Customer Reviews

Sony STR-DH100 2-Channel Audio Receiver (Black)

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I have to say up front that I've only spent a week with my new Sony and my opinion may change but due to the lack of reviews here are my first impressions: This is a very capable receiver, nicely built with a useful and easy to understand remote. I, like most people reading this, was looking for a second receiver to put in my den to listen to cd's, mp3, and internet radio. My main Home Theater Receiver is a Denon. The Sony has a nice full sound and is easy to adjust to your liking. There are bass and treble controls on the remote, a plus for me. So far I am happy with the sound but I can tell something is lacking, a depth or warmth, whatever you want to call it, I imagine the Onkyo 8255 has what I really want but at 50 less watts per channel and $50.00 more in price. To be honest I don't know if the trade off is worth it but for those of you who have been trying to decide which one to buy I made my decision to try the less expensive new model from Sony first, then after a week or two if I am not sold, I'll probably return it and buy the Onkyo. I will say that the 96db s/n ratio is better than some alternatives like the Teac and Sherwood. If you've been looking for receivers in this price range you know there isn't a huge variety so with that in mind I would recommend this receiver over any other similar priced model with the Onkyo being the exception. The Sony has a nice full sound, the tuner works great, it has a sleep timer and a nice quality feel, that counts for something. Sound being subjective, I think I am a little spoiled by my Denon but this Sony does sound better then the Yamaha it replaced. REVIEW UPDATE:
Now that I have gotten to know this receiver inside and out and have spent over a month listening to various kinds of music through my polk Monitor 30 speakers, I can say that this Sony receiver is very well built and has a good clean sound, it was a bit harsh at first but now that it is being used daily I really enjoy the sound coming through the speakers. The remote is very nice and the buttons are laid out in a way that I can easily use the remote without looking at it. Music is very clear, full of bass and treble and a bit of the warmth of my Denon, something that I was hoping would happen as I first wrote that it lacked "warmth". For the money you can't go wrong, everything I play sounds very good and there is no distortion even when turningthe volume up considerably loud. If you are on the fence about this, do what i did, buy it and try it out and if you don't think it is worth the price you can always return it, that's the great thing about Amazon, no hassles!! Anyway, I highly recommend the Sony STR-DH100.

The sound from my HDTV just didn't do the job. I didn't want a full blown theater system just some good sound. I settled on the Sony because of their reputation and price. Paired with a couple of good bookshelf speakers the Sony has done exactly what I wanted. Full sound,good bass at a reasonable price. The key to any receiver is good speakers but I am very satisfied with the combo I have. The Sony is a good value.

I am a happy camper with my new Sony STR-DH100 receiver. It has brought my Boston speakers to life, so it's like I got a new receiver and new speakers. I thought the speakers sounded good before, but after connecting to the Sony it blew me away! I have never heard such good sound at home before. I am a musician so I've spent what money I've had on instruments and amps at the expense of a good stereo system. I've been missing out all these years on quality audio experience! I've ordered a phono amp as there is no phono input, but I love it and it's a small price to pay. Get one!

I purchased the Sony STR-DH100 2-channel audio receiver to replace a Sansui 5500 from the early 1970s. The Sansui had stopped working and I decided to replace it with a new amp. The Sansui was from the era of walnut cabinets, brushed aluminum and hefty transformers. The Sony is different in that regard. It is plain and black plastic and weighs about one-third the weight of the Sansui. I panicked when I started looking for a stereo receiver as there are now very few being made and few of the brands are recognizable to those of us who were buying stereos forty years ago. Now all receivers seem to have 5, 7, 9 or 12 speakers. I can't think of any reason I would want to have 12 speakers stashed around my living room. There are only about three choices in this Sony's price range. The next nearest competition costs about three times as much. So far I have been satisfied with the sound from this amp, especially for the price. But, I do miss the days when receivers (and other stereo equipment) looked like they were worth the money they cost. And if you are one of the new generation who thinks it is more important to have good sound for your videos instead of the music you listen to, then this amp also works well for that. I watched a James Bond movie the other night and put the sound through a pair of 100 watt speakers and it was like being in my local movie theater. I'm not sure how having ten more speakers could have improved the sound in any way that I could discern. If you desire or need a stereo receiver/amplifier, buy soon--they are a dying breed and this Sony is good value for the money.

I've had this receiver for three-weeks now & so far, so good. I purchased it to replace an existing Sony receiver that I'd had for seven years which started to fail (constant static from left speaker). I use this receiver to listen to radio, CDs, and internet radio/iTunes music through my laptop.

Pros:
Great price.
Sounds better (stronger) than my old 100w receiver.
Easy to hook up.
Looks good.
Free shipping from Amazon (always a pro).

Cons:
I do not like the input selection dial that lets you select what you're listening to (CD, video, FM, AM, etc.). I liked my older Sony better (push button).
Kind of a pain switching between radio selection mode & preset station mode. Once again, I liked my older Sony better (each preset had its own button).
Speaker selection (A, B, A&B, none) is also different. You keep pushing the button to rotate through those choices. Again, I liked it better on my older model (each speaker had it's own button).

I must admit that I do not use the remote that came with the unit. Looking at the remote it appears that some of my complaints would be covered, however I have enough remotes in my life already and find it easier to use the unit's controls rather than fumble with the remote.

My cons appear to be greater in number than my pros, but overall I really like the improved sound over my older unit. I'm sure I'll get used to the differences and heck, maybe even put batteries in my remote & give that a try!!

If you're looking for a great sounding, easy to hook up, and inexpensive receiver I'd give this one a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Good luck!

Excellent Receiver ! Great power and looks.Used it to power two outdoor speakers on my patio by our pool.Sounds fantastic and will also power two other speakers in my Garage.I have always bought Onkyo receivers and this
is my first Sony receiver.The price was right and I could not be happier
with my purchase.The wife also loves it and has no problem using the receiver.

This is a fine basic receiver, which provides clean FM sound (the tuner is excellent) and plenty of power for the small bookshelf speakers paired with it. Highly recommended, at a great price!

For what I needed this for it's great. It's very easy to set-up and use. Certainly not for someone who needs to connect a lot of new digital equipment to it. We are just using it to connect to an mp3 player. Internal FM tuner antennae seems to pull stations in pretty well also.

This is an excellent receiver for the money.
I am powering 4 sets of speakers in the house and
the Amp handles this task very well. It has only one
draw back, that I have found in the first month, there are no
power outlets on the back to assist with connecting you CD player
and to syn power. However I would still recommend this unit..

I've owned this receiver for about six weeks and have had no problems with it. The sound quality is good with a basic pair of Sony bookshelf speakers, the controls on the receiver and on the remote are easy and intuitive. The only downside I have with it is the lack of phono in, which requires a preamp. It's understandable that an AV receiver would lack a phono in, but not so much a stereo receiver. Decent preamps are cheap ($20-30), but if you want to avoid a bit of clutter and have a record player, consider a receiver that has phono in.