We will be honest: like a brand, Sony never already been our 1st solution when it comes to home theater receivers. There is only a product about Sony receivers that’s never sat best with me. On the either already been many model with no element or maybe cheaply-made me-too products. I’m not saying all Sony products are garbage - far from it, they make some of the best displays out there, not to mention damn fine Blu-ray players, CD players, home-theaters-in-a-box and beyond. But, if it found receivers, it don’t look like they were serious contenders until now. Sony has recently revamped their entire lineup and, with the introduction of the STR DN1000 reviewed here, it feels like they’re finally beginning to really hit their stride.

For the first time, a Sony receiver seems way sleeker, extra sophisticated and decidedly higher-end than its price tag would make you believe. Okay, it’s gorgeous, seemingly void of any hard controls or even a clunky display. Its smooth piano black finish is practically seamless corner to corner, meaning the display simple appears on the STR-DN1000’s face and the majority of the receiver’s manual controls are neatly tucked behind a trap door which shares the same piano finish.

Beyond the STR DN1000’s apperance rests a treasure trove of capabilities, starting with its 4 High-definition multimedia interface audio/video inputs, which will program full 1080p/24 movie and switch together, as well as analog-to-HDMI video remodeling up to 1080i. The STR-DN1000’s HDMI inputs also support the latest uncompressed surround sound audio codecs, such as Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio, as well as all other legacy surround sound formats, which the Sony STR DN1000 can playback and decode.

Being able to decode a film’s soundtrack is one thing. Getting the speakers to play it back as the filmmakers intended is another. For the, a STR DN1000 calls upon it’s internal av receiver, which churns away powerful 100 w per station across all 7 of its channels. There are no pre-amp outputs on the STR DN1000, so adding a secondary amp in the future is a no-go, but you can configure the STR DN1000’s seven channels in a variety of ways. Also you can make use of the STR DN1000 because centerpiece at a Sony S-AIR system, which is a reasonable way to add wireless distributed sound to your home. The STR DN1000’s tone might be customized to be effective and tone its very best in nearly every environment, different from its Digital Movies Auto Calibration program.

For those of you with iPods or other portable devices, the STR DN1000 has got you covered. You can use Sony’s own iPod dock (sold separately) for seamless integration between the mighty portable and your home entertainment system or the front-mounted Aux inputs. Either way, the STR DN1000’s Portable Audio Enhancer will ensure your MP3s sound their very best. Not into the whole Apple music scene? The STR DN1000 can be fed music from any PC or wireless network via Sony’s PC Adapter.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.