Here is a Receiver That Will Meet All of You A/V Needs
Written: Jul 27 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
|
Pros: Versatile; 110 Watts power output.
Cons: Remote Control
The Bottom Line: The Sony STR-DE935 works and works well. This is a receiver well worth the investment.
|
|
|
| vemartin's Full Review: Sony CCD-TRV138 Hi-8 Analog Camcorder |
Oh the joys of satellite television (except when a thunderstorms creep in the area) is listening to programs through a solid A/V (Audio/Visual) stereo receiver. When I got divorced, the ex-wife got my NAD setup (pre-amp, tuner, amplifier, Denon turntable, Nakimichi Dragon tape deck, and Sony DVD player) as part of the settlement; I grieved but not overlong. Not long after I remarried I started laying out the components for my new A/V system. This time around I would forgo the separate pre-amplifier, amplifier, and tuner, and just purchase a good A/V receiver capable of delivering at least 100 Watts per channel into 8 ohms of resistance.
The receiver also had to have the ability to output in 5.1 surround sound through at least two sets of speakers simultaneously. And although I did not place to purchase another turntable right away, I needed the ability to add one to the receiver in the future. After much research, I settled on the Sony STR-DE935 A/V receiver as the heart of my A/V system. That was some five years ago, and the black beauty is still going strong.
ABC’s of the Receiver
A standard A/V stereo receiver is actually tree component combined into one: the Pre-Amplifier, Tuner, and Amplifier. The Pre-Amplifier (Pre-amp) receives inputs from the various components connected to the receiver; e.g. turntable, DVD, VCR, Satellite or cable, cassette deck, etc. This initial signal input is extremely low; in most cases not load enough to be comfortably heard. The Pre-Amplifier boosts this signal to a level that can be used by the Amplifier. A pre-amp includes all of the controls for regulating tone (treble & bass), volume, and channel balance, and in many cases also include a Phono pre-amp needed to boost the input signal from a turntable.
The Tuner is a set of circuits used to tune in a broadcast analog and digital radio FM (Frequency Modulation) and or AM (Amplitude Modulation) signals en-masse, via an antenna or cable. These signals are then passed onto the pre-amp for amplification.
The final portion of the receiver is the Amplifier, a set of high voltage circuits that take the output from a pre-amp and amplify it enough to be heard and enjoyed. This output is expressed in watts and ohm (resistance), and manifests itself through the speaker outputs of the receiver. In terms of audio, this signal is output over all, or a portion of the audio range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.; the range of human hearing.
Mass market Amplifiers use a standard 8 ohm resistance level, while higher end Amplifiers use 4 ohms. A lower resistance level translates into louder, rich output, but it is expensive. Really high-end Amplifiers still use vacuum tubes (as opposed to transistors and capacitors) to boost the signal from the pre-amp resulting in a richer sound output.
Sony STR-DE935
The matt black Sony STR-DE935 is a substantial receiver, meaning it’s heavy, has a lot of buttons on the front and a lot of ports and or connections on the back. But the (yellow LED) function selection buttons on the face of the receiver are conveniently arranged in two horizontal rows: Video 1, Video2, VCR1, VCR2, TV, DVD, etc (Video inputs) are on the top row, while Tape, CD, MD, Tuner, etc. (Audio inputs) are arranged on the bottom row. To the left of these buttons are a series of (yellow LED) buttons for radio station memory selection, as well as a rotary switch for choosing the audio output; e.g. Speaker A, Speaker B, Speaker A+B, or Headphones.
Above these buttons spanning almost the entire length of the receiver is an LED panel that displays messages such as digital radio information; i.e. the radio station call letter, and frequency as well as the song currently playing. The display also let you know which input device is currently being utilized, as well as which sound field (Dolby A, B, C, Surround Sound) is currently selected, what device is selected, etc.
One of the reasons I choose the Sony STR-DE935 was the receiver’s ability to output to two separate sets of speakers and subwoofers. I currently have a set of Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III’s connected to the main (front) channel. I switch to the Bose speakers whenever I listen to music from whatever source. And I switch to a pair of Cambridge SoundWorks MovieWorks 58 Home Theater Speakers, which I have plugged into the center and rear channels. I use these speakers when I am listening to television of a movie for true surround sound enjoyment.
The Sony STR-DE935 shipped with a slat grey remote control which I loath. The unit is clumsy in the hand and difficult to use. And although the primary button glow in the dark, their functionality is hard to discern. About the only time I use the remote is to switch sound fields; i.e. the Sony STR-DE935 has a number of built-in sound fields you can use to customize (tune) the output sound. He feature was designed to take the place of a traditional equalizer which you cannot connect to this receiver. The sound fields include the usual suspects: Concert Hall, Jazz Hall, Opera House, Rock Concert, etc., as well as a number of preset outputs for surround sound enjoyment.
Connecting my components the Sony STR-DE935 was easy to accomplish, and since I also purchase I sound DVD/CD player and Sony Cassette Deck, interaction between he three units is simplified. For instance all I need to do is place a DVD and or CD into the DVD player, press play, and the receiver automatically switches to that device. The same is true for the cassette deck.
At this point, the above mentioned components are connected to the Sony STR-DE935 as well as a TiVo device and 32” television. Both the TiVo and DVD player utilize the S-Video inputs of the receiver. The speaker channel input port will accept either wire or banana plug speaker cables; I use gold plated wire.
Conclusion
I am very, very please with the Sony STR-DE935. At 110 watts per channel output is more then sufficient to meet my current audio and video needs. The ability to connect two sets of speakers and subwoofers to the receiver is a big plus in my book as id the ability to have the two set of speakers operating at once.
The sound quality from the Sony STR-DE935 is outstanding; as of yet I have note no distortion even on quite classical passages. And thus far the Sony STR-DE935 has proven itself to be a reliable receiver; it is utilized daily, sometime for hours on end, and its still working as well as the day I took it our of the box. There have been no burnt out LED, no malfunctioning switches. The Sony STR-DE935 works and works well. This is a receiver well worth the investment.
Features:
• Stereo Mode: 110 watts per channel x2 into 8 ohms, 20 - 20,000 Hz, 0.09% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).
• Surround Mode: 110 watts per channel x5 into 8 ohms, 1,000 Hz, 0.8% THD.
• Video Inputs: Composite: (5), S-Video (2)
• Audio Outputs: Speaker: (5)
• Video Outputs: Composite: (3) S-Video (1)
• 4-ohm/8-ohm switch.
• Multi-room audio output with independent source selection.
• 2-way LCD Remote control shows station names, CD titles, and surround sound modes.
• 24-bit Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic and DTS decoder.
• 32-bit DSP with 27 acoustic environments.
• Weight: 27.5 lbs.
• Dimensions: 17" x 6 1/4" x 14 7/8
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
vemartin
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: Vincent
Location: Aurora, IL
Reviews written: 1356
Trusted by: 548 members
About Me:
...A Great Empire cannot be Conquered from Without until it first Destroys itself From Within...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.