An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Sony STR-DN1080 vs Marantz NR1710 comparison definitely makes sense.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 7.2. Regarding power, then STR-DN1080 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 120/6 when NR1710 has a power of 50/8, 70/6. The THD is 0.09% for the STR-DN1080 but 0.08% for the NR1710.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 96 KHz/24-bit for STR-DN1080 and 192 KHz/32-bit for the NR1710. Both the STR-DN1080 and the NR1710 support Bi-amping. 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. 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 NR1710 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio. 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. The NR1710 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the STR-DN1080. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the NR1710.
The Sony STR-DN1080 has 6/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/1 HDMI connectors of the Marantz NR1710. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The STR-DN1080 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the NR1710. The NR1710 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. The STR-DN1080 supports voice control via Google assistant, and the NR1710 - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI. An ECO mode is only available for the NR1710. Both STR-DN1080 and NR1710 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.