I replaced my STR-DB 940 back in 2006 (with a newer STR DA 3200ES) and have regretted it ever since.

The STR DB 940 was my first entry into surround, and never failed to excite and charm me (and as the owner of a quad 22 valve amp/preamp, Quad ESL 57 Electrostats and a Linn LP12 that takes some doing) with its performance and finesse.

It would still be with me if it hadn't failed. I read above about occasional channel cutout, this is exactly what happened to mine. The problem began gradually becoming more and more frequent till it failed altogether. I took the lid off and removed the main motherboard and found that the chips attached to the huge heatsinks inside the case had effectively become 'desoldered', Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone willing to undertake a repair. If I was being charitable I might blame the failure on accidental unnoticed overheating, so beware your STR top ventilation panel doesn't get covered. If I remember correctly it produces prodigious quantities of heat.

Much prefer it to my newer STR DA3200ES, and if I wasn't scared of the meltdown problems would happily swap...Great amp - thanks Sony

This is such a lovely sounding and we'll built amp, I've always had yamaha amps in the past though I have no idea why because every yam I've ever owned has had something wrong with it or other but a few years ago now I had the opportunity to get the STR-DB940 and it's the best move i ever made I'm coming up to 15 years of ownership of this amp and it's been a cracking amp, you could spend a couple weeks just learning about all the different settings...notably the best settings for me is being able to set speaker frequency on all speaker channels, trust me this is a neat feature if you have cheap speakers like i did, with this amp you can make them sound awesome, i now have some high end sonys to go with my STR-DB940 from the 90s and it's lovely to kick back and let the amp take care of them.

I mostly use this amp to play my vinyls and audio tapes as it has a very good phono stage it's soft and very free flowing , like I said I also like to listen to my audio tapes through this amp as all my vinyls get transfered to tape as prefer the sound of the humble cassette and this amp really sounds nice on its tape stage I noticed this when I accidentally plugged my tape deck into the auxiliary rcas and it lacked bass and sounded generally different.

All in all this a very good amp and I'm certainly not planning to change for a long time, i generally keep it in 2 channel mode as it's just my 2 sony speakers hooked up to it and placed in opposite corners of our lounge, it's really all you need.... though I have to say when I had the full 5.1 setup back in the early days when I was a movie buff it sounded out of this world. Great amp!

We've had our STR-DB940 for about nine years now and are just about to retire it for a 7.1 Denon unit. Like some of the other reviews, we've found this to be an amazing-sounding receiver for the price range ($600 in 2000), giving us great stereo CD listening through our Bose fronts and fabulous DTS thought the added Boston Acoustics and Bose speakers.
We only tripped the internal breaker once, playing Pirates of the Caribbean/Black Pearl at 11 o'clock on the volume pot. The first cannon battle shut the speakers right off, although the same thing didn't happen with Master and Commander or the other two Pirates movies. Go figure.
So the unit is starting to give us intermittent drop-outs in the treble frequencies, as experienced by other reviewers here, although the full sound eventually comes back. Also, the sub-bass mix is getting a bit out of control, especially for well-separated HDTV channels. Every picture and mirror hanging in the house starts rattling. It's time for the old warhorse to go, we're afraid, and Sony just ain't makin' 'em like they used to.
The remote, however, was nice to work with over the years, and Denon is famous for lousy remotes, so that's one thing we'll miss.

the possibility to input a perfect amplifier and sub
able to use it in afd
best theater system I have up to now and don't want to upgrade or else...
so many sound possibility for jazz, theater, small hall etc. superb sound when listening orchestra classical in great hall. etc. etc.

in some of the choices for music sometimes seem to miss ranges but it is possibly an adjustment to make every time this happens. i.e. lower the range of the center speaker or rear etc. etc. but nothing bad if you don't mind playing with the manette wowww

I have bought the unit brand new and been very satisfied with the theater system all the way as far as pure sound for music I could plug my mc intosh mc7270 in and use the db940 as a preamp with a sub . No problems whatsoever and really can take power.

Customer Service

never had to bring it in for repair ???

Similar Products Used:

yamaha 7.1 that screwed off
harman kardon no amp in

Excellent build quality and good looks
Deep rich sound for movies
Available very cheaply nowadays - even at the original price, it has proved great value.

"Learning remote" not that great

I've used my STR-DB940 for around 7 years now - being used nearly everyday as I run my TV, CD, and DVD with it - also powering a 5.1 set-up. I now want an AV amp with HDMI inputs and so am considering upgrading to a newer system, however I just thought I would post a message saying how impressed I have been with it. Indeed I can't bring myself to part with it completely so I will just move it upstairs to run a system up there rather than my system in the lounge!

I am no audiophile in terms of knowing the technicalities, but I have a good quality set-up and know what sounds good - this produces a lovely rich and deep sound which is particularly good for home cinema (DTS especially is fantastic). And as you would exppect from the Sony QS range, the build quality is exceptional and, for me, visually it still easily looks the part.

Excellent processing for the time!
Excellent features for a sub ES unit
Excellent setup and configuration options
Excellent chassis build

It lasted (kinda but had to be repaired) playing hard everyday for 7 years.

Not great for pure audio
Perhaps mine had a bug that kept hurting it?

had to be repaired twice - same type of problem!

The Str-db940 has been through alot with me and it is still living to tell the tale.
It was my first 5.1 digital receiver and appears to still be on top.
I have to say that I love this piece of metal and plastic.
The sound quality is nice but not outstanding. I use it 95% for movies and that also is where the problem comes from. I am going to upgrade to a 7.1 and I might shed a tear when I do. I have to say that this receiver has excellent build qualities and it looks stunning. My buddy had a newer 7.1 sony but it felt like a piece of junk, all plastic and no class. Also, I use the pre-outs to power my big amps and that is something that the newer sony's don't have until you go up in price.

ok the bad news- I was playing it in my apartment in july of 2002 and it all of a sudden my buddy says that it made a weird noise then it just stopped playing. I turned it off and then on and it took the display about 10 seconds to come on and the familiar click of the relays clicking on was not there. The two year warranty was going to expire in two weeks! what luck. I spent about 80 dollars shipping it and Sony sent it back working again. It worked for 3 more years then a similar problem happened. the sound would randomly cut off on certain channels and then randomly come back on! It took the authorized repair agent almost two months to see it happen (of course it didn't do it for him) finally they fixed it and it has been running about a year and has developed a few ticks but it is still going.

I recently read a review from a guy in Sugarland (suburb of houston where I bought mine from tweeter) where he got his from tweeter also and it just died on him. Perhaps that tweeter got a bad shipment?

I am only thankful because it is forcing me to get a new receiver. But I have to say that I absolutely love the setup and menus it offers. They are very straight forward if you take the time to read the manual and tune in your equipment.

Sounds good when it worked

Died!

My Sony died after two years of light duty!!!!!!!

Control over every ch freq range and gain. helps to match the amp to any speaker. Av connections are pleanty even for me.

only thing is the size and it could have been bit more good looking

I had STR-DB930 andreplaced it with STR-DB 940. Using it with DVP-S725D DVD player on a Epson projector (6 foot screen). I love the sound in DTS mode so real. I cant belive the way it produces the depth in sound. Channel sepration is wicked. endless settings for MID HIGH and LOW + gain control in db u cant ask for more. Sound feilds are good when watching 2ch movies.Av connections at the back are more than enough.

Similar Products Used:

STR-DB930

Power output to the main Spkrs the trick hear is to use spkrs that are sensitive 10bd SPL

VCD playback lacks but I can Live with that

I have been using the Sony STRDB940 REciver since its launch and havent heard the case rattle as I saw one say as for cd playback I have to agree that it is lacking in that department but then again I have my pc to do that with a Klipch 5.1 pro and a Audigy sound card set up anyway back to the Sony. I have found that with DVD's there is no match to date It has seen several Spkr upgrades and has responded Flawlessly at present it has B&W spkrs connected to it and a Paradime 12" Sub it realy rocks my house to the point that the next door people call the cops :) I must say I made a sound investment in the Sony and plan on using it for a long time to come..

Similar Products Used:

Sony STRDE975

Versatile, heaps of power if you have a large listening room. On screen graphics great 2 way remote, but just a fantastic piece of Home Cinema Equipment.

Not the best amp if you purely want for stereo use. Heavy and awkward to move.

I bought this Receiver in July 2000 after upgrading from a Sherwood R925RDS. No problems whatsoever. Okay the Hi Fi side of things i.e the amp for stereo use may not be the best, but theres always Creek,Nad,Arcam etc. to do that side of things. For straight down the line Home Cinema you dont beat the Sony. Theres more power than you'll ever need and also more surround settings than you'll have time to play with. But the 5.1 and DTS side of things is just out of this world. Buy one if you can.

Similar Products Used:

Sherwood R925RDS,Kenwood KA5700.