Gadgetory

hey I'm Matthew Muscovy ak from Cena and we're taking a look at the Sony STR DN 840 this is a 7.2 AV receiver with built-in bluetooth airplay and Wi-Fi and it's selling for just 420 dollars from the outside it has a typical AV receiver look it's a big black metal box so you're going to need plenty of room in your TV cabinet sony has done a decent job at making the front panel look stylish but it really can't compare to Moran says slimline and our 1403 when it comes to style the included remote isn't bad although it has more buttons than it should the white input buttons do stand out well and there is a big volume rocker at the bottom although it's easy to get mixed up with the not so useful sound field selector that's right next to it on the back the sony has 6 HDMI inputs which is as many as you're going to get at this price level there are also a fair amount of legacy connections including three total digital audio inputs but component video is nowhere to be found one thing to note is that although the sony is a 7 channel AV receiver it doesn't support true seconds own audio capability so if you have a to room setup it may not be the best choice the real standout is all of Sony's wireless capabilities Wi-Fi is built-in which makes it easy to get on your home network for firmware updates smart phone control and the ability to stream from its integrated streaming services which include Pandora Slacker and internet radio even better both bluetooth and air player built-in so it's simple to wirelessly stream audio from any app on your smart phone or tablet Sony's made it so convenient that you can even set the receiver to automatically turn on and switch to the right input any time you selected via airplay or bluetooth it's really a killer feature and no other receiver has this much wireless tech for under $500 so if your music collection revolves around your mobile devices this is a pretty great pick we also had Resident audiophile Steve Guttenberg give it a listen and he was mostly impressed action movies had all the appropriate punch and to channel music was detailed and lush it didn't sound quite as good as the marantz and our 1403 and head-to-head test but they're close and honestly they both sound pretty good all together the STR DN 840 just has an unbeatable set of features for the price especially if you want to stream from your mobile devices which is why it earns CNET Editors Choice Award this is the best value I've seen this year so if you're looking for an AV receiver start your search with this one I'm Matthew Muscovy ak and this is the Sony STR DN 840