Sony Str-dh770 72-channel 90w 4k Ultra Hd Av Receiver-review
Our Verdict
Sony's STR-DH790 is a sensibly-equipped receiver for someone seeking entry-level environs at this level.
For
- Good sound functioning
- Bluetooth with AAC
- Lowish entry toll
Confronting
- Spring-clip speaker terminals
- Non rated to bulldoze four-ohm loudspeakers
- No networking or AM
What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Sony's STR-DH790 is a sensibly-equipped receiver for someone seeking entry-level surroundings at this level.
Pros
- +
Skillful sound performance
- +
Bluetooth with AAC
- +
Lowish entry toll
Cons
- -
Spring-clip speaker terminals
- -
Not rated to bulldoze four-ohm loudspeakers
- -
No networking or AM
While we spend much of our fourth dimension basking in the glories of mid to high-end gear (hey, I've simply packed up and returned nearly AU$40K-worth of Trinnov gear!), nosotros can go equally excited near the value on offer from stuff that's closer to entry-level. Sony produces equipment covering simply about as wide an affordability gamut as any visitor, and this STR-DH790 is ane footstep up from its latest base-level DH590 AV receiver.
Then let'south meet what features have been selected for inclusion and exclusion, given the price-point of £350 ($299.99, AU$849).
Equipment
The box is marked with a headline ability specification of 145W × 7, which sounds impressive (and is upwards from the 140W of the previous model). But of class power ratings are complex things. This figure is something chosen the 'Reference Power Output', measured into six ohms at 1kHz and assuasive THD of 0.9%. For better comparison purposes I'd go with a different provided measure: 90W per aqueduct across the total audio bandwidth into 6 ohms at 0.09% THD, 2 channels driven. That would mean an output of around 67W per aqueduct into eight ohms, or perhaps a bear upon more than given the reduced current demands.
At that place are seven channels and they are organised with sufficient flexibility to let you to bi-amp the forepart stereo pair of speakers, or to bulldoze rear environs or a pair of height speakers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, both of which are supported.
There are couple of compromises. Showtime, you'd need to stick with speakers of at least 6 ohms nominal impedance in order to protect your warranty. Four-ohm speakers are not supported. Second, all only the front left and right channels use spring-clip connections, not binding posts. They accept cablevision upward to nigh i.5mm thick, but nosotros think this is a step too far in economy.
At that place are four HDMI inputs, all supporting all the adept stuff y'all'd expect. According to the specs (Sony rarely skimps on specifications) they support upwardly to 4K and UHD at upwards to 60Hz, HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma and Dolby Vision, 3D, Deep Colour, the BT.2020 colour space, and the all-important HDCP ii.2 copy protection system. In that location's a single HDMI output.
There are no analogue video connections of any kind, but four stereo analogue audio inputs, as well as ane coaxial and one optical digital sound. So non a generous drove, but enough to encompass the requirements of virtually systems, and more than enough for most entry and middling systems. At that place's as well a proper 6.35mm headphone socket on the left of the forepart panel.
Not included with this receiver are some things that those used to higher-toll gear might expect. In that location is no back up for a second zone. There is no support for media from USB (withal there is a 5V/1A ability supply in the form of a USB socket and then y'all tin power a phone or iPod plugged in via an analogue input).
And notably in that location is no support for networking at all, either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. However there is Bluetooth, which may be far more than important for those seeking a receiver at this price point. Information technology supports the AAC codec, then virtually Apple device users should become the best Bluetooth sound possible. It doesn't support aptX, nor Sony'south LDAC.
So... is the lack of network back up a deal breaker? I say no. Most networky things AV receivers practise can also be done by far less expensive Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray players. And, indeed, I used Sony's latest AU$349 UBP-X700 Ultra-Hard disk drive Blu-ray player with this unit, and they effectively worked as one device (see panel below).
Farther, much of the networking stuff may be duplicated in your TV — especially given that Sony'southward own models (such every bit our award-winning KD65-A1 OLED) favour the Android interface which is absolutely born to network. We didn't have the A1 to hand, but for Netflix I used the Netflix app on an LG OLED Idiot box and had information technology evangelize the sound to the Sony receiver via the HDMI cable using the Audio Return Aqueduct. This system worked almost as seamlessly.
The two-prong power cable is of small-scale thickness and is fixed. A stubby Sony infrared remote is provided. There is, of course, no app or network command available.
Performance
When you commencement up the receiver it presents a kind of bones user carte across the screen of your TV. This can overlay whatever video indicate is being throughput, fifty-fifty UHD HDR BT.2020 stuff, and it can exist invoked at any fourth dimension with the 'Home' key. The iv options are 'Lookout man', which lets you choose ane of the four HDMI inputs, 'Listen', which lets you choose from Bluetooth, the FM tuner (there is no AM tuner) and SA/CD analogue or digital, 'Piece of cake Setup' which invokes a settings sorcerer, the inappropriately-named 'Audio Effect', and 'Speaker Settings' which allows manual adjustments to speaker settings.
The receiver comes with a calibration microphone for the car-scale system, which sets speaker sizes, levels, distances and EQ. This was fast and piece of cake to employ, and involves putting the included microphone in just one position. At that place was no check stride at the end, so afterwards it had finished I went to the 'Speaker Settings' and found that while the levels and distances seemed to be right, the speakers had all been set to 'Big', even the ceiling speakers. These two-mode 8-inch Jamo models are very competent as far every bit ceiling speakers go, but I really don't want them (nor any of my other speakers) trying to handle 20Hz signals. So I tweaked those settings manually.
Most of the sound-field settings concluded up with a rather stiff bass, much college than that normally provided by AV receivers. Who does information technology right? Yamaha, Denon, Marantz on the ane mitt, with a more subdued subwoofer level, or Sony on the other manus, with i that's at least six decibels higher? I brought down the bass level a lilliputian, but really, let your subwoofer's capacity, your own taste and your neighbours' complaints determine the optimum level for you.
So what about that 'Sound Outcome' entry in the 'Home' menu? No, it didn't generate party noises. Information technology lets you change of import things. You apply it to set the 'Sound Field' — choose things like Dolby Surround, Neural-X, Front Environs, 'Audio Enhancer' (yuck), Stereo, Multi-channel Stereo and Direct. Each entry had a useful piffling description on screen to tell you what it does. The plethora of surround and processing modes can be daunting, so for anyone not thoroughly versed in all this stuff, this is an important feature.
Also in 'Sound Effect' is a 'Night Fashion', an 'Equalizer' (actually, bass and treble controls) for each channel pair, and 'Calibration Type' from which you tin cull 'Engineering' (the default), 'Front Ref', 'Full Flat' or 'Off'. This sets the reference which the auto EQ curves seek to approximate. 'Front Ref' is for those who similar their front end speaker sound relatively unprocessed and want the other speakers to conform, tonally, to them. 'Engineering science' makes the sound match "the Sony listening room standard frequency characteristics". (I got that from the online manual. The data you demand is split between the printed one in the box and the online manual.) Finally, in 'Audio Effect' is a Pure Direct setting.
An 'Options' key invokes another on-screen carte du jour offer things similar AV sync and farther soundfield changes, while an 'Amp Menu' button brings up a menu on the front-panel brandish. Initially I was thinking Sony had stepped back by a decade to how things used to be done, adjusting while peering at the brandish on a receiver, but information technology turns out that most of the settings just duplicate things bachelor in the on-screen menus. And since most are adjustments for audio — similar speaker levels and and so on — the Amp Carte could exist useful at times when yous've not got the TV switched on. (Although some of the non-duplicated things were HDMI settings and so on.)
There were some wrinkles with the HDMI equipment I used. Specifically, neither of my Beyonwiz PVRs would work with the HDMI input labelled BD/DVD. Both worked perfectly with the Game and Media Box inputs. The Beyonwiz T4 besides worked with the SAT/CATV input, just while the picture came through from the T3 on that ane, the sound wouldn't. I tried different HDMI cables. Who knows what was going on there. The BD/DVD input worked fine with the Sony disc player (higher up) and my own selection of UHD and Blu-ray players. A useful button on the remote displays video and audio signal data on the screen, and so you've got some information to work with.
And sound? I installed my speakers as a basic 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos layout. As I've remarked before, the difference for one listener between two overhead speakers and four seems to be minimal. And the speakers I was using weren't enervating. The Sony auto-calibration did a good task tonally with the sound. And I was able to merely enjoy some actually classy results. When information technology came fourth dimension for me to watch Blade Runner 2049 on Ultra-Hard disk drive, I was tempted to go back to a very immoderately priced receiver, but I persisted. This receiver did the job very thoroughly. The sound engineers had obviously enjoyed their time at the surround mixing panel, using the Atmos object-oriented capabilities to have Ryan Gosling's flight car zoom in from my left shoulder, overhead and to slightly right of centre upwardly front. Could it have been washed better by a more expensive system? Oh, I guess, merely information technology happens fast and information technology happened assuredly via the Sony.
Every bit for music, once more the results were very stiff and then long as I remained within the capabilities of the receiver and used speakers suited to it. And switched the audio of stereo music to 'Stereo' or 'Directly' or to 'Pure Directly', rather than the silly 'All Channel Stereo' default.
Can yous crook and become with 4-ohm speakers if y'all already have them? We would never recommend that y'all do, of course. Just if you must, then just be cautious with levels.
And I must report my experience. I didn't use four-ohm speakers, just at ane point I had a modest accident with the speaker wiring, thanks to adapting my substantial speaker cables to leap-clip speaker outputs. There was a short when a cable slipped out. I am happy to report that at that place was no drama. The audio stopped. The receiver reported briefly on its forepart console brandish something about overload and protection, and so switched itself off. I checked and stock-still the wiring situation and then switched it dorsum on. I had to use the front panel on/standby button since the one on the remote — a sensible bit of design this — wouldn't work straight after protection had been activated. The receiver came straight on and was ready to go. There was no audio however, but and so I realised that the receiver had besides turned the volume downward to zero. Some other skilful fleck of design — some people encountering such a switch-off might just switch information technology back on with no further investigation. With the book back up, all was but every bit it had been earlier. Good engineering Sony!
Verdict
If the inputs suffice and the spring-clips don't deter, then Sony'due south STR-DH790 is a sensibly-equipped receiver suitable for someone seeking surround at this level, and particularly and so in combination with other Sony gear.
Source: https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-str-dh790
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