So far so good (Apr. 02 Update)
Written: Feb 05 '02 (Updated Aug 17 '02)
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Pros: Reasonable price, plenty of features, learning remote.
Cons: No component video inputs, large physical size, can be complicated to set up.
The Bottom Line: Fairly low price, learning remote and strong amplifier more than offset the lack of component video inputs and large size to make this a recommended receiver.
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| mornixuur's Full Review: Sony STR-DE975 5.1 Channels Receiver |
A starting note: I did not purchase any surround sound speakers so I cannot comment on those features...yet. (Yes I did, see edits below!)I will update this review when I decide what kind of speakers I want to get and how much I want to spend. I don't think I'll be able to wait too long though, because this thing sounds pretty good. For now my DE975 is hooked up to my existing pair of 8-year-old Infinity bookshelf speakers.
That said, here's my review...
Three months ago I had no desire for a home theater.
Then my TV died and I had to buy a new one. I wanted a decent one but I didn't want to pay a lot of money (I had no desire for HDTV at this point). So I settled on a 36" Sony WEGA and I have been happy with it. Then I decided to get into the 90's and buy a DVD player. I was amazed at how good DVD's looked and sounded on my new TV. I hooked up my 8-year-old receiver & speakers and it sounded better, but had no surround sound and even worse, no remote control!
So I decided to start looking at receivers.
I admit to being a bit confused about the whole home theater thing. I couldn't get much help from the clowns at Circuit City, Best Buy, Tweeter, etc. So I did my own homework and decided that the best receiver for my money was this Sony model. At Best Buy it cost $499 but I found it at Circuit City for $399, so I bought it.
It took me a couple hours get up and running properly, even with my [so far] simple setup.
As noted by another person, you'll probably have to make at least one extra trip to Radio shack to pick up cables of some sort.
A semi-important thing to keep in mind: according to the guy at Circuit City, the only way you can get Dolby Digital sound from your DVD player is with an optical cable. No big deal except that the cheapest one (a 1-meter) will cost you US$40, which I though was pretty expensive.
Also, this physical size of this thing is HUGE. I have limited space on the 2 small shelves under my TV and buying this thing meant I had to get rid of my VCR because there just wasn't enough room. Not a big deal for me but it might be for you. As you shop around though you'll find that almost all brands of similar receivers are equally large. It seems to me that people must think bigger is better.
My last gripe is the lack of component video inputs. Not a problem if your TV or DVD player doesn't support them. But I use them and now I have to bypass the receiver with the video portion of my DVD outputs. Again, not a big deal but irritating. For what it's worth, I looked at the next model up, the DE1075, and it didn't have component video inputs either.
As for the sound, it is a vast improvement over my old amplifier and I am quite pleased. I probably won't be able to hold out too much longer on buying a full surround-sound speaker system. It is my intention to also use my system for music (CD's & MP3's) so I need to consider that as well.
I have played music through the system as it exists now and it sounds great.
Sony makes a model DE-875 but if you can get the 975 for a similar price, buy it instead. The power difference seems minimal (10 extra watts per channel I believe) but if you look at the specifications the distortion levels on the 975 are substantially lower, making it a much cleaner amplifier.
A VERY pleasant surprise was the remote control that comes with the DE975. Despite what the Circuit City clerk (and website) say, the remote is in fact a RM-PP505L, which means it is a learning remote. Most remote controls will control multiple devices and brands, but inevitably there are buttons on the original remote that your supposed "all-in-one" model can't handle. With this remote, you can program a button to duplicate the same button on your original remote. You hold your original remote up to this new remote and it will "learn" any function. This is particularly helpful if you have digital cable. It means that for the first time I can REALLY mothball all my other remotes and use just this one!
Anyway, last night I watched Almost Famous on the DVD (an AWESOME movie, by the way) and it sounded great.
You could spend a lot more on a receiver but for the money this one seems pretty good. As I said, I will update this review when I get my speakers and then I'll be able to comment on how well the surround features work.
02.26.02 Edit:
I finally bought some surround sound speakers to go with my receiver.
I bought a Boston Acoustics System 8 (Dolby 5.1), which is a lower-priced (though still half-way decent) speakers system consisting of 2 fronts, 2 rears, a center channel and a powered subwoofer.
As you might assume, wiring all this up will test all your electrical skills. I haven't actually mounted mine yet, and the fronts are sitting on top of my Sony WEGA next to the center channel. But everything is wired and hooked up.
I figured the tough part was over and now it's time to enjoy.
Not so fast. This receiver requires LOTS of configuring!
And if you skip any of the configuration steps your system will probably not sound too good.
For example you need to "tell" the receiver all of the following:
Are the speakers "Large" or "Small" (answer 3 times for fronts, rears and center)?
How many feet away from where you usually sit are the speakers mounted (again, answer for all 3 sets of speakers)?
What crossover frequency do you want to use (again, answer 3 times).
Then there's the equalizer, which is equally complicated.
I like listening to sound as pure as possible, so I didn't monkey with the equalizer.
It should be noted that this receiver requires a POWERED subwoofer.
Also, make sure to read the manual on how all this works. In fact, I still have my manual handy because I still need to reference it sometimes!
It doesn't quite take a PhD from MIT to figure all this out, but closer than I would have thought. It pays research how all this works and ask questions of the salespeople.
If you haven't bought a receiver in the past 5-10 years, things have changed drastically and you really will have to educate yourself.
Oh... and the cables. You'll need:
1) A component video cable from your DVD player to the TV (not actually required, but recommended if you have a decent TV). $40+, cha-ching.
2)An optical cable from your DVD player to the receiver. Not required, but necessary to experience true Dolby Surround Sound. $40, cha-ching.
3) A subwoofer cable - $40, cha-ching
4) An unknown quantity of speaker wire, depending on how big your room is and where your speakers are going. And of course the salesperson is going to shame you into buying the good stuff (probably Monster Cable). Figure at least another $50, cha-chin!
You can do the math as to what all that will cost you, but it sure ain't cheap.
All that said, it gives me great pleasure to say that the system really does sound fantastic.
I figure the receiver, speakers and cables cost me just over US$1,000 and it's worth every penny.
I purchased the acclaimed Talking Heads concert film "Stop Making Sense", which was remastered for the DVD. It sounds amazing. This is a great DVD to use to demonstrate your system to your friends. It doesn't necessarily show off the "effects" of surround sound but it really does show how good music can sound on the system. In fact, the surround sound is subtle but it makes it sound like you're really at a concert. In fact, listening to a regular CD sounds bad in comparison because it doesn't have the live "feel" that the surround sound subtly gives gives you.
The surround sound is great on regular movies too (Shrek comes to mind).
So now that my system is complete (for now anyway), I can say that this receiver can be part of a really nice [relatively] low-cost surround sound setup.
04.02.02 Edit:
Another thing worth noting: This thing get HOT!
Admittedly, only after you play it at eardrum-splitting volume levels for 20+ minutes, but it gets really really hot! Hot enough to produce burns if you held your hands on it long enough. I spoke with some people and apparently Sony receivers are notorious for getting hot.
I never had any problems with it overheating or anything but it is worth noting. Just leave adequate ventilation and be aware of the heat factor and I think you'll be fine.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399
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Epinions.com ID:
mornixuur
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Reviews written: 4
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