Great Low Cost 6.1 Receiver
Written: Dec 03 '03
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Pros: 6.1 audio, low price, easy setup, quality sound
Cons: Remote is "so-so", equalizer is set through menu
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this receiver to anyone looking for a low cost or beginner system. Great sound and supports current sound formats.
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| morphisb's Full Review: Sony STR-DE695 6.1 Channels Receiver |
First of all let me start by saying that I am by no means an "audiophile". I spent quite sometime looking at receivers and trying to decide what to get. Finally, when Sony came out with a low cost 6.1 capable receiver I knew I had to get it. I've been a long time supporter of Sony electronics because I have yet to have any problems with them.
If your like me, the thought of spending more than 300 dollars on a receiver seems insane! I'm not going to come out an say that this receiver is as good as 1,000 dollar receiver, which I'm sure it's not, but I love the way it sounds!
My Setup
Here is quick overview of my setup, I have Sony DVD player, XBox, Game Cube all connected to my receiver and the connections go from my receiver to my TV. For speakers I have some older Bose 201 speakers for Front Left and Right, a Yamaha NS-C3290 center channel, and 3 KLH TW-08 for the Surround Left, Back and Right and a powered JBL sub woofer.
My Connections
A must for your DVD player is a Digital Audio connection, I use a coaxial connection. For video on DVD I use Component Cables. My Xbox and Game Cube are connected with standard composite connections. For those absolute beginners, I run one component cable from the DVD to the Receiver and another component cable from the Receiver to the TV. For the XBox and Game Cube they both connect to two of the video inputs and one set of composite cables go to the TV.
Setup
Setup is simple, the manual does a good job of guiding you through setting up your receiver for the first time. Basically you got to SET UP in the main menu and you set each setting for your receiver:
Sub Woofer Yes/No
Front L/R Speakers Large/Small
Center Channel Large/Small
Surround L/R Speakers Large/Small
Surround Back Speaker Yes/No
You then set the distance in feet from each speaker to the the listening position.
Sound Formats:
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital EX
DTS
DTS ES
Dolby Pro Logic
Dolby Pro Logic II
NEO6
Note on the Cons
The Bass and Treble have to be set through the main menu, then you go to the equalizer and then into bass or treble. It's not that big of a deal but it's nice when you can adjust the bass or treble with touch of a button or knob which can't be done with this receiver.
The remote could have been better, it's not terrible, but there is a circular knob you use to control DVD menu's often when I push down on the know to move the cursor down it ends up clicking and selecting what the cursor is on rather than moving down. The remote is not very good for use with a TV, you can change the volume and go up/down on the channels pretty easy but changing the channel by entering a number is painful!
Conclusion
Personally I love the sound I get from this receiver, as I mentioned before I'm no expert but I love what I got for my money. If you get this receiver be sure to pick up any of the Lord of the Rings movies because they have DTS-ES, it is amazing how great it sounds when it's in 6.1. The addition of the back surround speaker blows 5.1 away. 6.1 may not be widely supported yet but it's worth getting if your going to buy a receiver today. I'm very happy with my DE695 receiver and I highly recommend it, especially to those looking for a low cost/beginner receiver.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
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Epinions.com ID:
morphisb
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Location: RI
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Computer programmer from Rhode Island.
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