The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Sony STR-DH770 vs Marantz NR1510 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR-DH770 has 7.2 versus 5.2 for Marantz NR1510. Regarding power, then STR-DH770 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 105/6 when NR1510 has a power of 50/8, 60/6. The THD is 0.09% for the STR-DH770 but 0.08% for the NR1510.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for STR-DH770 and 192 KHz/32-bit for the NR1510. Only the STR-DH770 supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the NR1510 supports Spotify. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the NR1510.
The Sony STR-DH770 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/1 HDMI connectors of the Marantz NR1510. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the NR1510. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present only in the NR1510. The STR-DH770 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the NR1510. The NR1510 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the NR1510. The setup assistant will help you configure Marantz NR1510.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.