An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Marantz NR1509 vs Sony STR DH550 comparison definitely makes sense.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 5.2. Regarding power, then NR1509 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/8, 60/6 when STR DH550 has a power of 90/6. The THD is 0.08% for the NR1509 but 0.09% for the STR DH550.
Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/24-bit. None of the models support Bi-amping. The Marantz NR1509 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Only the NR1509 has Bluetooth support. Only the NR1509 supports Spotify.
Only the Marantz NR1509 has support for High dynamic range (HDR). Only the NR1509 provides HDMI signal transmission in standby mode. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the NR1509.
The Marantz NR1509 has 7/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Sony STR DH550. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. The NR1509 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the NR1509. The setup assistant will help you configure Marantz NR1509.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.