Bells and whistles and hidden surprises
Written: Mar 12 '04
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Pros: Lots of I/O, large Display, expandability
Cons: Missing critical inputs, poorly designed remote
The Bottom Line: Given all of the above i would still recommend this receiver. Price vs. performance it is a good buy.
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| sirmacsalot's Full Review: Sony STR-DE995 7.1 Channels Receiver |
The 995 seems to be an excellent choice for someone stepping up into his first Dolby Digital receiver, plenty of inputs and room to grow your system from 5.1 to 7.1 setups. A bright display that is easily readable from across the room, and a half decent manual with good diagrams. However be aware of some of the interesting quirks I have come across setting this unit up.
1. the remote... There are no codes available for Dish Network satellite receivers. NONE according to Sony. I find this hard to believe, until I realize Sony is in cahoots with Direct TV.
the remote is also nearly impossible to program. It is set up to learn ONLY one command at a time, then having to start the process again (using really teeny buttons too close together).
2. The lack of a Digital Optical DVD input. Doh! (there is a coax input)
3. Limited ability to reassign digital optical inputs (see #2 above)
4. Requiring a separate video connection for on-screen display
5. having to turn the volume setting up to 40 or more to hear anything. At first I thought I had a defective unit....
6. lots and lots of wires... For example if you want to record back to a VCR you will need both digital and analog outputs from your DVD or satellite box; it seems the unit does not convert the digital signal to analog required by analog devices.
7. The fine print... The manual writers seem to hide some if not all of the above in footnotes throughout the manual.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 359.00
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Epinions.com ID:
sirmacsalot
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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