Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Sony STR-DN1080 7.2-ch Surround Sound Home Theater AV Receiver: 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth, WiFi, Google Chromecast Black

Top positive review

Not perfect but is it worth considering?

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2017

Note: the following observations are the result of actual hands-on testing. Being a new pre-release model there are some conflicts in technical details between the product page and Sony's site. This is normal. Once the product hits the mainstream in May 2017 if anything below needs clarification it will be updated.

This review is long. It is intended for the person who is considering paying for a top-of-the-line home entertainment system receiver. I tried to summarize my thoughts on whether it is worth it in the final paragraph.

I purchased my first Sony-brand receiver, the STR-DN1050, when it first came out in 2014. In the world of high tech audio/video the 3 years since is considered a millennium. Previous to that purchase I had considered Sony to be more of a mainstream brand and my personal preferences ran more to the brands that are perceived to be in the upper audiophile end (not that Sony isn’t in that market, because they are). But with home-entertainment systems becoming equally focused on video as well as strictly for music reproduction it seemed logical that Sony was well established in both media and they certainly know a lot about movies and video.

Overall my satisfaction level with the DN1050 has been very high in terms of multi-channel movies and general everyday listening; good on convenience features and better-than-average on user-friendly interface. My only disappointment is that sometimes after being run at high volume for a few hours the built-in thermal protection powers the amp down to cool, which not too cool when we're in the middle of a movie. I take most of the blame for that though because my receiver is in an open cabinet with a shelf above it which traps the heat. For my new 1080 receiver I bought a component fan exhaust accessoryAC Infinity AIRCOM T8 Quiet Cooling Blower Fan Systemto help channel the heat away from the unit.

Why am I comparing this to the STN-DN1050? Essentially that was the first of this series (the STN-DN1040 was enough different to warrant being excluded) and it is old enough some that some 1050 (and 1060 & 1070) owners may be thinking of upgrading to a newer model, hence a model vs model comparison.

The STR-DN1080 is brand-new (first deliveries April 30, 2017). It breaks no new ground as far as form-factor or user interface and the basic specs are virtually identical. As Sony historically has done the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. But appealing to my audiophile tastes are several new enhancements to sound reproduction that edge it closer to a premium audio amplifier.

NEW OR CHANGED FEATURES over the previous models in the series

1. Dolby Atmos (sound from above the visual field using additional speakers - see more about this below). Sony's first receiver to fully implement this feature.

2. DTS:X added - being compatible with the newest formats is always a good thing. Sony's first receiver to fully implement this feature.

3. Sixth HDMI port removed from front panel for easy access and now included with the usual I/O section on the rear panel

4. A 4K repeater feature allows data to pass through the receiver without compromising image quality, and it has HDCP 2.2 support, all at 60fps

5. HDR support - now that 3D TV is officially dead, 4k and HDR are the big buzzwords you see in the ads for the hottest new TV's

6. Removed one HDMI output (now has 2 instead of three). With many new TV's now equipped with 3-6 HDMI inputs and some of the newest ones with external I/O boxes having as many as 8 (which could mean as many as 14 HMDI inputs total when combined with those on the 1080), for as many AV gadgets as I own I don't think I'll ever complain about not having enough inputs. Six is fine for a receiver in this class, if I wanted more that's an easy thing to fix or I’d simply just choose a different model. I would rather concentrate on audio and video performance than quantity of I/O ports.

7. Removed all component connectivity jacks. Most users probably won't miss these as very few consumer TV's have them anymore.

8. There were two Toslink optical ports on the rear of the receiver, now there is only one. In my opinion is too soon to eliminate optical audio connectivity from home entertainment equipment. There still is a Coax audio input, which I need and use.

9. Two outputs for powered subwoofers (unchanged), much appreciated by me. Although subs are omnidirectional I have three of them because of the dynamics of my listening room. Two of them can be driven off the second port and controlled by the speaker controls/equalizer

10. Speaker terminal array was 3 pair plus center, is now 3 pair plus center AND dedicated posts for non-powered Zone 2 speakers in addition to ports for powered Zone 2 speakers (or Atmos)

11. Added second Wi-Fi antenna for dual-band Wi-Fi for Airplay, DLNA and Chromecast. The system also supports Spotify Connect and Sony's SongPal Link system.

12. DCAC EX auto calibration - auto calibration from most of the major manufactures continues to improve. This is an improvement over earlier attempts. I use it for initial setup but I can always do better using my ears for final tweaking. In real life what this does for you is to give you the effect of actually moving and aiming your speakers sound dispersion (Speaker Relocation) when physically moving them is not possible (see more below)

13. Works with Google Home

14. Chromecast built-in (part of the Google Home feature set but there is an iOS app as well)

15. LDAC: for the transmission of High-Resolution Audio content with a LIMITED number of currently available compatible devices (nice, worthwhile and forward thinking)

16. Phantom Surround Back - creates the illusion of more physical speakers

17.Virtual surround with S-Force PRO Front Surround (nice to have and the effect can be better than a soundbar but is it realistic that someone would choose one of Sony's top-of-line multichannel receivers for use with only two speakers?)

18. BT-TX - previous models in this series would only play FROM a Bluetooth source, like maybe your smartphone. This model will play TO a device (like Bluetooth headphones) as well. This is a feature I LOVE and use every day!!

19. Audio enhancements (see below)

20. A very minor detail that happens to be important to me is the overall height of this model is about ¾” less than the 1050. That extra space above the 1080 makes a world of difference in terms of air circulation. For some users the height difference may also make the difference whether or not the receiver will fit where you would like to put it.

21. There are several more features that aren't as prominent but illustrate Sony's commitment to audio reproduction. Features like "In-Ceiling Speaker Mode" which reproduces more natural sound by lowering the position of audio output from speakers installed in the ceiling and "Center Speaker Lift Up" which is supposed to produce natural sound that feels more authentic by lifting the sound from the center speaker up to the height of the screen. While these features are buried in the small print they both work and are both useful to me. I have no choice how high my ceiling speakers are mounted, I can’t move my ceiling, but the fine-tuning lets me move the sound field closer to the listening area. If you use a center-channel speaker you know it’s impossible to mount it in the true center of your TV screen. Lift Up electronically repositions the important dialogue speaker so it sounds more like it’s coming from inside the TV screen rather than under the TV screen.

IN REAL LIFE USE IN MY MEDIA ROOM SETUP

(Gear: test source content Sony UBP-X800; display LG 75UH8500; custom Mirage MX-series x 8 + powered sub/JBL 3635 subs x3)

Starting with Dolby Atmos, I reconfigured my speaker array to take advantage of it. I installed an additional pair of speakers 20' up in my cathedral ceiling. Whether the source is actually Atmos encoded or not (and I don’t own a lot of content that is) the improved aural effect for everyday listening is a huge wow.

Note: Sony posted an answer to a user question if this has phono inputs. They said yes. Assuming the question is referring to an equalized low-level input from a turntable, IT DOES NOT. It has three pairs of legacy line-level RCA inputs but no dedicated phono turntable low-level inputs. To use a traditional turntable you would need to add a separate pre-amp.

While I welcome the Google Home compatibility I am displeased with the "format wars" with a major company like Sony choosing sides. Google Home is one of the newest and there is a huge established base of Echo users (not to mention Siri). Why not just be universally compatible with them all? I know Sony isn’t alone in the lack of universal control but as a world audio/video leader they could set a precedent.

As far as audio quality enhancements, some are meaningful and if course some are marketing hype. While I can't do a real-time A/B comparison between this and previous generations of this series, I did play my usual audio "test" material in a same-day comparison on both receivers and I am very impressed with what I hear from the 1080. Their small tweaks ultimately do result in a perception of a more natural overall sound.

One appreciated feature is that Sony has dispensed of the odd specialized sound fields like the Berlin Philharmoniker, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Musikverein Wien (which to me always sounded phony) and drilled back to those that really matter. The slimmed down sound field choices now represent real life sound environments like stereo, multi-channel, Dolby Surround, headphone (yes, really, a sound field dedicated to headphone listening), and a very few other fields, none with esoteric names.

One thing that intrigued me is DCAC EX ... I've used various "automatic" setup schemes since they were introduced and while I like the basic concept they baffled me how they could be totally accurate only using a mono microphone. Hint: they weren't. They gave a rough order of magnitude how loud each speaker is and even took a good guess at how far it was away from your listening position, but with a mono mic they couldn't really tell you if the speaker was too high or low or was too far to the right or left of optimum position or if the transducers were pointing right at you. Now equipped with a stereo microphone, DCAC EX is a significant improvement in making those calculations and attempts to autocorrect for positioning, aiming and phase. Does it work? Well, every room is different and my room is a definite challenge but I would say once you try it you will think previous methods are primitive by comparison.

A backward step considering how warm this receiver can get is that for some reason Sony reduced the surface area of the top vents almost by half. Looking inside the unit through the vents it appears there are less electronics inside. Maybe it runs cooler? I'll post some test results later on.

Coupled with the observations that the cabinet is smaller and there may also be less electronics inside the 1080. From my casual peek through the vent grill without opening the cabinet it does seem to have less electronics inside.

Sony, who is usually so good at keeping their user interface simple yet useful certainly accomplishes the former with the included remote control (if you use it ... I have my system under Harmony/Alexa control). Unlike the remotes of some other brands that have dozens of tiny buttons that control nearly everything their device can do, Sony chooses to offer only 26 buttons (plus the D-pad array ... 2 more buttons than the previous model) that are permanently labeled, some of them for functions a user may only rarely, or never, use. At the least I would have preferred to have a dedicated button for each of the inputs. You CAN remap the button functions to almost anything you want (including one cool custom button that can remember your exact preferences) but of course the permanent labels remain. I did remap it so there is a dedicated button for each of the 6 HDMI inputs and also 2 audio-only inputs but I had to resort to using stick-on labels to help me remember what they are.

One more real-life observation has to do with setup. Like my previous Sony receiver you can choose (or not) to have the unit go through a guided setup procedure. Oddly, Sony gives the user an option if they want to start by setting up either the network or speakers first. I highly recommend choosing to do the network first. When you do, it will seem like nothing’s happening and you may think your unit is defective. Be patient, for some reason it takes a long time for it to do some internal preliminary adjustments. The problem is it doesn’t tell you in any way what it’s doing. After a couple of minutes it finally got to asking me what my preferred language is, which is typically the most basic question a new device asks. From there the next screen needs to have you make some choices. It is one of the very few screens on this unit that isn’t as clear as it should be. Having used Sony setup screens before I was able to breeze through the network setup in about 30 seconds after that and it worked the first time as it should. By default the receiver will prompt you when there are any software/firmware changes (you can turn that auto-prompt off) but it would have been nice if the first time you turn it on it confirms that everything is up to date. I had to check manually to be sure.

HOW DOES IT SOUND

Having worked extensively in pro recording studios I have a pretty good audio memory. My home system has had a wide range of the major brands of AV equipment installed over recent years. Since I installed this receiver immediately after pulling a similar Sony model that is still shown as current at their website I can offer an opinion if there are any changes for better or worse in overall sound quality. Before I do I'll mention that in MY system there was no visible improvement in video quality but I have to clarify that it’s possible that the 1080 is ahead of the curve compared to the rest of my system. But as far as sound, yes there is some good news. Before I added the upper speakers, playing the identical source in the same way, I perceive a bit more clarity. By that I don't mean sharpness or brilliance ... those are to me traits that Sony is known for (as opposed to the warmer more natural sound some other brands are known for). With this generation Sony has opted for a slightly warmer sound. Dialogue sounds more like human voices than electronic loudspeakers. Low-end bass from the subwoofers (I have 3) is slightly tighter and less boomy. Overall it's more of a fine tuning exercise from Sony than a radical shift in the "Sony sound"

USER FRIENDLINESS

Sony has chosen not to dazzle with a lot of blue lights, chrome and buzzwords emblazoned on the front of the receiver. The styling is basic black and very restrained. The buttons are tiny and hard to read by comparison to some other brands. The input selector and volume knobs have a smooth feeling but does anyone really use them rather than the remote control and excellent on-screen menu instead? The remote, by the way, has very few dedicated buttons but what it does have can be user-customized. I use neither, preferring to control my system with a Harmony Elite/Echo combination. Finally, the on-screen menu (GUI) first introduced in its current form on the 1050 and slightly updated on this model is as good as it gets … crisp high-resolution graphics, clear easy to understand wording, logical choices all make for a superb user experience. The setup section is especially good, where you can dig deep and then even deeper into fine tuning controls that are accompanied by icons representing your speaker locations (which it knows without you having to tell it). Most of the adjustments allow you to hear the results of the audio changes in real time. That may not sound like a big deal but another well-known brand switches the audio off during setup adjustments which makes it pale by comparison to the Sony.

Reversing a common trend lately of not including a user manual with their products (a $3000 Sony camera I bought recently only has a one page manual), this receiver has an impressive amount of printed documentation included.

BOTTOM LINE

I originally bought the STR-DN1050 because after a lot of shopping it seemed like the best value, all things considered. If you have a 1040, 1050, 1060 or 1070 the 1080 may not be the quantum leap to cause you to replace your old receiver. Moving up a few generations of this model is in some ways like upgrading the OS on your computer or smartphone ... the device still does the same basic thing but better with little improvements that make your experience that much better. If this is your first look at Sony and you are seeking a receiver that ticks (most of) the boxes in terms of being compatible and keeping up with technology, the 1080 is worth giving serious consideration.

Why a 5 rating then? Per guidelines I lean toward giving things I like a positive 4, rarely higher, with that extra point reserved for best of class. This receiver isn't in that best-of-best stratified league but it's hard to dispute that it is exceptionally high on overall value, functionality and usability and for those factors it earns 4+. Putting all those aside though, I believe Sony hits a home run here with what I call enjoyability of multimedia listening. It simply sounds better than any full-functioned multi-channel receiver I’ve owned when used for home theater, which is the way I'm using it ... more natural, more accurate and yes, more impressive. All that's important to me as I continue to update and upgrade my video components and I seek to keep up to speed on the audio side as well. To be sure this is not the best audiophile-grade MUSIC amp I've heard, far from it, but that's not what it's designed to be. But for home theater the score is 4.75

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Top critical review

Critical reviews›

NPmatt

Weird issues since new, now right side is dead after only 5 years

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023

I bought this unit a bit over 5 years ago to replace a 15 y.o. Pioneer receiver that dropped a rear surround channel. This Sony unit sounded awesome but has some peculiarities getting along with my Samsung TV, DISH receiver, and Panasonic Blu-ray player, like randomly turning itself, the TV, and random components back on after I turn everything off, and renaming all of the connected components occasionally then switching them back again after a day or two. However, it sounded phenomenal so I learned to hang out for a minute or two after turning it off to ensure it stayed turned off, and wait for it to properly rename the components when it would wig out. Now both right channels (front and rear surround) have dropped out after only 5 years and 2 months of mostly mid-volume use, perhaps because it also runs crazy-hot at any volume (do NOT stack other components on it and keep the sides clear as well). This is my second Sony component out of three owned that failed in less than half the time of competitive brands’ products and there are no repair facilities anywhere near me. I bought this unit based upon the high reviews for its sound quality and features, but my experience with Sony reliability has been dismal and this unit did weird crap since Day 1 that none of the others did. A software update downloaded yesterday didn't help anything, so this is probably the last Sony product for me.

1,361 total ratings, 591 with reviews

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From the United States

PhotoGraphics

Not perfect but is it worth considering?

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2017

Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase

Note: the following observations are the result of actual hands-on testing. Being a new pre-release model there are some conflicts in technical details between the product page and Sony's site. This is normal. Once the product hits the mainstream in May 2017 if anything below needs clarification it will be updated.

This review is long. It is intended for the person who is considering paying for a top-of-the-line home entertainment system receiver. I tried to summarize my thoughts on whether it is worth it in the final paragraph.

I purchased my first Sony-brand receiver, the STR-DN1050, when it first came out in 2014. In the world of high tech audio/video the 3 years since is considered a millennium. Previous to that purchase I had considered Sony to be more of a mainstream brand and my personal preferences ran more to the brands that are perceived to be in the upper audiophile end (not that Sony isn’t in that market, because they are). But with home-entertainment systems becoming equally focused on video as well as strictly for music reproduction it seemed logical that Sony was well established in both media and they certainly know a lot about movies and video.

Overall my satisfaction level with the DN1050 has been very high in terms of multi-channel movies and general everyday listening; good on convenience features and better-than-average on user-friendly interface. My only disappointment is that sometimes after being run at high volume for a few hours the built-in thermal protection powers the amp down to cool, which not too cool when we're in the middle of a movie. I take most of the blame for that though because my receiver is in an open cabinet with a shelf above it which traps the heat. For my new 1080 receiver I bought a component fan exhaust accessory AC Infinity AIRCOM T8 Quiet Cooling Blower Fan System to help channel the heat away from the unit.

Why am I comparing this to the STN-DN1050? Essentially that was the first of this series (the STN-DN1040 was enough different to warrant being excluded) and it is old enough some that some 1050 (and 1060 & 1070) owners may be thinking of upgrading to a newer model, hence a model vs model comparison.

The STR-DN1080 is brand-new (first deliveries April 30, 2017). It breaks no new ground as far as form-factor or user interface and the basic specs are virtually identical. As Sony historically has done the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. But appealing to my audiophile tastes are several new enhancements to sound reproduction that edge it closer to a premium audio amplifier.

NEW OR CHANGED FEATURES over the previous models in the series

1. Dolby Atmos (sound from above the visual field using additional speakers - see more about this below). Sony's first receiver to fully implement this feature.

2. DTS:X added - being compatible with the newest formats is always a good thing. Sony's first receiver to fully implement this feature.

3. Sixth HDMI port removed from front panel for easy access and now included with the usual I/O section on the rear panel

4. A 4K repeater feature allows data to pass through the receiver without compromising image quality, and it has HDCP 2.2 support, all at 60fps

5. HDR support - now that 3D TV is officially dead, 4k and HDR are the big buzzwords you see in the ads for the hottest new TV's

6. Removed one HDMI output (now has 2 instead of three). With many new TV's now equipped with 3-6 HDMI inputs and some of the newest ones with external I/O boxes having as many as 8 (which could mean as many as 14 HMDI inputs total when combined with those on the 1080), for as many AV gadgets as I own I don't think I'll ever complain about not having enough inputs. Six is fine for a receiver in this class, if I wanted more that's an easy thing to fix or I’d simply just choose a different model. I would rather concentrate on audio and video performance than quantity of I/O ports.

7. Removed all component connectivity jacks. Most users probably won't miss these as very few consumer TV's have them anymore.

8. There were two Toslink optical ports on the rear of the receiver, now there is only one. In my opinion is too soon to eliminate optical audio connectivity from home entertainment equipment. There still is a Coax audio input, which I need and use.

9. Two outputs for powered subwoofers (unchanged), much appreciated by me. Although subs are omnidirectional I have three of them because of the dynamics of my listening room. Two of them can be driven off the second port and controlled by the speaker controls/equalizer

10. Speaker terminal array was 3 pair plus center, is now 3 pair plus center AND dedicated posts for non-powered Zone 2 speakers in addition to ports for powered Zone 2 speakers (or Atmos)

11. Added second Wi-Fi antenna for dual-band Wi-Fi for Airplay, DLNA and Chromecast. The system also supports Spotify Connect and Sony's SongPal Link system.

12. DCAC EX auto calibration - auto calibration from most of the major manufactures continues to improve. This is an improvement over earlier attempts. I use it for initial setup but I can always do better using my ears for final tweaking. In real life what this does for you is to give you the effect of actually moving and aiming your speakers sound dispersion (Speaker Relocation) when physically moving them is not possible (see more below)

13. Works with Google Home

14. Chromecast built-in (part of the Google Home feature set but there is an iOS app as well)

15. LDAC: for the transmission of High-Resolution Audio content with a LIMITED number of currently available compatible devices (nice, worthwhile and forward thinking)

16. Phantom Surround Back - creates the illusion of more physical speakers

17.Virtual surround with S-Force PRO Front Surround (nice to have and the effect can be better than a soundbar but is it realistic that someone would choose one of Sony's top-of-line multichannel receivers for use with only two speakers?)

18. BT-TX - previous models in this series would only play FROM a Bluetooth source, like maybe your smartphone. This model will play TO a device (like Bluetooth headphones) as well. This is a feature I LOVE and use every day!!

19. Audio enhancements (see below)

20. A very minor detail that happens to be important to me is the overall height of this model is about ¾” less than the 1050. That extra space above the 1080 makes a world of difference in terms of air circulation. For some users the height difference may also make the difference whether or not the receiver will fit where you would like to put it.

21. There are several more features that aren't as prominent but illustrate Sony's commitment to audio reproduction. Features like "In-Ceiling Speaker Mode" which reproduces more natural sound by lowering the position of audio output from speakers installed in the ceiling and "Center Speaker Lift Up" which is supposed to produce natural sound that feels more authentic by lifting the sound from the center speaker up to the height of the screen. While these features are buried in the small print they both work and are both useful to me. I have no choice how high my ceiling speakers are mounted, I can’t move my ceiling, but the fine-tuning lets me move the sound field closer to the listening area. If you use a center-channel speaker you know it’s impossible to mount it in the true center of your TV screen. Lift Up electronically repositions the important dialogue speaker so it sounds more like it’s coming from inside the TV screen rather than under the TV screen.

IN REAL LIFE USE IN MY MEDIA ROOM SETUP

(Gear: test source content Sony UBP-X800; display LG 75UH8500; custom Mirage MX-series x 8 + powered sub/JBL 3635 subs x3)

Starting with Dolby Atmos, I reconfigured my speaker array to take advantage of it. I installed an additional pair of speakers 20' up in my cathedral ceiling. Whether the source is actually Atmos encoded or not (and I don’t own a lot of content that is) the improved aural effect for everyday listening is a huge wow.

Note: Sony posted an answer to a user question if this has phono inputs. They said yes. Assuming the question is referring to an equalized low-level input from a turntable, IT DOES NOT. It has three pairs of legacy line-level RCA inputs but no dedicated phono turntable low-level inputs. To use a traditional turntable you would need to add a separate pre-amp.

While I welcome the Google Home compatibility I am displeased with the "format wars" with a major company like Sony choosing sides. Google Home is one of the newest and there is a huge established base of Echo users (not to mention Siri). Why not just be universally compatible with them all? I know Sony isn’t alone in the lack of universal control but as a world audio/video leader they could set a precedent.

As far as audio quality enhancements, some are meaningful and if course some are marketing hype. While I can't do a real-time A/B comparison between this and previous generations of this series, I did play my usual audio "test" material in a same-day comparison on both receivers and I am very impressed with what I hear from the 1080. Their small tweaks ultimately do result in a perception of a more natural overall sound.

One appreciated feature is that Sony has dispensed of the odd specialized sound fields like the Berlin Philharmoniker, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Musikverein Wien (which to me always sounded phony) and drilled back to those that really matter. The slimmed down sound field choices now represent real life sound environments like stereo, multi-channel, Dolby Surround, headphone (yes, really, a sound field dedicated to headphone listening), and a very few other fields, none with esoteric names.

One thing that intrigued me is DCAC EX ... I've used various "automatic" setup schemes since they were introduced and while I like the basic concept they baffled me how they could be totally accurate only using a mono microphone. Hint: they weren't. They gave a rough order of magnitude how loud each speaker is and even took a good guess at how far it was away from your listening position, but with a mono mic they couldn't really tell you if the speaker was too high or low or was too far to the right or left of optimum position or if the transducers were pointing right at you. Now equipped with a stereo microphone, DCAC EX is a significant improvement in making those calculations and attempts to autocorrect for positioning, aiming and phase. Does it work? Well, every room is different and my room is a definite challenge but I would say once you try it you will think previous methods are primitive by comparison.

A backward step considering how warm this receiver can get is that for some reason Sony reduced the surface area of the top vents almost by half. Looking inside the unit through the vents it appears there are less electronics inside. Maybe it runs cooler? I'll post some test results later on.

Coupled with the observations that the cabinet is smaller and there may also be less electronics inside the 1080. From my casual peek through the vent grill without opening the cabinet it does seem to have less electronics inside.

Sony, who is usually so good at keeping their user interface simple yet useful certainly accomplishes the former with the included remote control (if you use it ... I have my system under Harmony/Alexa control). Unlike the remotes of some other brands that have dozens of tiny buttons that control nearly everything their device can do, Sony chooses to offer only 26 buttons (plus the D-pad array ... 2 more buttons than the previous model) that are permanently labeled, some of them for functions a user may only rarely, or never, use. At the least I would have preferred to have a dedicated button for each of the inputs. You CAN remap the button functions to almost anything you want (including one cool custom button that can remember your exact preferences) but of course the permanent labels remain. I did remap it so there is a dedicated button for each of the 6 HDMI inputs and also 2 audio-only inputs but I had to resort to using stick-on labels to help me remember what they are.

One more real-life observation has to do with setup. Like my previous Sony receiver you can choose (or not) to have the unit go through a guided setup procedure. Oddly, Sony gives the user an option if they want to start by setting up either the network or speakers first. I highly recommend choosing to do the network first. When you do, it will seem like nothing’s happening and you may think your unit is defective. Be patient, for some reason it takes a long time for it to do some internal preliminary adjustments. The problem is it doesn’t tell you in any way what it’s doing. After a couple of minutes it finally got to asking me what my preferred language is, which is typically the most basic question a new device asks. From there the next screen needs to have you make some choices. It is one of the very few screens on this unit that isn’t as clear as it should be. Having used Sony setup screens before I was able to breeze through the network setup in about 30 seconds after that and it worked the first time as it should. By default the receiver will prompt you when there are any software/firmware changes (you can turn that auto-prompt off) but it would have been nice if the first time you turn it on it confirms that everything is up to date. I had to check manually to be sure.

HOW DOES IT SOUND

Having worked extensively in pro recording studios I have a pretty good audio memory. My home system has had a wide range of the major brands of AV equipment installed over recent years. Since I installed this receiver immediately after pulling a similar Sony model that is still shown as current at their website I can offer an opinion if there are any changes for better or worse in overall sound quality. Before I do I'll mention that in MY system there was no visible improvement in video quality but I have to clarify that it’s possible that the 1080 is ahead of the curve compared to the rest of my system. But as far as sound, yes there is some good news. Before I added the upper speakers, playing the identical source in the same way, I perceive a bit more clarity. By that I don't mean sharpness or brilliance ... those are to me traits that Sony is known for (as opposed to the warmer more natural sound some other brands are known for). With this generation Sony has opted for a slightly warmer sound. Dialogue sounds more like human voices than electronic loudspeakers. Low-end bass from the subwoofers (I have 3) is slightly tighter and less boomy. Overall it's more of a fine tuning exercise from Sony than a radical shift in the "Sony sound"

USER FRIENDLINESS

Sony has chosen not to dazzle with a lot of blue lights, chrome and buzzwords emblazoned on the front of the receiver. The styling is basic black and very restrained. The buttons are tiny and hard to read by comparison to some other brands. The input selector and volume knobs have a smooth feeling but does anyone really use them rather than the remote control and excellent on-screen menu instead? The remote, by the way, has very few dedicated buttons but what it does have can be user-customized. I use neither, preferring to control my system with a Harmony Elite/Echo combination. Finally, the on-screen menu (GUI) first introduced in its current form on the 1050 and slightly updated on this model is as good as it gets … crisp high-resolution graphics, clear easy to understand wording, logical choices all make for a superb user experience. The setup section is especially good, where you can dig deep and then even deeper into fine tuning controls that are accompanied by icons representing your speaker locations (which it knows without you having to tell it). Most of the adjustments allow you to hear the results of the audio changes in real time. That may not sound like a big deal but another well-known brand switches the audio off during setup adjustments which makes it pale by comparison to the Sony.

Reversing a common trend lately of not including a user manual with their products (a $3000 Sony camera I bought recently only has a one page manual), this receiver has an impressive amount of printed documentation included.

BOTTOM LINE

I originally bought the STR-DN1050 because after a lot of shopping it seemed like the best value, all things considered. If you have a 1040, 1050, 1060 or 1070 the 1080 may not be the quantum leap to cause you to replace your old receiver. Moving up a few generations of this model is in some ways like upgrading the OS on your computer or smartphone ... the device still does the same basic thing but better with little improvements that make your experience that much better. If this is your first look at Sony and you are seeking a receiver that ticks (most of) the boxes in terms of being compatible and keeping up with technology, the 1080 is worth giving serious consideration.

Why a 5 rating then? Per guidelines I lean toward giving things I like a positive 4, rarely higher, with that extra point reserved for best of class. This receiver isn't in that best-of-best stratified league but it's hard to dispute that it is exceptionally high on overall value, functionality and usability and for those factors it earns 4+. Putting all those aside though, I believe Sony hits a home run here with what I call enjoyability of multimedia listening. It simply sounds better than any full-functioned multi-channel receiver I’ve owned when used for home theater, which is the way I'm using it ... more natural, more accurate and yes, more impressive. All that's important to me as I continue to update and upgrade my video components and I seek to keep up to speed on the audio side as well. To be sure this is not the best audiophile-grade MUSIC amp I've heard, far from it, but that's not what it's designed to be. But for home theater the score is 4.75

752 people found this helpful

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The Key Master

Set-up and First-day-of-use impressions - Updated again

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

9-24-18 Update - I am putting my christmas shopping list together and think I might a 3rd unit for another room in my house. I see many negative reviews and I am shocked, as I have had flawless performance from both of my receivers since I installed them almost 1 year ago. In fact, I upgraded the apple TV that was connected to them to the apple 4K TV and that is now my primary TV source. Apple 4K supports Atmos and 4K and I just talk into the remote to start my video. I do see that most of the complaints are about zone2 features. I do not use that, as I am just buying a receiver for each theater in the house. I will offer this advice.. I updated every HDMI cable with 4K compliant HDMI cables, which was expensive. I did have to call sony to know how to configure the dolby atmos setting, but it was a setting on the sony hurray player, and not on the receiver that was complicating things. I also had a difficult install on the 2nd receiver when connected to a Samsung TV 8500 that uses the smart hub, the HDMI ARC was not and is not compatible (need to use the TV and receiver remotes). All that aside, the sound is amazing. This unit is about half to 75% less expensive than comparable receivers. If you wait for black friday, then the price is truly amazing.

12-30-17 Update - I like the receiver so much that I purchased another one for a different room. Set up was much harder. The HDMI A with ARC was not operational and I was about to return the receiver But I did not want to give up yet so I connected the TV to the HDMI B port. The receiver's menu was now displayed. I promptly performed a software update. Took an hour. I then switched the TV back to the HDMI A port and it worked. I finished the auto set-up and all is great. This unit connects to a samsung 8500 series 4K Tv with the external smart hub, it is not compatible with the HDMI control and it seems to be the reason why the HDMI A port did not work from out of the box. The sound is amazing, as this is primarily used for x Box 1 X gaming.

Owned it for 1 day, here's the scoop. It replaces an Onkyo TXNR757 that cost over $1,000 from 6 years ago. The onkyo, after 1 year, would no longer support 1080 video through the receiver, the image was blurred and pixelated. My samsung HDTV supported many HDMI outputs, so I bypassed the HDMI ports on the Onkyo and simply used it for the surround sound by using the optical input from the TV. This was a great fix for the next 5 years, but also a disappointment since the onkyo was broken but out of warrantee.

Technology has advanced with 4k and Atmos that I decided to upgrade the receiver. In doing my research, for the money, the Onkyo provided a lot more features than the Sony but I do not trust this brand anymore. CNET, WIKI, and Everyone else put their reputations on this Sony model.

Connecting the old wires from the Onkyo receiver to the Sony was a breeze. I repurposed the 7.1 system into a 5.1.2 for Atmos. very simple. The 4K Samsung DVD player does not support atmos!! I returned it for the Sony 4K blue ray player - glad that I did as the sony has a ton more features at the same price.

The sony 4k blue ray player, Apple HD TV, and the Optimum Cable Set-top box are all connected to the Sony Receiver with 4K compliant HDMI cables. The receiver is connected to the Samsung 6500 series 4K TV with 4K HDMI cable and a fiber optic audio connection. The fiber optic cable is to support the amazon prime video streaming that is controlled by the samsung tv. However, I might start streaming through the blue ray player because it supports the dobly atmos decoding technology.

In setting up the receiver, I needed to tell the Receiver that I have a 5.1 system with 2 dolby (FD) ceiling bounce speakers. Then I ran the easy-set-up calibration. The sony "learned" about the AV connections, and did an excellent job with the speaker location and such.

The sound is as rich and full as the 5 year old Onkyo that cost twice as much and has 15 watts more power per channel. The sony adds 4k and Atmos. The Samsung's TV remote will control the Sony Receiver for sound, on/off, and "up/down/left/right/enter" functions. It pretty much removes the need to keep the Receiver's remote on the coffee table - very nice.

The image quality that goes through the receiver is as good as when I have the AV components connected directly to the Samsung TV (The TV supports 4K up conversion). By having all of the connections going through the receiver, the day-to-day operation of watching TV is less complicated than when the AV was split between the old Onkyo and the TV - its easier to use. I do not need to continueally change the "source" setting on the TV. This was a multi-year complaint from my family with regard to the older Onkyo system.

To get the Atmos to work, I had to call Sony Tech Support. There is a setting in the Sony Blue Ray Player that must be disabled. Once it is "off", you simply press the "movie" button until dobly surround is on the display. By pushing the "display" button, it will show DAtmos.

I watched San AnDreas. In 5.2.1, the sounds were strong and room filling. When I enabled the Atmos, the clearity of each item on the screen was distinct. The boat that went crashing through the waves created a sound where I could hear the motor, waves, and the spray - crystal clear - is just one example. It was very noticeable how Atmos is different than 7.1.

I watched John Wick Part 1. Having watched the movie many times with the older Onkyo system, there were only 3 differences in the sound based on previous viewings. 1) In the scenes where it rains, the sound is clearly louder, crisper, and coming from the atmos height speakers. 2) The bass was much more powerful - it made the house shake. I ended up lowering the volume on the subwoofer as I was concerened that the pictures would bounce off the walls. 3) Everything sounded crisper, like the high-notes / glass breakage sounds were much more distinct.

Compared to the Onkyo, there are a few features that I miss - 1) The sony has only 1 optical input 2) The sony does not allow you to push a front panel button to select the source, you turn a knob and it scrolls through the choices 3) the sony does not offer a front panel button to select the exact sound decoder, instead you must scroll through the choices

Bottom Line: My first day was very positive. Settup was super easy. To get ATMOS to work, I had to call sony about the sony 4K blue ray player (not about the receiver). The sound quality is better than a system that cost me twice as much while also bringing in all of the latest features such as 4K and Atmos. In most cases, the Receiver's remote is not needed, as it works with the Samsung 6500 series TV's remote and this reduces the clutter on my coffee table. The Black Friday sale was a wonderful savings from Amazon. I just purchased another unit for a different room in the house.

12 people found this helpful

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bob

Seems like a good AV receiver. Found a few bugs already

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Update: I've now had this receiver for about a week and really like it. I'm tempted to move this to a 5-star rating, but not quite yet. There seems to be some quirky things going on with the eARC HDMI handshake, but I'm not sure if it's the receiver or my Bravia TV. So far it's just the TV shutting off sporadically (which I believe is a TV issue). The only real problem I'm having is getting it to work with my Bose QC II bluetooth headphones (I've also used my apple air pods and the same thing happens). It's a really odd thing going on. I can listen to music (from Apple TV) just fine, but whenever I look at video (either a movie from Apple TV or my cable box) the volume gets very low and you cannot make it any louder. The bluetooth on this set is pretty weird in my opinion and they have several defaults that occur when you go to bluetooth that cannot be controlled such as surround mode. It's been quite frustrating and I've been spending time with Sony tech support trying to resolve the issue. A google search has shown other people have experienced the same thing, so it's not just me. I'm going to spend another hour or so with tech support trying to fix this and then probably forget it. My headphones work fine using the headphone jack and a wire, so I can still use my headphones for late night viewing. There are so many things I like about this receiver I'm not going to let this one issue ruin the whole experience. I've thought about returning the unit and getting something else, but when you read reviews of just about every receiver there always seems to be some problem of flaw like this and since the BT issue has a workaround I'm not going to sweat it. Besides, I've also noticed some lip sync issues with the bluetooth which would bug me too although I think you can make an adjustment to sync things up.

First of all, I am not an audiophile. I try to buy mid priced components that are well rated. Since I am not a sound quality diva, ease of operation and features are important to me.

I had a older Onkyo receiver that has served me will for about 9 years. But I bought an new Sony XBR-77A9G OLED tv and wanted a wifi enabled receiver with 4K HDR HDMI passthru (I can see the degraded 4K picture when passing the video thru my old Onkyo as opposed directly inputing my 4K Apple TV directly to the television. My old set did not have Dolby Atmos which is relatively new. I also wanted to take advantage of the eARC HDMI feature where you send all your sources thru the tv (hook up cable receiver, game console, Apple TV directly to the HDMI ports to the TV and then send the audio to the receiver via an eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel). So the DN1080 seemed like a decent choice. Remember this is an older revceiver model and does not support 8K and HDMI-2. Neither of these are that important to me right now and if it does become important replacing this receiver would not be a huge cost hit.

Set up was very easy. I don't have all my speakers attached yet, so I set up a 3.1 configuration (Center speaker, 2 front speakers and a subwoofer). The auto set up for sound was very simple. You get this tiny, spidery looking microphone that you place where your ears would be during normal iistening. The system sends a series of tones thru the speakers to determine level and position. Auto set up failed the first time because I accidentally had the microphone upside down and the left and right channels were reversed. It only took a few minutes to set up on the next try and the sound was very good. It was late, so I could not crank it up high. I also don't have my new Polk front speakers yet, which I think will sound better than my old Boston fronts. I checked out the performance with a few scenes from Apocalypse Now on my 4K Apple TV. It did a decent job of Atmos considering I only have the 3.1 set up right now. I did notice that during the helicopter attack scene some of the music appeared to be a bit distorted (like the horns in Flight of the Valkyries). I'll have to check that further with the new speakers when I get the 5.1 set up going.

I found my first "bug" also when I tried to set up my Bose Q35ii bluetooth headphones. The bluetooth setup on this receiver seems pretty goofy to me. You have to make sure you get it set to bluetooth Transmit before you try to pair headphones. Somehow I had it in the receive mode (like for pairing your receiver to your phone) and could not get it out of that mode. I finally figured out you had change the input mode on the receiver to something else (like USB), then push the Bluetooth transmit/receive button on the remote. You can then pair the headphones as normal. This was a pain to figure out and ended up finding the solution on reddit pages and one of the Bose support forums. I wasted about 45 minutes trying to figure this out. Anyway, I get the headphones connected and then they sound like crap. Audio is all distorted. Another google search and I find you have to go to the bluetooth setup menu in the receiver and turn the AAC coding off. I mean really, does it have to be this difficult? And of course once I get the sound working correctly, I find there seems to be a secret volume limit and could not set the volume as loud as I wanted. Not sure if this is a Sony thing or a Bose thing, possibly intended to keep you from hurting your ears.
One last thing (so far). After I had ordered this receiver, I found a review on YouTube that highly recommended it (check out Andrew Robinson's channel. Its very good info). He really liked this receiver until he got to the eARC part. (read up on eARC online since it appears to be one of the buggiest features in AV home theaters these days). He said the eARC on this receiver had some of the best handshaking with TVs he's ever seen... unless you are using it with a Sony TV! Imagine that, Sony won't talk to Sony. Anyway, I have not tried this yet, and hopefully they've fixed this problem with software updates (both the receiver and my TV immediately needed updates when turning them on).

I'm not condemning this receiver for these problems (yet). If you read reviews of just about any modern receiver you see complaints about usability, set up, and buggy software. My Onkyo was primitive by today's standards, and I never really figured out how to set up all the features correctly. So far, the Sony seems a bit better (with the exception of that bluetooth issue I talked about.
I have a month to play with this receiver to decide if I'm going to keep it or return it. So I'll keep updating this review as I go.

7 people found this helpful

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Nodonn

Finally! An AV Reciever (mid range price) that has excellent crisp sound and not just booming lows.

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

I will try and make this short, but I want to give you a brief of my last year searching for a solid sound setup for movie and tv/streaming watching, hoping that you will not go through my harrowing experiences.

Mid last year, I went on an Amazon hunt for a solid 7.1 Surround system to match my new 4k tv. After much research (and a major lack of knowledge back then) i finally settled on the mid range priced Nakamichi 7.1 sound bar with rear surrounds and a sub. Let me tell you, it was nothing but trouble from the get go. Its sound was muffled, its low frequencies were so loud, and its treble was lost in the bass. Dialogue was lost constantly in the mix.
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I watch a movie I wanna be able to hear the dialogue. The Only way I could do this with the Nakamichi sound bar was to constantly ride the remote control (which sucked ballz by the way) it was always too loud or too soft.
Well, i returned the device after a few months because it became defective and kept shutting off. This was a saving grace. Ultimately, their tech support was the best thing about the product, but i was forced to change my 1 star review to a 5 star before any refund was issued... hmmm....

Next, i went for the Onkyo NR575. Now after a lot of reviews, It sounded like I had finally found a mid priced reciever that was up to scratch. Along with the receiver, I bought the Onkyo 7.1 surround speaker pack (which i am pleasantly surprised with). Now, the Onkyo did sound pretty great, and the user interface was excellent and speedy. However, again, the same problem arose...
No matter what settings I tweaked, the bass was way too loud and the treble was way too low. If i raised the treble too high it literally gave me a headache dealing with the lows as well. It was way too much. The Onkyo had great raw power, but just because something says THX certified, does not mean it is better at handling sound, that is just a buzz word/saying to get you to buy. Along with that, the center channel of the device constantly buzzed with white noise everytime dialogue was spoken (dunno if this was a fault of my device, or a fault of the entire line) This was quickly returned and refunded.

Finally, after sooooo much more research (and now I was becoming an adept with av receivers and capabilities/limitations) I finally settled on the Sony STrDN1080. My old 2.1 sound bar was Sony and I loved it, so I decided that going with a trusted company was the best bet.
Let me tell you, it was the best choice.
Now, I kept the Onkyo surround speakers because they are excellent. After a 10 minute setup, the Sony immediately proved its trademark value.
The sound is excellent. After I tweaked the sound optimizer and turned on the Dynamic Range Filter, i was getting all the highs and lows within a similar Db, which is ideal.
Unless you have a cinema size room and are partially deaf, dynamic range control is key to an optimum surround sound experience.
I cannot say enough great things about the sound quality. I am a cinephile and film/tv is my job also, so finally finding a suitable av receiver at an affordable price was such a relief.
The interface is a little slower than some, but i am totally happy to accept that along with the great quality and user controls to match the audio perfectly to my viewing needs.
I recommend this to anyone who simply wants a surround receiver that can decode all current sound formats (including DD+ which netflix and Amazon use now) and play sound in a true 7.1 experience with matching highs and lows - Not having to constantly ride the remote all the time has allowed me to enjoy film and tv much more again too.
I hope this helps someone not make my mistake, and get it right the first time off.
Peace.

9 people found this helpful

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Mossback

This receiver is amazing from many different perspective

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018

Verified Purchase

This receiver is amazing from many different perspective!

I've been around long enough to have had three, top of the line receivers. Obviously technology improves, but this receiver is not an upgrade, it's more like I acquired a receiver from Back to the Future.

Setup 5+ with simple to advanced settings, sound quality 5+ best I've ever heard (I have above average hearing and discrimination and have an advanced degree with audiology). The clarity was amazing. High frequencies sounds were real, balanced and enjoyable to hear in music, and not just louder or disharmonious. I heard new and more discrete sounds in old songs I've listened to for years. I'd compare it to hearing a remake or remastered song you know well. You can easily tell the difference between the two and I typically prefer the nuances in original version. In this case you realize there is more in the original music than you heard before and what you hear sounds much richer.

Advanced features 5+. I've only had it set up one day and I'm total blown away causing me to stay up way too late. Atmos is awesome and worked great with my existing 7.1 older speakers. However, I need to find and see and hear a movie enhanced with Atmos. It appears it not the number of speakers you have, but the placement. With my limited understanding of Atmos, it's interesting it's a software technology that controls what is being sent to each speaker, not just left or right.

BTW. Here's a geek thing about all those wires coming out the back of your receiver. To change a speaking hookup is to drag your fingernails down a chalkboard. I often wondered why you couldn't change the speaker connections via software if you accidentally wired a speaker to the wrong output location (remember that would translate to TWO wrong hookups) on the back of the receiver - YOU CAN change it without clanging the physical wired hookup on the back. This is easily verified when you use the speaker calibration, it shows which speaker is firing the test tones so you know if you got it all right!

It even has equalizer settings for some of the individual speakers - unbelievable! I've away played with equalizers so I could color the sounds to what I LIKE but it was always a global setting. The equalizers in the other receivers were more like handy global presets (Which this receiver also has).

I also like how you can change from different settings such as Atmos and DTX, etc. from the remote.

I've also wanted to shoot and edit some family history home videos. I now have the perfect platform to share these with my family and grandchildren right in my own engineered home theater that should appeal to some of my millennial grandchildren. I now do not have any limitation (except money and brains), to create truly multimedia video, audio, and photos - maybe a poor man's Back to the Future sequel with my family as the movie stars!

I wondered if TWO HDMI outs would be helpful. We have also have a nice projector in the same room with the big screen. So that gives me another option to make the projector accessible just the same as the TV. Yes, I can also use the other HDMI inputs.

A word about ONECALL, the Amazon reseller I used. I posted an e-mail to them about the delivery date of 2nd day UPS Prime. Kind of surprised me when I received an unanticipated phone call within 20 minutes from them to answer my question. Now that's a proactive company who wants my business and for me to use them again, and I will.

Right now I'm listening an FM talk radio program and I don't have to have the TV turned on.

Con. One of my few negatives is I wish the built-in Chromecast also did video. It would be awesome it

When you recommend your son-in-law and a son buy this you know I would recommend you do the same.

28 people found this helpful

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NPmatt

Weird issues since new, now right side is dead after only 5 years

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

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Bendt

Plug-n-Play with surprise options

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020

Verified Purchase

This review is for the Sony STR-DN1080 7.2 CH Receiver. 11/11/20

In short: This unit is great. I've had it for a month now. A new User Interface and easy set-up as well as advanced options available should you choose. 4K input/output is flawless and 7.1 sound has brought a new dimension to my 'lil theater room. A smaller easier to use remote is included. Bluetooth headphones were a little challenging at first, user issue, Best bet for the money. There's also a mobile App!

The long: I upgraded from my older 5.1 CH Sony Receiver when I transitioned to a 4K setup. It turned out my old receiver was the bottle-neck that prevented any 4K transmission. Satisfied with my older Sony brand receiver, it's still kicking! I set out to purchase Sony's STR-DN1080 7.2 CH Receiver because it was in my price range and had great reviews and would solve all my 4K passthrough woes.

I was a little concerned because the STR-DN1080 model has been available in the market retail for a while now, in fact for years. I read and watched all the reviews online and was not willing to jump monetarily to the next 9.2 channel setup, its another bracket. It's just more than I wish to spend. I've tried Yamaha's and other brands in the past and they were not as intuitive as Sony's receivers for me. I'm also not willing to wait for the next round of Sony receivers to come out/ Rumors jump from this holiday up to 2 years. Updating to 4K has been challenging as every facet has to be upgraded or replaced in order to utilize 4K technology. Cable box, gaming consoles, TV wiring all have to be updated in order to take full advantage of 4K. HD still looks good but 4K looks and sounds great.

I was Leary of the receivers user interface. The older Sony receiver' interface was very busy with too many options for me. It looks like Sony worked on this and made it a lot simpler to use. You use the receivers' remote on your TV and calibration microphone to help set up your receiver to work with your speaker layout. One negative is that the visual depiction on the interface did not have my particular speaker set-up with my surround rear and back speakers in the wall and ceiling. I was still able to use the UI and microphone to set my speakers up correctly distance wise from where we sit and sounds outstanding.

Set-up of my Blue tooth headphones took a bit to get used to. The set-up language for Blue-tooth gets confusing depending what type of blue tooth device set up you would like to use. It took me a while to get the hang of my headphone connection. (they are cheap blue-tooth headphones.) There is a TX button on the Sony receiver and on the remote to "transmit" and RX to get back to receiver audio. I've had to keep the Receiver's remote close by to use this TX option and I cannot find it anywhere on the "SongPal/ Music Center" App on my cell phone. Once I got educated on how to use this TX with my headphones I love it, watching TV while not bothering other remote learners/Educators in the house, during our Covid era.

Speaking of the Cell phone app, Sony calls it SongPal and that's how I found it on Google play, but on my Cell the application is named Music Center (weird) once you download it. Other than looking for the elusive TX icon on the App (couldn't find it, need the remote), I haven't used it much yet, except to turn it from game back to cable tv and volume up/down works quickly. I still haven't played my music from my cell phone's audio tracks yet but I did hook up our CD player easily, (also sounds great). There is another 3rd party App available specifically for this model number on Google Play, however I still could not find the transmit button in my research in all the pictures, so I did not download this other version.

It would be nice if the remote was back-lit, but really there's not a lot to complain about here. I am still learning more after 30 days of having this unit. One advanced option I found that I love is the "Pure Direct" option which temporarily turns off the receivers Display until you use it again (audio up or down temporarily turns on the display) then goes black to give you even better sound. This Pure Direct option will turn off any audio noise/ white noise in the background from the electronic circuits in this unit, such as humming you didn't even know was there before. I stumbled on this in the Sound Field menu. Try it out, turn it on. By default, Pure Direct is turned off. Pure Direct on is bliss. Movies and video games now have a new-replay life and another level of emotional dimension due to the 7.1 audio format.

6 people found this helpful

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Florida FTW!

Works great. Simple setup. Stunning sound. Recommended!!

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is an outstanding receiver. I live in Florida and Hurricane Irma finally blew my 7-year old Denon AVR1910 after so many power surges. So... I bought this to replace it.

I have a 5:1 system with second zone for the patio and other living areas.

Setup is brain-dead simple, and the calibration routine is fantastic. Compared to the hell of the Denon user interface and documentation, this thing is a DREAM.

Sound quality - major upgrade from the Denon.

Also, I can finally get the 2-zone system working, which was always a pain with the Denon. My only complaint, and it's minor, is that Zone 2 will not work with HDMI input. In this case, I have an Apple TV that plays my music, and this cannot be heard in Zone2 (Zone 2 only works with non-HDMI input, like FM radio, Bluetooth, etc.).

That's fine, I downloaded the SongPal app on my iPhone and stream all the music to Zone 2 using my iPhone. (It's better than what I went through with Denon's baffling user interface - one basically keeps pushing buttons until something magical happens.)

The connection to Chromecast and Spotify is awesome, although I haven't played with it yet.

Bluetooth connectivity is not that impressive (although my iPhone on iOS 11 is a bit finicky). I did find myself having to keep trying to pair. So Sony, if you're reading this, you need to improve your BT connectivity. But it's working fine now and that's all that matters.

I would highly recommend this receiver.

11 people found this helpful

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James H.

Mostly good product, with a fatal flaw

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

I ordered this amplifier (the STR-DN1080) to go along with a new 4K/HDR TV. My old Yamaha amp doesn't support 4K/HDR, and this Sony amp was well reviewed. Also, it is $100 cheaper than Yamaha's 4K/HDR offering. So, I went with this Sony amp, which is excellent in may regards. Some of the things I liked in particular....

* The on-screen user interface is nice, and attractive.
* The built-in Chrome Cast Music is a great feature (though Bluetooth, USB, and DNLA Media Server are also supported).
* The smartphone app works well.
* The amp can both transmit and receive Bluetooth signals (and switching between these modes is easy).

Sadly, there is a fatal flaw: the amp offers no way to play sound from all connected speakers. Well, it almost does. Here's what the manual says about the "Multi Ch Stereo" sound field:

Outputs sound from all connected speakers.
When 2-channel or monaural audio signals are input,
the receiver outputs sound from all speakers without
adding any surround effect. When multi-channel audio
signals are input, sound may not be output from certain
speakers depending on the speaker settings or playback
content.

That first sentence is promising: "outputs sound from all connected speakers". However, the last sentence is where things fall apart: "...sound may not be output from certain speakers..." In other words, this sound field outputs sound from all connected speakers, except when it doesn't.

This is a major problem for me. I have a 5.1 surround system, and I mostly use the amp and TV with the PS4 Pro. When playing music from the PS4 (using either the USB Music or the Media Player apps), and when watching YouTube videos, I would use the "7ch Stereo" sound field on my old Yamaha amp. This causes the amp to mix the source down to two channels, and then send those to all connected speakers. Specifically, the front and surround left speakers get the left channel, the front and surround right speakers get the right channel, the center speaker gets the mid-range (of both channels), and the subwoofer gets the low end from both channels. This is the only way to get the amp to use the surround L/R speakers, the center speaker, and (most importantly) the subwoofer. Select any other sound field, and you only get sound from the two front speakers.

So, with this new Sony amp, I noticed that even with the "Multi Ch Stereo" sound field, only the front speakers are used (for music and YouTube videos on the PS4). Well, it is a bit more complicated than that. For the Media Player app (but not the USB Music app), I would get sound out of all six speakers within the app, but not when I hit the PS button to return to browse around on the home screen. Of course, everything worked great when playing audio from other sources. Video games worked fine, with full 5.1 surround; FM, Bluetooth, Media Server, and even PS3 music/YouTube all worked fine. It was really just the PS4 -- but the old Yamaha amp didn't have this problem.

I spent a couple of hours (including 45 minutes on chat with Sony support, who were very helpful, I should point out), and eventually I concluded that this is simply how the amp was designed to work. The manual even alludes to it: "...sound may not be output from certain speakers...". So, I initiated a return, and also ordered the cheapest Yamaha amp that supports 4K/HDR and has at least 5 inputs...
Yamaha RX-V681BL 7.2-Channel MusicCast AV Receiver with Bluetooth

Before placing this order, I downloaded the manual for the Yamaha amp, and here's what it says about the "7ch Stereo" sound field (or "program", as Yamaha calls them):

Use this program to output sound from all speakers.
When you play back multi-channel sources, the unit
mixes down the source to 2 channels, and then outputs
the sound from all speakers. This program creates a
larger sound field and is ideal for background music at
parties.

There you have it -- the Sony manual doesn't claim to mix down, but the Yamaha manual does. The Sony manual warns that some speakers may not produce sound, but the Yamaha manual does not. If the Sony offered a mode that would mix down to 2 channels, then send that to all speakers, then this would be a great amp.

So, although I don't have the new Yamaha amp yet, I can point out several differences between the two...

* The Yamaha has AM/FM radio, while the Sony has only FM.
* The Yamaha has a phono input, while the Sony does not.
* The Yamaha has two optical inputs, while the Sony has one.
* The Yamaha has two digital coaxial inputs, while the Sony has one.
* The Yamaha has 4 composite video inputs, while the Sony has 2 (both have a single output).
* The Yamaha has 2 component video inputs, and 1 output, while the Sony has neither.
* The Sony has built-in Chrome Cast Music, but the Yamaha doesn't.
* The Sony has two HDMI outputs, while the Yamaha has one.
* The Yamaha has far more programs/sound fields than the Sony (the Sony has 6 general-purpose, and the Yamaha 18; I'm excluding special-purpose settings like headphones or surround front, that require certain hardware).
* The Yamaha amp labels the inputs (on the remote) as HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc, while the Sony has goofy names like "SA-CD/CD", "BD/DVD", and "GAME", which are unhelpful at best, confusing at worst.
* The Sony makes it easy to switch between Bluetooth transmit/receive (dedicated button on the amp, and also on the remote), while the Yamaha buries this rather deep in a menu.
* The Yamaha has 5 HDMI inputs (3 supporting HDCP 2.2), while the Sony has 6 (all supporting HDCP 2.2).
* The Sony has two inputs that are designed for music, compared to the other four. The "BD/DVD" and "SA-CD/CD" inputs are labeled "for Audio" on the back, and the manual states, "The BD/DVD and SA-CD/CD inputs have better sound quality. When you need a higher sound quality, connect your device to these jacks and select them as the input.". That's just... odd. On the Yamaha, all 5 inputs are equal (except only 3 support HDCP 2.2).
* The Yamaha remote lets you select any input (all 5 HDMI inputs, as well as the other 10 external sources), while the Sony remote has buttons for 5 of the 6 HDMI inputs (the 6th HDMI input, "Video 1", isn't on the remote).
* The Yamaha has indicators that tell you which speakers are in use, while the Sony makes you put your ear up to each one to tell for sure.
* And, of course, the Yamaha has a mode that employs all speakers (for real), while the Sony has a mode that employs all speakers (except when it doesn't).

So, I would say, if you don't have a PS4, this is probably a fantastic amp. However, for (current or potential future) PS4 owners (and, quite possibly, other devices), you won't be able to drive all speakers during certain activities.

Hope this helps people pick the right amp. The lesson I learned is: download and read the manual(s) carefully before deciding.

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MetalMan462

Did not meet my expectations... Dissapointed.

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have been out of the home theater market for several years. The last system I purchased was an old Sony Theater-In-A-Box system back in 2007 where the only digital connected it had was one fiber optic cable - no HDMI ports. After purchasing an LG OLED 4k TV, I felt it was time to finally upgrade the sound system to match the amazing TV.

I started looking into more legit/updated systems. Being out of the home theater game for so long, there was a LOT of new technology to get caught up on. Features like eARC, different DTS and Dolby audio, etc.

When I purchased the Sony STR-DN1080, I was excited. I purchased Polk Audio speakers to go with it. 2 front RTI7a speakers, a s35 center speaker, and a sw111 sub woofer, The Sony did push these speakers well, and it did sound great, Especially when playing music from my phone via Bluetooth.

It was pretty easy to setup as Sony did a good job with the graphical UI that walks you through everything, However, there where SEVRAL things I did not like about this unit and how it functioned. Even after logging in to the internet via wi-fi and updating to the latest firmware, there was a lot of buggy/clunky operation to this unit.

One of the things I was not impressed with was the remote. It is not laid out the best, and I couldn't select all the inputs with ease from it. For example, there is no Bluetooth button on the remote. I would have to physically change to the Bluetooth option on the unit itself, or I would have to turn the TV on and change to Bluetooth via the GIUI. Not a MJOR issue, but annoying to say the least.

The other thing I did not like is how long it took to change between inputs. If I was watching the TiVo through the Cab/Sat input and I wanted to switch to the Xbox One in the 'Game' input, the screen would go black for 4 to 5 seconds before the input would switch, and a lot of the times when it finally switched over, the GUI home screen would come up, and I would have to hit the back button on the remote to go back to the Xbox.

The eARC connection is another issue. Al though it does switch to and from the TV's built in speakers with ease like it should, it would do a lot of weird things. One thing it would constantly do is switch sound settings without me telling it to. I would set it up for Dolby Digital, and it would automatically switch to 'Front Surround' preset for no reason. I would have to hit the 'direct' option to get it to go back, and eventually it would kick right back to 'surround font' processing, often shutting off my center speaker.

My wife is not tech savvy at all, and doesn't always need the surround sound receiver on to watch TV. She is content with the internal TV speakers. So anytime I turned off the receiver, it would turn itself back on anytime she hit an button on the TV remote. No matter what settings I turned on or off in the HDMI section of the receiver in regards to the auto on/off control, it would still do this.

There is just to many clunky bugs and issues with this unit. I purchased this unit at $448.00. 4 days later, it dropped $50 to $398.00. Amazon wouldn't reimburse any of the money unless I return the unit and re-ordered it. Between the sudden price drop and the buggy operations, I decided to look elsewhere in a receiver. The expert over at Cructh field highly recommended a Denon unit. So I went with the Denon AVR-x2500h as they suggested, and it was the same price as the Sony 1080. I ordered it from Crutch field for several reasons, including their policy on pricing. If a price drop happens within 60 days pf purchasing from them, unlike Amazon, they will reimburse you the difference. Their tech support is free for the entire life of the unit, and they have knowledgeable staff about all their products.

I can not begin to tell you how much more happier I am that I went to the Denon. Not only does it operate the way it is suppose (outperforming the Sony), but it sounds even better as well. The remote is laid out better, but even more then that, they have a smart phone remote app for it.

If you are in the market for a entry level receiver, or have the budget to go a bit higher, go with the Denon series. They are amazing units. Sony has good electronics in other categories (TVs, video cameras, pro audio recording gear etc) but their home theater line has really fallen over the years.

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