Sony STR-DN1080 vs Denon AVR-S640H review

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The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Sony STR-DN1080 vs Denon AVR-S640H that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR-DN1080 has 7.2 versus 5.2 for Denon AVR-S640H. Regarding power, then STR-DN1080 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 120/6 when AVR-S640H has a power of 75/8, 100/6. The THD is 0.09% for the STR-DN1080 but 0.08% for the AVR-S640H.

Audio features

Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 96 KHz/24-bit for STR-DN1080 and 192 KHz/32-bit for the AVR-S640H. Only the STR-DN1080 supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.

Connectivity

Both models have the ability to connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sony STR-DN1080 has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The STR-DN1080 can work with the audio stream from TIDAL, Pandora, and the AVR-S640H can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud.

Video features

These units support HDR technology. 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 AVR-S640H.

Extensive connections

The Sony STR-DN1080 has 6/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 5/1 HDMI connectors of the Denon AVR-S640H. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the STR-DN1080. 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 AVR-S640H has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. The STR-DN1080 supports voice control via Google assistant, and the AVR-S640H - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI. An ECO mode is only available for the AVR-S640H. Both STR-DN1080 and AVR-S640H can be configured using the Setup assistant.

Multichannel surround

Only the STR-DN1080 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the STR-DN1080.