Anyone prefer the sound of Sony over Yamaha?

[KeithH]

I own a Sony STR-DB930 that i love but always thought that i was missing something as far as sound goes,so i borrowed my friends Yamaha HTR-5280 because he is selling it for separates.And i always heard about Yamaha's superior sound and build quality,the Yamaha sold for $800.00 new US currency.Got the Yamaha all hooked up and calibrated and was disapointed with the sound when watching a DVD,just sounded muffled to me,and in 2 channel CD listening the bass was weak and the sound flat to me.The Sony sounds much much better when watching DVD's(Think Sony's cinema sound modes sound better to me)and in two channel the bass is alot deeper and the sound seems more defined.And as far as build quality i don't see where the Yam is any better,don't get me wrong it's built very nice but not any better than the sony which is a pretty good chunk of metal.I have heard alot about Sony having poor reliability but the ole Sony has been perfect for almost 4 years now.This is just my observation and i know that the Yamaha is a fine reciever but i think i will hang on to my old friend the DB930 for awhile.Thanks for your time and any input,and PEACE to all..

 

[kelvin]

A lot of people seem to comment that the Sony amp's have a much more "in yer face" kind of sound (for want of a better expression!) and this is something that I noticed when demoing several amps including the likes of Denon, Marantz, Yamaha etc. I actually prefererred the Sony (hence I now have a 1070!).

So... I guess it's all subjective, as to whether it's better or not, I don't know - it's just "different" I guess. I'm gonna stick with my Sony for a bit!!!

 

[Choddo]

I own & prefer the Sony sound too, but have not listened to a Yammy for long enough to really feel strongly about it.

One thing though, I never use the cinema modes on the 930, can't stand em.

 

[paiger]

I would say that for cinema, the Sony's at least match most of their peers. Blow most of them away. For stereo, it's a case of compromise. I had to chooese between Sony and Marantz in the end, didn't like Yam for stereo. I went for the 1080 because it's silver and I couldn't say the 5200 was better in the end, especially when using the amps Dacs with a digital input. The 1080 was equal in my opinion.

S

 

[gringottsdirect]

I've had Sony's and now have Yamaha, on balance I prefer the Sony " sound " .

 

[garmtz]

In most cases, a Sony sounds more "sweet" than a Yamaha, which to my ears is too bright.

 

[gringottsdirect]

Originally posted by garmtz
In most cases, a Sony sounds more "sweet" than a Yamaha, which to my ears is too bright.

I think that's why I like them, my HF hearing isn't what it was ( too much punk ) and I'm convinced I hear more subtle steering effects with Sony. Maybe it's just me...

 

[MartinImber]

My 930 is an excellent amp for the money!