Great 10 Watt amp! (no misprint)
Written: Sep 09 '08 (Updated Sep 09 '08)
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Pros: Ease of setup, number of features, appearance, low power consumption.
Cons: Runs hot while providing minimal pure power to speakers.
The Bottom Line: If you have, or want, a HI-def TV, buy another amp.
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| bimmaguy's Full Review: Sony STR-DE595 5.1 Channels Receiver |
Sometime in the early 21st century, I decided to abandon quadrophonics and upgrade to surround sound. So out with the rocks and sticks that made up the old amp, and in with the Sony STR-DE595. Turns out I took a step down. Let me explain.
Appearance: I think this is a sharp-looking piece of equipment. The graphic display is clear, and has a selector for brightness. Some of the smaller indicators are almost illegible unless you are VERY close, but you can basically set it and forget it once you've got it dialed in.
Hookup: All the hookups are clear, and it comes with a well-made product sheet to help you. The speaker terminals are cheap spring-loaded affairs, and way too close to each other, but get a six-year-old to wire your speakers for you and you're set. There is only one optical in, and only one coaxial input, so switching the odd wire may be a regular occurrence if you have a number of digital components. This amp does not have HDMI input, so it is therefore obsolete, really.
Remote: The remote is small and unobtrusive, and seems to run forever on one set of batteries. For me, it's been almost 4 years (!) of regular use, and that's great; I hate buying batteries. I hate buying AAA batteries even more, and this one takes AAs! Hallelujah! Triple the power, one third the price!
Setup: All speaker levels are finitely adjustable, and time delays are adjustable to the surrounds and center channel, so finding the "right" setup for your room is easy and intuitive. There are a variety of sound modes, but if sonic accuracy is your goal, the the Prologic and DTS options are the only viable ones. It has a sub out (mono) on the back, and selectable speaker arrays so that it will allow many variations in configuration. One bonus is that it will readily accept 2 pairs of front speakers.
Power: This amp is somehow rated at 90W per channel into 8 ohms with +/-0.09% THD. This test was obviously performed by hooking up directly to a nuclear reactor, while immersing the unit in liquid nitrogen. Optimistically, this amp could achieve this at one frequency (likely 1khZ) for 0.1 of a second. Power ratings you see advertised are often useless, misleading bull****. Sony is unfortunately going along with this trend, as are several other manufacturers. Next, they'll be trying to sell us 2000 horsepower lawnmowers.
My 30-year-old Luxman stero amp, 40W per channel (divided by two if you hook up A & B speakers, as I did) completely tromps the Sony in every way. With the Sony, the bass is just gone and the woofers barely move at all. You would think that at 5x the power, it would be a no contest, right?!? The Sony also overboosts the high end, making all speakers sound comparatively tinny and harsh. Running a flat EQ is not an option if you are an audiophile of any merit.
That said, if using a powered sub, you will likely never notice the lack of bass. The midrange and highs are fairly well defined, if overboosted, but the right sub absolutely works miracles.
The only good thing I can say about the power of this amp is that the power required from the outlet is so low, it is an Energystar listed product in Canada. However, considering how hot this thing runs, I doubt it only consumes 210W as stated. Could they be making this rating up also?
Overall: I'm a picky bastard, and this thing has kept me entertained and on the verge of deafness for four years. It IS possible to get good sound, and the interface is intuitive and easy for anyone to use. A very good starter system for the home theater novice. However, be warned: this system is like smoking your first piece of crack, it is unsatisfying and will likely lead to more money being spent down the line. Very soon, if Hi-def TV is in your future.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 220 CDN
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Epinions.com ID:
bimmaguy
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Reviews written: 4
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