Sony STR-DH790 vs Onkyo TX-8140 review

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An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Sony STR-DH790 vs Onkyo TX-8140 comparison definitely makes sense.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR-DH790 has 7.2 versus 2.0 for Onkyo TX-8140. Regarding power, then STR-DH790 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 90/6 when TX-8140 has a power of 80/8, 110/6. The THD is 0.09% for the STR-DH790 but 0.08% for the TX-8140.

Audio features

Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for STR-DH790 and AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for the TX-8140. Only the STR-DH790 supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.

Connectivity

Only the Onkyo TX-8140 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Each of these units does not support Apple Music. Only the TX-8140 supports Spotify. Only the STR-DH790 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 STR-DH790. Only the STR-DH790 supports HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). The HDMI eARC is available only on the STR-DH790. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present in only the STR-DH790. The TX-8140 has 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. Both STR-DH790 and TX-8140 can be configured using the Setup assistant.

Multichannel surround

Only the STR-DH790 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the STR-DH790.