Sony STR-DN1010 7.1-Channel A/V Receiver (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Pros:1) Has the blue LED that indicates the receiver is decoding multi-channel audio (for me this was great because my previous receiver had it)2) Has HDMI pass through and support for 3D3) GUI mode is great and works flawlessly when you use it to connect all your peripherals. Setting individual speaker distances and volumes is a breeze and makes it much less of a chore seeing the visual of your system4) Has bi-amp capabilities and Speaker A/B for having Front High or Surround Backs or just a dual front (by activating A and B speaker sets at the same time). I personally like double stacking front speakers.5) It is sleek and looks good with the mostly button and knob-less front.6) Assignable component inputs for seeing which video source it is hooked into.7) ALL signals are sent out the HDMI out cable. This includes standard analog connections like RCA and Component, as well as digital video and audio sources such as S/PDIF connections and other HDMI sources. You need only 1 cable into your HDTV.8) Up-converts all analog sources to 1080p. My Wii looks fantastic running through this receiver using the component cable adapter.9) The receiver and my TV learned the input selections based on the receivers current selection. Now when I select PC or Game, etc on the tv's input it automatically switches to the corresponding audio input on the receiver. It also shuts off when I turn the TV off now. I think that is pretty awesome, considering my TV is a completely different brand. My previous receiver was pretty old so maybe this isn't news for anybody but I thought it was freakin' sweet. Especially because I didn't program anything to make this happen.10) My previous receiver would never activate the subwoofer when watching something that was 2.0 audio. With this receiver, no matter what I'm watching, my front, center, and sub are always on and working. I love it.Cons:1) The manual is a LITTLE overwhelming at first, but this is to be expected. There are SO many features and functions to this receiver, it takes a while to let it all become natural using it. But after a couple days behind the remote, you will never go back. Also, be sure to check the online version of the manual on Sony's website, which is in PDF form so it is easily search-able for specific terms.2) Front of the receiver is a fingerprint nightmare. But honestly, who actually goes up and presses anything on they receiver? Use the remote and avoid smudges. Everything will be ok. I promise.3) The screw down speaker wire things are kinda on the "cheap plastic" side of the scale in terms of other receivers I have used, but in the end they worked just fine and after a few times tightening and loosening them they got easier to turn and worked as good as anything else. I prefer the screw down ones to the retention clip ones as those can easily pull out. These can't. I got a great deal on this receiver, so I don't expect miracles. Especially when paying any less than $700 for any receiver.Other Thoughts:The overall sound quality produced by this receiver is great. Digital decoding is what this thing was made for. If you are not using a digital receiver with a media center that is setup to send digital surround sound to it, you are missing out. I thought it sounded clear and good with my last Sony, but the sound clarity and surround effects have never been so pronounced and good sounding. And with support for all the new digital decoding such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master, I'm set for a while. And if I decide to take the plunge and get a 3D compatible TV, I already have a receiver capable of passing that information through it.Good stuff to test your receiver's sound:- The first flight scene in How to Train Your Dragon, when they crash into the rock faces a few times. That whole bit is amazing when you are using the receiver to decode the digital audio.- The title sequence on 2 Fast 2 Furious. The swirling color's sound on the actual title sound crazy decoding DTS 5.1- Any good hip-hop from a digital audio source (I like 1080p music videos with HD audio)- Any space flight scene from any digital audio source (I like the scene in the new Star Trek movie where they are in the field of debris).My Speakers:Front Highs -  Sony SS-B3000 Bookshelf Speakers with 8-Inch Woofer (Pair, Black) Front Lows -  Sony SSF-5000 Floor Standing 3-way Speaker (Pair) Surround Backs -  Sony SS-B1000 5 1/8-Inch Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) Center Channel -  Sony SS-CN5000 Dual 5.25" Center Channel Speaker (each, black) Subwoofer -  Sony SA-W3000 Performance Line 12" 180-Watt Subwoofer (each, black)

This Sony receiver has it's good points and bad points. The good--being able to output sound and picture though HDMI is a great convenience. I was able to eliminate so many cords (not to mention an HDMI switcher and a digital audio switcher) after installing this I could barely fit all the unused cords in my junk drawer. The sound is ok, not great. There are a lot of ways to manipulate it so I'm still hoping to improve it through modification but as for now I would say that my old Sony Surround Receiver and my newer Insignia Surround Receiver (which is the low end Best Buy house brand) both sounded better. But this receiver does have all of the inputs you could possibly need. It also works well with my Harmony One universal remote. One note of caution though--I purchased banana plugs from Amazon but they were taking forever to arrive. I finally couldn't wait any longer and decided to attach the speaker wires directly to the receiver plugs. BIG MISTAKE. This receive has the worst speaker jacks I have ever come across. They are too large and too close together and getting all the speaker wire hooked up was a beast. I would recommend that anyone who purchases this receiver definitely purchase banana plugs as well unless you have a lot of patience and very small fingers. This is a good value for the money but the sound isn't great. If high quality sound is a must and you have the money for something better this is not the receiver for you. If you are on a tight budget and want a receiver with a lot of features and inputs then this is a pretty good one for the money.

Introduction:So, I finally found myself in a position to upgrade my home audio. For many years I used and rather enjoyed my 5 dic DVD changing home theater in a box (Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA Home Theater System) but still didn't feel like I was getting the full audio experience out of my movies and music. Since I recently purchased a new 3D TV  Samsung UN55C7000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D LED HDTV (Black)  and I already had a  PlayStation 3 160 GB  I figured my best option was to find an A/V receiver that would make the most of the 3D Blu-Ray functionality of the PS3 and the Samsung UN55C7000. After much research, and slowly piecing together a 7.1 collection of quality speakers, I decided to take a gamble and purchase the Sony STR-DN1010.Initial Setup:When the STR-DN1010 arrived via UPS I was excited. Upon unboxing, I immediately noticed the sleek and contemporary design and was pleased that it went so well with the decor in the family room. Having already run the speaker wires all I needed to do was; connect the wires to the appropriate receiver ports; connect the PS3, DVR/cable box, and TV; and plug the receiver's power in.I open the user manual and it takes you through the usual inital setup steps I previously accomplished, so I flip to the speaker calibration section. Included in the box is a Auto-Calibration microphone which works surprisingly well. All I needed to do was plug it into the front of the receiver and follow the steps in the manual. This is where it gets a little complicated. I wanted to manually adjust my speaker but was having trouble navigating the on-screen GUI (graphical user interface). Response from the GUI had slight latency issues (as in it wasn't a 1:1 response from the remote commands). The manual seems to be made for above average tech consumer but I managed to figured most of it out and everything worked flawlessly.Audio and Video Performance:After everything was tweaked to my liking I first tested the audio performance from the cable box. Sound was great for the most part but after cycling through the numerous sound modes I noticed that in Sports mode audio sounds like someone speaking into a plastic tube, this was a minor complaint. Sports in general look and sound phenominal.Next I tested Blu-Ray performance via the PS3. I checked the audio quality using The Matrix Blu-Ray on the scene where Neo and Trinity break into the building where the agents have Morpheus held captive. From the booming shotgun fire to the loud thud of guards getting kicked to the high twinkling of expended shells hitting the floor, I was in awe of the clarity of sound not to mention the crisp quality of video. Next I checked out the 3D video quality of Despicable Me 3D. Absolute perfection I couldnt find a thing to complain about here.Since I had a  Sony TDM-IP1 Digital Media Port iPod Dock  from my previous home theater in a box I connected it to the receiver and plopped my ipod onto it to test my digital audio collection. Since I like The Roots (hip hop band) and they use live instrumentation in most of their music, I decided to use the album "How I Got Over" as my test material. Bass guitars sounded smooth and organic, percussion was precise and thumping, and vocal sounded live. Basically it all sounded like I was right in the studio with the artists. Great reproduction from the receiver, once again no real complaints here.Conclusion:In closing, this A/V receiever was everything I was looking for. I purchased an open box item here on Amazon so I only paid a little over $300 USD for it with free super saver shipping. Considering the price and performance I got this receiver, I feel like I got a hell of a deal. As far as gripes and complaints they're minor. The plastic speaker terminals used to connect the speaker wires to the receiver are a little cheap but sturdy enough to get the job done. I suggest you buy banana plugs to offset this. Another drawback is the lack of HDMI inputs this receiver has compared to comparable receivers of other brands (this has 4 in and 1 out, most others have 6 HDMI inputs). And lastly, not so much a problem for me but if you dont have a Sony Ipod dock you have to shell out roughly another $100 just to get on screen control of your Ipod through the receiver. Of course, you could always just use a 3.5mm audio cable to connect your ipod/mp3 player but you miss out on the on screen control. The manual requires a Rosetta Stone to decipher it, nuff said. I hope this review was helpful and if it was please vote up for me. Thank you for taking the time to read this.7.1 Home Theater Speakers:- Sony SS-CN5000 Dual 5.25" Center Channel Speaker (each, black) - Sony SSF-7000 Floor-Standing 4-way Speaker with 8" Woofer (Pair) - Sony SS-B3000 Bookshelf Speakers with 8-Inch Woofer (Pair, Black) - Sony SS-B1000 5 1/8-Inch Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Sony SA-W2500 Performance Line 100 Watt Subwoofer By the way, check out the images above to get an idea of the STR-DN1010's scale