD player (which I reviewed here)and Sony CD and tape deck. If you have any questions at all don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail. I will even scan the Specs pages of the manual and send them to anyone who cares to see them. Sorry about the book, but Sony finally got one right.

I have had this unit for about 1 1/2 weeks now and am very happy with it. It has more power then I can use and very low noise. Everything works perfectly and the remote even shows a complete listing of my CD's on its screen (I have a Sony CDP-CX300). According to the manual this unit has 110 Watts RMS 20-20K HZ at .05 THD in stereo and .09 THD in surround. It has 4 Optical Digital and one Coaxial inputs. One of the optical inputs is for DVD and the Coaxial is also for DVD. The unit does have a feature where it will search the inputs and auto-find the signal. Thanks to this feature I can connect the CD to the optical input and the DVD to the Coaxial. As long as the DVD is off I can get digital sound from the CD by selecting the DVD source (It doesn't have a CD digital input). It also has an optical out for MD recording. The only negative things I noticed was the remote 2 way communication is hindered when I close the Glass doors on the cabinet requiring me to point the remote directly at the receiver. Also the sub out has mid-range frequency noise on it, however most subs will not reproduce this noise because it is above their response frequency.

Had this receiver for about a week. It sounds crisp and clear when listening to jazz on fm. The amp on this receiver is clean and quiet compare to str-de835 perhaps due to the 30000uf versus 20000uf on the 835. It doesn't get hot as the 835. Overall it has es look and feel with gold plated rca jacks.

The reviews of the past few days pretty much say it all. I discovered this product through the reviews on this site, ordered it from onecall.com, and have been absolutely overwhelmed by the sound and quality of this receiver. When I think of the poor folks paying almost as much for an STRD-E935, well... What first impressed me out of the box was the weight and build quality. Everything fits perfectly. This much attention to the outside implies similar attention to the inside. Sony delivers here, too. Hard to believe its the same company that makes the mass market stuff. If any are left, buy one now! You flat won't regret it!

Just received the STR DB930 today (call one.call for the best price and fast service). I replaced the STR-DE835. On first glance the 835's remote was a little easier to use and more intuitive (for one thing you could keep the door open and still operate the volume). The sound reproduction is quite faithful - nothing unusual with hissing or distortion. This receiver does seem to run hotter than the 835 did but the overall construction is much more substantial. Great switching capabilities with numerous inputs.I have a Sony DVP-S550 DVD, Energy Take 5 with esl-8 subwoofer, and a Sony Kl-w9000 50" widescreen LCD TV. Thanks to the DB930 - my home theater has never sounded better. A great buy.

I just ordered this receiver last Wed. and received it on Fri. It is Unbelievable. I almost had a heart attack when I watched Tomorrow Never Diesin Dolby Digital. For a moment I actually thought I was the one firing the
machine gun. At $460 delivered from Onecall, yes it is a little more expensive
than the STR-DE935, the Onkyo TX-DS575, or the JVC RX-888VBK, but then again it has the features of the 935 without the overheating, hissing, snapping, crackling, popping, etc. Plus it has sound quality comparable to the Onkyo with more wattage. Gold plated rca jacks, 4 s-video inputs, 3 optical in and 1 out, ES design and the materials and components used to construct this are also comparable to those used in the Sony ES line. What's not to like. I even like the remote, it controls all of my components and I don't find that the two-way communication hinders anything by slowing down my commands. For under $500 dollars NO OTHER RECEIVER CAN TOUCH THIS ONE WITH A TEN FOOT POLE. It, by far and away, gives you the most bang for your buck and as you can tell by the reviews, many people agree with me. 5 stars.

This post is to inform you of the previous review made by MacPherson a.k.a Harris from NJ. This guy is an idiot and does not know any better. Please disregard his reviews. If you ever read a review comparing a Harman Kardon and Sony product, it was probably posted by that jerk. Apparently he has a thing against Sony. Seek help Harris. Once again, he does not know any better. 5 stars to compensate for that A-hole's rating.

This reciever is a disgrace to humanity. I purchased it 1 week ago and back it went to the store. First it wasn't loud at all... my friends HK AVR 45 beat it totally. My old Yamaha sounded much better then this junk. Second there was a loud hissing, and crackling in the rear speakers. Third the face plate, and the cover that comes done is really cheap. It's small, and light no wonder it sounds like crap. I figured I had a defective one since I heard crackling, and hissing, so I went to Circuit City, and exchanged it... same problem. I later compared many other recievers side by side with the same speakers. Yamaha2095, HK AVR65, Sony 925, Denon 3300, and Onkyo 959. I can honestly say I'm happy with my purchas of my HK, it sounds much better then the 930. Maybe the 930 would be a better reciever if there weren't any problems.

Finally got my STR-DB930 (They're like gold dust over here), and I'm very impressed. Build quality is excellent, sound is superb, and has loads of features. Well equipped with inputs/outputs. The remote control is brilliant.It is two way, so that for example if the receiver has stored it's 30 RDS radio stations, the names of these get sent to the remote, so you can just select say "KISS FM" from the remote. Ace!
This receiver is "right out of the top drawer" (as we say in England)!

who is macpherson? me and him have totally different IP address's. That's not me so stop saying that.