Great Receiver but one Important thing to be aware of..., September 7, 2009
I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I'm not a true audiophile (or whatever they're called). So I don't know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.
Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically...read full review
I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I'm not a true audiophile (or whatever they're called). So I don't know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.
Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically to go along with my brand new Sony BDP-S360 Blu Ray player. I used brand new HDMI category 2 cables into the receiver and then out to my Sony HDTV. This is suppossed to be the BEST way to get true no-loss sound decoding and picture. Well I was shocked when my receiver was NOT decoding DTS audio. All Dolby Digital tracks were playing in perfect 5.1 surround sound...the DTS tracks played back in Linear PCM stereo. So after I read the manuals, updated the firmware and set everything right then trying a few DVDs and Blu Ray discs I contacted Sony Support via email. Several exchanges later they asked me to call in to better troubleshoot my issue. First I talked to the blu ray guy (since I wasn't sure which device was causing the issue) and after resetting the player and checking all the setting I was transfered to the Audio department. Once again we reset the machine to factory setting, checked all the set ups and still nothing changed (Did I mention that I had to unhook and reconnect several cables and I even had an optical cable running to my old Sony Reciever?). Then 1 1/2 hours into the phone call he asked if I was getting audio through the TV speakers which I was and he said "oh its set to TV + Amp". So we changed that setting to just "Amp" and bingo...DTS surround sound!! I said "but that's the factory default setting". He told me where the info was in the manual but I checked an NOWHERE in the manual does it say that when using the receiver as a passthrough via HDMI inorder to decode a DTS signal the receiver must be set to "Amp" only and not the default setting of "TV + Amp". What the...??
So now the receiver works great even decoding the new DTS-HD Master Audio off my "Watchmen" Blu Ray disc. But be warned that if you use the HDMI inputs to decode your surround sound be sure to change the system to "Amp" instead of the default "TV + Amp" unless you enjoy stereo sound from your suround sound system. This may be the case for other Sony receivers so be aware when buying that factory default setting may not allow for optimum performance and the Sony guys might not be aware of this little fact if you call them. minimize
Worth the wait!, June 10, 2009
The DH800 wasn't yet available when I started shopping for a new receiver a couple of months back. Even though the 700 was being heavily discounted at the time, the 800 had enough next-generation features (DTS-HD decoding, Dolby Digital + and a couple THX modes) to prompt me to hold off a while. And it was worth it. This is an incredible value...read full review
The DH800 wasn't yet available when I started shopping for a new receiver a couple of months back. Even though the 700 was being heavily discounted at the time, the 800 had enough next-generation features (DTS-HD decoding, Dolby Digital + and a couple THX modes) to prompt me to hold off a while. And it was worth it. This is an incredible value for a mid-range receiver. After going through the manual, the setup (tuning it for a room) looked unbelievably complex. You had the ability to electronically position each speaker (forget balance controls!). Then, I found the section that explained what the little microphone was for. Wire everything up. Power it on. Put the mic where your ears will be and press the "go" button. Your system sounds like an Atari video game for about 20 seconds and you're done. Remarkable.
Part of my motivation for staying with Sony is that it plays so well with Sony-brand components via Bravia Sync. My DH800 is plugged into an XBR screen and will be joined by a BDP-S560 Blu Ray when it ships this summer. Yes, I tend to be Sony-biased. I've worked in TV production on and off for a lot of years and now spend a fair amount of time in Oregon's first (and still best, IMHO) HDTV studio. On cameras, switchers and displays, the Sony nameplate figures prominently. As with DH800 and XBR screen, has proven it still excels in convenience, consistence and logical interface design.
The rest of the system is a bit of a hybrid (I'm not a huge fan of Sony speakers). My primary front speakers are old and venerable (Canoga Park-era) Infinity 2500's, B&W VM-1 surrounds, HTM-61 center and a truly fabulous Hsu Research VTF-1 subwoofer. However, the auto-calibration has this menagerie blending together seamlessly.
The only down-side I've found so far is that the back panel (particularly the large cluster of speaker terminals) is pretty crowded and the speaker lugs tend to be a bit sticky and troublesome. Sony seems to have skimped a bit on the connectors they chose. Beyond that, it's a beautifully designed and executed component that will really shine when attached to Sony's next-gen Blu-Ray. minimize
Nice but no upconversion..., July 14, 2009
Don't be fooled by the manual or by descriptions on other AV retailer websites... This model does NOT include analog->digital upconversion. If you have a mixture of new and older devices this will not allow you to use a single HDMI cable to your display. It provides input switching, but if you provide a composite or component video input, then...read full review
Don't be fooled by the manual or by descriptions on other AV retailer websites... This model does NOT include analog->digital upconversion. If you have a mixture of new and older devices this will not allow you to use a single HDMI cable to your display. It provides input switching, but if you provide a composite or component video input, then you must use the corresponding output to view that source. Only HDMI inputs are routed to the HDMI output. The manual suggests that you do not need to connect all of the outputs. In a sense I suppose that is true, but but only if you don't connect to all of the various types of inputs!
As long as you understand the specs, this seems like a nice receiver. minimize
Great Bang for the Bucks!!, August 19, 2009
I searched for several months before pulling the trigger & buying the STR-DH800. Despite Sony bashing by many, I am very satisfied with my purchase. All of my other toys are HDMI equipped & up conversion was not a consideration. It has a decent amount of power & plenty of connections for virtually any device the average consumer will own. My...read full review
I searched for several months before pulling the trigger & buying the STR-DH800. Despite Sony bashing by many, I am very satisfied with my purchase. All of my other toys are HDMI equipped & up conversion was not a consideration. It has a decent amount of power & plenty of connections for virtually any device the average consumer will own. My suggestion would be to invest in banana plugs & save yourself a headache when connecting speaker wires, they saved me quite a bit of time. [....] has them pretty cheap.
The auto cal. does a great job at setting up speaker levels & distances. Night mode is also nice. The manual & menu may not be friendly to a newbie. An onscreen menu function would have been nice. If your seat is more than 10 ft. away, as mine is, you will end up standing or straining your eyes to make small adjustments. The receiver is relatively tall, but it is not very deep. It has a nice & simple layout. The buttons & knobs have smooth action & the display is not distracting while watching movies. It does not generate very much heat.
It has been a long time since I purchased home theater equipment & I am very satisfied with my purchase. My system includes: a Sony STR-DH800, Samsung BD-P1600, Sony DVPNS710H, Xbox 360 Elite (Resident Evil LE), Dayton HTS 1200 surrounds, Sony bookshelves, Logitech Harmony 550 remote, Dayton SUB-80, & Vizio 47XVT. Been busy since Christmas.
At it's current price, this receiver is definitely worth a look. I am sure you will not be disappointed. It has helped me save over [...] based on the HTIB I was considering. minimize
Automatic intelligence?-joke, September 6, 2009
I've purchased this unit because i needed the 4 hdmi and 3 optical inputs and it was on sale at fry's for 250 bucks. MY sony STR-50ES started to die a slow death and I figured it was time to move on to a budget unit with hdmi switching. I'm overall satisfied with the unit. It runs very cool in comparason to the 50ES-it also weights about 1/3....read full review
I've purchased this unit because i needed the 4 hdmi and 3 optical inputs and it was on sale at fry's for 250 bucks. MY sony STR-50ES started to die a slow death and I figured it was time to move on to a budget unit with hdmi switching. I'm overall satisfied with the unit. It runs very cool in comparason to the 50ES-it also weights about 1/3. but this isn't an ES quality unit so what can I say. The transformers inside look like toy and the tiny heatsinks are bent metal slightly thicker then aluminum cans. :)
First the good - plenty of hdmi and digital inputs. Runs Cool. Tons of the support for the newer higher quality audio format via hdmi. The microphone calibration is nice- you don't have to do measurements of your speakers for the delays and stuff.
Each source can be 'named' so if you have a PS3 connected to HDMI3, you can rename hdmi 3 to "ps 3".. a very useful feature found in many sony recievers dating back 15 years. :)
the BAD - The manual is horrible. for instance it for Bluray it says to use the component and toslink connection. WTF? why not say use HDMI? So Dumb.
Also the hdmi handshake/auto intelligence? what the heck is that? I have my PS3 connected to this receiver using the hdmi. on the PS3 it is set to linear audio out. and on the "audio" it was set for "automatic"... guess what it only outputs 2 channel LCM. took me forever to figure this out that automatic doesn't mean squat. Had to configure within the audio section on the PS3 to manual and click all the audio out that the receiver can support. Finally. I see all the sound channels show up. What a waste of time. This was my main grip.
This unit relies heavily on the remote control, if you look on the front panels there's no way to adjust any settings at all -lose or damage your remote and you're unit is not adjustable. -lame. they just need maybe 4 arrow buttons and two more buttons for setting. I mean how much does that cost?
The remote isn't that great. it's got some "Preprogrammed" codes but you can't really teach it remotes it doesn't already know.
Front panel waste a nice adjuster for TONE control... Why bother??? why not use that for adjustments for setting. Kind of useless. While I'm at it why can't these engineers make all the buttons LARGE. most of us who watch movies are doing so in the dark room. It would be useful if the buttons where BIGGer and maybe backlight.
One feature I found interesting is the Bi-AMP which you can use if you're speakers support this. it's a nice touch, but anyone paying 250 dollars for a receiver probably doesn't have fancy bi-amp supported speakers. Instead of bi-amp, why not let the user assign the 2 non-used channels(if you're only doing 5.1 instead of 7.1) to power a passive SUB. I have some old HSU passive subs being powered by an external power amp. it would be nice to get rid of the extra amp if I could. consolidate. :)
I wasn't expecting high build quality or anything but I was disappointed with how difficult it is to adjust any of the settings via remote. Technologies has changed greatly from my 12 year old receiver to this one, but they could have made it easier simply by adding a few more bottons to the receiver and making the process simplier by having a larger lcd or even on screen..
As far as the quality of the amplifier section, I won't judge that. I do find it good enough for home theater purpose.
Honestly not sure if I'd recommend this to anyone or not... Maybe it depends on who is buying this. I was comparing the Onkyo SR607 and was close to purchasing that, My only hesitation was that I read it ran hot. This wouldn't have worked for me because it's placement is inside a TV Stand below my 50inch Plasma. So I settled with a unit I knew ran cooler.
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