I grew up in the late eighties and early nineties and during that time I bought my fair share of black plastic receivers. I realize now, that due to my poor experiences during that time, I have a bit of a negative internal bias towards those receivers. Thankfully, the affordable Sony STR-DH190 receiver has blown that internal bias out of the water with great sound and fantastic performance.
Let’s dive deeper into what I like about the Sony STR-DH190 below.
As I mentioned above, my poor experiences with these receivers was mostly due to growing up on a tight budget and not being able to afford any expensive equipment. The receivers I bought always felt a little overpriced, were cheaper to replace than repair, sounded more “digital” than analog and they always went into that dreaded protection mode for no reason!
These experiences are what led me to buying vintage gear like my Marantz 2270, my Pioneer SX-980 or even my McIntosh MC 2505 amplifier.
So, when my friends started asking me to review the Sony STR-DH190, I looked it up and and rolled my eyes and assumed it was going to be just another black plastic receiver. Boy, was I wrong.
Let me tell you about the specs this receiver offers first…
Sony STR-DH190 Receiver Specs:
How many watts per channel is the Sony STR-DH190?
The receiver is rated at 100 watts per channel and can power two sets of speakers from 6 to 16 ohms.
Please note, you need to set the impedance of your speakers via the remote control. If you are using 8 ohm speakers, it will default to that setting, but if you use speakers with a different rating, be sure to set it appropriately by following the easy instructions in the manual.
Built In Phono Stage:
The Sony STR-DH190 comes with a built in phono stage, which means you can connect your turntable directly to the phono input for playing your vinyl records.
It is impressive that Sony included a built in phono stage at this price point. I think this is a perfect receiver for anyone just getting into vinyl records and building their first stereo system. Having the ability to connect their turntable directly to the receiver without the need for an external phono preamp is a fantastic feature.
Bluetooth Connectivity:
Fans of streaming music will love the Sony STR-DH190’s Bluetooth connection. I had no issue connecting an iPad quickly and playing music straight away.
I prefer to listen to music via my large physical media collection, be it vinyl records, CDs or cassettes, which I find to always sound better than streaming. But, in a pinch, when I want to be able to stream music quickly and easily, I enjoy having a unit like this Sony to connect to without any issues.
FM Radio:
I’ll admit, I rarely listen to FM radio at home, but if I wanted to, the Sony STR-DH190 would give me the ability to do so. Sony even supplies an antenna needed to help tune in your favorite FM station.
Four More RCA Inputs:
On top of the built in phono stage, FM radio and bluetooth, the Sony STR-DH190 provides four more RCA inputs, which is very generous.
There is nothing more annoying than trying to connect all of your audio sources, only to have the receiver or amplifier come up short by one or two RCA inputs.
This Sony receiver, with four more RCA inputs, guarantees you will have plenty of connections for your CD player, cassette deck, wireless streamer (if desired) and more!
At the risk of sounding greedy, I do wish the Sony provided a digital input, like coaxial, but at this price point, that might be asking too much. Just be aware before your purchase that digital inputs are not available on this unit.
One More Input To Point Out:
Sony provides the ability to connect a portable device via the 3.5 mm input on the front of the unit, meaning, you can connect almost any device you can think of to this unit.
Remote Control:
The remote control that is supplied with the Sony STR-DH190 is well built and allows the user to handle everything instead of using the knobs on the front of the unit.
For instance, you can adjust tone controls, like treble and bass, via the remote. There is also a pure direct mode button that shuts off all display lights to avoid any interference with sound.
How Does The Sony STR-DH190 Sound?
Honestly, I expected the sound to remind me of the cheap black plastic receivers I owned as a teenager, with a kind of hollowed out digital sound.
I was immediately surprised that the Sony immediately sounded much more vibrant, more analog even, than I expected.
The Sony provided adequate soundstaging and after tweaking the treble and bass tone controls, I enjoyed a long listening session without fatigue.
This amp isn’t going to provide the 3D type of imaging you might get with higher priced gear, but it’s going to be a great starter unit for anyone new to hifi or anyone who might like a backup receiver in the event their more expensive unit finds itself in the repair shop.
I listen to a lot of gear to review for this blog and that means I’m constantly changing equipment in and out of my system. I noticed I’ve kept the Sony close by, to quickly and easily set up and listen to music in between review sessions, when I just want to play something without a critical ear.
Should You Buy the Sony STR-DH190 Receiver?
I think this receiver is a perfect option for beginners, just getting into buying their first stereo system. At just $200, it gives you the option to use your turntable with the built in phono preamp while also providing four RCA inputs for other sources like a CD player or cassette deck.
The unit provides more than enough power at 100 watts per channel and allows you to hook up two sets of speakers.
The receiver is easy to set up and get playing straight away and I think you will find it a bargain at just with $200 considering all of the options it provides with great sound.
Another great option would be to have this on hand for vintage audio fans, who might need a unit to sub into their system when their vintage gear is on the bench or out for repair.
It would also make a great unit for a bonus room, workshop or office, where you aren’t interested in spending thousands of dollars for a receiver and just want something that will sound great.
If you are interested in small class D amplifiers that will not take up as much space as this Sony, please check out my reviews of various amps below:
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