Learning Remote, Power, Inputs, Styling and Feature loaded front panel.

None so far

Well guys, this was my second stab at getting a quality receiver to mate with my Sony DVD changer. I wanted my new theatre system components to be siblings.

My first attempt was with a Sony ES receiver - DA333. Going on the advice of a salesman, I chose the ES over the DB. The ES receiver was clean but there was a noticable loss of power, my old Kenwood was a beast. I also had problems controlling my new Sony DVD with the LCD remote, my desire for sibling components was underminded. Finally, the ES ran so hot I could roast marshmellows and pop popcorn while enjoying a good movie......this was not good.

I decided to return the ES and get the DB with more power, latest DSP modes and better remote for the same price. I could not wait for FedEx to arrive. Removing the DB940 from the box, the feel and weight seemed just as solid as the ES I returned. Wow, I didn't realize the front panel had a dampened door - the ES didn't. The selector dial didn't click when rotated - the ES did. OK, I thought the ES was suppose to be the better quality product.

I started the musical audition with my favorite jazz CD. FourPlay sounded great coming from my JBLs. I love the A.F.D. mode, it allows me to enjoy my sub with my two small JBL N24 (they produce some of the best mids and highs at this size). I could hear the hissing that everyone is speaking of with DSP on but it was also audible with the ES receiver as well. On 2 CH stereo and A.F.D., I don't here it, sorry guys.

I made all of the needed speaker adjustments. It was great to know that I can make these adjustments with or without the remote. Of course the next thing to do was drop in the Matrix. Man, the DB 940 rocks. Now I have more than enough power and new Cinema modes are cool. This definitely the A/V receiver for me.

My system consists of :

JVC 27'
Sony 660 DVD 5-disc
Sony DB 940 receiver
4 JBL N24
DCM Subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

Sony DA333ES, Kenwood 8060

Great, clear, full sound. Sharp looking unit.

The receiver is missing a CD Digital Optical in.

Good:
I noticed a big difference when I hooked this receiver up. At low volumes the sound was full and clean.

The subwoofer's output is very clean and much deeper than my STR-DE915's. The unit is very easy to setup. It has speaker sizes, lowpass crossover setting, three band eq, and distance from listener. The on-screen feature is neat but not very usefull, it is mainly for setup.

The volume of sound that it puts out is very impressive, I have yet to turn the dial past 3 to be satisfied.

Bad:
The remote will take some getting used to, but other than that it is very intelligent. The unit is missing a CD Optical In.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE915

Well, we hope that Paolo from NE enjoys his 777ES and takes his comprehensive, comparative, tasteful and detailed review to the appropriate page on this website... It's a shame that those of us who would like to read a review compared to other recievers "in its class" must bear witness the unobjectivity others whose sole purpose revolves around bragging to the other kids about the new toy he got... We're happy for you but let's hear from someone who actually owns this product and didn't waste the time of the local ES dealer(depriving the salesman of his valuable commission).
Let's face it, $500 to $600 is quite a bit of money to shell out for a stereo reciever considering that the average consumer spends considerably less for their home entertainment system. I don't consider myself an audio afficianado. Just your average Joe who likes to play with cool toys and have a few friends over to enjoy them. The Sony DB940 is one cool toy... The DB940 replaced my old Pioneer VSX457D which I thought (at the time) kicked some ass at 100watts per channel. I was pretty proud of the Pioneer and it did it's job.
After connecting the DB, making the proper adjustments and fine tuning I auditioned the Matrix (which I think majority of guys do when they test their system). There are many layers of sound in the Matrix that I was completely oblivious to before owning this unit. I played the chapter where the helicopter smashes in to glass building where a reverb-like bass wraps the room. The DB executed the scene with impressive clarity and I was able to hear for the first time the punch of the breaking glass without the musical score burried or canceled out.
The 930 handled music execeedingly well when connected through the coaxial digital out from the CD changer. There is only one coaxial digital connection which I'll have to share this connection with the DVD player. No prob. I listened to some instrumental scores, Sugar Ray, a few DJ CD's from the club I run. All sounded well executed and dymnamic with an even sound field and very notable, tight bass. This reciever handles punchy, loud dynamics brilliantly.
As far as video switching, remote, the digital processing and other features they seem to be in abundance but I just haven't gotten to that base yet with the DB. The remote is great but a bit confusing for the many of us who are not technically inclined nor care to be.
If you find something better, what can I say, to each his own. I think those who seek out this unit will be pretty impressed with the price, overall craftsmanshp and performance of this product.

I love everything about this receiver...good, clean sound, great features.

The remote DOES take a little time to get used to, although its no problem after you get the hang of it.

From the minute I plugged in Independence Day after hooking this receiver up--I knew I had made a good purchase. This is a great receiver, all around. The sound is worth every penny of the $549 I paid for it.

What can I say. It works great with my Klipsch Quintet speakers. Except for Pioneer CT-W860R the rest of my equipment is SONY so S-link and remote work very well.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-D435

Quality construction, Theater sound in DD and DTS amazing, analog direct mode for music, good stereo imaging, the cool blue light, gold plated contacts, learning mode for remote(finally), extensive adjustability, Value.

Sony has pathetic on-line resources for people interested in this product. They should be ashamed of themselves!

I bought my 940 about 3 weeks ago through a contact that sells them. I paid 450 US for it. I was impressed with the ratings of the DB830/930 that I was contemplating purchase of the 930 when a friend suggested I wait a little while (a month and a half) for the new 840/940 units. They were supposed to be an improvement on the prior series. The new 940 has some contruction changes that are notable- namely the one piece cast aluminium heat sink on the output transistors and circuit boards positioned to eliminate resonance and cross interferance problems so I'm told. I also noticed the gobs of "Nichicon Fine Gold" capacitors (some of them quite large!) that it has... they look neat anyway! Now having been spoiled by access to the strda777es I find myself satisfied with the 940 anyway. Its (940) performance in the DD and DTS realm (like so many other products) is nothing short of fantastic so no complaints there. I Don't feel that the improvement the 777es offers takes away from the 940 significantly. The 777es does have superior performance from its parrallel push-pull amplifier construction and I believe that stereo music is better on it but the sound stage that my 940 puts up through my 6 ohm Mission speakers is convincing and articulate also. Stereo response is not the primary purpose of a Home Theater receiver however it sounds to me that Sony has certainly put a fair amount of effort in this regard IMHO.
The remote has gained a learning mode and I think it is pretty good even though it continues to be a bit of a Catch 22. I would like to be able to control functions on other equipment sometimes without switching the receivers input selection at the same time. Oh well can't have it all. Overall I think its a great machine!!

Similar Products Used:

Sony's 777es, NAD 7225PE for stereo.

Good Looks,Learning remote,Adjustable to your liking

POOR Manuals, Shortage of S-Video in/outputs, No S-Video to composite conversion

Received the unit 6/23/00, hooked it up immediately, unit sounds great right out of the box, I expect to be able to tweak the sound even more once I figure out the damn cryptic manuals. I will admit that I am not someone who reads manuals but with this unit it is a necessity.
The style has changed slightly from the STR-DB930 unit that most everyone has been raving about, the front-panel buttons now resemble those on the STR-DA777ES, other modifications look to be minor.
The most important changes seem to be the ON-SCREEN display but some settings still have to be done on the unit. Neat graphics for the test tones, the speakers and room change depending on your settings.Also the remote is now a learning remote, you are limited in changing the labeling of the functions but they can be taught another function.
Overall very pleased, be prepared to spend lots of time adjusting all the different settings.
Purchased from abtelectronics.com for $549.00 with free shipping.

Similar Products Used:

None

Looks nice, lots of features

Harsh sound in stereo mode REALLY!

I don't own the receiver, these are the impressions I have collected during TWO listening sessions at the local SONY ES dealers. Both times I got the same exact result. That is scary.
First of all I think that a valid listening test should be conducted by comparing products, and at the end only the compared products can be judged.
I compared the STR_DB940 to the DA555ES and the DA777ES in stereo mode ONLY. I figured if it sounds good in stereo it's got be great in Dolby Digital.
The rationale was that both the DB940 and the DA555 have very similar power, but the DB is newer cheaper and still has a good warranty. I figured SONY has maybe made some sonic improvements to the new DB line, so maybe I ought to consider it instead of the DA555....yeah, rrright!
I started with the DB940, not bad, I thought. Then the I switched to the DA555....WOW were did all that mid range come from? I asked if there was an EQ somewhere in the ES circuit. I was told that the that's the way the ES sounds, full, "CLEAN" power (a little aside: that was the third time the adjective "clean" was used to describe the "power" of the ES line reciever twice from the two local dealers, and a third time from a J&R salesman. I wonder if Sony wants them to use that word).
Continuing on, I switched back to the DB receiver...Oh crap! the mid range totally gone. All that was left: a buch of very harsh, dry and fatiguing high frequencies. I almost could not believe it!
For kicks only, my wife will never allow me, I switched to the DA777. I was absolutely shocked by what the 777 could extract from the same CD. Details, instruments that seemed to pop out in the room from nowhere, a new sense of three dimensionality that wasn't there before all delievered with complete lack of fatigue. I had to turn the volume down from what I set all the recievers initially, say 30%, to about 15% on the 777 and not so much for volume but for amount of extra sound information that was reaching the room.
Needles to say I removed the 940 from my list...forever.
There may be better recievers than the 777 out there. I would just like to compare them to it.

How do I judge this "bridge line"? One star! It doesn't sound any better than the DE line and it cost twice as much(MSRP). This is a nice "Bridge to nowhere" if you ask me!

Paolo

Similar Products Used:

na

Clean Power, affordable, ES Look and build quality, tons of features, nice set inputs/outputs, second audio source, and much more

None, so far

Impressive...sound quality is top notch and this is after comparing it to Dennon, Pioneer and Yamaha. For what this unit costs it has a lot of bang for the buck. It works well with all the other SONY componets I have, which I admit influenced my decision on the unit.

The unit itself is just amazing. The sound for DVD and CD is very good. Even videos sound great. I recently watched Jurassic Park There is so much rear info on that video, that I had to turn my surround way down because it was too distracting. But it sounded great! Digital sound is supurb, I've yet to try out DTS. I'm told it's unbelievable. You can do pretty much anything you want with this thing.

My final verdict: the Sony STR-DB940 gets a 5-star rating from me. It's a great deal, and performs wonderfully. Anyone that wants good amp performance, plenty of A/V inputs and DD/dts will love this receiver. It delivers the goods for under $600, (and can be had for even less if you shop around the net.) which is an almost unbeatable deal. I recommend this receiver very highly.

Similar Products Used:

other Sony receivers,Pioneer and Denon

crisp,clear customizable,dts and lots of inputs and good value.

None

This reciever has got to be one of the best recievers I have listened to in a long time. The 1st receiver I bought was a Pioneer VSX-608 but it had no BASS what so ever and to get the DTS to work was so much of a chore I returned it. The second receiver I had was a Pioneer VSX-906S in which I though was the best sounding Dolby Digital Receiver that I have heard. The Sony Receiver blows away the Pioneer Receiver. The soundfield for Dolby Digital and DTS Surround Sound is outstanding. If you have a DTS compatible DVD and a HI-FI VCR than this reciever is for you. The remote takes a little to get used to but what is'nt nowawadays.

The sound is very nice. Crisp, clear. 110x5 power and it gets loud without getting distorted. The soundfields are just great. Good selection. Many options in speaker placement. Volume level controls for each set of speakers. It is heavy in power. I love watching movies in Dolby Digital. There are so much customizable features. Lot of inputs. Great receiver. Worth the money.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-608 and VSX-906s

Abundance of features, learning remote, cost.

Stereo

Some 3 months ago I was in the market for a good value home receiver. I was not impressed by the reviews of the 835/935 models, and the Sony str-db930 was too pricey for me (not to mention ES series). I could never understand how one can really know how a receiver sounds just from listening to it at the local dealer. There is just too much interference. I found a great deal on Yamaha RXV795a ($499.00), which was something I could not do for STR930. So I bought it. the sound was very clean with a powerful base. 80W was enough for me (I never had to turn it up more than 1/3 of the way before my windows would start to shake). However I was somewhat unhappy with the features offered. Yamaha is a pricey piece of equipment, so you get very few features for big buck. When some couple of weeks ago Sony came out with STR DB940 and at a lower price than 930, I went back to Tweeter Etc. and upgraded my Yamaha to Sony for $100.00. I am still in a dilemma as to whether I did the right thing. Yamaha definitely sounded better in stereo mode, and I felt the music just had more depth to it. However, Sony gives me several more optical inputs, an optical output and a learning remote. I am not saying that the Sony sounds bad, just that Yamaha sounded better.

The remote has the learning feature, which comes in very handy if you have a lot of equipment, but it is not the best learning remote out there. It is definitely better than the Yamaha's remote (which is small, unintuitive, and very impractical).

One thing I failed to mention is that Sony does sound better in DD/DTS mode, and has some ten more sound fields (not that I use them but …). However if you find yourself listening to CDs 80% of the time and watching the movies 20% (like myself) you might want to think about your choices more thoroughly.

The rest of my eqipment:
Speakers: B&W DM 305, B&W CC3
Sub: JBL PSW-D112
CD: Technics MASH
DVD: Toshiba SD3109
TV: Sony kv27V66

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV-795A