Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Howdy!
It's been a banner fifteen months. I've been able to slowly upgrade to my A/V system from a crappy one to one of extraordinary magnitude. Yes... my days of watching "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" on the Sony Betamax are over. Now I've been out of the A/V game for some time and have been boning up on what the new technology has to offer. There is amazing gear and technology that is available to people at great prices. The journey I've made, and I'm not talking about the band that replaced Steve Perry with a dude they found on YouTube, has allowed me to update my A/V gear to include the following...
1 Sony STRDN1020 Receiver
1 Sony Bravia NX 800 Series 52' LED TV
1 Sony PS3 Slim 160GB
4 Mediabridge HDMI cables
1 Belkin Subwoofer Cable
Sure I'm a loyal Sony customer, but it's because they have treated me well over the years and I have the stash of still working, but outdated, gear to prove it.
Current SONY holdings...
1 Sony Betamax (1982) Make an offer!
1 Sony VHS Player (1985)
1 SONY HIFI VHS Player (1986)
1 Sony Laserdisc Player (1990)
1 Sony 36" Bravia TV (1995?) Estimated weight 2.56 metric tons
1 Sony 5.1 receiver (1999)
Now I don't want to come off as a Sony snob so I do want to mention that I have the following non-Sony items in my electronic stash.
1 Hasbro Litebrite (1981) Crystal clear pixel display but runs a little hot.
1 Hasbro Easy-Bake Oven (1975) A man's got to eat but runs a little cool.
1 Motorola M500 Bag Phone (1978) Looks great in my 1982 TransCamaro with the T-TopsSo here's my review of the Sony STRDN1020 receiver.
DELIVERY:
It took a week for the arrival but that's because I live in the middle of nowhere (Think Rudolph's trek to the land of broken toys) and didn't pay for expedited shipping. At time of delivery the UPS guy was very impressed with the receiver and it's features having read them off the box. He threw in a pair of complimentary fist bumps. That alone has to be worth one star on the review scale. The box was sealed to protect that "New Stuff Smell".
SETUP:
Well it took longer to extract the old receiver and 83 miles of attached RCA and S-Video cables then it did to install the STRDN1020 and the 3 HDMI, 1 Subwoofer, and 1 network cables. God bless you HDMI inventors wherever you are.
Actual setup was about an hour with 70% of the time spent trying to attach five speakers to the receiver's rear terminals. Folks... PLEASE don't be a cheap a-hole like me... get yourself some banana plugs. I have learned my lesson. NEVER again will I risk peersonal injury to hook up some speakers. Can you really put a price on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? I hope I don't miss any work ... my dog needs braces.
The included manual was easy to follow and there is a chart on how to hook up your speakers and other components. I initialized the receiver and set up the speaker pattern, network, and audio calibration in about fifteen minutes. The GUI is easy to use but not as intuitive as the menus used on Sony's PS3 and TV's, whatever the heck they call it.
SOUND: All Connections VIA HDMI
Bluray VIA PS3 - This rig sounds great. I have a 2002 JBL 5.1 set up and they've never sounded better. Do you know that scene from "The Notebook" where the crew is robbing the armored car? Of course you don't it doesn't exist. God I hate that movie and the unrealistic bar it has set for us working men. Jim Rockford should be ashamed of himself. Anyway... you probably know the opening of the movie "Heat" where Deniro, Waynegrow and the boys, extract some goodies from the armored car. Now I have the movie on VHS HIFI, Laserdisc, DVD, and Bluray so I guess you can say I'm familiar with the audio recordings and playback of each format. The sound of the receiver and bluray was absolutely phenomenal. It really made the movie more intense. I almost called 911 to report a robbery in progress. I can't wait until they release Breakin' 2: Electric Boogalooo bluray. It's 'gonna be some insane sound!
TV - The Audio return channel is a great feature since I utilize our Sony TV to watch Netflix and Amazon on Demand, and to stream my computer's music. All three sources sound awesome and bring more bang to what are already incredible TV features.
PS3 - I played Call of Duty/Black OPS on the PS3 and once again phenomenal sound. In multi-player mode I can now hear those Orange County punks sneaking up behind me. Sure, they still kill me but now they have to look me in the eye when they do it. Backstabbers!
Cable Box - Great Sound. You feel like you are actually in the middle of one of the fights between the Real Housewives of New Jersey until you realize that you aren't because you have your "Stuff" together. Warning! Those A.S.P.C.A commercials with Sarah Mclachlan are now 10 times sadder.
Tuner: Don't useVIDEO:
I have had no video issues. All connections VIA HDMI. The Cable HD looks great. No sync issues with audio and no loss with running the cable through the receiver instead of straight to the TV.
BRAVIA SYNC Sure it's proprietary and only works on Sony gear but it works great. Hooray for me! Proprietary functionality is my one gripe with Sony but you Apple folks have zero right to complain.
Conclusion
I'm looking forward to growing old or should I say older with the receiver. I look forward to firmware updates that may extend the usefulness of the receiver. This may not be the best receiver on the market at the best price but it does everything most people will need and is very simple to operate. With this Sony, I won't have to send my wife to a three day course at a distant Ramada Inn to learn how to operate the damn thing.
I will update this with a review of the network functions once I've had time to utilize them. Also, I don't roll with Apple products so I will not be using the included Ipod dock.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony STRDN1020 7.1 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black)
Maximize your entertainment experience with Sony's STR-DH1020 receiver. Connect seven HD sources,11 listen to your iPod9 and improve the quality of streamed music. Plus, enjoy incredible 7.1 channel sound quality while you watch 3D sports movies and games from connected 3D devices.4 You can even improve video quality to near HD.6 This great receiver also features an easy-to-use control menu for simple control and a convenient audio calibration set-up so you are assured the best possible listening experience
Click here for more information about Sony STRDN1020 7.1 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black)
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