Sony STR-DH190 Stereo Receiver with Phono Input and Bluetooth Connectivity

I needed a quick fix for a 35 year old 2 channel stereo receiver that was getting older. I went for this Sony and I'm very satisfied that I did. It stepped right in where the old Denon left off. It has all that I need for music listening. Set up was straightforward and it plays just wonderfully through the Polk Bookshelves and Subwoofer. I'm not a dedicated audiophile, but this receiver with its specs and pricing makes me very happy. I would not hesitate to purchase this receiver again. It does the job very efficiently.

Good unit with poor FM reception. All other functions work well.

I had the previous model until it died in an accident (it was over 10 years old). I serched out this replacement. Works great with my system speakers and the bluetooth feature is nice.

I purchased this a month ago and installed it in my den. Paired it with a pair of bookshelf speakers. Pretty amazing sound for such an inexpensive receiver.

Backstory: I decided to finally put together a second, smaller hi-fi for my work/study/brainstorming room in the house, as my "main" hi-fi, in the living room, also happens to be tied to the 52" flat-screen above it, and let's just say I don't always have access to it when I'd like to (I'm the big music person here, she's the big TV/movie person). I already had two of the required components to pull out of mothballs (turntable and cassette deck, both solid quality if a tad old), so I just needed speakers, CD player, and, of course, a receiver to (paraphrasing the Dude) tie it all together. Decided to go completely old-school, since the type of receiver I was after (two-channel-only, non-geeky control layout) is rare as hen's teeth brand-new on the market, or so I initially thought.

So: got a nice used CD player. Scored a great pair of "true" bookshelf speakers (I've seen self-described "bookshelf" speakers that might fit a shelf at the New York Public Library, but not any shelf of anyplace I've actually lived), and what at first seemed a cool old receiver. Worked swell for a few weeks, then developed issues with output. After attempting a fix, I decided to sideline it and try another receiver. Receiver #2 sounded a good deal nicer, and looked the part, so I thought I was set…until it decided to lose most of its right-channel output. I knew what the problem was, but couldn't take care of it in a timely fashion, so *that* was consigned to the basement next to Vintage Receiver #1. I decided that the third go-round *had* to be the charm, so I decided to buy the best I could find without going crazy price-wise.

I wasn't too hopeful: having once been in the hi-fi biz, I knew that almost everything below a certain price-point would be over-festooned home-theater stuff, which I've never had an interest here; the more music-centric gear is seriously good, but also seriously pricey, and since I already *had* a seriously-good 'fi, I wasn't in the hunt for superlative performance, just something that was decent enough for a would-be audiophile like me to just sit back, forget about the gear and dig the music. Not very hopeful, I did some absent-minded Googling, and that's where I came across Wirecutter's review of receivers, and their surprising top pick…surprising, because I'd missed the Sony among all the "cheap-seats" receivers i'd already seen. And the more I read about their pick, and why they picked it, the more-intrigued I became. Checked a few other sources for reviews, and decided to give the Sony a shot: at that price I didn't have much to lose, and this time, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't be stuck with it.

Glad I did. First thing out of the way: yes, it punches quite a bit above its weight (and price-point), sounding better than any mainstream receiver selling new for well under 200 bucks has a right to. Is the best thing I've ever heard? No…because I've listened to and owned some heavy-hitting gear in the past, and set up even heavier-hitting systems for others. Keep your expectations real and I doubt you'll be disappointed. A few have critiqued the receiver for sounding "flat", particularly in regard to bass response. My ears and experience tell me the receiver isn't goosing-up the bass for the sake of immediate impression. There's a difference between *more* bass and *good* bass, and I'll aways choose the latter over the former. In the case of my tiny bookshelf speakers, there's only an issue at very low volume. Solution? set the bass to +2, and I'm good. (Not a problem at higher volume levels, BTW.)

Input: Yes, a Phono input. Didn't think I'd find one in something this low-priced. Better still, it's actually quite good overall: set up my "revived" AR XA turntable and had several hours of fun pulling vinyl from the shelves, which is usually a good sign – come for the sound, stay for the tunes. (Bonus: you can adjust the gain in the Phono section, via remote, to match the output of your other music sources.)

Line Inputs: It has enough of them (4, not counting the 3.5mm input jack in front), and not only are they easily controllable (via controls on the receiver or remote), but you can change each input's name, also via remote, to reflect the source component connected (CD, Tape, FLAC…or whatever comes to mind). A nice little touch.

And, speaking of that remote: some have griped that you can only access certain functions via that remote, preferring buttons and knobs, and "what do I do if I lose or break the remote?" My response is (1) I *much* prefer the "minimalist" approach Sony took here, steering 180 degrees from the airliner-flight-desk approach too many AV receivers have taken up until fairly recently. The controls I likely would frequently use are large and up-front: Volume (large, and surprisingly less cheap-feeling than I was led to expect, though still not as solid-feeling as old-school stuff), Source-select, and Power (natch). There's a narrow row of buttons for controlling speaker selection (A/B), tuner function, Display, Dimmer, Bluetooth, and a tone-control bypass function Sony calls Pure Direct. Everything else, which to mind mind might rarely if ever be tweaked by most folks, is accessible via the remote.

About that remote: Sony's taken the less-is-more approach even here, and for me that's a godsend: way too many companies have crammed an immense number of buttons on their remotes, too many of them identical in size and shape, with descriptive lettering so small under each button (lookin' at you, Yamaha) that you might need a magnifying glass to get things right, even if you're far from geezer-aged. You can get to grips with the Sony in fairly short time, and likely get to the point of manipulating the basic functions by "feel" alone.

There's a lot of remote-ness to love: tone controls are strictly via remote, as are things like tuner presets (30 in total, but you can have your three favorite stations programmed into three buttons on the remote, which – get this – will also turn on the receiver if it's turned off at the time), and the "Amp Menu", which can do even more than I care to get into here, but rest assured that the process isn't nearly as arcane as your typical 7.1 home-theater behemoth. And it's nearly all worthwhile.

A few notable party tricks:

- Bluetooth Standby: After you pair a smartphone to the receiver, you can turn on the receiver from the phone.

- Standby Mode: The receiver will turn itself off after 20 minutes in the absence of any playback activity (except FM tuner operation).

- The Dimmer function has three positions for the display: Normal, Dim, and Off. In the "Off" position, the display remains off until you utilize the remote, in which case the display softly lights up to display the current status and/or change you've made, then turns off again. Once upon a time, you paid dearly for stuff like this.

Caveats:

Much has been made about the speaker terminals. Yes, I wish they'd equipped the thing with something beefier. But, belies it or not, I've suffered with flimsier examples of this type of connector in components where the particles involved should've known better, especially at the prices being asked. (And, yes, you can go as large as 14-gauge speaker cable with this, which is plenty–more is overkill IMO, and you could manage with a bit less. Again, we're not going for world-records here.)

The FM Antenna: This is one area where I'm afraid Sony messed up, but even here there's a fix: Sony elected to use an oddball antenna connector for FM reception, and the wire they include is indeed pathetic. But…that connector is the same kind that is used for battery-connectors in things like cordless landline phones, and are accessible through numerous parties online. All you need is to get one, connect the wires to a conventional antenna hookup, and you're good.

So: Yes, for the price, this thing is ridiculously good. Yes, of course, you can find something "better", but unless you blow a good deal more cash for an esoteric brand, you'll also likely be paying for a ton of other stuff you may not want or need, which does little more than get in the way of what you *do* want and need, especially if music is the main thing, if not the only thing, you care about.

Highly Recommended.

I purchased this product 5 days ago and am very satisfied with the quality of the product!

Bought it yesterday. Easy to hook up, good sound, easy to use remote.

A lot of options, great price. Sounds great, and performs. I made a good purchase. I Like!!

This was easy to set up and works great, I would recommend to a friend

This receiver has 100W/Ch and also connects via Bluetooth to a phone or other audio sources. The display is classic Sony with the option to shut off the display to minimize digital noise, they call it Pure Direct. It does make a noticeable improvement especially for soft passages. The unique feature is a built-in phono preamp for vinyl fans. It can even adjust the gain in 1dB steps to+/- 6dB. In recent listening tests and distortion comparisons it out performed Receivers costing much more. It's a fantastic value at inder $150.

I bought this because people seemed to like the iPhone/Bluetooth/Airplay features. It’s really great! I can be anywhere in my house and Bluetooth stands by in sleep mode waiting for me to activate it on my phone. I bought a pair of outdoor speakers and hooked them up by the pool. Sounds great! Even when the neighbors dogs start barking and I’m laying in bed I can grab my iPhone and activate Bluetooth and blast “German Metal Music” at full volume through this receiver! It really does the job on those barking dogs. My neighbors quickly bring their dogs inside. I give it 5 stars!

Easy to operate and self efficient. So far the best dang receiver I have ever purchased from Sony and not expensive at all.

Easy to set up and sounds great. Well designed remote control.

BLUE TOOTH IS A NICE FEATURE ADDITION. EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY

Does everything I wanted including reading and playing the chip.

After deliberating over so many low cost no-name AMPs, I'm thrilled with the results from this unit. Hooked up with a 12 yr old TV, a new Sony Blue-ray cd player and 20 yr old Acoustic speakers ( the infamous "White Van" speakers.) I feel like I'm in the theater. With crisp highs and room filling lows, I can't stop watching movies. especially action/adventure. Classical music is wonderful too.

Needs more Capsters to make it more powerful. It's ok But! Weak?

It is very easy to operate and the quality of the product is amazing

Just bought this a couple of days ago and just set it up to my old (big) Fishers in the garage. Have been wanting to set up a receiver in the garage. I spend a lot of time there and have missed the music since my old receiver died. easy set up and has all of the features I need. excellent unit for the money.

Love it, Love it, Love it! So glad I bought this. It was to replace a Pioneer receiver from the mid 80s. Always had a problem with both speakers working at the same time (only one usually), plus monotonous trying to tune in to FM and AM channels. All of my other stereo components are Sony. I've always had great satisfaction and enjoyment with them, no repairs and great longevity. Always have been dedicated to the brand and not disappointed this time. Bought it because was one of the few receivers that had inputs for a turntable. Also, it had inputs for a double cassette deck and compact disc player with two vacant inputs remaining. What a difference with the FM stations and tuning, sound quality and ease of tuning with up to 30 channel presets possible. It's a perfect fit, love all the features, the quality and affordability. You did it again, Sony!

I was looking for a replacement for my very old receiver. I needed a replacement that would accept a phono (record turntable) input. The Sony STR-DH190 was one of the few I could find that would do that. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it also had Bluetooth connectivity as well as a front jack for connecting portable devices.
Not only do I have my Record Turntable connected, but I run my TV audio through it, and I use the portable device jack to connect my Korg synthesizer keyboard! I also use Bluetooth to connect my phone, tablet, and desktop computer. Every function works just as expected. I am very pleased with this purchase!

Bought this for my wife who enjoys listening to vinyl records. The remote control makes using this receiver a breeze and it was exactly what she needed. Worked perfectly otu of the box. Sounds very good !

had it 2days works great with 4 speakers out side no problems hearing them.

I bought this on the advice of the best buy rep. he told me I could operate it from outside by the pool with the remote. It does not it has to be in the line of sight of the receiver. Also there is not an app from Sony that will let me control the receiver other than playing my music through it using bluetooth fom Amazon Prime.

easy to set up and everything works. FM reception is a little weak, so I cannot get stations 50 miles away.

THE BLUETOOTH IS EASY PAIRING, AND THE CLEAR CRISP SOUND WHEN USING THE BLUETOOTH IS WONDERFUL FOR AN OLD HARD OF HEARING PERSON AS I AM. PAIRED UP WITH A COUPLE OF SONY SPEAKERS WHICH REALLY COMPLIMENT THE SOUND. RATED GOOD BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF AN AM BAND. I ENJOY TALK RADIO AND I WILL HAVE TO USE MY PORTABLE SONY FOR THAN I GUESS. ONE MORE MISSING PIECE OF CONNECTION IS THE FM ANTENNA CHOICE OF HOOKUPS. I CAN NOT HOOK MY PERSONAL ANTENNA FOR FM RECEPTION. THE SONY CONNECTION WORKS OK BUT I LISTEN TO RADIO FROM OTHER CITIES AND NEED THAT FM EXTERNAL TYPE F CONNECTION.

Easy set up and love it!! Price range fit my budget and was able to hook up all my other componets. Figured everything out by myself. Didn't even need instructions.

Beyond very satisfied. Great reception. No distortion. Great separation.

wating a mont to lisen my music .....but so happy ....really......thanks

i happy i brought it good sound system easy too use

Two products I like a lot is Sony and sharp as far as audio receivers and HGDTV. And I also like the three years warranty that I got. I pay a little more. But in the long run it's good to have.

I just bought this product so I can use it with my CD Player. The installation is so easy specially when I connected a timer to play my CD player with the Sony Stereo Receiver so that wife and I listen to our music at night before going to bed.

Phono input died after 1 year and one month, just long enough to be out of warranty. Maybe played 20 albums. Worst receiver ever.

This product arrived on time in great condition! It works as advertised, and we are very pleased with it!

I've been using it for a few days now and I am in love with it! It has all the features I need plus more! I love the ability to expand on it and add more equipment easily. The only negative thing I can think of, if I have to not-pick, is the fact that the remote is essential to do many things outside the basic volume and mode selection. However, this does allow for a clean minimalist appearance of the console without all the extra buttons.

Receiver is a great fit for both older Audio Components and most-modern ones, as well. I have my Turntable, Cassette Player, Disc Player--all plugged into the Receive and it sounds great with my older Speakers. Additionally, with iPod and Bluetooth Inputs, it's as modern as today.

I am happy with all of the features and capabilities of this product except for one. It is limited to 6 ohms minimum with two speaker sets. Essentially, this means that I cannot hook up two speaker sets, because no speakers are readily available at greater than 8 ohms.

This is to replace a Pioneer unit that finally died after 45 years. This new unit incorporates several improvements especially FM tuning and phone preamp.

The only concern it's a I need more volume. Too dark display, need to be more clear

Beautiful receiver. Perfect to power my Audio Technica professional Turntable

I bought this product last month and I just love the added feature it has. It's everything I needed in a reciever

Just received and hooked up finally have the sound I want. Very nice product.

My previous Sony receiver finally began to show its age (over 15 years old). This updated model with Bluetooth connectivity fits right into my system. It recognized all my devices with ease.

Doesn’t work right out of the box I need help bought off of amazon.

I love this unit. Easy to set up, sounds great, love the remote feature.

Easy to set up Works great Price is right Can extra speakers

I just picked up my stereo receiver last night. I hooked it up this morning. it sounds great.
I don't get many stations where I live. The antenna is not great as I cannot get any country stations. I have an FM Antenna but the connection is not the same. So I have to just deal with it. I wish there was a better FM Antenna. My last receiver that died after 5 years and I paid over $800.00 for it, I could hook up my FM Antenna and I got more stations with it. If I stand there and hold the antenna that came with this stereo receiver I get more stations. LOL. But I cannot stand there all day holding the FM Antenna.
Other than that, this is a great component for the price I paid. Lets hope this lasts longer.
Debbie

I bought this a month ago approximately and I recommend it to my brother.

I just got it set up yesterday and am very happy so far, sound quality is good and it has all of the features that I need. Setup was straightforward.

After a lot of research I decided on the Sony receiver for the reviews that were mostly positive. I have used it extensively for about a month, mostly with my new turntable and speakers. Great sound .plenty of inputs.and love the Bluetooth feature. Only negative is it won’t connect to Bluetooth output. Bluetooth is input only.