Sony STR-DE835 Surround Receiver Review
Sony STR-DE835 Surround Receiver Feature
- Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
- 5.1-channel analog inputs
- 100 watts per channel
- 32-bit DSP with 27 acoustic environments
- 8-function input selector with phono input
This well-stocked AV receiver offers Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround decoding, 5.1-channel analog inputs, Dolby Pro Logic decoding, and up to 100 watts per channel (maximum) with equal power across all five main channels. You can select between 4- and 8-ohm outputs to accommodate low-impedance speakers, and the model employs state-of-the-art 24- and 32-bit digital signal processing (DSP) with 27 other equalization and surround modes (what Sony calls "acoustic environments"). There's variable surround effect level and delay times for managing the surround options and discrete output transistors for better- quality amplification. With 4 audio inputs (including phono), 4 AV inputs (including 2 S-Video), and 3 AV outputs, the STR-DE835 should be able to handle switching for just about any system. This model weighs 27.5 lbs.
The STR-DE835 is the best example we've seen of a home-theater product that uses recent technological advances to deliver great quality and features at a near-budget price. With this model, you get decoding for all major surround-sound formats (Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, and DTS), 5.1-channel analog inputs to accommodate the use of an external decoder for these or other surround formats, inputs for four video and three audio sources (including a phono or turntable input), three optical inputs and one coaxial digital input, and a host of Sony-developed surround modes for processing one- or two-channel program material.
The flip side of using a powerful, full-featured surround amp is often a detailed, head-scratching setup process. The STR-DE835 can go both ways. To get it up and running is a very simple matter: plug in your components, select which source to watch or listen to, and sit back and enjoy its 100-watt-per-channel sound. A button found on both the front panels and the nearly full-function remote labeled "2CH," or two-channel, is your ready-made shortcut to auditioning straight, unprocessed left/right stereo from any of your input sources.
When using the digital inputs, the receiver automatically selects the correct listening mode for the incoming signal (DTS, Dolby Pro Logic, and any of the variants of Dolby Digital). With certain components, however--such as DVD and possibly CD--you may wish to use both analog and digital outputs. While surround-sound signals such as Dolby Digital and DTS tend to be transmitted digitally and decoded by the receiver, certain music-oriented DVDs have high-resolution digital content (with 96-kHz/24-bit signals) that require digital-to-analog (D-to-A) conversion upstream from this surround receiver (and most others). When listening to these sources--or to CD players with higher-caliber D-to-A conversion than this receiver employs--it's best to listen through the analog, rather than the digital, outputs of your source components.
This brings us to the only real drawback of the remote: while you can use it to switch between different components, you can't cycle through the different inputs for any one component. The remote (Remote Commander RM-PP402) is otherwise well designed and controls a host of Sony and non-Sony products.
More advanced operations require careful perusal of the STR-DE835's well-written manual, and configuring the surround modes is one of them. An internally generated test tone helps adjust the relative levels of the center and surround channels (which you can do right from your listening position). To compensate for the fact that the center channel is often slightly closer to the listening position than the left/right main speakers, many receivers let you delay the sound from the center channel to keep it aligned with the sound arriving from the other front speakers. The STR-DE835 doesn't let you do that, but it does let you tell it how far you're sitting from each of your speakers, and it makes the appropriate internal adjustments for each.
This unit boasts 27 surround modes (reverberation settings traditionally titled Hall, Stadium, or even Jazz and Rock), and Sony's Digital Cinema Sound puts other units with this feature to shame. First, the STR-DE835 contains real surround modes; the music plays in front and reverberates through each speaker in your surround setup. Second, Sony allows you to adjust the parameters of many of the sound fields, including aspects such as effect level, wall type, and screen depth. This degree of user control extends into other areas as well: The STR-DE835 offers dynamic-range compression for minimizing volume peaks (for quieter night viewing or listening), and you can adjust the amount of compression the unit employs.
As to sound quality, the receiver boasts a wide and detailed soundstage with no tizz (displeasing peaks in the voice range) or glare (broad overaccentuation) in the high frequencies. Discrete output transistors provide the receiver with high-speed, high-current capacity and keep distortion to a minimum. The unit also delivers good low-level support for the bass. Small increments in the volume control from the remote are perfect for when you want the sound level just a touch louder or quieter. And it's always nice to see a phono stage in modern receivers, and the one aboard the STR-DE835 is of higher quality than many.
The unit's only other drawback that its speaker terminals are of unequal size. This might not be an issue for you, depending on your speaker cables, but if you already own standard-size banana-plug-terminated cables, you'll be disappointed to find that the center and surround terminals are too small for your plugs. Stick with bare-wire cables or use small banana plugs on this one.
Tuning will likely require use of the supplied antenna, but beyond that, setting (and naming) the preset stations is simple. The STR-DE835 can automatically scan stations or you can enter them by frequency (e.g., FM 103.7). You can set up to 30 presets, divided between AM and FM, using either of the above methods.
In all, the STR-DE835 is a nothing short of a marvel of modern technology. If you're into features and flexibility, this receiver has your name written all over it.
Pros:
- Amazing features for the price
- Great sound
- Abundant processing power
- Future-ready design
Cons:
- Speaker terminals are unequal in size
- Remote does not perform all essential functions
- Learning curve for using all the features
