The Weakest of the Sony Family???
Written: Mar 20 '03
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Pros: inexpensive, probably good for small systems
Cons: not powerful enough for home theatre
The Bottom Line: This is an attempt for Sony to break into the low price market...at the expense of sound quality.
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| tkerodd's Full Review: Sony STR-DE485 5.1 Channels Receiver |
I love electronics and electronic equipment. This would include stereo and video equipment, which I enjoy having at home and using to entertain and to increase my enjoyment of media productions. However, while I like nifty toys, I also like to save money. To this end, comparison-shopping is a key part of my purchase process. In buying a receiver, I looked for certain brands that have a good reputation, and for a good price. The Sony STR-DE485 looked like a good candidate. The Sony name had long been considered one of the best on the market, and the low price made it a very attractive item to me. Happy with my decision, I got the receiver and began to see what it could do.
The receiver itself comes with a lot of great features. There are a number of surround modes that can be used, including normal surround, digital cinema, concert hall, and jazz club among others. Each mode gives a little bit different take on the sound, which can make a big difference in what you hear. You can still adjust the bass, treble, and other levels within each setting so that your sound quality is what you prefer. The unit also features auto format decoding, which means that the unit will automatically detect the type of audio signal being received (such as Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, DTS, etc.).
In the area of power, this unit should meet most users’ needs. It is set up for 80 watts x 2 in stereo mode, or 80X5 in surround mode. There are 2 audio and 3 A/V inputs, including one 5.1 channel input. There is an output for a preamp-level subwoofer as well. For surround decoding, the unit has a 32-bit processor that decodes the signal and breaks it out into the surround signal. For those who still enjoy listening to the radio, you have 30 AM/FM presets where you can save your favorite channels.
Along with the usual sound oriented features, the STR-DE485 has some comfort features as well. There is a sleep timer, where you can set the unit to turn itself off after a certain amount of time. You can also control the dimmer on the unit (the keep the display from being too bright or too dim). If you have a number of AV units hooked up to the unit, you can give them each an 8-character name for identification. You also get a Sony universal remote that will work for a large number of components.
Now that we have gone through the nuts and bolts, the key question is – how does it work? After getting the unit home, I began the setup process. It was very easy to set up; simply plug everything into the preset inputs and you are ready to go. Once operational, I sat back and waited to be impressed. To my disappointment, it didn’t happen. The sound that came out seemed flat and weaker than my old unit. Curious, I began to change the modes and other settings, to no avail. The sound was very “tinny” – regardless of how much bass was added or how much treble was removed.
You may ask if my speakers were the problem; certainly a weak set of speakers would make a receiver sound less-than-impressive. But I have a very nice set of Bose surround speakers, which are built and placed for optimal sound. So I am confident that is not the problem. I tried several different things – radio, TV, CD, DVD, etc. All of them had a disappointing sound. After working with it off and on for a couple of days, I had to concede and admit that I was not pleased with the purchase. I took the receiver back, and ultimately bought another Sony unit that was a little more powerful.
Overall, I think that this unit might be okay for someone with a small system that doesn’t have high expectations. But if you want to use this for home theatre or for clear stereo surround sound, forget it. This Sony is not the one for you.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 149.99
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Epinions.com ID:
tkerodd
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Location: Jackson, MS
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