Sony STR-DN1010 or Yamaha RX-V1065 (Advice for a noob...)

[hopton]

I have 2 receivers arriving tomorrow, the Sony STR-DN1010 and the Yamaha RX-V1065. The Sony was $316 and after ordering it, the the Yammy went on lightening deal for $279 so I quickly ordered it too because I am not sure which is better.

I am wondering if anyone would like to offer some advice on making the decision on which one to keep. Prices were close, so leave that factor out.

I know the Sony has HDMI 1.4 and is 3D compatible and Yammy isn't. I don't have a 3D TV and probably won't for a long time. Yammy has 7.2 vs. 7.1 on Sony but I only have one sub. The Sony will match my Sony 400 disc DVD changer and my Sony 400 disc blu-ray player in appearance better, but that's not a big deal.

While I can compare the external physical differences (inputs, outputs, etc.), I am wondering if there are differences in how well they function (which will sound better, etc.). I will hook both up to hear for myself, but having just one setting tweaked will skew the test and I don't have long to decide. Also, I won't have time to test all the different scenarios. I will primarily use the receiver for watching DVD's, BD's, and HDTV. We also have a Wii and PS3. All of my connections will be via HDMI with the exception of the Wii. My speakers aren't high end, but I may slowly upgrade them over time.

It's hard to compare reviews online because they are in two different price categories of MSRP, so they are compared to different groups of receivers.

Any suggestions on things to look or listen for? Maybe a good comparison test to try? I am upgrading from a Sony STR-DE995, so they should both sound better than what I am used to.

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[Chong Warrior]

You missed out the most useful information, such as what speakers you will be using with the amp?

 

[PSM1]

The Yamaha 1065 is 2 or 3 levels of amp above the Sony so should be significantly better. As you have already seen the Yamaha used to sell for a lot more than you paid for it. Also the SOny 1010 is IMHO overpriced since it just an 810 with a few extra features. Hence the price of it is almost the level above but the performance is still the level below. Since the Sony is based on the budget 810 you may find (taking HD audio aside) that the sound quality will be no better than your current reciever and it may even be worse.
Hence I would probably go for the Yamaha due to it being a much better reciever. The only problem will be that Yamaha has a much different sound presentation (warm) compared to the Sony (bright) and this may not be to your taste and may not work well with your current speakers.

 

[hopton]

Thanks for the input guys. Yeah. I didn't mention speakers because I figured that since I would be using the same speakers on both devices it wouldn't matter and I would still be apples to apples. I can see how that may not be the case though.

I currently only have really crappy Sony and Technics speakers with an OK old Kenwood sub (1050SW). Speaker upgrades will be my next home theater investment, but it will have to be incrementally and will take a while.

I have decided to go with the Yamaha. Even though I have low quality speakers, I am amazed at how great is sounds now! Ran the auto config with mic and it sounded good. Made a few more tweaks (like setting fronts to small) and now it sounds great! I can't imagine having good speakers.

Now I just have to figure out what mode to have it in while watching BD's, DVD's, HDTV, etc. So many to choose from it's really confusing. It seems like "pure direct" is the one to use to get the full potential from a BD, but I am not sure.

Oh yeah. Tonight I need to reprogram the Harmony One! That should simplify things.

Thanks again!

 

[Passingbat]

Now I just have to figure out what mode to have it in while watching BD's, DVD's, HDTV, etc. So many to choose from it's really confusing. It seems like "pure direct" is the one to use to get the full potential from a BD, but I am not sure.
!

You should select the audio format on the BR/DVD menu and the amp should automarically play and display that format. Using straight will ensure that is the format being played, but you shouldn't need to use straight. Pure Direct will give you the discrete 5.1 or whatever channels, but it will dissable the room equalisation and bass management that the amp applied during setup. This means all your speakers will be treated as large and the sub will only play the .1 channel. If you don't have a good low end frequency response on your speakers and rely on the sub for bass as well as the .1 channel, Pure Direct may not be the best option.

If you're using a sub, you should set all the speakers to small and set 'Bass + LFE OUT' to the subwoofer.

 

[hopton]

You should select the audio format on the BR/DVD menu and the amp should automarically play and display that format. Using straight will ensure that is the format being played, but you shouldn't need to use straight. Pure Direct will give you the discrete 5.1 or whatever channels, but it will dissable the room equalisation and bass management that the amp applied during setup. This means all your speakers will be treated as large and the sub will only play the .1 channel. If you don't have a good low end frequency response on your speakers and rely on the sub for bass as well as the .1 channel, Pure Direct may not be the best option.

If you're using a sub, you should set all the speakers to small and set 'Bass + LFE OUT' to the subwoofer.

That's great information, thanks! I def want to use the sub for bass and want the fronts set to small. I guess I will stay away from pure. Standard sounded good. Is that the one that would give me the best sound the BD can give (assuming I select the highest one on the BD itself)? Also, what mode would maximize use of the surround speakers on a TV channel that only provides stereo sound?

Thanks again!

 

[Passingbat]

That's great information, thanks! I def want to use the sub for bass and want the fronts set to small. I guess I will stay away from pure. Standard sounded good. Is that the one that would give me the best sound the BD can give (assuming I select the highest one on the BD itself)? Also, what mode would maximize use of the surround speakers on a TV channel that only provides stereo sound?

Thanks again!

If you select the sound format on the BR, say Dolby True HD, then the amp should display that on the front panel and that is what will play and is the best you will get from the disc. Using Straight will just make sure no extra processing has been applied to the audio coming from the disc.

For TV, I use Dolby Prologic PL11 Movie. There are various settings you can select, Neo 6 being one of them, plus Yamaha's various settings, such as 'entertainment, 'movie' (they may be different on the 1065). I've tried a few, but always come back to PL11 movie. It's a case of trying them yourself and seeing which works for you.

The Sony will match my Sony 400 disc DVD changer and my Sony 400 disc blu-ray player

Very jelous; we can't get those here in the UK. Sony are supposed to be releasing the 400 disc BR player, but no sign of it in over a year and they only ever announced the release of the expensive model, which would be around £1800 here. WAY too expensive!

 

[hopton]

This is good stuff! If you would prefer that I search threads to find answers to my questions, I TOTALLY understand. I haven't put time into any real research on this model since I just got it on such a quick deal. Heck, I am still trying to make heads and tails of the manual! If you are willing to answer questions, I will just put them here since it's so nice to have answers to questions specific to my situation (if that makes sense). I really appreciate your help! That's what makes forums so successful!

If you select the sound format on the BR, say Dolby True HD, then the amp should display that on the front panel and that is what will play and is the best you will get from the disc. Using Straight will just make sure no extra processing has been applied to the audio coming from the disc.

Is there a certain mode I have to put the receiver in so that it takes it's cue from the BD as to what to play (Dolby True HD for example)? When I was messing with a True HD BD this weekend, I never actually saw it say True HD. I always saw things like "straight", "movie", "enhanced", "pure", "DSP", etc. Unfortunately, I didn't see a "Use this for best BD sound" button . It sounds like straight does this, but am I missing the point? Do I want extra processing on a BD that has good audio like True HD?

For TV, I use Dolby Prologic PL11 Movie. There are various settings you can select, Neo 6 being one of them, plus Yamaha's various settings, such as 'entertainment, 'movie' (they may be different on the 1065). I've tried a few, but always come back to PL11 movie. It's a case of trying them yourself and seeing which works for you.

When you say "for TV", does that apply to both HD channels that have Dolby Digital AND SD channels with just stereo audio (or HD channels with stereo audio)? On my old receiver (which didn't have PL11 Movie), I would use DD when possible and Neo:6 on stereo channels. The only reason I used Neo:6 was because it was the only option I had to use the rear surrounds.

Very jelous; we can't get those here in the UK. Sony are supposed to be releasing the 400 disc BR player, but no sign of it in over a year and they only ever announced the release of the expensive model, which would be around £1800 here. WAY too expensive!

Bummer you can't get them where you live. I love my mega changers! I am sure pure audiophiles probably fault them for not having some high end specs, but to me the quality seems good. What I really like is being able to store my collection in the changer. The DVD changer is nice because I use DVD profiler software on my PC to keep track of all of my movies and one click in the program and it will go to the correct slot, load the disc I want from the player and start playing. That's the only disappointment I have in the blu-ray changer (and it's a big disappointment). Sony decided to go with the cross media bar (which I like), but they completely removed the ability to directly access a slot number. You HAVE to use the XMB to navigate and select the disc (can't type the slot number on the remote and go right to a disc). That destroys the ability to select a movie to load in DVD profiler. I am hoping they add that functionality via a firmware update in the future. Unfortunately, If you want direct disc access then you have to get the ES model AND use a third party serial or ip based control/interface system. Other than that, I love it!



Again, I really appreciate your help. I have a good understanding of the physical side of home theater (cables, connections, etc.), but I am almost clueless on the processing end anymore. When you are stuck with an old receiver for a while, it doesn't matter what the new sound technologies are because it's all gonna get downconverted anyways! Time to catch up!

 

[Passingbat]

Is there a certain mode I have to put the receiver in so that it takes it's cue from the BD as to what to play (Dolby True HD for example)? When I was messing with a True HD BD this weekend, I never actually saw it say True HD. I always saw things like "straight", "movie", "enhanced", "pure", "DSP", etc. Unfortunately, I didn't see a "Use this for best BD sound" button . It sounds like straight does this, but am I missing the point? Do I want extra processing on a BD that has good audio like True HD?

The new Yamahas display things slightly differently to mine, so check the 1065 users thread --- i think it's a case of pushing the 'info' button repeatedly to get the display to show the codec being recieved. The amp is designed to overide any processing you've applied to stereo signals, such as PL11 movie, when it recieves a discrete 5.1 signal. When the amp isn't getting a 5.1 signal, it reverts to the previous PL11 movie (or whatever you've been using) setting. Selecting straight ensures you get the 5.1 as coming from the DVD/BR, but you shouldn't have to select straight but it does give peace of mind?

Personally, I don't add extra processing to the original 5.1/7.1 mix as I don't see the point of it but some people like to. I'm not sure if you can add extra processing to some of the codecs, but i've never tried,so don't know. Some people like to make a 5.1 into 7.1, but i'd rather leave it as the sound engineer made it.

When you say "for TV", does that apply to both HD channels that have Dolby Digital AND SD channels with just stereo audio (or HD channels with stereo audio)? On my old receiver (which didn't have PL11 Movie), I would use DD when possible and Neo:6 on stereo channels. The only reason I used Neo:6 was because it was the only option I had to use the rear surrounds.

It's as i said above, when i watch an SD channel, I'm on PL11 movie, but as soon as I switch to an HD channel showing something with 5.1 sound, the amp automatically switches and shows 'Dolby Digital'. When I change back to an SD channel, it goes back to showing PL11 Movie. So. you don't need to do anything.

 

[hopton]

The new Yamahas display things slightly differently to mine, so check the 1065 users thread --- i think it's a case of pushing the 'info' button repeatedly to get the display to show the codec being recieved. The amp is designed to overide any processing you've applied to stereo signals, such as PL11 movie, when it recieves a discrete 5.1 signal. When the amp isn't getting a 5.1 signal, it reverts to the previous PL11 movie (or whatever you've been using) setting. Selecting straight ensures you get the 5.1 as coming from the DVD/BR, but you shouldn't have to select straight but it does give peace of mind?

Personally, I don't add extra processing to the original 5.1/7.1 mix as I don't see the point of it but some people like to. I'm not sure if you can add extra processing to some of the codecs, but i've never tried,so don't know. Some people like to make a 5.1 into 7.1, but i'd rather leave it as the sound engineer made it.






It's as i said above, when i watch an SD channel, I'm on PL11 movie, but as soon as I switch to an HD channel showing something with 5.1 sound, the amp automatically switches and shows 'Dolby Digital'. When I change back to an SD channel, it goes back to showing PL11 Movie. So. you don't need to do anything.

Sweet! It sounds like it's going to be easier than I thought. Thanks for the great explanation. I am looking forward to trying it out tonight!