Sony STR DB940

OK, my review is on the older version of the 940 amp, but I'm led to believe that the differences between the versions are mainly cosmetic. I purchased my amp in 1999 from my local Sony Centre for the "reduced" price as-was-then of £495. It had only just been released, and I had to wait some weeks before my silver-ordered unit was delivered. They "loaned" me a black version while I waited - a shop display unit, and tried to fob me off about me ordered silver unit, I think they wanted to pocket some cash by offloading their display model, and saving money on what was a more expensive silver finish. Anyway, I kicked enough stink to finally ...  Read the complete review

Knowing precious little about the whole Home Cinema thing, I started by reading around the subject to try and decide what I needed/wanted (on the Internet and in magazines). After a few weeks of research I decided what I wanted was an amplifier with a built in Dolby Digital decoder and an RDS receiver. Which in itself is a fairly short list of features. That's just the essentials though. Extra points would be awarded for DTS decoding, number of inputs, expansion/future-proofing options, price and last but by no means least, style. It was a pretty close run thing between the Kenwood 7030D and the Sony DB940. Both offered the features I was looking for; ...  Read the complete review

Having being thoroughly impressed with surround sound through the use of my Sony Pro-Logic decoder I was hesitant to move to full blown Dolby Digital. Would the addition of rear stereo really make the difference? Well when the local Hi Fi shop knocked the price down to £345 from the usual £500 I just had to give this unit a go. Does it make a difference! The answer is a resounding yes! Not only does rear stereo bring the movie to life the unit adds clarity, power and a multitude of surround effects. Throw in a 2 way remote and you have a very refined and user friendly system. Even with basic surround speakers this Sony AV Amp works wonders. Dial in if the ...  Read the complete review