This review covers performance and sound quality, ergonomics and usability, specifications and comparison with competitor and predecessor products.

[Introduction]

The Sony STR-DE997 is a 7.1 channel receiver that incorporates decoders for various audio formats such as "Dolby Digital" and "DTS" found in today's DVDs and SACDs. It is the top-of-the-line model for the "STR-DE" series of Sony receivers, typically positioned as consumer-grade (i.e. non-luxury) audio components in the market.

Because this receiver incorporates amplifier circuitry for up to 7 speaker channels (plus one non-amplified output for a sub-woofer), it will properly decode and play a wide variety of audio formats, including those that use less than the full 7.1 channels:
DTS-ES
DTS-Neo
Dolby Digital EX
Dolby Digital (a.k.a. AC3)
Dolby ProLogic IIx
Dolby ProLogic II
Dolby ProLogic
...and of course, regular 2-channel stereo. I will cover a few of these decoding modes further below.

You can view all the features and specifications of this product at:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=STRDE997/B&Dept=hav&CategoryName=hav_HiFiComponents_Receivers_HiFiReceivers


[Comparing with the competition]

Sony's "STR-DE" product line concentrates on value ("Bang for the buck") and features, but does not necessarily sport the absolute best technical specifications that today's technology offers in audio equipment. This means, generally speaking, that these receivers provide lots of features and allow more connectivity options as you fork out more money upwards along the product line, but you will see little difference in signal output quality (not that it is unsatisfactory in any way to begin with!). For instance, there is little decrease in the "total harmonic distortion" between a mid-range and a high-end model in this product line.

With this said however, I still wanted to compare features and spec's among all the competitors that I could find within the same price range, and pick out the best. Although I listened to a few competitor products, it is very hard to make an accurate subjective comparison, because each receiver was connected to a different set of speakers in the showroom. I can however summarize briefly the technical advantages and disadvantages of these other products against the STR-DE997, for those of you shopping around:

JVC RX-7042 (Pros: more power) (Cons: remote does not learn, less connectors)

Pioneer VSX-D914K (Pros: cool microphone to automatically balance speakers, 192 KHz DAC) (Cons: only 6.1 channels, higher THD)

Onkyo TX-SR601 (Pros: 192 KHz DAC) (Cons: less power, only 6.1 channels, no up-conversion to component video)

Kenwood VR-8070 (Pros: THX surround sound modes, more video inputs, 7.1 pre-amplifier output) (Cons: no up-conversion to component video, remote does not learn)

Sony STR-DA1000ES (Pros: 5 year warranty) (Cons: less power, no up-conversion to component video)

I personally found that the STR-DE997's better connectivity and more thorough features yielded a better value. The only close call was between the STR-DE997 and the Kenwood VR-8070, with the latter featuring more video inputs and a 7.1 pre-amplifier output that the Sony lacks.

I also want to clarify here: the STR-DE997 (and as far as I know, the entire product line) is not THX certified/related/endorsed. There is a major typo on the product heading as listed here on Epinions.com/Shopping.com. I do not however consider THX certification meaningful at this time, since LucasFilms won't say exactly what criteria make a certified receiver better than a non-certified one.


[Comparing with other Sony's]

The STR-DE997 was launched in 2004, and offers the following enhancements over its predecessor, the STR-DE995 from 2003:

1) Component up-conversion from composite and S-Video signals (new feature)
2) Two coaxial digital audio inputs (one more than before)
3) Maximum power output increased from 100 to 110 Watts/channel (7 channels, 8 Ohms, 20-20000Hz, 0.09% THD)


[The package, and first impressions]

The factory-sealed box came with the following:

1) STR-DE997B receiver (the 'B' denotes black finish)
2) RM-LG113 universal remote control
3) FM wire-antenna with 75-ohm coaxial connector
4) AM loop antenna with 300-ohm wire tips
5) User's manual
6) Quick installation guide
7) Two AA batteries for the remote

There were no audio or video cables whatsoever, nor speaker wires, adapters, etc. Plan on buying these separately if you are building your home theater from scratch.

The STR-DE997 gave me the first impression of being a "black box that can connect anything and everything, and pump out some serious loudness". The back panel was impressive, I lost count of how many jacks and connectors it had! The front panel is, well, boxy. There are remarkably few buttons and more knobs than I expected for a box with all the features it claims, and this in fact does reflect on the user-interface of this product, discussed below.

For anybody who may be wondering, there is no horizontal silver line going across the front panel of the STR-DE997B, which is completely painted in black. In a touch of stylishness, the front panel was designed with a horizontal "dent" about 0.5 cm high, going across the width of the front panel. As the panel is slanted diagonally within this dent, it reflects light differently from the rest of the panel, giving the illusion of the dent being a gray/silver color.


[User interface and ergonomics]

The good:
1) The front panel is very complete. You can access all the receiver's menus on the console, even if you don't have the remote control in your hands.
2) The LCD is complete enough to obviate the need for turning on the TV to see the on-screen display. It is big enough to be seen from 12 feet away in darkness, and has 3 adjustable levels of brightness.
3) Front panel has audio, video and optical inputs.

The bad:
1) There are too few buttons and too many knobs on the receiver. For instance, you cannot jump from a multi-channel input to the FM tuner without scrolling through all the other inputs in between. This is potentially hazardous if one input receives a louder signal than another.
2) Cannot associate an optical audio input to the DVD video input. If your DVD player only has a coaxial audio output, you have to connect it to one of the "VIDEO 1/2/3" terminals instead.

The ugly:
1) Top panel is mostly a grill for better ventilation, but will attract dust like a static dust-swiper. Moreover, I suspect you should not place components with small footprints on the grill, lest you dent it downwards.
2) No flip-out panel to cover/protect the audio/video connectors on the front panel.


[Performance and sound quality]

I have been pleased with the sound quality output by the STR-DE997, connected to my set of Klipsch "Cinema 8" speakers (RSX-4 satellite speaker, RCX-4 center speaker, RW-8 sub-woofer). The digital processing modes for music have brought new life to my CD collection, and even to FM radio. I typically use:

- Hall surround mode for classical music, especially pieces originally recorded in the 60's and 70's. Although they have been "digitally remastered" for optimal frequency range, the surround mode turns an otherwise dull 2-channel recording into a more lively listening experience.

- Dolby ProLogic II for TV shows. This is a good all-around conversion of 2-channel surround sound to 5.1 channels. The sub-woofer gets really good use here, and the surround speakers enhance the atmosphere of low-volume background music and effects. I suspect DTS "Neo6" can do an even better job once I install the full 7.1 speakers.

- Live concert mode for rock and heavy metal. Unlike the ProLogic modes that give you a greater sense of depth and atmosphere in exchange for weaker treble and stereo separation, this mode puts you in the middle of a medium-sized concert hall with high clarity and powerful bass.

- Cinema EX B for action movies. Similar to what ProLogic II does for TV, this mode enhances even further the atmosphere of movies, giving the perception of being in a big theater room where even faint sounds such as the echo of footsteps propagate from the screen to the viewer's seat.

In all cases, noise is inaudible even at the loudest volumes. Stereo separation is slightly weak; in "analog direct" mode, bypassing all effects and equalization, sound begins to bleed between left and right when volume reaches 54 (max is 75). This value is probably arbitrary; not an indication of loudness in decibels.

I would have preferred a receiver with at least a 5-band equalizer, but the STR-DE997 only has settings for bass and treble. Fortunately, it turns out that both low and high frequencies can be heightened by as much as 10 dB; this is far more than I need. Cranking up the treble to 8 dB already made me feel I was listening to music inside a tin can, that is how much heightening you can get!


[The RM-LG113 remote control]

The infra-red remote control gave a poor first impression: the label for the keypad was peeling off as I extracted it from the box. Either it was not glued properly, or got exposed to too much heat, as it was situated on a recess exposed to the top of the shipping box.

The user's manual unfortunately deserves a dishonorable mention in its description of the remote control. I have been having headaches programming the remote control, and a big part of it is due to the poor writing of the manual. Setting the remote to activate a pre-programmed set of keys to control my TV requires pressing a well-defined and specific sequence of buttons. The manual does not state accurately what this sequence is, evidencing that the writer never used this product to begin with. (I only got it to work by trial and error.)

Another weakness is that the remote has very few sets of pre-programmed keys for very few brands of TVs, VCRs, etc. In fact, it does not have pre-programmed signals for any Samsung DVD players or Mitsubishi VCRs, both of which I happen to own (and are widely sold in the U.S.). It instead has settings for esoteric products such as Blaupunkt VCRs, and Grundig and Nokia TV sets, which escapes my comprehension.

The one feature that redeems the RM-LG113 from all the above shortcomings is its ability to learn the infra-red signals of other remote controls. The process of teaching the RM-LG113 is very cumbersome however. To make it learn signals for any SINGLE key, you have to punch in at least FIVE keystrokes on the RM-LG113, plus one more keystroke on the other remote emitting the signal. Given that an average remote control has 20 useful keys, this made the learning mode very tedious.

Once I mustered the patience to punch all those hundreds of key strokes, I was able to program all the buttons from my Philips TV and other components into the RM-LG113, and it worked flawlessly. Afterwards, as a test, I swapped out the batteries from the remote for a few seconds to simulate replacing the batteries; the RM-LG113 retained all its pre-programmed settings and "learned" signals without a glitch.


[Conclusion]

Given its impressive list of features and specifications, the Sony STR-DE997 is an excellent product for its price. Its surround sound modes really work, and sound quality is very good. The user interface, especially the remote control, will take some time to get used to. Overall, the product is very good.

Special thanks go to the reviewers of the STR-DE995:
http://www.epinions.com/content_123605061252
http://www.epinions.com/content_123682393732
http://www.epinions.com/content_102250679940

[Revision history]

2005 01 12: Written by and copyright Tow Wang.
2005 01 14: Elaborated product comparisons, finished reviewing the RM-LG113, clarification about THX.
2005 01 18: Minor modifications for readability.
2005 01 24: Tested stereo separation.
2005 02 12: Linked reviews for speakers used to test this product. Note: Epinions has corrected the title for this product, and removed extraneous reference to "THX EX".

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 350

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