Sony STR-DE935

Ratings:Top:Audio/Video:Receivers:Sony STR-DE935

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Brand and Model:Sony STR-DE935
Price ($USD):600
Features:
checked Tunerchecked Ampchecked Dolby Prologic
checked Dolby Digitalchecked DTSun-checked THX Certified
un-checked 7.1 Channels
Audio Inputs:
6ch:1Phono:1
Digital Coax:1Digital Optical:0
Video Inputs:
Composite:5S-Video:2
Component:
Audio Outputs:
Speaker:5Preamp/6ch.:2
Video Outputs:
Composite:3S-Video:1
Component:
Amplifier
Power (Main Speakers):110 Watts
Power (Surround Speakers):110 Watts
THD:%
Weight (lbs):27.5 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):17" x 6 1/4" x 14 7/8&
Description:Stereo Mode: 110 watts per channel x2, 8 ohms, 20 - 20,000 Hz, 0.09% THD



Surround Mode: 110 watts per channel x5, 8 ohms, 1,000 Hz, 0.8% THD



4-ohm/8-ohm switch



Multi-room audio output with independent source selection



2-way LCD Remote control shows station names, CD titles, surround sound modes and more -- right in your hand



24-bit Dolby® Digital, Dolby Pro Logic® and dts decoder



32-bit DSP with 27 acoustic environments



Sony's STR-DE935 Page

Vote Highlights Vote
Sony STR-DE935
the sound quality is good for music, not so good with music. I prefer darker sound compared to bright sound- I should have gotten a HK or a Marantz. I have polk audio speakers just for this reason. i can't stand infinity or klipsh- way too bright they sound like they're in a tin can. True sound is not the same as turning your treble up +10. the sony is good i've had it for 5years plus w/no problems, but for music it just sounds brittle. doesn't have the refinement of a marantz, denon or HK.

Overall Rating: 8
Sound Quality:6 Features:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=406145

Sony STR-DE935
I have had this unit for about two years and think I use every feature built into it. Picked it up at Best Buy (open box) for $399. Store clerk told me a guy had just returned it because his wife said "no way" when she saw the price! Bought mine before I got married! I bought it primarily for the dual S-Video inputs and monitor S-Video out feature. I also use the sub out, the 2nd audio out, fiber DVD and CD connections and all of the RCA inputs and outputs. Spend the money for the fiber feature on a DVD player. I strongly recommend adding a sub if you don't have one. I picked up a JBL 12" self powered for $275 at Best Buy. Don't skimp on subs with amps less than 150 watts!

ACOUSTIC CONTROLS
The preconfigured surround settings are well configured but lack the ability to create your own custom configuration. You can modify the preconfigured settings but I often find myself resetting the receiver to return everything to default and start over. This is done by holding the power button for five seconds. Unfortunately, you lose all your station presets when you do this. The memory on the 935 is so big it remembers all your surround settings for each individual device. Example, it will remember you want "automatic format decode" for the DVD and 2 channel stereo for the CD. It also remembers custom equalization settings for each input device. The room setup features work great. You can configure the height of your surround speakers, distance to the audience and size of speakers for power settings. I do miss the old standard bass and treble controls. When adjusting your acoustic settings, selecting what you want from the menu and skipping to what you want to adjust can be cumbersome but I guess there is no other easy way to get individual control over bass, mid and treble for each set of speakers.

A blue light turns on when the receiver detects 5.1 and DTS movie encoding which is very helpful, especially in a dark room.

REMOTE
I have mostly Sony peripherals. The remote controls my sat rcvr, 5-disc cd changer, DVD and VCR. I use the Sony sat remote to control my Toshiba big screen TV. One aggravating thing with the remote is the navigation through DVD menus. To navigate you have to select the device (DVD) on the remote, open the lid, press the down arrow, select down with the thumb control to select DVD again instead of receiver then use the arrows to navigate. By the time you finish reading the DVD menu, the remote has already reset back to receiver and you have to thumb down again. I know this sounds trivial but it is a pain!

The backlit remote feature is nice and the two AA batteries last at least six months. The 2-way remote downloading feature is cool. Program your settings into the receiver such as custom device names and radio stations and the remote will download them into the display. Seems like remote has a lot of 3rd party device selections but I haven't really used this feature with all Sony components.

AMP
Yes, the amp gets hot! To preserve the life of the receiver I would not cover the vents. I have even added a small 12volt fan externally to keep it cool. With the sub addition this receiver rocks! While watching Eyes Wide Shut, the mirror in my bathroom was vibrating on the wall. I have a pair of Cerwin Vega front speakers with a 93 SPL rating and I can't turn the volume on the 935 over 50% without hurting my ears. Distortion kicks in around 75% volume but don't know if that's due to my speakers capability or the receiver. Doubt you would want it that high anyway. Speakers with an SPL rating of 92 or higher will help you get the most out of this unit! SPL ratings lower than 92 will eat up all the current in the amp and produce less volume.

CONS
I really wish this receiver had the option to add an equalizer. There aren't any preamp in/out jacks. I suspect this is because any deviation between left and right equalizer settings would really mess with the accuracy of the surround sound since a lot of the surround ambience is based on differences between left and right channels.

I have only had the 935 NOT decode a DTS encoded movie once. I select DTS on the DVD menu but the receiver defaulted to Prologic. No biggy, this only happened once.

REVIEW
I would definitely buy this receiver again. The 935 is the center of my home audio system and will stay in place until the next major movie audio encoding feature comes out. No idea what that will be because the 935 sounds great now. I have done surround sound demos for friends and they are always impressed. They suggest there isn't any reason to go to the movies when you have all this at home!

9 rating is because of lack of cooling fan and DVD menu remote issue. Otherwise buy a 935!

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27644

Sony STR-DE935
Awesome receiver...i know this review is a bit late but i bought one awhile back and i like them way more than the new line...str-de945

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27642

Sony STR-DE935
I purchased this unit 3 months ago I like this receiver I did not do a great deal of reserch on the different brands but for the price $369 new in box I feel
I got more than I paid for cosidering the prices on other name brand products
I also think that this product is not going to become obsolete very quickly due to the fact that DTS is hardly being encoded in any dvd's at all as of yet and
that was one of the considerations when I bought the item overall very happy
I dont like the remote at all and to replace it if it should break I was quoted
$200 ouch! it does need a fan I use mine almost non-stop so i did purchase the service aggrement from circut city for an additional $69 5 yrs parts and labor included.I do expect overheating to cause some problems I am very happy with this unit other than those few items. sounds great looks great.
charlievalvo@yahoo.com

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27636

Sony STR-DE935
i have owned this sony for 8 months and think it was a good value for what i got. (paid $450 new) does have some major drawbacks though:

1) remote. ridulous. painfully slow and difficult to use. wont control my sat. dish or my vcr.

2) no s-video input for my sat. dish, ended up hooking it up to the video-2 inputinstead.

3) im not sure how they rated this at 110x5, but i dont seem to "feel" the wattage they say it has.

again, though, for $450 i still think it is a great deal.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27634

Sony STR-DE935
I have had this unit for 6 months now, and am very unhappy. The unit lacks an S-Video input on the TV/SAT position - not good. In 2-CH Stereo mode I still get audio from the center speakers - not good. I can't get Sony to tell me what the crossover frequency is on the sub-woofer output when playing a non-Dolby Digital source. The Sub-woofer output turns off during playback of a 2-CH audio source. The input mode does not select between optical and analog like it should. And finally, how can you get 5-CHs @ 110 Watts each and only consume 290 Watts total???

Overall Rating: 2
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27633

Sony STR-DE935
this thing needs a fan to cool it down that is all.
deenish
trini2have@aol.com

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27631

Sony STR-DE935
I've had this receiver for over a month now and have been very satisfied with every feature, except the remote. It has lots of inputs and outputs, which can be extremely useful with a complex system. I've heard no distortion at any volume, and each of the five speaker outputs can be individual calibrated. In fact, calibrating this system with the Ultimate DVD Platinum proved to be very easy. But, as many others have reported, the two-way remote is slow and has a very steep learning curve. I paid $374 "open box" in Best Buy, but lucked out because only the remote had been touched. (Another customer just brought her remote in because she couldn't get it to work and the salesman opened a new box to show her the new remote worked the same way!) (Except for the remote, I would have rated it a '10'.) By the way, the DTS output sounds phenomenal.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27629

Sony STR-DE935
Pros: lots of adjustments, virtual surround fields, and
it really like the way it sounds
Cons: the remote is very slow and it won't control my
digital cable box
The unit runs pretty warm, but active cooling would be noisy.
Just don't put anything on top of it.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27627

Sony STR-DE935
I am very pleased with this receiver. I find the acoustic parameters settings
to be useful, but nothing substitutes for adjusting with what you usually listen
to. The remote is too complex and slow.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=27626

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