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Entered CNET Catalog: 03/05/2005
SKU: 0027242667068
Manufacturer: Sony Electronics, Inc.
Manufacturer description
Sony's worldwide reputation for creating unique, attractive, high-quality, advanced technology products rests on a long line of innovations embraced by people from all walks of life. With a diverse product lineup serving a variety of lifestyles and industries, Sony continuously strives to introduce new products and technologies to meet changing market needs. PRODUCT FEATURES: 110 Watts X 7 (20Hz-20KHz, THD 0.09%); Component Up Conversion from S-Video & Composite; Amplification Relocation; On Screen Display; Dolby Digital EX, dts ES (Neo6), DPLIIx, dts 96/24; 7.1 Channel Decoding with Auto Up conversion; LCD Remote Control; Powered 2nd Room Audio; 2 Zone/2 Room Control with 2nd Room Audio; 2 Assignable HD Component Video In/1 Out; Portable A/V Input; A/V Sync (Variable); Multi-Channel Stereo (Party Mode); Multi-Channel Input (7.1); Phono Input; 110 Watts X 7 (20Hz-20KHz, THD 0.09%); Component Up Conversion from S-Video & Composite; Amplifier Relocation - allows you to listen to a different Audio Source in a different room from the same receiver; On Screen Display for easy operation and setup; Dolby Digital EX, dts ES Neo 6, dts ES 96/24, Dolby Pro Logic IIx Decoding; 7.1 Channel Decoding-Up converts all signals to 7.1 Automatically; LCD Remote Control; Powered Second Room Audio; 2 Zone/2 Room Control with 2nd Room Audio; 2 Assignable HD Component Video In/1 Out; Portable A/V Input (Digital Optical In, Analog Audio and S-Video and Composite Video In); A/V Sync (Variable)- For Synchronizing Audio to Video Switched; Multi-Channel Stereo (Party Mode); Multi-Channel Input (7.1); Phono Input.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/25/2005
The receiver measures just a hair less than 17 inches wide, 6.25 inches high, and 15.8 inches deep; it weighs 29.8 pounds.
The small remote handset features an illuminated LCD window and nifty scrollwheel that selects inputs, but its button layout and design are only fair, and we never really got used to it. We also found the receiver's setup procedures even more daunting than average. We reread the user's manual--which doesn't offer any clues about the receiver's onscreen menus--a number of times and made our way through the setup trials. Sony's designers should consider an autosetup and calibration feature, similar to the excellent system in Pioneer's VSX-D914 for example, when cooking up future models.
Even more troubling: when we played music in the stereo mode, the DE998 didn't send a signal to our subwoofer. To get any bass, we had to play CDs or the radio in surround, which put the sub back in the game. The Sony STR-DE998 delivers 110 watts to each of its seven channels, while its surround processing runs to nearly all of the Dolby and DTS modes plus a smattering of proprietary Sony DSP modes. All that's missing is Dolby Headphone for surround fun via stereo headphones.
Connectivity options are somewhat disappointing, in that you have only two sets of component-video inputs; many competing receivers, such as Denon's AVR-1705, have three. The STR-DE998 has a total of five A/V inputs (four with S-Video); a whopping six digital audio inputs (four optical, two coaxial); one optical output; two analog inputs, including one recorder plus a turntable input; an eight-channel analog SACD/DVD-Audio input; and a set of Zone 2 stereo audio outputs that can be connected to an outboard amplifier. That's nice, though we guess most folks would rather avoid that expense and use the DE998's A/B speaker switching to get sound into another room. Speaker connectors accept banana jacks or bare wire ends. The front panel also features a complete set of A/V inputs and one optical digital input--all are included in the totals above.
If your TV has a component-video input, you'll need to run only one set of cables from the DE998; the receiver will upconvert your VCR or cable box's composite or S-Video outputs to component video. When we explored the limits of this receiver's stamina with the Matrix Reloaded DVD, the Sony STR-DE998 never flinched. The body blows punctuating the fight scenes were palpable, and the potent Sony didn't inhibit the vehicular mayhem on the smash-'em-up car chase coursing through Chapter 21. When the SUVs did multiple backflips, we literally felt their end-over-end impacts with the asphalt. Ouch!
Satisfied with the DE998's heavyweight home-theater skills, we settled down to watch the Kinsey DVD. This quiet film doesn't have special effects, but its realistic soundtrack pulls you into the story, so when Dr. Kinsey lectures his students, you feel like you're in the classroom.
Next, we auditioned some SACDs. The sound was magical, especially Mobile Fidelity's newly remastered Gershwin, American in Paris multichannel disc. The orchestra filled our large home theater; its dynamic range was thrilling, and the strings' sound was positively lush. Two-channel SACDs' sound was three-dimensional, though we did become aware of the DE998's tendency to soften some discs' inner detail. The hard rock CDs' edges were softened a wee bit.
We compared the DE998 with Sony's higher-end STR-DA3100ES receiver and definitely heard a family resemblance. It shares the pricier model's poise and sweet tonal balance, but the DA3100ES was more transparent, and its sound seemed to open up more so that it was less confined to the speakers, especially when we turned up the volume. That said, the DE998 is, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, a better value.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 User Rating: 
8/10
Consitant Good
Pros: reliable, powerful, plenty of video outputs, optical capability
Cons: a very heavy unit.
Review:
User Rating: 
2/10
Don't waste your money
Pros: nice shipping carton
Cons: how much time do you have?
Review: Verrrry user-unfriendly; record-settingly poor owner's manual; no tape monitor (can't add an equalizer - and it really needs one); poor control of sound-leveling of individual channels; and, if I read the review correctly, C-Net says there's no bass output to the subwoofer in stereo modes (absolutely inexcusable!!). Bottom line: it's merely a whizzy "radio". Spend the extra bucks and buy an Onkyo. I bought this on the basis of my total satisfaction with many other Sony products I now own and have owned in the past. This experience could certainly affect my decision to buy future Sony products.
User Rating: 8/10
one great value
Pros: great leaning remote, lots of power, great price ( if you shop)
Cons: non intuitive setup
Review: well, first lets deal with set up issues,You have to look at the manual. But once set up this is a great receiver. I've never gotten such a flexible "learning remote. You have lots of flexibility, bunches of inputs and you can have one for about 330 bucks. You could spend 50 to 100for just a remote with the features that this unit has. I'm really happy.
User Rating: 8/10
Jameson Thottam Receiving great audio thanks to the Sony STR-DE998 Receiver
Pros: Power, great sound, price, relatively simple controls -Jameson Thottam
Cons: Manual instructions has issues -Jameson Thottam
Review: Jameson Thottam Receiving great audio thanks to the Sony STR-DE998 Receiver
The Sony STR-DE998 is a great A/V receiver. I have used Sony exclusively for the last 15 years and have never had any problems. My first real receiver was a Marantz. They are excellent, but I didn't want to spend that much money, and to be quite honest, I really can't hear a difference under most listening situations. I listened to other receivers by Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer etc. and really did not hear any difference or see much difference except in some options and user interfaces. For the money, the Sony had everything I needed and an on screen display to assist with set-up.
Design and Functionality -James Thottam-
This receiver is very stylish IMHO (if black minimalist styling is your thing!). The controls are easy to use once you understand what they are for. There are a lot "Movie" settings for many different types of decoding. I usually just use the multi-channel out and skip the enhancements and interpretations the receiver has pre-programmed in its settings.
Reason for Upgrading -Jameson Thottam-
The main reason I upgraded to this receiver from my old Sony was to get more power (110 watts per channel), SACD inputs, and have full integration of all my A/V inputs. I have actually decided not to use the receiver for my video connections, as I have moved my VCR to another tv and don't have any other video inputs (well, cable, but that isn't HDTV because i really don't watch much tv), so I run the DVD component out straight to the TV. I am running Infintiy Primus 360's as my main speakers, a PS 10" sub-woofer for stereo, and 2 Primus 150's for surround and SACD.
What I listen to on It -Jameson Thottam-
I really push this receiver for listening to blues, folk and rock music. It has very clean sound. At first I thought a slight hiss was from the receiver or speakers, but it was just the background noise on a CD. There is no hum, hiss or other noise in the quiet passages of studio-recorded CD's or SACD's!!! I am very pleased with the clarity and precision of this receiver. You have to turn it way up to adequately power large speakers, but it does so with no effort at all. I cannot get all the way to max volume because it is too loud! (My ears were ringing the next day after I hooked it up because I got a little over zealous with the volume control!
The Display -James Thottam-
The on-screen display (i.e,. on your television if you hook up the video out with a single RCA cable) for set-up is a tremendous feature and really makes things easier because you can see what all your options are at once (this also helps next time you use the receiver display only, because you now know all the menus in advance!). You can see the entire menu for each sub-menu (e.g., speaker "set-up", channel volume "level" or "equalizer") so you know what is available or not (grayed out). The learning remote is very easy to use and controls all my Sony components. (Note - the test tone for speaker set-up can only be generated with the remote)
As part of your Entertainment Theater -Jameson Thottam-
For home theater, the surround sound system (Dolby) automatically detects digital inputs via coax or Toslink cables and automatically selects the best sound field to match what is recorded on your DVD and your speaker system (e.g., 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1). It displays what choice it has made on the display and lights a cool blue light to let you know it is automatic mode. You can overrride the sound field with your own choice, but I find that the default is usually a very good choice.
There's always something that can be fixed -Jameson Thottam-
A couple of minor things: The manual, while not bad, is not the most helpful. A little more explanation of formats and benefits of different settings would really help an amateur like me. I found myself going to Crutchfield, eCoustics, Audioholics, Stereophile etc. to get tips on what settings are good for what. Once you know whether "small" or "large" speakers are for you or what crossover frquency to use, set-up is a breeze! Anyway, took about 4 hours to fine tune my new system to get just right and learn all the features.
Set-up note on speaker connections: -Jameson Thottam-
I strongly reccomend getting banana plugs for you speaker wire with this reciever. It has binding posts, and I find these A) To be hard to connect and disconnect easily with big fingers, and B) after initially attaching the bare speaker wires, I was getting a "Protector" error flashing on the screen. I had to go online and do a search to find out this was probably caused by a crossed speaker wire. It was one single strand of speaker wire that had been smushed down and over when tightening the binding post. Enough said. I go banana plugs the next day and now can plug and unplug in 2 seconds with no risk of shorting out.
Jameson Thottam
The Sony STR-DE998 is a great A/V receiver. I have used Sony exclusively for the last 15 years and have never had any problems. My first real receiver was a Marantz. They are excellent, but I didn't want to spend that much money, and to be quite honest, I really can't hear a difference under most listening situations. I listened to other receivers by Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer etc. and really did not hear any difference or see much difference except in some options and user interfaces. For the money, the Sony had everything I needed and an on screen display to assist with set-up.
Design and Functionality -James Thottam-
This receiver is very stylish IMHO (if black minimalist styling is your thing!). The controls are easy to use once you understand what they are for. There are a lot "Movie" settings for many different types of decoding. I usually just use the multi-channel out and skip the enhancements and interpretations the receiver has pre-programmed in its settings.
Reason for Upgrading -Jameson Thottam-
The main reason I upgraded to this receiver from my old Sony was to get more power (110 watts per channel), SACD inputs, and have full integration of all my A/V inputs. I have actually decided not to use the receiver for my video connections, as I have moved my VCR to another tv and don't have any other video inputs (well, cable, but that isn't HDTV because i really don't watch much tv), so I run the DVD component out straight to the TV. I am running Infintiy Primus 360's as my main speakers, a PS 10" sub-woofer for stereo, and 2 Primus 150's for surround and SACD.
What I listen to on It -Jameson Thottam-
I really push this receiver for listening to blues, folk and rock music. It has very clean sound. At first I thought a slight hiss was from the receiver or speakers, but it was just the background noise on a CD. There is no hum, hiss or other noise in the quiet passages of studio-recorded CD's or SACD's!!! I am very pleased with the clarity and precision of this receiver. You have to turn it way up to adequately power large speakers, but it does so with no effort at all. I cannot get all the way to max volume because it is too loud! (My ears were ringing the next day after I hooked it up because I got a little over zealous with the volume control!
The Display -James Thottam-
The on-screen display (i.e,. on your television if you hook up the video out with a single RCA cable) for set-up is a tremendous feature and really makes things easier because you can see what all your options are at once (this also helps next time you use the receiver display only, because you now know all the menus in advance!). You can see the entire menu for each sub-menu (e.g., speaker "set-up", channel volume "level" or "equalizer") so you know what is available or not (grayed out). The learning remote is very easy to use and controls all my Sony components. (Note - the test tone for speaker set-up can only be generated with the remote)
As part of your Entertainment Theater -Jameson Thottam-
For home theater, the surround sound system (Dolby) automatically detects digital inputs via coax or Toslink cables and automatically selects the best sound field to match what is recorded on your DVD and your speaker system (e.g., 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1). It displays what choice it has made on the display and lights a cool blue light to let you know it is automatic mode. You can overrride the sound field with your own choice, but I find that the default is usually a very good choice.
There's always something that can be fixed -Jameson Thottam-
A couple of minor things: The manual, while not bad, is not the most helpful. A little more explanation of formats and benefits of different settings would really help an amateur like me. I found myself going to Crutchfield, eCoustics, Audioholics, Stereophile etc. to get tips on what settings are good for what. Once you know whether "small" or "large" speakers are for you or what crossover frquency to use, set-up is a breeze! Anyway, took about 4 hours to fine tune my new system to get just right and learn all the features.
Set-up note on speaker connections: -Jameson Thottam-
I strongly reccomend getting banana plugs for you speaker wire with this reciever. It has binding posts, and I find these A) To be hard to connect and disconnect easily with big fingers, and B) after initially attaching the bare speaker wires, I was getting a "Protector" error flashing on the screen. I had to go online and do a search to find out this was probably caused by a crossed speaker wire. It was one single strand of speaker wire that had been smushed down and over when tightening the binding post. Enough said. I go banana plugs the next day and now can plug and unplug in 2 seconds with no risk of shorting out.
Jameson Thottam
User Rating: 
4/10
Over promised
Pros: 80 MHz component path.
Cons: Learning remote doesn't learn. "UP conversion" oversold
Review: I like that Sony specified the bandwidth of the component switching path (80MHz) so I could feel comfortable running my HD signal through it.
I had hoped that the "UP Conversion" from composite to S-Video and S-Video to Component would allow me to leave my TV always in Component input mode despite the numerous devices I have. The conversion from S-Video to component has not worked for me. I suspect that it is outputing a "480i Component" and my TV only takes 480p and up in the component port. Disappointing. The documentation from Sony hardly says a thing about the up conversion so it was impossible to know in advance what exactly they were claiming to do.
Did I mention documentation? This unit has one of the worst manuals I have read - and I buy a lot of electronics. A lot of meaning was lost in translation from Japanese.
The learning remote is garbage. It is highly sensitive to how close you hold the soure remote (like a 1/4 inch sweet spot) and it fails most of the time. Useless.
I had hoped that the "UP Conversion" from composite to S-Video and S-Video to Component would allow me to leave my TV always in Component input mode despite the numerous devices I have. The conversion from S-Video to component has not worked for me. I suspect that it is outputing a "480i Component" and my TV only takes 480p and up in the component port. Disappointing. The documentation from Sony hardly says a thing about the up conversion so it was impossible to know in advance what exactly they were claiming to do.
Did I mention documentation? This unit has one of the worst manuals I have read - and I buy a lot of electronics. A lot of meaning was lost in translation from Japanese.
The learning remote is garbage. It is highly sensitive to how close you hold the soure remote (like a 1/4 inch sweet spot) and it fails most of the time. Useless.
