You've got $1200 to blow? Well, here's your new receiver.
Written: Apr 11 '00 (Updated Apr 12 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The SOUND.
Cons: The remote could be friendlier.
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| nbb1's Full Review: Sony STR-DE135 2 Channels Receiver |
What can I say about this heavy duty (~60 lbs.) piece equipment other than its a receiver that I would recommend to anyone? Actually quite a bit otherwise I wouldn't be here.
Starting from the beginning, I thought it was time after 7 years with my old Sony Pro-logic receiver to move up in the world to a genuine piece of high fidelity equipment (my wallet permitting of course). I decided against separates because, frankly, the idea of getting into the details of choosing the individual parts really made my head spin. I didn't need the hassle and figured I'd go for the best all-in-one receiver I could lay my grubby paws on.
After checking out MANY web based reviews, I focused my attention on (as far as I can remember) a couple Marantz models, an Onkyo, and the Sony.
However, after a short time, I quickly focused on the Sony. This was based on a few factors. First, I have a predisposition towards Sony products that I would be lying if I didn't admit to. I've never had a problem with any Sony product . . . ever (Sony should really be paying me at this point). Many people have their (valid) complaints about Sony, I don't. Second, my first CD player was an Onkyo and it was TERRIBLE. Admittedly, this was back in the day, but since then, I've been gun-shy of their products. Third, the Marantzes, in my informal auditions, really didn't demonstrate anything that made them worthy of attention over the Sony. They weren't bad, but they weren't anywhere near overcoming my Sony predisposition.
When I first got the 777 plugged in, I was still on my old set of speakers, Bose AM5 II's (go check out my review to see what I think of those . . . things). I was immediately impressed. The 777 made the old Bose's actually sound better than my old JVC box (I was shocked). Frankly, the 777 made the Boses sound pretty good. To proffer a pathetic analogy, it was like someone wiped the dust off of my window and I could finally see clearly (relatively speaking, these are Bose speakers after all). The highs and lows really jumped out at me (do I have to keep saying relatively?). Moreover, there was a new level of clarity that I had never heard before. Listening sounded closer to "live" than listening through a wall like I had become accustomed to.
Shortly thereafter, I moved up to the best B&W speakers in my price range, the 603 S2's.
On a purely emotional level, all I have to say is WOW! The experience with the 603's completely destroyed the one with the Boses. The Boses were like tin cans on a string compared to the 603's. The 603's really seemed to open up the power of the receiver, much more so than the Bose speakers, as good as it was.
Keeping in mind the above referenced receivers and the many I have casually listened to in other people's homes, I have to say that without a doubt this is the best sounding receiver I have ever heard. I'm no audiophile and I'm not going to argue with all the "golden ears" out there, but the 777 is a real piece of work. Reusing my earlier analogy, the receiver really seems to reveal aspects of the music that seem, to a certain extent, muffled by other all-in-one receivers (I really have very little experience in the world of separates). All my music sounds brand new.
Besides the wonderful clarity and range, I'm particularly impressed by the sound stage created by the 777. When listening to CD's, I can clearly make out where the musicians are located in the imaginary soundstage in front of me. During a visit by my parents, they were amazed at how, while listening to the 1812 overture (to test the subwoofer), they could make out the locations of all the members of the orchestra (they actually knew where they were supposed to be). They and I were both amazed. The music is always completely immersive and amazing to hear.
As for all the "connection-fetishists" out there, this unit it has it all. The back of this thing is somewhat intimidating if you don't know what you're looking for, but that's a good thing. If there was one big hole that said "music-in", I'd be worried. If you can't find what you're looking for, all I have to say is, I'm sure your parents are glad you're putting your electrical engineering degree to good use.
Moreover, as many have mentioned elsewhere, the 777 has a multitude of adjustments that a person could waste a serious amount of time tweaking. Essentially, you can adjust almost every facet of the unit (cross-overs, equalizer, etc.). Again, its somewhat intimidating and it took a good amount of web research to get everything just right (you might as well forget the manual, its pretty useless). Of course, I could have left everything as-is and it would have sounded great, but I'm a born tweaker (even when I don't know what I'm doing).
The 777 also has a great selection of very usable sound field presets. Unlike many units, where switching between sound fields is more of a novelty than anything else, the 777 gives the user sound fields that he or she actually wants to use. I'm particularly partial to the analog direct mode that by passes all the filters and the many cinema sound fields. Actually, they're all really phenomenal and I could blather on and on about them, but take my word for it. And to save time switching between them, the unit even remembers the sound field you last used for any particular source or you can have it automatically choose the sound field based on the source material.
For the home theater buffs, let me just say that my friends rent movies and come to my apartment to watch them. The constant refrain being that it sounds better than a movie theater (they're probably wrong, but I'll take the compliment and admit that they're not far off).
My biggest problem with the unit is the remote. On the one hand, it reduced my remote-bloat down to one unit (from 6), but on the other hand, it isn't as good as any one of them. You see, the remote uses a touch screen that shuts off after about ten seconds. Thereby requiring the user to constantly reactivate it. So, if I'm watching TV and want to switch to the CD player, I have to touch the screen once to turn it on. Then I have to touch it again to activate the "function" setting. Then I have to select the function I want to use. Only after all that am I presented with the remote emulation that I'm looking for. With my old receiver, I hit one button to change the function, and then grabbed the remote for the particular device. Once the remote's buttons are on the screen, I still have the problem of no tactile feel. With a traditional remote, you can feel your way around it by touch without looking down at it. With a touch screen, one always has to be staring down at it to make sure something doesn't go drastically wrong.
While the remote is an impressive piece of work overall (macros and ability to learn functions not programmed in), it is somewhat cumbersome (even now that I'm proficient with it) and I find myself using the old remotes instead. Of course, for the sound quality, I'll deal with the remote.
As for who should buy this product, I recommend it to anyone who is willing to spend the time to learn how to use it. It is certainly not plug-and-play. The manual is woefully inadequate and a good amount of experimentation is required to get the hang of things. Even as an extremely proficient technophile, I found this unit counterintuitive and a bit of a bear to deal with (but worth the end result). As with almost any piece of high-end (or mid-to-high-end) gear, one needs to take the time to figure this thing out. I can't imagine that my girlfriend (an Ivy league grad and technically proficient, but no tech lover) would ever figure this thing out on her own. Although, on the most superficial level (switching between functions and hitting "play"), she does find it easier to deal with than my old receiver.
As for my set-up: Front speakers: B&W 603 S2's, center: B&W LCR6 S2, subwoofer: B&W ASW 1000, rears: Bose AM 5 II's (I didn't throw them out . . .).
Before moving on, I must note that subsequent to my purchase, I learned of 5 speaker stereo that was available from other receivers (Denon if memory serves me correctly). Apparently this is quite amazing for listening to music. For those searching for a new receiver, I suggest you look into it. I haven't heard it and don't want to (couldn't take the regret if I fell in love with it).
In conclusion, other than the 777's complexity, I wholeheartedly endorse it for any user looking for a great sounding receiver.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nbb1
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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