Customer Reviews

Sony STR-DH510 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

After much research, this is one of the only economically priced surround-sound amps that decodes the surround-sound information in the amp itself before passing video on up to the TV. Many of the HDMI switching amps out there only switch the video, and do NOT decode surround (due to the DRM encryption on some HDMI signals) only 2ch PCM.

Look over Sony's site, they have alot of good info for this unit. For the price it would be really hard to beat.

Nice Stuff:
-Surround decode from the HDMI sources
-The remote also controls my Sony Blu-ray player
-The Main L-R speaker outs are selectable to use either full range speakers, or small surround speakers
-You can Name all the inputs whatever you want
-For a small home theater, sound quality is good
-auto shut off after 30mins of inactivity

Not so nice stuff
-Only three (3) HDMI inputs, i could have used more for later, but for now all I needed was my DishNetwork box, Xbox and blu-ray
-Only one of the three digital audio inputs (2 optical, 1 coax) is programmable to any input. This would have been nice to be able to assign any of them to the remaining analog video inputs
-Analog video inputs (Wii in my case) do not go out the HDMI output. While I didn't expect this, it would have been a nice touch. As it is I have to change my TV's input to play Wii. This is no biggie, but it would have been nice!

In summary, this is a great replacement amp if you already had an older surround unit, or if you want to pick and chose your speakers. Like I said, it's nice that it has a built in selectable crossover for the main L-R speakers.

My last Sony amplifier has lasted nearly 8 years. The only reason for me to replace it was to make switching video sources easier.
There, this is my 2¢ on the matter

Overall this is a great deal for someone looking for a straight-to-the-point, entry level 5.1 system. It doesn't have an onscreen menu, or tons of HDMI ports, but for less than $200, it provides plenty of power and enough options to create an economical yet strong performance package. If you want to make your first jump to intro home theater but don't want to sweat the details, this does the job well. I would consider my setup to be a simple, economical, and practical system for someone looking for a good overall sound without getting too technical or overinvested.

I paired this receiver with an Energy RC Micro 5.1 speaker system and a 40" Sony Bravia LCD in a 14x20 room. (You could always go with cheaper speakers, but if you're going to spend extra anywhere, spend it on the speakers.) I hooked up a BluRay player, HD cable box, Wii, and an iPod dock. The receiver doesn't have lots of inputs - 1 HDMI out and 3 in (most people always want one more than what they have anyway). Extra HDMI's always help with avoiding early obsolescence, but I'm not planning on adding any other devices. If you have multiple game systems and other audio devices you're planning on adding down the road, I would move on to something more advanced. Even if you have an older DVD player, you can hook it up just fine, however HDMI will make your life much easier with this unit. (I originally started with an old compnonent DVD player and then ended up getting a BluRay player - The receiver WILL NOT send the audio through the HDMI OUT to the tv unless you hook up through the HDMI IN. You will have to send an additional audio signal such as optical if you use analog inputs).

Installation was tedious but not terribly difficult. It does not come with a microphone to help calibrate the surround sound balance, but it provides a test tone that you can activate to help you adjust them manually as you listen from your "sweet spot". Again, if you want the bells and whistles, you gotta pay more than $200. The menu on the receiver takes a bit of getting used to, but after playing around, you'll get the hang of it. There are some pretty advanced features as well, such as setting speaker distance and indicating speaker size. I would have liked an EQ with more than just treble and bass. Night mode is a nice feature as well - kind of like a "loudness" button that helps when using at lower volumes, boosting the treble and bass appropriately.

The preset 5.1 surround setting are okay, but who really uses "arena"? Just go out and buy the "live" version and stop annoying your guests. For music, I prefer to listen with a flat EQ anyway and I've kept mine on the recommended setting for daily TV watching and rarely have to touch the thing. However, spend the time to tweak your settings with DVDs and BluRay - You DO get better performance - worth fiddling with the menu before getting the popcorn.

The radio is well, just that - it works just fine, although again, who really puts in 40 presets? I don't know if it saves the settings if the power goes out - I think it does but I'm not really willing to chance it at this point. Reception strength is pretty good.

The iPod dock I hooked up (not included) was a pretty simple connection and integrates nicely. I also hooked up a wireless speaker device (also not included) to a pair of audio outs on the back and now I can fill my first and second floors plus my backyard with whatever my neighbors find most annoying.The remote is very good overall. I also have a Sony TV so the Sync function works very well. This way I rarely have to touch the receiver - the volume adjusts with my cable remote and if I change inputs, it changes the settings accordingly based on what I'm doing. When I don't want all the speakers on, I simply shut off the receiver and the tv automatically reverts to its normal speakers and vice versa. When I turn off the tv, the receiver goes off as well - seamlessly (HUGE PLUS FOR ME HERE). Some of these features might work with non-Sony TVs, but I'm not sure - you'll have to do some research there.

Are their better equipped receivers for more money? Yes. But for someone like me who doesn't need everything they have to offer, I can take that extra money and spend it elsewhere. This model is budget friendly, has solid sound and power, and is fairly straightforward once you learn the menu. I wanted something that would enhance my daily tv viewing, movie watching, and had the versatility for entertaining as well. Plus I wanted something that was simple to use and can become a relatively seamless addtion to my daily routine. I'd actually give it 4 1/2 stars if I could.

PS - Please be aware that hooking up a Wii via HDMI does nothing to enhance the quality of the image or sound, but it did make things much easier to hook up and use on a daily basis.

First off, i cant stand when people review budget receivers( >$200) and then compare them to really expensive ones with lots more features and then rate this 3 or 4 stars because of it. I am by no means saying this is the best receiver out there by giving it 5 stars, but within its class of receivers, this is a good one. It was a breeze to setup, aesthetically pleasing and great sound with decent power.

Three HDMI ports, thats something to note but plenty for me. I have the Playstation(blu ray) connected, My cable box and my tv plugged in. I have a BIC f-12 subwoofer and some bic DV64 speakers hooked up with a center channel. I couldn't be happier with the sound and features. Its simple, easy to use and doesnt have too many bells and whistles that I wouldnt use and clutter my menus.

I am by no means an expert audiophile, so my review is coming from technically savy, but audio average joe. I think this or the Deno 391 were my only options and decided since i had a lot of sony products to keep the remotes down to just 2 instead of adding a 3rd. I dont have a fancy remote that programs all the units, someday maybe.

Lastly, the AM/FM works great and the antenna gets a strong signal.

Overally, couldnt be happier and got what anyone should expect at this price. Oh one last thing, one of my speaker wires were shorting the system, the receiver has a protected mode that keeps it safe from any unsafe energy source or bad connections. To reset, hold down the power button till it says "CLEARED"

I needed a new surround reciever for my entertainment center and this one was well reviewed and includued the 3 HDMI connectors. This would be a really usefull feature if my TV and DVD were also Sony components. In this case, this unit is designed to be the 'master' entertianment system controller with control over the HDMI cables. You could use this unit's remote to control most apects of the TV, DVD, etc. eliminting the need to keep up with multiple remotes. (For those of you with kids this can be challenging at times...)

The problem is this type control is only available to be used with other sony components. It is possible to use this unit for relaying the HDMI audio from a DVD player or other and will even turn it off. I wish they had went the next step further and allowed for configuration for other brand components.

All this being said:
This is a great 5.1 Dolby audio unit for under $200. It is an upgrade from my previous setup using the digital optical cable from the TV to the unit for surround audio. Unfortunately, I will probably not be using the HD video functions of the unit due to the complications of multiple remotes needed to support funtion of non-sony supported components.

I had recently purchased a LED TV and the sound was tinny and shallow, so I hooked up a set of Logitec PC speakers/sub to the earphone jack as I have with other TVs. Long story short: it still didn't work as expected...so I decided to get a cheap receiver and some speakers.

I found the Sony STR-DH510 on Amazon for $183 and decided to purchase it. I then got carried away and purchased a subwoofer and some bookshelf speakers, plus a Blu-ray player to get the most out of it. This was the first receiver I have ever purchased in my life so my knowledge was in the beginners category. Set up was straight forward and easy for a boob like me. Fine tuning was simple as well. I am only using it in the 2.1 set up so I can't comment on its 5.1 surround sound capabilities...but the 2.1 sounds awesome. I'm sure I'm only scratching the surface of all the things this receiver can do but from what I've seen thus far, and for what I need, I'm very satisfied.

About the only thing I can warn about is the STUPID Sony Bravia/CTRL-HDMI set up that is the default setting with the system. This feature supposedly makes a one button control for all components...but they have to be Sony Bravia compatible. Mine aren't, and setting up my universal Comcast remote controller had me pulling out my hair. Changing channels would cause the receiver to go into standby mode and shut off. Turning the power back on from the remote would shut off the TV and Comcast box, while turning on the receiver...and it wouldn't happen all the time so there was no warning when it would. So do yourself a favor: First thing, if you don't have other Sony components, turn off the CTRL-HDMI feature. I did now and have had no troubles since.

Funny though, I ended up spending more for the sound fix than the actual original TV...but hey, I have room for expansion now.

I purchased this from Amazon after my 16 year old Sony receiver decided the center speaker connection had enough. I have MTX speakers hooked up to it. The main speakers are 4 way speakers with 15" woofers. No powered sub needed. A 52" samsung LCD tv, Roku box hooked up via HDMI. Dish Network VIP722 DVR hooked up via HDMI. And an older DVD player.

As others have stated the menu system is a bit hard to understand. After I found the table in the manual with items in the menu I was okay with setting it up. Once it was set up the sound was much better then my 2 decade old receiver. The code for my dish remote was not in my dish manual. I did find it via a google search. It is 226. The Roku box doesn't send a dolby signal via HDMI so I can't use the center channel. I have the Bass cranked up all the way. The bass is okay, but my old system I could crank it up and vibrate the pictures on walls.

When I turn the system on via my dish remote I have to turn on the receiver 1st then the tv then the Dish box. If I don't turn on the receiver 1st the receiver will switch to a different input other than the HDMI for the Dish box.

Some commercials that come on are LOUD! Some commercials the voices don't come through the center or any of my speakers (has to be a signal processing issue).

I tried the HDMI pass thru and it works fine. I turned it off since in the manual it says you will use more power with the receiver is off.

overall it was worth the 184 + free shipping that I payed for it. I'm hoping for another 16 yrs from this one ....

Fantastic reciever, especially for "The Money". I bought this for my son's room, thinking it would be "OK"...but turned out to be much beter than I had expected. Great sound, power, and features. Glad I found it, and very glad I bought it. Went out and bought a new more substantial subwoofer to take advantage of the reciever's ability.

this has to be the easy reciever i have connected in 40 years. then the sound, wow again, clean and clear with plenty of headroom. and the price at amazon was wow again. this is the product i was looking for Exactly.

This unit is replacing a Sony, which is still going strong after 20 years. I needed the 5.1 and HDMI features. This unit is much simpler in the front than my old unit and the rear is well labeled. However, setup is NOT for the faint of heart. I've read the manual again and again, looking for all the subtle setup items I missed the last time around. Port assignments, passthru, etc. I also struggle with the very poor English in the manual. How long has Sony been a multi-national company? Don't they have anyone in the docs department that speaks proper English? It's just horrible!

I dinged Sony one star for the complex setup and poor manual. Another beef with the manual is that they do a poor job explaining when you'd use certain features and what they mean to the listening experience.

So far, it does what I need it to do for the price I was willing to pay.

Bought this to replace my 10 year old JVC receiver because I wanted to buy bluray to take advantage of streaming video. The JVC did not have HDMI inputs and I figured if I'm going to bluray I may as well use HDMI.

So...set up. Standard stuff until I caught on. Much simpler because everything goes into the receiver and then you have just one HDMI cable going to the television. Doing it that way takes care of switching inputs on the TV coz the receiver does it for you. Also, the back is labled well. So if you've ever set a receiver or some similar device up, you should have no problems. Took maybe two hours tops to connect surround speakers, blu ray and tv. If you have easy access to all your inputs and outputs it shouldn't take more than 30-60 minutes.

Sound. That's what we got it for. Ok, so it's no JVC, that's for sure. But it does have enough power that my house rattles when watching my favorite action or disaster movies. It also powers my sub with no problem.

I found the manual very difficult to figure out as I did the receiver's menu. Having no on screen menu doesn't help but once I figured out the remote, the manual and the receivers screen menu, I got a lot more out of the sound. I was disappointed that the equalizer wasn't a real equalizer. It's digital, but only bass and treble controls. So audiophiles should definately look somewhere else.

Overall, the sound really is good. Handles 5.1 surround switching really well. Multiple options for handling sound or just go automatic.

I hate that you can't program equipment other than Sony into the remote. So I'll need to spend so more cash on a good universal remote.

In summary it is a great receiver for the money. If you you want good surround sound on a budget as I did, you really can't go wrong. By the way, I'm loving the streaming video and music.