Looks good, nice power, great tweatability of sound.

Not nearly as much punch as an Yamaha RX-V800 that I've replaced it with. Hissing sound.

I originally has a STR-DE945, but there were some problems with it (serious Sub thump upon turn on and noice out of the sub-output ) so I returned it. I next got a STR-DB940 hoping that that the upgrade would be better. This is a nice reciever. Looks and feels good, but I wasn't too impressed with the performance. It was ok, but what forced me to return it was this infamous hissing. I put on a DVD or CD and started to play it, then hit the pause. You can hear the hissing from the speakers. Gets louder as you turn the volume up. I went to the dealer and had them start a DVD and play it with this Sony and then with a Yamaha. Sony hissed, the Yamaha was DEAD SILENT. It's not terrible, but enought to bother me now that I know it's not a 'normal' thing. I returned the Sony and got a Yamaha RX-V800. This thing rocks. No hissing. I didn't think you could have too much bass, and the Yamaha actually forced me to turn my M&K 1250Thx sub down. I use this system primarily for home theater and I belive that this Yamaha is going to kick butt at that task. Music is good, but I haven't had it long enough to fully test it out.

I'm disappointed in the Sony. I was expecting better quality and maybe Sony guesses that their name alone will sell medicore products. I really like this Yamaha so far, lets see how this puppy works out.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE945, Yamaha RX-V800

This receiver has plenty of inputs, more than enough CLEAN power, a full featured remote, 5 way posts for all speakers, front S-video input (behind a very large faceplate which hides many of the controls that are duplicated on the remote), 2 sub outputs as well as pre-outs for all of the other channels and the ability to assign names to each input to make it easier to remember what is connected to video 1, video 2, etc.

The remote is as difficult to master as everyone below has said, and it is very slow at times. Often the remote doesn't send out a command until I press the "main" button multiple times. Many of the DSP fields are useless (but then, are there really any which are?), and only one coaxial digital input which is assigned to the DVD. (All of the inputs are non-assignable.)

For the price I can't imagine there is a better built, better sounding and more feature laden receiver for HT. I have watched dozens of DVD's (both DD and DTS) and DD satellite broadcasts. CD quality is also very good. Just remember to stay away from simulated sound fields with CD's if you want true high quality sound. The few extra dollars spent versus the 935 is the best investment you'll ever make in HT. Also, I highly recommend OneCall.com for their prices, service, and knowledgeable sales people.

One nice feature of the receiver is the blue light which lights when a 5.1 source is detected. One night it lit up while I was watching a movie on Showtime. It turns out that Showtime broadcasts in Dolby Digital, often in 5.1 (sometimes in 2.0)! My Dish Network 4722 receiver (connected via toslink) decodes Dolby Digital (and PCM) and the sound is nearly as good as with DVD.

Another hidden feature: I have a 36" Sony Trinitron, a Sony Hi-Fi VCR, and a Sony 560 DVD player (highly recommended). The remote can simultaneouly turn off all of these with the press of a button (well, actually two buttons must be pressed at the same time). This is a great time-saver.

I have read quite a few reviews which descibe a hiss. There is none in my unit to speak of unless some of the DSP fields are selected, and these are not very noticeable unless the receiver is cranked and there is a quiet passage in the movie. Could this be the cause of the hiss? Have those of you that detected high levels of hiss found this to be the case when you bypass the sound fields? Just a thought.

One last thing. Sony recommends that the 4/8 ohm switch be set to 4 ohms if ANY of the speakers are rated at 4 ohms. It just so happens that my front channels are 4 ohms speakers, a pair of original Pola audioo RTA 12's. (Hey, they may be old but they are still GREAT sounding). I noticed the specs for the 940 showed that the rated output at 4 ohms was LESS than in 8 ohms. Wussup with that? If anything it should be greater. To solve this problem I had an old SAE 2401 amplifier sitting in a spare room doing nothing so I connected the front channel pre-outputs to the 2401 (a beast rated at 375 WPC into 4 ohms) which I then connected to the Polks. I changed the 4/8 ohm switch on the Sony back to 8 ohms and with all of that clean power (about 1400 Watts total when you factor in the powered sub, a Sony SA=WM40) at my disposal I swear I will never go to a movie theater again. This systems just rocks!!

Buy the 940.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VX-704; Sony 935

Well built

Sound Performance

I purchased this reciever hoping it would be as good as my brothers yamaha dsp a5. While the sound power was good, clarity was rather poor and i could hear a constant hiss from my speakers. After shouting with the shop manager, i managed to get a replacement twice but the hiss remained on all replacements.

After reading such good reviews, i was looking forward to getting this amp. All i can say is, i am never going Sony again. In the end i got my money back and bought a Yamaha, which was cheaper, which meant i could spend more money on some good floorstanding speakers. The Yamaha was hiss free, i think i will stick to Yamaha for now on.

Flexibility, features, sound

Lack of tonal adjustments in addition to the 3 band eq. No composite to s-video conversion

I have to admit that this was not my first choice in receivers, my experience with sony car audio products left a very bad taste in my mouth. I have built alot of high-end car audio systems , but this is my first time going all out in home theater. I compared alot of receivers and finally decided on this one as having the best specs, and reviews in this price range. Most receivers in this price range are power rated at power output at 1 frequency, this one if full bandwidth rated with good thd specs. The unit sounds very good, clean and natural, no hiss at all even with my ear pressed against the speakers. My only complaint with the sound is the lack of tone controls, it gives you a three band frequency adjustable parametric eq for adjusting sound gaps, but not broad band tone adjustments for compensating for less than good speakers, like I have for now. Power is good though letting me give my present pioneer towers and surrounds more than they want. There is a noticeable difference when the amp runs out of power or if the speakers are just overloaded, I get speaker breakup before the amp is noticeably clipping. I cant say that about my old 100 watt receiver. Input output section is good, it would be great if it only converted composite video inputs into the s-video like the Kenwood 4000 series do. Switching inputs creates no noise pops or otherwise like alot of receivers do. The soundfields are pretty good, sounding like it says they will, but who really wants to hear everything in a big empty hall or church. The digital cinema sound setting do add a lot of depth to dolby pro-logic material such as standard or satellite broadcasts. Actually better than any pro-logic setup I have heard. Dolby digital and dts sound superp with sounds travelling over and around you as they should, such as the helicopters in Godzilla. The ability to tell the receiver the distance and position of the speakers so it can adjust sound parameters is a plus also. The digital inputs work well with the automatic detection on I havent had any problems with it detecting the wrong type of input. Overall the unit gives you enough settings and adjustments to make everything sound like you want. I will say that decent speakers with a powered subwoofer is a must for great sound. My current speakers just dont cut it, but they do sound better than I thought they could, as I have heard things that I couldnt hear at all before. I cant comment on the tuner very much because I havent hooked up a decent antenae yet, but with the antenae it has it picks up better than my pioneer did with its factory "wire". Stereo sound from cd's is good as well. It does run warm, but no more than my old receiver or my dvd or satellite receiver for that matter so I dont think it is a problem. While alot of people dont seem to like the remote I like it very much. You cant get very many remotes to do what this can. You get total control over the receiver including soundfields and eq adjustments. The addition of the lcd screen makes the ability to add functions without having 500 buttons to deal with a nice change from older learning remotes I have used. Programming the remote is easy once you figure out what it is telling you. The flip down button panel with more underneath it is somewhat of a pain but this has also made this remote the smallest I have. This is the first programable remote I have been comfortable programming to use with all of my other components. It has a nice selction of preprogrammed codes, all easily found with the onscreen menu, by name and not a number code. Plus if the preprogrammed code doesnt have a command you want already programmed you can add it simply by learning that "1" button from the original remote without having to program everything. The learning set gives you all of the standard buttons and numbers plus several user assignable commands.
Any commands not included on the remotes button panel are accessed in a "sub" menu in the lcd screen. I also like the fact that the remote gives you control over the receiver and whatever component you have the receiver set to automatically. Its nice to be able to switch to dvd and control the dvd player and the receiver volume, soundfields... without having to remember to switch back and forth. I am glad to say that this receiver has exceeded my expectations of a sony product and has alot more features than is given when trying to compare products. I also have to say that Onecall was prompt and courteous when answering my emails regarding price and shipping. If you call for prices make sure you ask for the good price, I was qouted $599 the first time I checked on this unit. Sent them an email asking why so high and got quoted a price of $460 including 2 day shipping. The unit was double boxed new in an unopened factory box also.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer cx-790 dolby pro-logic

Power, good clean music both in stereo and surround, good looking, easy to use.

None

After buying a DVD, I decided to but a new reciever to replace my Onkyo, and I got a Denon AVR1800, I had this unit
for half a year and I never really liked it. It had poor sound quality and not enough power. So I decided to buy a new one and I went for the Sony DB940 and it is worth the money. There is no hiss in my copy and it plays loud and clear, even in stereo it delivers very good sound. Of course you can get better sound, but for an AV-reciever in this price range I belive not!

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR1800, Onkyo A807 with ES600 surround decoder.

I have the sony DVP-S530D with it and it is a great player.However I dont think they make them anymore.My roommate got a good deal on one from UBid.com.Hope this helps

Price, DD, DTS

Not a big weakness but none-the-less a weakness (Sterio Mode)

In an unfortunate instance i had to drop in quality from my initial dream machine being the DSP-A1 which i had for over a year. So to cut a long story short i sold my A1 (B-Grudgingly) and replaced it with the Sony DB940. I was actually quite excited, like you do when you buy something, and was looking around the US $600 mark. The pre-requisque was that the receiver had to have both DD & DTS and enough grunt to drive 6ohm speakers. Once home i ripped it out of the box and went about setting it up which was quite easy. The next thing was to test the DVD side of things which as was initally presently surprised. The sound is very good but not quite up to the A1 mark. The DTS was very good as well but again not up to A1 standard. Now the sterio sound seem a little mellow as i expected it to be a bit more forthright. But you get what you pay for. Overall a very good receiver for the money, but when the time comes I will buy the A1 back without hesitation.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSPA1

Value

Non for the price

Very hard to find better for this amount of money. Very good for movie playback. It makes sweet music indeed

Similar Products Used:

mid-end products from Denon, Marantz, NAD, Harman Kardon

Auto Format Decode, learning remote, looks, setup tweaks, on screen display (in color), power, crisp sound, etc. etc. I could go on forever.

I never use the DSP (not really a weakness, just a preference in sound)

Everyone talks about this receiver hissing. It only hisses when you CRANK the bloody thing just like any other receiver will. Even so, hook your CD player up through one of the many optical inputs and any conceivable hiss disappears like magic. You can't find an analog signal that won't hiss to some extent. Anyway, enough ranting. I run Cerwin Vega speakers from this receiver and she rocks. The sound is crisp and clear, plenty of bass, and it responds well right down to 20hz. I have used many other brands of receivers, but Sony has won my heart. Aside from being a great performer, this receiver is gorgeous. The aluminum front panel is very appealing and the drop down front panel cuts down clutter. It even has a snazzy blue light that indicates when multi-channel decoding is in progress(nice touch). What else can I say? This bad boy is well worth the money, and with Sony's five year warranty you won't have to worry about a thing until you buy a newer receiver (if you can manage to part with it).
Regards
Tyler

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Yamaha, Aiwa, Harman Kardon, Denon.

Looks, Sound, Remote, Features, Ability to tweak, Features, Ease of operation and set-up, Video Switching.

Does not make a very good cup of coffee!

Well, after spending a total time of 1 hour setting it up, connecting everything and making sure everything worked, I was listening to cd's through this awesome unit.

After reading various reviews on here about the 'hiss' and the 'slow' remote, I must say I was a bit concerned, but since having it, I have not noticed either of these issues. The hiss is non existent on my speakers. Not even when there is no input, but TV makes a louder humm. Absolutley no hiss is heard when playing sound.

The only time the remote could be described as being slow is when you first activate it. As it is a 2-Way remote, is reads the info from the Receiver before the remote can be used to change Inputs. All other functions. Volume, FF, REW, Chapter Skip, Rear Levels, Menu,'s these are all instantaneous, and the longest I've had to wait before being able to change from DVD to Video for example is about 3 Sec. The remotes learning fuction is brilliant, all my components are SONY, so the remote worked on everything out of the box, all excpet for the Cable remote, and I think it took about 2 minutes to program in all the buttons.

The reveiver is not only great to look at, everything is placed for functionality, options that get changed all the time are on the front panel of the unit and the remote, and others are behind a panel.

All in all, I think that this receiver, for the money, is absolutely fantastic.

I think this receiver is for the person who is relatively new to Home Theatre, but wants something affordable, reputable name, and packs a punch.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood Floor System