Sony - STR-DE935 Receiver Review

Bottom-Line: The Sony STR-DE935 works and works well.  This is an A/V receiver well worth the investment.   

Oh the joys of satellite television (except when a thunder storm creeps in the area) mated with a solid A/V (Audio/Visual) stereo receiver.  When I got divorced, the wife got my NAD setup as part of the settlement; I grieved but not for long.  Not long after I remarried I started laying out the components for my new A/V system.  This time around I would forgo the separate pre-amplifier, amplifier, and tuner, and just purchase a good A/V receiver capable of delivering at least 100 Watts per channel into 8 ohms of resistance. 

The receiver also had to have the ability to output in 5.1 surround sound through at least two sets of speakers simultaneously.  And although I did not plan to purchase another turntable right away, I needed the ability to add one to the receiver in the future.  After much research, I settled on the Sony STR-DE935 A/V receiver as the heart of my A/V system.  That was some seven years ago, and the black beauty is still going strong.      

Sony STR-DE935

The matt black Sony STR-DE935 is a substantial receiver, meaning it's heavy, has a lot of buttons on the front and a lot of ports and or connections on the back.  But the (yellow LED) function selection buttons on the face of the receiver are conveniently arranged in two horizontal rows: Video 1, Video2, VCR1, VCR2, TV, DVD, etc (Video inputs) are on the top row, while Tape, CD, MD, Tuner, etc. (Audio inputs) are arranged on the bottom row. To the left of these buttons are a series of (yellow LED) buttons for radio station memory selection, as well as a rotary switch for choosing the audio output; e.g. Speaker A, Speaker B, Speaker A+B, or Headphones.  

Above these buttons spanning almost the entire length of the receiver is an LED panel that displays messages such as digital radio information; i.e. the radio station call letter, and frequency as well as the song currently playing.  The display also let you know which input device is currently being utilized, as well as which sound field (Dolby A, B, C, Surround Sound) is currently selected, what device is selected, etc.

One of the reasons I choose the Sony STR-DE935 was the receiver's ability to output to two separate sets of speakers and subwoofers.  I currently have a set of Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III's connected to the main (front) channel.  I switch to the Bose speakers whenever I listen to music from whatever source.  And I switch to a pair of Cambridge SoundWorks MovieWorks 58 Home Theater Speakers, which I have plugged into the center and rear channels.  I use these speakers when I am listening to television of a movie for true surround sound enjoyment.

Remote Control

The Sony STR-DE935 shipped with a slat grey remote control which I loath.  The unit is clumsy in the hand and difficult to use.  And although the primary button glow in the dark, their functionality is hard to discern.  About the only time I use the remote is to switch sound fields; i.e. the Sony STR-DE935 has a number of built-in sound fields you can use to customize (tune) the output sound.  He feature was designed to take the place of a traditional equalizer which you cannot connect to this receiver.  The sound fields include the usual suspects: Concert Hall, Jazz Hall, Opera House, Rock Concert, etc., as well as a number of preset outputs for surround sound enjoyment.

My Viewpoint     

I am very, very please with the Sony STR-DE935.  At 110 watts per channel output is more then sufficient to meet my current audio and video needs.  The ability to connect two sets of speakers and subwoofers to the receiver is a big plus in my book as id the ability to have the two set of speakers operating at once. 

The sound quality from the Sony STR-DE935B is outstanding; as of yet I have note no distortion even on quite classical passages.  And thus far the Sony STR-DE935 has proven itself to be a reliable receiver; it is utilized daily, sometime for hours on end, and its still working as well as the day I took it our of the box.  There have been no burnt out LED, no malfunctioning switches.  The Sony STR-DE935 works and works well. 

Features:

• Stereo Mode: 110 watts per channel x2 into 8 ohms, 20 - 20,000 Hz, 0.09% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).
• Surround Mode: 110 watts per channel x5 into 8 ohms, 1,000 Hz, 0.8% THD.
• Video Inputs: Composite: (5), S-Video (2)
• Audio Outputs: Speaker: (5)
• Video Outputs: Composite: (3) S-Video (1)
• 4-ohm/8-ohm switch.
• Multi-room audio output with independent source selection.
• 2-way LCD Remote control shows station names, CD titles, and surround sound modes.
• 24-bit Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic and DTS decoder.
• 32-bit DSP with 27 acoustic environments.
• Weight: 27.5 lbs.
• Dimensions: 17" x 6 1/4" x 14 7/8