Sony STRDH190.CEK 2 Channel Amplifier with Phone Input and Bluetooth - Black

Product Information

Having a great stereo sound doesn’t have to cost you a ton of cash. The Sony STRDH 190 is a solid stereo receiver with great features for music. It is also easy to set up, plus its slim design makes it a good option for people with limited space. And despite its modest price, the STRDH 190 is loaded with tons of features that you would expect from a high-end model. So, the Marantz amp has an output of 45 WPC and the RMS of my speakers is 50 W per speaker so, if my hearing could stand it, I could theoretically have the amp running at full volume and the speakers would comfortably handle the power. From the box, you will find a muscled-up Sony STRDH190 constructed for long-term use. Just like other amps, the Sony STRDH190 is a rectangular box containing an amplifier, a preamp, and a phono stage, among other products. With the phono preamp and sound input, it can produce plenty of power when connected to the turntable. I do not use bluetooth as it is a lossy format and does not do my hi res and vinyl source material much justice. So I have turned it off. The difference is night and day when you connect decent sources to it directly, as I have done with a portable digital audio player that is now playing high resolution lossless music from Tidal and Apple Music. And of course FLAC files. At Peter Tyson we pride ourselves on prompt, efficient delivery. Please note that the daily cut off time for all next day delivery services is 3pm.

Consider a ‘hot’ symbol on the top of the amplifier. And there is a reason for this. This thing gets very warm even at the least output. It is important to be careful when it gets toasty. Sony specs the STR-DH190 for 6 ohms speaker load or higher. They have done this to pass UL certification with respect to the heat generated. Oh, and about that DVD player… home CD players, it seems, are somewhat more difficult to come by in 2022. DVD players can play CDs, though, and they’re pretty inexpensive. I went with this one to match the receiver.)

The STR-DH190 brings together your vinyl and digital music. The perfect match for any turntable, you can switch effortlessly between analogue and digital with simple BLUETOOTH® connectivity and connect to all your equipment.

The STR-DH190 stereo receiver is spring-loaded speaker terminal did not strike me as impressive. I tried stuffing my banana plugs into them, but they seemed so hard to use. At this price, however, I could not complain very much. Low profile design: The Sony STRDH190 stands 5 ¼ inches tall, making it easy to fit in slender AV cabinets. It is an excellent choice for use in spaces that conventional stereo receivers can’t fit. On top of this, the unit comes with a rigid and reinforced chassis designed to enhance sound and reduce vibrations. We reserve the right to refuse installation should our engineers think that the existing electrical or plumbing points are unsafe and in need of maintenance or if they are unable to install to existing furniture. When Dolby & DTS encoded sound streams are detected**, automatically upscales to drive all channels including height. Plug your turntable into your receiver via the phono input for appropriate pre-amplification and EQ.PH15, PH16, PH17, PH18, PH19, PH20, PH21, PH22, PH23, PH24, PH25, PH26, PH27, PH28, PH29, PH30, PH31, PH32, PH33, PH34, PH35, PH36, PH37, PH38, PH39, PH40, PH41, PH42, PH43, PH44, PH45, PH46, PH47, PH48, PH49, PH50

I did not like the volume button because it feels very stiff. Unless you have to, it would be best to just leave it and use the remote control. Zone 2 speaker outputs occupy the height channel connections; meaning driving 7.2.2 channels with powered Zone2 speaker output is NOT possible without a 2nd amp. And the stereo receiver’s general heft is actually a strong selling point for me, too. I appreciate its sturdiness in a world so reliant on an ever-changing internet landscape. In 10 or 15 years, when Spotify has gone bankrupt or Apple faces a huge lawsuit that ends up deleting all your MP3s, I’ll still have my stereo receiver.A reinforced frame and beam chassis design reduces transmitted vibration from speaker sound pressure for more focused, powerful sound.

Unlimited connection options: The STRDH 190 comes with several inputs and outputs to let you connect all your equipment. It provides up to four RCA inputs that you can use to connect your audio components including, a CD player and most recording devices. This device is not only for analog functions. It comes with Bluetooth connectivity that lets you stream music wirelessly. Connect this any music service, podcast, or Bluetooth-enabled device, and you can enjoy remote functionality. With this feature, the Sony STRDH190 comes as a wonderful alternative to some of its predecessors. As for music, again the results were very strong so long as I remained within the capabilities of the receiver and used speakers suited to it. And switched the sound of stereo music to ‘Stereo’ or ‘Direct’ or to ‘Pure Direct’, rather than the silly ‘All Channel Stereo’ default. Left it to cool overnight but this morning still does not power up. Nothing is smoked in there but there is a smell of burnt varnish which points the finger likely at the power transformer. At this point, I decided to run the 20 to 20 kHz power sweep, regulating the output to 1% THD. This involves the analyzer at each frequency point, raising and lowering the input level until distortion equals 1%. I kept failing to get there at all frequencies with the amp shutting down or not getting to high enough distortion. Needing to play with the parameters a lot, I put a fan on top the amplifier heatsinks and kept playing around. Next thing I know, it shuts down but no longer powers up. The power LED lights up but the rest of the display does not. And after about 8 or so seconds, it shuts itself down.A/B speaker function: The STRDH190 is equipped with an A/B speaker connection function for flexible speaker installations. With this function, you can use two sets of speakers (4 speakers) as front speakers to enjoy music in the main listening area. Alternatively, you can decide to run your speakers in separate locations and listen to the same audio or play different music for each zone. In reality of course I would be stone deaf in seconds if I had the amp on full volume. So in practical terms this means that you should buy an amp with approx half the peak power handling of your speakers which is usually an RMS of half the peak power.