An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Sony STR-DH770 vs Sony STR DH550 comparison definitely makes sense.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR-DH770 has 7.2 versus 5.2 for Sony STR DH550. Regarding power, then STR-DH770 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 105/6 when STR DH550 has a power of 90/6. The THD is the same and is 0.09%.
Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/24-bit. Only the STR-DH770 supports Bi-amping feature. The Sony STR-DH770 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
Both models do not have WI-FI support. Only the STR-DH770 has Bluetooth support. Each of these units does not support Apple Music. Competitors do not have built-in Spotify service.
Only the Sony STR-DH770 has support for High dynamic range (HDR). Only the STR-DH770 provides HDMI signal transmission in standby mode. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is not supported by these receivers.
Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present only in the STR DH550. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is not present in each of the AV receivers. Unfortunately, the setup assistant is not available in each of the models.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.