Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I wanted to take the time and share my experience with the new Sony DN1070 receiver. I am upgrading this receiver from a Sony DN1060 7.2 receiver. The only reason I am upgrading the receiver is for more HDCP 2.2 complaint HDMI ports and HDR compatibility. I loved my 1060 and since this model is basically the exact same with more 2.2 ports I felt it was the perfect upgrade. For the short and sweet breakdown of the receiver in my opinion please scroll down to the summery The complete break down of the receiver can be found immediately below. Sound Quality: the sound quality of this machine in this price range is outstanding and audibly identical to the 1060. Selecting the right receiver is often regarded as the most complicated decision one can make when trying to establish a home theater. One of the great things about this receiver is the very low total harmonic distortion (THD). This is used as an indicator to how accurately the receiver can reproduce the sound provided by the signal. Not many receivers will match the low THD is this price range which is why this receiver immediately made my list of receivers I wanted to research. THD might not be the best source for sound quality at normal volume but buying over the internet this can give you a good indication of the quality components used in the machine. Once hooked up I used a decibel meter to match each speaker and set up the distance measured using a tape measure. The set will allow for auto calibration of your speakers but I have yet to see a set that could do this more accurately than taking the 10 minutes or so to do it yourself. If you do not own a decibel meter there are apps on both apple and android that are fairly accurate and make this a very simple yet effective step in improving overall sound quality. Once finished I listed to a range of music to fully test the capabilities of the receiver such as orchestra, classic rock, and even some rap music. The music sounded amazing, and the orchestra on a 5.1+ receiver is truly mind blowing and a must try! . This receiver does not come with the newest Dolby format which does sound incredible I will admit and this missing feature can be a disappointment for some. I personally do not have the space or money to have a complete Atmos setup so this was not factored into the review. User Interface: the user interface of both machines are light years ahead of the older receivers and much much better than sonys offerings just a few short years ago. They are well laid out and makes adjustments such as number of speakers, speaker layout, and speaker level very easy to adjust. The layout is something you want to play with once and forget about so I wont go into tremendous detail here. 4K: the past year I upgraded my TV to a 70" 4K television and one of the main features I was looking for is 2.2 compliance and full HDR support. This means it has the ability to pass through 4K at 60hz at 4:4:4 which for anyone planning on hooking up a computer through it such as a HTPC this is a huge plus. It will also fully support the new 4K blu ray players that have released recently. The HDR support will allow you to be "semi future proof" for at least 3 years. I say semi because there is no such things as truly future proof in the electronics world. CEC: In the past I have never used this feature since it always gave me headaches. I tried it out fully expecting something to mess up and not turn on or off but instead to this day I am still using it and when it works (which it works flawlessly on both receivers) it is a great feature to have. Overall I am very very pleased with both of my purchases. With all the new line of receivers out I highly suggest giving this receivers a strong consideration. I bought this receiver with realistic expectations and since then have been nothing short of blown away. The Sony receivers output a warmer more true sound which I have grown very fond of. This included with how highly rated the DN1000 series receivers have been over the past 3 generations made this purchase a no brainer for me. If you have any questions regarding the receiver please reply to my posting and I will try and answer them as soon as possible. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed my review!!. Summery: Features: 10 Setting layout (GUI): 10 Sound accuracy: 9 Low end sound reproduction; 8 High end sound reproduction: 9 mid range sound; 9 connectability: 10 sound field options: 8 Looks:7.5 Overall: 9/10 or 4.5 stars For those new to Sony Products below is a list of all the receiver audio features and what they mean. 1) DSD direct stream digital - This is the equivalent of "Auto" on a Denon. It can be used for any format the receiver supports, any supported channel count from Mono to 7.1, and any input used (HDMI/Optical/Coaxial/Analog/Network/AirPlay/Bluetooth/USB). It is the sound field you would use if you don't want the receiver to add any surround effects to the audio. Whatever the native channel count of the content is, that is what the receiver puts out (provided you have at least that many speakers connected to the receiver). It only downmixes if you have fewer speakers connected than are originally contained within the content. Note: if you have a subwoofer connected then the receiver will use the crossover settings you input during setup to generate an LFE signal for frequencies below the crossover point. So, if you want to listen to your 2 channel content in 2.1 with a sub, this is the sound field you would want to use. 2) Multi Stereo - Outputs 2 channel left/right or monaural signals from all speakers. However, sound may not be output from certain speakers depending on the speaker setup. 3) 2 Channel Stereo - The receiver outputs the sound from the front left/right speakers only. There is no sound from the subwoofer. Standard 2 channel stereo sources completely bypass the sound field processing and multi channel surround formats are downmixed to 2 channels. Movie mode. All sound fields in this mode alter the audio in some way, either adjusting reverb, upmixing, adjusting frequency response, or some combination thereof. There are 7 sound fields in this mode, counting the 3 different settings for HD D.C.S. 1) HD D.C.S. - Digital Cinema Sound (HD-D.C.S.) is Sony’s new innovative home theater technology using the latest acoustic and digital signal processing technologies. It is based on precise response measurement data of a mastering studio. With this mode, you are able to enjoy Blu- ray and DVD movies at home with not only the high quality of sound, but also the best sound ambience, just as the movie’s sound engineer intended in the mastering process. As mentioned above there are 3 different HD D.C.S. settings. a) Dynamic - This setting is suitable for an environment which is reverberant but lacks a spacious feeling (where sound absorption is not sufficient). It emphasizes the reflection of sound and reproduces the sound of a large, classical movie theater. Thus, the spacious feeling of a dubbing theater is emphasized and a unique acoustic field is created. b) Theater - This setting is suitable for a general living room. It reproduces the reverberation of sound just like in a movie theater (dubbing theater). It is most appropriate for watching content recorded on a Blu-ray Disc when you want the atmosphere of a movie theater. c) Studio - This setting is suitable for a living room with the appropriate sound equipment. It reproduces the reverberation of sound provided when a theatrical sound source is remixed for a Blu-ray Disc to a volume level suitable for home use. The level of reflection and reverberation of sound is kept to the minimum. However, dialogues and surround effects are reproduced vividly. 2) PLII Movie - Performs Dolby Pro Logic II Movie mode decoding. This setting is ideal for movies encoded in Dolby Surround. In addition, this mode can reproduce sound in 5.1 channel for watching videos of overdubbed or old movies. 3) PLIIx Movie - Performs Dolby Pro Logic IIx Movie mode decoding. This setting expands Dolby Pro Logic II Movie or Dolby Digital 5.1 to discrete 7.1 movie channels. This setting is only available if your speaker setup includes rear surrounds a.k.a. surround backs. 4) PLIIz Movie - Performs Dolby Pro Logic IIz mode decoding. This setting can expand a source sound from a 5.1 channel to a 7.1 channel to which a vertical equipment is applied, and gives a dimension of presence and depth. This setting is only available if your speaker setup includes front heights a.k.a front presence speakers. 5) Neo:6 Cinema - Performs DTS Neo:6 Cinema mode decoding. A source recorded in 2 channel format is decoded into 7 channels. More often than not you will want to set the receiver to Direct and leave it. This sound field will take care of the speaker routing automatically without adding any additional reverbage etc.