4-255-065-11(2) FM Stereo FM/AM Receiver Operating Instructions STR-DB900 ©2004 Sony Corporation
WARNING To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to rain or moisture. To prevent fire, do not cover the ventilation of the apparatus with news papers, table-cloths, curtains, etc. And don’t place lighted candles on the apparatus. To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not place objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus. About this manual The instructions in this manual describe using the controls on the supplied remote.
Table of Contents Hooking up Components Required cords ........................................ 4 Connecting analog components ..............5 Connecting digital components............... 6 Connecting the antennas .........................7 Placing speakers...................................... 8 Connecting speakers ............................... 9 Before performing the initial setup ....... 11 Setting up and adjusting the speakers ... 12 Adjusting the speaker levels and balance ...........................
Hooking up Components Required cords Before you get started The hookup diagrams in this chapter assume the use of the following optional connection cords ((a) to (f), not supplied). (a) Audio/video cord (d) Optical digital cord Yellow (video) White (L/audio) Red (R/audio) (e) Coaxial digital cord (b) Audio cord White (L) Red (R) (f) Monaural audio cord (c) Video cord Tip Yellow The audio cord (b) can be split into two monaural audio cords (f).
Connecting analog components VCR DVD player VIDEO OUT VIDEO OUT FRONT L SURROUND CENTER L L AUDIO OUT AUDIO OUT Hooking up Components If you connect your TV to the MONITOR jack, you can watch video images from the selected input source (page 17). For details on the required cords ((a) to (f)), see page 4.
. Connecting digital components Connect the digital output jacks of your DVD player (etc.) to this system’s digital input jacks to bring the multichannel surround sound of a movie theater into your home. This receiver allows you to use a speaker system with up to 6.1 channels. To fully enjoy multichannel surround sound, five speakers (two front speakers, two surround speakers, and a center speaker) and a subwoofer are required.
Connecting the antennas Hooking up Components Connect the supplied AM loop antenna and FM wire antenna as shown below.
Placing speakers To fully enjoy surround sound, configure your speakers as follows. • Place the front speakers in a location 1 to 7 meters from the listening position (A). • You can enjoy improved sound effects if you place the center speaker from a distance equal to the front speaker distance (A) to a distance 1.5 meters closer to your listening position (B). • You can enjoy improved sound effects if you place the surround speakers from a distance equal to front speaker distance (A) to a distance 4.
Connecting speakers speaker cords, be sure to turn off the receiver. Required cords (a) Speaker cords (not supplied) (b) Monaural audio cord (not supplied) (+) (–) Black Surround back speaker E Subwoofer Center speaker e E Hooking up Components When connecting speaker cords, make sure to attach the supplied speaker plugs to the speaker cords. For details on how to attach the speaker plugs, see the supplied flysheet.
Note for connecting the speaker cords to the receiver If the speaker cords are not properly connected, the receiver may be fatally damaged. To avoid the possibility of damage, follow the instructions below. Examples of poor speaker cord connections Stripped cords are not fully attached and are touching the rear panel of the receiver. 1 Do not hook up the speaker cords while the receiver power is turned on. Be sure to turn off the power first.
Before performing the initial setup procedure, be sure to perform the following operations. Connecting the AC power cord Connect the AC power cord to a wall outlet. • When not using the remote for an extended period of time, remove the batteries to avoid possible damage from battery leakage and corrosion. • Turn off the power to all components before making any connections. • Be sure to make connections firmly to avoid humming and noise.
Setting up and adjusting the speakers You can perform setup and adjustment of the speakers connected to the receiver by following the procedures below. 1 Select the speaker impedance. For more information, see “Setting up the speaker impedance” (page 12). 2 Select the speaker size and distance. For more information, see “Setting up the speaker size and distance” (page 12). 3 Adjust the speaker level. For more information, see “Adjusting the speaker levels and balance” (page 15).
When “NO” is selected, the front speakers are automatically set to “LARGE”. L R (FRONT) (Front speakers) • LARGE If you connect large speakers that will effectively reproduce bass frequencies, select “LARGE”. Normally, select “LARGE”. • SMALL If sound seems distorted, or you feel a lack of surround effects when using multichannel surround sound, select “SMALL” to activate the bass redirection circuitry and output the front channel bass frequencies from the subwoofer.
Lets you set the distance from your listening position to the surround speakers. You can adjust from 1.0 m to 7.0 m in 0.1 meter steps. If both surround speakers are not placed an equal distance from your listening position, set this distance to the closest speaker. x SB DIST. XX m (Surround back speaker distance) Initial setting: 3.0 m Lets you set the distance from your listening position to the surround back speaker. You can adjust from 1.0 m to 7.0 m in 0.1 meter steps. x SR SL PL.
Notes — TEST TONE Use the remote while seated in your listening position to adjust the level of each speaker. 1 2 Press ?/1 to turn on the receiver. Press TEST TONE. “T.TONE” appears in the display and a test tone is output from each speaker in the following sequence: • The front balance, center level, surround level, surround back level and subwoofer level are shown in the display during adjustment. • To enjoy better sound quality, do not turn up the volume of the subwoofer too high.
Checking the connections After connecting all of your components to the receiver, check that the connections were made correctly as follows. 1 2 Press ?/1 to turn on the receiver. Press the button for the component (VIDEO, DVD, TV/SAT, HDD/MD, MULTI CH) that you want to check. Or rotate INPUT SELECTOR on the receiver. 3 4 Turn on the component and start playback. Press MASTER VOL +/– to adjust the volume. Or rotate VOLUME on the receiver.
Basic Operations Selecting a component Press the button for the component (VIDEO, DVD, TV/SAT, HDD/MD, TUNER) that you want to enjoy. Or rotate INPUT SELECTOR on the receiver. The selected input source appears in the display. 2 3 To select the Display VCR VIDEO DVD player DVD TV or Satellite tuner TV/SAT Hard disc or MD deck HDD/MD Built-in tuner TUNER You can select an audio source from the components connected to the MULTI CH IN jacks of the receiver.
Press TUNING + to change the frequency from low to high. Press TUNING – to change the frequency from high to low. Receiving broadcasts Before receiving broadcasts, make sure you have connected the supplied FM and AM antennas to the receiver (page 7). Automatic tuning If you do not know the frequency of the station you want, you can let the receiver scan all available stations in your area. 1 2 3 Press TUNER to select the FM or AM band.
4 Press SHIFT to select the memory page and press PRESET/CH + or PRESET/ CH – to select a preset number. If “MEMORY” goes out before you press the preset number, start again from step 3. Press MEMORY again to store the station. If “MEMORY” goes out before you can store the station, start again from step 3. 6 Repeat steps 2 to 5 to preset another station. 1 b 3 b 5 b 0 You do not have to enter the last “0” when the tuning step is set to 100 kHz for FM, and 10 kHz for AM.
Using the Radio Data System (RDS) • If the message consists of 9 characters or more, the message scrolls across the display. • If a station does not provide a particular RDS service, “NO XXXX” (such as “NO TEXT”) appears in the display. (Models of area code CEK, CEL only) RDS enables radio stations to send additional information along with regular program signals. This receiver also allows you to use RDS (Radio Data System) and display RDS information.
Program type indication Description TRAVEL Programs about travel. Not for announcements that are located by TP/TA. LEISURE Programs on recreational activities such as gardening, fishing, cooking, etc. You can check the currently used sound field etc. by changing the information shown in the display. JAZZ Jazz programs Press DISPLAY repeatedly.
About the indications in the display 1 2 3 4 5 SLEEP L C R ;DIGITAL EX ; PL II LFE DTS-ES MPEG-2 AAC SW SL SSB SR NEO:6 OPT COAX 6 D.RANGE EQ MEMORY RDS STEREO MONO or SSB qs qa 0 9 8 A SLEEP: Lights up when the sleep timer is activated. E D.RANGE: Lights up when dynamic range compression is activated (page 26). B Playback channel indicators: The letters (L, C, R, etc.) indicate the channel(s) being played back.
Enjoying Surround Sound Using only the front speakers Listening to 2 channel stereo sources (2CH STEREO) Standard 2 channel stereo sources completely bypass sound field processing and multichannel surround formats are downmixed to 2 channel. Press 2CH. Or press SOUND FIELD on the receiver repeatedly. “2CH ST.” appears in the display and the receiver switches to the 2CH STEREO mode. Note No sound is output from the subwoofer in the 2CH STEREO mode.
Enjoying stereo sound in multichannel (2 channel decoding mode) This mode lets you specify the type of decoding used for 2 channel audio sources. This receiver can reproduce 2 channel sound in 6 channels through DTS Neo:6; 5 channels through Dolby Pro Logic II or 4 channels through Dolby Pro Logic. However, DTS 2CH sources are not decoded by DTS Neo:6; these sources are output in 2 channels. Press A.F.D. repeatedly to select the 2 channel decoding mode. Or press SOUND FIELD on the system repeatedly.
x C.ST.EX C (CINEMA STUDIO EX C DCS ) Reproduces the sound characteristics of the Sony Pictures Entertainment scoring stage. This mode is ideal for watching musicals or films where orchestra music is featured in the soundtrack. About CINEMA STUDIO EX modes Press MODE repeatedly to select the sound field you want. Or press SOUND FIELD on the system repeatedly. The selected sound field appears in the display.
Customizing sound fields By adjusting the LEVEL menu and TONE menu, you can customize the sound fields to suit your particular listening situation. Position your speakers and do the procedures described in “Placing speakers” (page 8) and “Checking the connections” (page 16) before you customize a sound field. Adjusting the LEVEL menu You can use the LEVEL menu to adjust the balance and level of each speaker. These settings are applied to all sound fields. (Except for the EFCT. parameter.
x EFCT. XXX (Effect level) Lets you adjust the size of the current surround effect. This menu item is displayed only when “C.ST.EX A”, “C.ST.EX B”, “C.ST.EX C”, “CONCERT”, “JAZZ”, or “HALL” is selected. Adjusting the TONE menu You can use TONE menu to adjust the tonal quality (bass and treble level) of the front speakers. 1 2 3 Start playing a source encoded with a variety of surround effects (DVD, etc.). Enjoying Surround Sound • STD Normal surround effects are applied.
Other Operations/Settings Switching the audio input mode for DVD playback You can switch the audio input mode for DVD playback. 1 2 Selecting the digital audio input decoding priority You can specify the input mode for digital signals input to the digital input jacks. 1 Press DVD to select DVD input. Press INPUT MODE repeatedly to select the audio input mode. The selected audio input mode appears in the display. Or rotate INPUT SELECTOR on the receiver.
Selecting a bilingual play mode (Dual Mono) You can select a bilingual play mode to enjoy DVD software etc. in AC-3 format. Press DUAL MONO repeatedly to select the setting you want. You can set the receiver to turn off automatically at a specified time using the remote. After pressing ALT, press SLEEP repeatedly to select the time you want. Or press MAIN MENU repeatedly to select the SET UP menu, then press F/f until the “SLEEP” and “OFF” indications flash in the display. Press G/g to select the time.
Selecting a DTS 96/24 decoding mode You can select a decoding mode for DTS 96/24 signals. 1 2 3 Press MAIN MENU repeatedly to select the SET UP menu. Press F/f to select “96 XXXX”. Press G/g to select the setting you want. DTS 96/24 decoding modes • 96 AUTO When a DTS 96/24 signal is input, it is played back at a sampling frequency of 96 kHz. • 96 OFF Even when a DTS 96/24 signal is input, it is played back at a sampling frequency of 48 kHz.
How to select the surround back decoding mode You can select the surround back mode you want according to the input stream. The initial setting is “SB AUTO”. x When you select “SB AUTO” When the input stream contains the 6.1 channel decode flaga), the appropriate decoder is applied to decode the surround back signal. Input stream Output channel Applied surround back decoder Dolby Digital 5.1 5.1 — 6.1 Matrix decoder conforms to Dolby Digital EX DTS 5.1 5.1 — DTS-ES Matrix 6.1c) 6.
Using the supplied remote Parts description This chapter provides information on the location of buttons on the supplied remote and how to use them to perform basic receiver operations. 1 2 TV ?/1 SYSTEM STANDBY SLEEP VIDEO TUNER 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DVD TV/SAT 2CH HDD MODE A.F.D. TUNING MEMORY FM MODE MODE 1 TEST TONE 2 DIRECT 4 AUDIO DUAL MONO 5 CD TUNING 3 6 JUMP/ TIME ANGLE 7 PRESET/ CH/D.SKIP 8 9 SUBTITLE ENTER l L >10/11 0/10 12 SHIFT D.
Remote button Function Remote button DISC 9 When operating a CD player or video CD player, press to select a disc directly (multi-disc changer only). MASTER VOL Press to adjust the volume level of +/– qf all speakers at the same time. MEMORY wj Press to store radio stations. Press to select the information displayed on the display of the receiver or TV screen. MODE wa Press to select a sound field. DISPLAY qa DUAL MONO Press to select a bilingual play w; mode (Dual Mono).
wf wg TV ?/1 AV ?/1 RM SET UP P SYSTEM STANDBY SLEEP VIDEO TUNER DVD wh wj wk wl e; TV/SAT TUNING MEMORY FM MODE MODE 1 TEST TONE 2 DIRECT 4 AUDIO 5 l ANT PRESET/ CH/D.SKIP ra ALT CLEAR SEACH MODE S s MUTING AV MENU F r; el MASTER VOL g G TV VOL rd rs - J TOPMENU/ GUIDE DISPLAY When operating a tuner: Press to scan and select preset stations. When operating a TV, VCR or satellite tuner: Press to select preset channels.
Remote button Function WIDE eh Press to switch the TV to the widepicture mode (only for SONY TVs that support wide-picture mode). 2CH wh Press to turn off the sound field and listen to 2 channel stereo sound. Multi channel source is also downmixed to a 2 channel stereo sound. -/--* 9 When operating a TV, press to select the channel input mode (1digit or 2-digit).
Table of buttons used to control each component When you program the remote to control the following Sony or non-Sony components, you can use the buttons on the remote that are marked with circles in the table below. The supplied remote can control the following components ((1) to (11)). Note that some buttons may not operate your component.
Component (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) − − − − − − z − − − − Buttons TV CH +/–, TV VOL +/–, TV/SAT, TV/ VIDEO, TV ?/1, WIDE H z z z z z z − − z z z S z z z z z z − − z z z z s z z z z z z − − z z l/L z z z z** z z − − z z z j/J z z z z z z − − z z z z − z z z − − z z − − − − − − − − z z − − − F/f/G/g, ENTER/EXECUTE − − − − − z z z z z − * With a multi-disc changer only.
Programming the remote You can program the remote to control nonSony components. Once the control signals have been memorized, you can use those components as part of your system. Furthermore, you can also program the remote for Sony components that the remote is unable to control. Note that the remote can only control components that accept infrared wireless control signals. 1 Press AV ?/1 while holding down RM SET UP P. RM SET UP P lights up once.
The numeric codes corresponding to the component and the maker of the component Code(s) SONY 203 PIONEER 219 To control a tape deck Maker Code(s) SONY 201, 202 DENON 204, 205 KENWOOD 206, 207, 208, 209 NAKAMICHI 210 PANASONIC 216 PHILIPS 211, 212 Notes PIONEER 213, 214 • The numeric codes are based on the latest information available for each brand. There is a chance, however, that your component will not respond to some or all of the codes.
To control a TV To control a VCR Maker Code(s) Maker Code(s) SONY 501, 502 SONY 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706 DAEWOO 504, 505, 506, 507, 515, 544 AIWA 710, 750, 757, 758 FISHER 508 AKAI 707, 708, 709, 759 FUJITSU 528 BLAUPUNKT 740 FUNAI 548 EMERSON 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 750 GOLDSTAR 503, 512, 515, 517, 534, 544, 556 FISHER 717, 718, 719, 720 GRUNDIG 511, 533, 534 513, 514, 515, 544, 557 GENERAL ELECTRIC 712, 722, 730 HITACHI ITT/NOKIA 521, 522 GOLDSTAR 723, 753 5
Selecting the mode of the remote You can switch the command mode (AV1 or AV2) of the remote. If the command mode of the receiver and the remote is different, you cannot use the remote to operate the receiver. Press AV1 (or AV2) while holding down RM SET UP P. RM SET UP P lights up once, then the command mode switches. Press ?/1, AV ?/1, and MASTER VOL – at the same time. RM SET UP P lights 3 times, then goes off.
On cleaning Additional Information Precautions On safety Should any solid object or liquid fall into the cabinet, unplug the receiver and have it checked by qualified personnel before operating it any further. On power sources • Before operating the unit, check that the operating voltage is identical with your local power supply. The operating voltage is indicated on the nameplate at the rear of the receiver.
Troubleshooting If you experience any of the following difficulties while using the receiver, use this troubleshooting guide to help you remedy the problem. Should any problem persist, consult your nearest Sony dealer. There is no sound from a specific component. • Check that the component is connected correctly to the audio or digital input jacks for that component (page 5, 6). • Check that the cord(s) used for connection is (are) fully inserted into the jacks on both the receiver and the component.
There is no sound or only a very low-level sound is heard from the surround speakers. • Make sure the sound field function is on. Press A.F.D. or MODE on the remote, or SOUND FIELD on the receiver (page 23). • Select a CINEMA STUDIO EX mode (page 24). • Adjust the speaker level (page 15). • Make sure the surround speakers are set to either “SMALL” or “LARGE” (page 13). There is no sound from the active subwoofer. • Check that “2CH ST.” is not selected (page 23). The surround effects are not obvious.
DEC. EROR Appears when a signal the receiver cannot decode is input and “DEC.” is set to “DEC. PCM”. In this case, set to “DEC. AUTO” (page 28). Reference sections for clearing the memory To clear See All memorized settings page 11 Amplifier section POWER OUTPUT Rated power output in stereo mode (8 ohms, 1 kHz, DIN) 120 W + 120 W Reference power output (8 ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, THD 0.
Supplied accessories FM wire antenna (1) AM loop antenna (1) Remote commander (1) R6 (size AA) batteries (2) Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.
List of button locations and reference pages How to use this page Use this page to find the location of buttons and other parts of the system mentioned in the main text.
Remote control ALPHABETICAL ORDER A–N P–T V–W A.F.D. 4 (23, 24, 25, 32, 43, 44) ALT qh (32) ANGLE 8 (32, 36) ANT e; (32, 36) AUDIO 7 (32, 36) AV MENU 0 (32, 34, 35, 36) AV1 wd (32, 41) AV2 wd (32, 41) AV ?/1 (power) 2 (32, 36, 38, 41) CLEAR e; (32, 36) DIRECT 6 (23, 32) DISC 9 (33, 36) DISPLAY qa (20, 21, 33, 36, 44) DUAL MONO w; (29, 33) DVD wd (16, 17, 28, 33) D.
Index A R A.F.D.
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