Sony STR-DN1000

I have had this receiver since Aug. 1, 2009, and am very happy with it. It is missing some features like S-VHS inputs but none that I care about. I purchased it to use with HDMI devices in a 5.1 setup in one room. It works great for me and I highly recommend it.

PLUSES:

* Excellent audio.
* Good GUI that is easy to use, but you must read the manual first and consult it as you go (at least I had to).
* Good readable front and on-screen display with options for what is displayed while unit is operating (device, sound field, etc) and nameable inputs.
* Four HDMI inputs.
* Attractive design.
* Exceptional Auto Format Decoding that produces very good sound from 2-channel sources with clear centered dialogue and some LFE output. I use this setting exclusively for all devices and it unfailingly detects the proper format.
* Very easy and very accurate auto speaker setup using included microphone. It set my front speakers to large instead of small but other than that I didn’t have to change any of the settings.

MINUSES

* Poor manual. Too small in size, not well-written. This seems like a common problem with electronics these days, but maybe it is just because devices are more complicated.
* You must purchase a separate device to use with iPod/iPhone.
* No S-VHS inputs (not at all important to me, but might be to some users).
* Somewhat confusing speaker input placement on back of receiver. (I would have put the front speaker inputs above the surround back inputs and next to the center channel input.)

I use the receiver with a Sony LCD TV, Samsung Blu-ray player, Cox Cable DVR, Tivo HD, Energy Classic speakers and Infinity subwoofer. No compatibility problems encountered. I use it is a smallish room (11 x 13) and hardly ever set the volume above 35, so it seems to have plenty of power.

Before I bought this receiver, I tried a Pioneer VSX-919, which is a good receiver that gets excellent reviews. However, I could never get it to sound right to me. The Sony sounded good to me from the get go. That doesn’t mean one is better than the other, but for me the Sony was the better-sounding receiver. One feature I really liked on the Pioneer was iPod/iPhone support without having to buy add-on devices. Sony and other manufacturers should do that!

I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to others who want a mid-range receiver with good sound, good features and nice appearance.

Reviewed by : L. Ross “amazontrader”,   Oct 9, 2009

Onkyo TX-SR607

I don’t have much to add from other reviews. This is a simply wonderful receiver. I can find only one fault with it (see below) and it’s not even Onkyo’s fault.

The feature set is quite complete, and it appeared to me that there was little reason to pay more for features in Onkyo’s more expensive models in the same line (e.g. THX certified sound). I was also very impressed with how easy it was to set up (with the auto speaker calibration) and a very effective universal remote control which worked with all of my equipment except my Playstation 3 (which doesn’t have an IR remote).

While I’m not a true audiophile, I know what good sound is. Also, I recently had a friend over who owns a $100,000 system to audition my set up. We both agreed that for a $400 receiver, the Onkyo produces a wonderful, smooth sound. My Onkyo replaced a well regarded Denon receiver which had cost over $1,000 new and there is simply no comparison in the quality — the Onkyo is far superior. I am using my Onkyo to drive some Magnepan speakers (which are excellent by the way) but are known to need a lot of good clean power to run effectively.

My only criticism is how opaque “surround sound” has become these days. Both Dolby and DTS have introduced quite a few artificial processed surround sound modes that to my ears do not sound very good. The receiver doesn’t do a great job making it clear whether you are getting the true surround sound from the source or a fake “processed” mode. To make matters worse, it actually requires some setup from your BluRay DVD player to get the right output (or it did at least from my PS3). You have a choice of allowing your player to do the processing and output a multichanel PCM signal or to allow the receiver to do the processing. What I found interesting was that BOTH of these modes were turned off on the PS3 by default so I was actually getting no true surround sound and it was very unclear why…anyway, none of this is Onkyo’s fault…but I mention it in the review to point out that you should make SURE you are getting the full output from your player. Listening to content in DTS HD from a BluRay player is simply magical…but I bet a surprising number of people who have the equipment capable of doing so are not hearing it…

Reviewed by : Dylan,   Jan 24, 2010