Sony STR-DH190 Stereo Receiver Reviewed

[Billy Budapest]

I received a lemon from bestbuy, could've returned it and got the money back, but they didn't have another unit and I thought this was worth trying a warranty service request. They made me send the receiver back to their service center in Syrcayse, NY, with postage all paid for, to and from Kansas City. Apparently they changed the main board and sent back to me in less than 2 weeks. Not bad, considering I was expecting them to get me a brand new one!

Is it a bad thing to have the main board changed, I mean in terms of long term reliability and/or audio quality?
Anyways, I think the time is past to take it back to best buy for returns and I seem to like this one, using it for my home office desktop. I had it initially hooked up to Klipsch R-41M, but didn't like how the speaker performed on the desktop, so got the old sony ss-b1000 gathering dust in my basement and am pleasantly surprised. It's no audiophile speaker, but it sounds much more balanced than the more expensive Klipsch!

So far I've been streaming spotify premium over blueooth, and this receiver has bluetooth 4.2, which seems to support 44.1KHz sampling, and is probably good enough for streaming music.

I am thinking about getting either as an upgrade

https://audioengineusa.com/shop/adapters/b-fi-multiroom-music-streamer/
https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Link-Stream-stereo-system/dp/B0798DVZCY

Which one would be an ideal upgrade over the bluetooth streaming on this reciever? Echo link has a subwoofer out, supports higher sampling rates, but it's a bit confusing!

Where as this for audio engine


Generally the reviews seem to favor the audioengine, but specs seem to be a bit better for the echo link. My primary use would be streaming music over wifi.

If you use the Amazon Echo/Alexa ecosystem, and especially if you use Amazon Music (although many of the other major music streaming systems are also supported, including Apple Music), then the Echo Link is a no-brainer. Keep in mind that you have to use either a standalone Amazon Echo to control it or need to use the Alexa app on a phone to control it. It downsamples everything to 24/48 (just like Apple does with AirPlay 2) but for most streaming services that doesn’t matter at all.

Accessing streaming music over wifi instead of Bluetooth will give you a marked improvement in sound quality. The Bluetooth SBC and AptX codecs are really poor. AptX is touted to be an improvement but it really isn’t that much of one. With most streaming services, the music is already lossily compressed for streaming (usually to mp3, AAC, or another MPEG-4 container codec) and if you then stream over Bluetooth, you are again lossily compressing that already compressed signal, using a much poorer performing codec!

 

[bansuri]

Some positive feedback on this receiver lately on Youtube channel:

 

[amirm]

Some positive feedback on this receiver lately on Youtube channel:

It is useless clickbait. This video was actually the motivation for Gene to put out the video he did using my review info.

 

[HorizonsEdge]

I was really happy when I picked this up last year. It failed within 11 months (

 

[VintageFlanker]

It is useless clickbait. This video was actually the motivation for Gene to put out the video he did using my review info.

Definitely.

My misconception was to see Darko as the biggest subjectivist influencer of Audiophile YT, but Andrew Robinson stole the show... By quite a margin.

 

[TheWalkman]

I’ve been running a Sony STR-190 since June of ‘18 into a pair of Elac UF5s for hours every day in it‘s working great. For the $120 I paid, it‘s a great little receiver. I’m primarily streaming via an Amazon Echo, playing the radio or streaming from Volumio via an R-Pi.

As a side note, for fun, I’m also running a parallel Niles 2150 with a RPi3 based Volumio streamer into the same Elac speakers. The Niles amp sounds more open and spatial and seems to have more headroom. It also cost 3X as much.

That said, I’ve had several friends ask about recommendations for an entry level audio system and I‘ve gladly recommend the Sony with a pair of Elacs or JBL 530s as their gateway system.

 

[krott5333]

so what ever happened with the warranty and Sony?

 

[Billy Budapest]

It is useless clickbait. This video was actually the motivation for Gene to put out the video he did using my review info.

So what you’re saying is he saw your review, didn’t like what you found, and decided it was his duty to be Sony’s marketing arm and put out a review praising the receiver? And then Gene put out the video in response with the warning not to use 4 Ohm speakers?

 

[Daniel Simion]

I have this amp and I'm using it with a pair of Dali 4B speakers, which are 4 ohms, and it does not get hot at all even when I leave it on for all day long. I also have a Sony TA-2650 from the '70s and I think the vintage one is just a tad better in the bass and HF area. I was planning to buy a Emotiva BasX A-150 and using it with a Topping DX3 Pro V2 as a preamp, but I am not sure is a good idea. Ca you please help me with an advice? Wich one do you think is better? I do not have the possibility to listen the Emotiva before buying. Thank you!

 

[Bolas]

Good day, thanks for the detailed review. Very helpful info!
Looking for for a comparable FM Receiver with option to hookup Phone and CD Player.......Thx!

 

[AdamG]

Good day, thanks for the detailed review. Very helpful info!
Looking for for a comparable FM Receiver with option to hookup Phone and CD Player.......Thx!

Welcome Aboard @Bolas.

 

[Boris Badinov]

Good day, thanks for the detailed review. Very helpful info!
Looking for for a comparable FM Receiver with option to hookup Phone and CD Player.......Thx!

You can connect a phone to this amp thru the aux jack on the front or thru bluetooth, also can connect the CD thru the audio input jacks on the back of the amp.

 

[MarkWinston]

Does anyone here know what frequencies are affected when the treble setting is adjusted on this amp?

 

[Hi-res-user]

I happen to have this receiver. I tried listening with my AKG K240 DF connected to this receiver’s headphone jack. The source is my iPhone ( Jellyfin in it) through a Monoprice USB DAC connected to the 3.5mm jack in the front of the receiver. I like the sound. It is clear. Maybe I will just use this receiver as my headphone amp.

 

[Hi-res-user]

After reading somewhere that some people connect their headphones to their receivers’ output for speakers, I made a simple connector for connecting the headphones to the receiver’s output for speakers, with an audio extension cord for cell phones (with a 3.5mm female connector at one end). I also confirmed the output for speakers on this receiver has common ground. Then I connected my AKG K240DF to that connector. The sound is good. The reason why I did that is that I don’t know whether the headphone jack on this receiver outputs enough voltage to the K240DF. By connecting the K240DF to the output for speakers, I have some kind of assurance that the K240DF gets enough voltage, I guess. Is there anything wrong in doing this?

 

[LTig]

After reading somewhere that some people connect their headphones to their receivers’ output for speakers, I made a simple connector for connecting the headphones to the receiver’s output for speakers, with an audio extension cord for cell phones (with a 3.5mm female connector at one end). I also confirmed the output for speakers on this receiver has common ground.

This can be very dangerous for the power amps. I did the same many years ago with a 6.35mm female plug and when I plugged in the headphone the temporary short cut created by the plug killed both power amp stages since they had no short cut protection . Luckily I could get replacement parts for all blown active circuits and could repair it by myself. So if you do this add a 4 ohm resistor in series with each channel.

 

[Hi-res-user]

This can be very dangerous for the power amps. I did the same many years ago with a 6.35mm female plug and when I plugged in the headphone the temporary short cut created by the plug killed both power amp stages since they had no short cut protection . Luckily I could get replacement parts for all blown active circuits and could repair it by myself. So if you do this add a 4 ohm resistor in series with each channel.

Thanks for the feedback. Also I clearly heard hissing noise from 300 ohm headphones connected to this simple connector, whereas I hear no noise from 600 ohm headphones. I guess connecting to the speaker out is not a good idea, considering both the risk and noise. I may as well use the headphone jack on the front; it already sounds good.

 

[Hi-res-user]

The more I use this Sony receiver as a headphone amp, the more I like the sound. Although there is no measurement of the headphone part of the receiver (at least I haven’t seen any), I suspect it should measure well. To my untrained ears, the sound is uncolored and clear. The headphones I used include Sennheiser HD540 and AKG K240DF.

 

[TheWalkman]

The more I use this Sony receiver as a headphone amp, the more I like the sound. Although there is no measurement of the headphone part of the receiver (at least I haven’t seen any), I suspect it should measure well. To my untrained ears, the sound is uncolored and clear. The headphones I used include Sennheiser HD540 and AKG K240DF.

It’s a great little receiver (I’m listening to my Sony as I type this comment). I really recommend it as an entry level receiver for someone who wants to pull out their earbuds and see what we once called, “hi-fidelity music” really sounds like.

Paired with a raspberry pi streamer or a cellphone and some reasonable speakers (Elacs, JBL, etc.), $500 buys a great system to start one’s addiction.

 

[JWAmerica]

Does anyone here know what frequencies are affected when the treble setting is adjusted on this amp?

I'd also like to know what frequencies are changed by the Sony eq, but I have not measured it. I have a DG820, but I have a feeling it will be similar if not the same.