Clean sound, ample power, great looks and excellent value!
ES like construction and quality without the cost.

Remote is slow in 2-way mode.

I compared this unit with Denon, HK, JVC, Pioneer, Onkyo, Kenwood, Sherwood-Newcastle and other Sony ES (units with MSRP as high as $1200.00)... Features vs. Power vs. Quality vs. Cost.
This IS the BEST bang for the buck!!

Excellent sound, construction, sound field flexibility

Manual is inadequate

Discovered this receiver through the excellent contributions to AudioReview.com. My unit does not appear to overheat, or get very warm as described by others here. The rear panel exhibits excellent input capability, and is very well marked and easy to set up. There is absolutely no noise coming from any of the speakers. The chassis is rock solid, and the weight of the unit indicates large, low hysteresis transformer design. Having spent a number of years in power supply design I can attest to well designed transformers and low heat going hand in hand. Of course other factors can contribute to heat build up such as pumping too much current through a transformer or the class of operation of the output stage. Quality construction appears to be the case here.

The sound output is warm, fluid, and neither overly bright, nor skewed towards the bass. To my ears the the Sony STR-DB30 produces liquid clear and neutral sound. Perfect for jazz, classical, and voice. To say the least I am delighted with this unit.

On the other hand the written manual support staff for the remote unit did not do due diligence. For one of the most complex and powerful receiver/remote controller products available, as this Sony receiver is, shame on this Sony group of writer/engineers. This unit deserves more, perhaps even an extra cost video. The hours wasted attempting to figure out the simplest functions would be obviated by a $20-30 dollar video. Of course the work should be done by a sub-contractor as Sony has already shown it's inability to deliver in this arena.

However, all this niggling complaining aside. I am sure that I will eventually master the remote, and in the meantime would highly recommend this unit to everyone. I purchased the unit through onecall.com, 1-800-340-4770, for $389 + $30 shipping to the east coast. Told the phone salesmanI had seen the recommendations at AudioReview.com for the unit at this price and the deal was done. Arrived two days later, double boxed and in perfect shape. Thanks again to all who have contributed here.

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Sansui Receiver

Quality in both stereo and multi channel decoding.
Does not lose stereo quality like some ac3/dts recievers do

none found

Just got mine 2 weeks ago.
Made me forget my old JVC RX616 on minutes.
In stereo mode the dynamics are amazing, the sound is rich and full.
With movies (AC3/DTS) the sound is solid grabbing your attention from the first seconde.
It delivers amazing performance blasting at 90/100 watts per channel.
Great reciever, ok price.
Sony really improved it's midrange stuff over the last years.

Similar Products Used:

JVC RX616

specs

remote control instructions... what else?

Decided to replace my 10 year old Technics pro-logic with a DE 835... was a big improvement over the Technics, until I read all your comments here, and then returned it for the DB 930... same kinda features as the 835 but with the better innards and greater sound all around...
My first 930 however was DOA.. upon setting everything up, there was popping...short, sparking sounds periodically from the front right channel.. all my connections were fine... then 10 minutes and 2 pops... then the unit shuts off and the "protector" signal flashes on the front.. returned it and this 2nd unit has been fine for the last 24 hours...

Although I would appreciate some advice... some talk about the "clean power"... does that pertain to hiss... I turn my volume control to about the 9:00 position and I get some sizable hiss from all of my Klipsh SF 1s.. all the video, audio, power cords etc. are bundled together, leading out of a stand... can this cause this interference? Thanks in advance for some feedback...

Otherwise a good unit.. I know you can spend alot more but I don't think I could hear a sizable difference when played loud enough...

Mostly everything. looks good, sounds great, has a bazillion inputs. BUT....

GOD I wish Sony had someone that could write a manual.

OK. Got my unit. Since it's x-mas and I am an impatient person, I ended up paying 430 dollars shipped. Still a pretty good deal. Now I ran home and setup the system. I currently have 4 Wharfedale modus 8's I got from ubid and a Klipsch center. no sub as of yet, but the modus 8's kinda fill the job. Definitly need one though. Anyway, about the receiver. First off, it's nice and heavy. Good solid feel to the construction. No offense, but the Denon seemed pretty slimsy in comparison to me. Also the front panel on the Sony is very nice looking. It is definitly a nice look, and it has the nice touch that you can dim the display. Always important for those late night movie sessions when even the low glow of a LED can be distracting. the back of the unit is a very nice surprise, having a ton of inputs/outputs. Including 4 optical inputs, an out, 5.1 in's, 5.1 pre-out, S-vhs inputs, and s-link controls. You really have to see it to apreciate it better. Suffice to say most anyone will have more than enough inputs on this unit. And theya re all very nice quality gold plated connectors. Use monster cables all around and it's all nice and snug.

Now, plug in my DVD, VCR and MiniDisc players, then the TV and speakers. power on the unit and then uh oh.... HELL ON EARTH.


If anybody from Sony is reading this, get someone that has an idea on how to write a manual. I mean, it took me 2 hours just to figure out what to do to setup my speakers properly. then I went on the excursion on figuring out how to program the remote to control my NON sony DVD player (Pioneer DVD 606D) that has a s-link LIKE port on it but it doesnt respond at all when plugged in, and then getting the IR signall to work on it. And while this partially works for simple stuf, the hidden scroll keys on the remote work fine. but the enter button toa actually select your option doesnt do a thing. ARGH.

However, the VCR with it's S-link port as well as the MD respond very nicely.

Also the remote didnt seem slow to me as a lot of people say. i just make sure to point it at the receiver and it goes pretty quick. no problems there at least.

So, if anybody can ever figure out how to properly set the remote, let me know :). other than that little problem, I give this unit 5 stars alla round. it's very nice to look at, and it works great too.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR95, Nakamichi N925, other similar receivers

See Review

See Review

The Sony was never an option for me since I didn't think that they made
"audiophile-quality" products. I was pretty much set on getting the Yamaha
RX-V795a, but decided to give other receivers in the same price range a
listen. After auditioning the Denon AVR-2800(1 week), the Onkyo TX-DS575(1
week), the Yamaha RX-V595a(2 days), the Yamaha RX-V795a(3 weeks), and
finally the Sony STR-DB930, I came to the conclusion that the Sony is the
only way to go for me.
I came across a couple of reviews of the Sony STR-DB930 recently, and they
were all *rave reviews*. Turns out that its predecessor, the STR-DB925(not
to be confused with the much lower end DE series) was named the "Best Buy"
last year, and took the 2nd spot in their "Top Five Amps and Receivers"
column. The winners, in order:
1. Denon AVC-A10 ($2,000)
2. Sony STR-DB925 ($600)
3. Yamaha DSP-A1 ($1,600)
4. Yamaha DSP-A2 ($1,000)
5. Yamaha RX-V795 ($600)

As you can see, it was compared with receivers much higher in price and
still considered a better value than many. The STR-DB930 was again named
the "Best Buy" this year in the November issue of Home Cinema Choice
magazine(highly rated home theater magazine in the U.K.), and the reviewer
commented that it sounds even better than last year's STR-DB925.
The October issue of What Hi-Fi magazine compared the Onkyo TX-DS575 and the
Sony STR-DB930, and the Sony came up tops in all categories(sound, build,
features). An excerpt of the review reads: "...this Sony is nothing short
of a masterpiece. It achieves home cinema heights that only the most
accomplished, high-quality kit can match. The STR-DB930 is so good that
even if it cost $1,000 it would get five stars.". The November issue
subsequently named the Sony STR-DB930 "Product of the Year".
I have to concur with the above! And to think that all this can be had for
a mere $399 shipped!

As an added note to the above review, another magazine, Home
Entertainment magazine, named the Sony STR-DB930 their "Best Gear: Home
Cinema Amp/Processor($1000 or under)" for 1999/2000. This is compared to
other great amps like the $1000 Yamaha DSP-A2 and the NAD T750.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-2800, the Onkyo TX-DS575, Yamaha RX-V595a, Yamaha RX-V795a

Price to performance ratio.

The remote, digital inputs are not assignable.

This is without a doubt the best bang for the buck out there right now. I bought this for a bedroom system and am waiting for a HK7000 for my main system. So of course I slide this in my main system and it sounds great. I'm running Monitor Audio Silver 5's which are very revealing and it sounds very good until ear bleed volumes. The processing is excellent in DD, DTS and even DPL! The sounds is pretty neutral and the amplification is solid. Assignable digital inputs would be nice and the remote is OK (It controls everything in my main system, just not that easy) at this price range all is forgiven. The one thing I also like is the ability to name the input, rather than being stuck with VIDEO 2. Bought from OneCall and yes the prices have gone up a little but this is still a great performer.

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Denon 3300, Pioneer Elite 24TX, Sony 333ES

GOOD SOUND QUALITY, POWER AND FEATURES FOR THE PRICE CAN'T BE BEAT

REMOTE AND MANUAL STILL LEARNING BOTH THE RECEIVER AND THE REMOTE TAKES TIME BUT THAT'S HAVE THE FUN.

LOT'S OF PLUG IN'S NICE LOOKS ES QUALITY WITHOUT THE PRICE
BOUGHT AT ONE CALL FOR $415 DELIVERED BY FEDEX IN EXCELLENT SHAPE WOULD BY FROM ONE CALL AGAIN.

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SONYDE / YAMAHA

Lots of Inputs and very good amplifier for the money

Manuals are very weak. Lack of description/walk through of the features and setup options

This unit compares well with the Denon that has gotten excellent reviews but is hundreds less. The sony gives you the capability of 5.1 inputs for later decoders but does not have the 8 channel input of the Denon. Six speakers is enough for me.

Overall an excellent buy for the $425 range. Hard to match capabilities without spending twice the amount.

Sony should update their website to show this receiver and include an updated manual that can be downloaded.

Still a good buy, just a long learning curve.

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Looked at the Denon 3300, Yamaha 795, Sony ES line.

Remote (Yes, I actually like the remote)
Features
Price
(Basically everything about the receiver)

No CD optical in (Use MD/DAT instead)

I am very impressed with the Sony STR DB930. I bought the receiver blind, (since there were no local stores that had one in stock). But since this site gave such great reviews to the unit and it seemed to have all the features I was looking for, I decided to take a chance and get it anyways. And I am sure glad I did! The DB930 by far surpasses any other receivers I've tried out in local stores, and the price was right too ($425 delivered from Onecall.com). The remote by the way is awesome, (contrary to popular belief), I love all the different functions it can perform, much better than any of those bland remotes most receivers have. I personally though just turned off the two way mode since I was sick of delayed response.

The only suggestion I can make on the DB930 (so far) is for an seperate digital optical in to be added for a CD player, but it really isn't that big of a deal, all ya need to do is just plug your CD player into the MD/DAT digital optical in and do a little renaming of functions.

Overall, this is an excellent receiver. I have so-so speakers that have... since plugged in... come to life and sounded better than ever before. I'd highly recommend this unit, while it may not suit the snobbish taste of the upperclass audiophile, I believe it would suit 99% of music listeners and video viewers just fine.

This is your best bet for a quality receiver under $500, trust me.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Pioneer, other Sony receivers