Customer Ratings & Reviews

SONY STR-DH190 2 Channel Audio Receiver. Let me provide a quick SUMMARY before I go into detail. This SONY is very flexible, very easy to setup, and very nice sounding with useful, solid power. When everything is considered, it’s a very good, actually surprising, value. Pulling this Sony DH190 out of the box, it’s easy to get nostalgic. The SONY is a reminder of when home stereo was simple and fun. But, I’m not going to underestimate what’s being offered here. If you think about it, this package actually hides a tuner, a preamplifier, and amplifier in one neat, accessible package. I discovered a handful of possibilities here. Obviously I added a nice pair of speakers that I had, but after that, there are several directions I might take this. And, yes, I know Sony highlights the PHONO INPUT, but there is something here for everybody. It’s all about the inputs, my friends . . . the INPUTs. I’m going to review this as a mobile phone driven audio system, because that’s my preferred source for music these days. The SONY provides 2 ways to connect a phone. I used the easiest (for me) first. A male/male 3.5mm stereo headphone cable (not supplied) that I have sitting around was plugged into the headphone port on my phone and the SONY’s front panel INPUT labeled “PORTABLE”. Instantly music from my music library played on my connected speakers. Easy to get loud, really easy to adjust sound, balance, all using a reasonably sized remote but with lots of buttons. And when I can’t be loud, there is that HEADPHONE jack on the front panel. OPTION 2 for mobile phones. This Sony has a trick that older, legacy receivers can’t do . . . it has Bluetooth . . . so my phone or main AVR can send a stereo audio signal without wires strung across the room. Really cool versatility. Bluetooth (4.2) wirelessly connected my mobile phone (computer or tablet will work, too) to my SONY. No need to be next to the receiver. Hide it in a closet or cabinet (but remember you lose Remote Control unless you’ve got glass doors). Bluetooth Standby will even turn the SONY receiver ON if it’s in STANDBY MODE, and perform music selection control via your phone, as usual. I couldn’t hear any sound quality difference between my wired or BT connection. Having no need to leave my phone near the receiver was a definite advantage. SOUND QUALITY: The SONY TR-DH190 packs a punch. It powered my mid-sized multi-driver bookshelf speakers with no difficulty. The sound was properly balanced, with no sense of distortion up to very loud levels. The amplifier was very quiet, hiss-free, when turned up quite high, with no music playing. I even connected my $2500/pr premium speakers, which can be very demanding of power, and the SONY was delivering very nice sound. I don’t recommend it for power hungry speakers, but it’s not bad sounding. Those remote buttons give you lots of control over the receiver. There’s an FM tuner with 3 Presets, which is OK for me. The remote control provides access to the TUNER’s channel search and selection. The FM quality was OK, but more restricted when compared to CDs or my iPhone. Mostly irrelevant to me. The Remote provides direct access to each INPUT, both bass and treble levels as well as speaker selection. FLEXIBILITY: Did I mention the flexibility? What I’ve described so far can be set up in a listening room, or dorm room, or small office. But there is so much more. Should I use it as a simple way to augment an exercise room TV? I only need audio OUT from either a TV headphone jack or the left/right audio channels of that TV or cable/satellite/ box into one of the 4 INPUTS of the SONY. There are appropriate adapters (sold separately) for most situations. Or, maybe I’ll use this for my main room home theater setup, as the amplifier I need to expand on my surround (or ATMOS) setup. I can use the Sony DH190’s amplifier section for those additional surround channels which my AVR can decode but lacks the built-in amplifiers for. Or, maybe I use one the SONY inputs to share my subwoofer feed (from my AVR) and drive a pair of bass shakers for my chairs. Or, do I simply use it as intended in the advertising, and create a self-contained audio system, using that PHONO INPUT to connect a new phono player. The phono input is a real advantage, eliminating a potentially expensive add-on, or low quality make-do effort. Nice. COMPLAINTS: I’d prefer a few more lighted buttons on the receiver. The writing is way too small, lacking adequate contrast. The LCD display, however, is large, legible, with adjustable brightness, so that’s good. I prefer banana plug/screw down connectors for wires. Sony chose the press/connect style, which is probably easier for most people. Just don’t strip your wires too long. I miss that outlet on the back panel, but no one has that anymore. I like the differently sized VOLUME and INPUT SELECTOR knobs. They are both tight, which I suppose is a positive. But, operating the tight VOLUME control leaves me with the feeling that the Sony is resisting my urge to blast loudly. It’s probably just me because most people will use the remote anyway. The fact is, Sony does the important stuff right: sound, power, usability, flexibility. This is a sweet sounding stereo receiver, and it’s going to make a nice addition to my home audio and video setup.

The bluetooth feature is super convenient and still sounds better than I had anticipated even though I bought it only for my turntable! Upgraded from my Harman/Kardon 330i and was instantly suprised with the quality of the sound and how crisp the audio was. The adjustable bass and treble on the remote are really all you need for an equalizer. Low end sounds great for all genres and all eras of music if you’re a soundcloud guy or love your real authentic drum kits and distorted bass guitars. Very powerful and loud! Fantastic value built in phono!! Only thing I can comment on is the volume and tuning dials are a little stiff but they may come with my preference for no resistance.

Awesome receiver for $150.00 I was very skeptical at first,I am an avid music listener,Blue tooth connection worked flawlessly, I put an addition off my home and installed ceiling speakers (4) with a powered sub woofer. I can't tell you how elated I am with the sound it produces (and believe me ,I like it loud and full) 2.0 channel delivers music the way it is made to be heard. The only thing I didn't quite like and it"s minimal.. is that if your listening at loud levels and you go to turn down volume on smart phone/device... is that the volume drops dramatically . Like from 69-70 level (full blast) .to 50 on volume level.But if you use the remote that is included you can avoid this small problem. and to sum things up, I like it sooooo much that I bought a second one for my garage .

So far I've been happy with this purchase, the volume control feels kind of cheap but other than that it performs quite well for a receiver in this price range that also has a phono input.. I have it hooked up to my PC through bluetooth and it turns itself on when my PC is started up.

I purchased this Bluetooth receiver for my husband to replace his 27+ year old Kenwood that recently died. It was easy to connect to our tv and other components and the sound is very clear. Although it is not quite as loud as the old Kenwood it works great for watching movies in stereo and playing music.

Easy to use, works well with Bluetooth connections from my smart phone. Two concerns: There is a delay of about five seconds before the sound begins, and the volume knob moves in timy increments. Set up was easy. Price is very reasonable.

Nice sound unit. Easy to pair and connect to tv. Price is right. Volume level is slow to increase n won’t jump out to You.

Nice unit for garage tunes. The volume dial feels rather wonky when spun by hand as many have reported. Blue tooth connection and automatic turn on of unit from I-phone is very nice feature! Unfortunately, the volume control from the I-phone is limited at "50" maximum on the dial display which is ok for casual listening but not cranking to rock out. Poor design by limiting remote volume management to some arbitrary mid-level value.

This could use a little more base and the volume could be a bit louder according to the number

Great stereo receiver for old school (two channel audio only) set up. Volume knob tension is tight making it purposely difficult to be accidentally turned up too high. This, I would imagine would be ideal when there’s small children about.

Easy to pair. Plays uninterrupted. It could be a little louder.

The only issue i had was accidentally turning the channel knob instead of the volume knob

Works just like you would want a receiver to. Volume control is a little still but that's my only issue.

Great unit for the bedroom. No reason to produce a volume control with this much physical resistance.

wors well But I was disappointed that there is no separate volume control for speakers A and B.

100 watts isn't what it used to be. I'm somewhat let down by the volume this receiver puts out. I tried it on a few different sets of speakers, and it only puts out about half the volume of my old Onkyo 70 watt system. At first I thought it wasn't working as it wasn't putting out any sound with the volume at 15. I'll probably end up moving this receiver to my basement. It's not going to be sufficient for my outdoor speakers. With that being said, the unit functions great and was priced right (on sale). It's heavier than expected, which is usually a sign of good internal components. Time will tell. I would still recommend this system unless you are wanting a higher amount of volume.

Good just not want I needed. I assumed this would be loud enough for around movie room but it was not.

My guess is nobody at the store this receiver was returned to looked in the box. The styrofoam that protects the receiver during transit was one side of the receiver broken in half just stuffed in the box along with the plastic bag they wrap the receiver with at the factory. The manual was in the box, but the antenna wasn’t. So i can’t use the radio which is why i bought it. The receiver has no power. Volume setting turned up to 40 and still needs to go higher. There is a footprint of a toddler on top of the receiver. He wasn’t happy with this receiver either?!

Good sound quality but it doesn't go very loud. Good for smaller spaces.

Bought to use with record player. Unfortunately the phono preamp in this thing is ridiculously weak. It works fine for digital inputs, but the volume for playing records is completely unacceptable. If that's what you are purchasing it for, look elsewhere, or buy a separate phono pre instead.