Sony has announced two brand new AV receivers for 2013. Both the Sony STR-DN840 and Sony STR-DN1040 feature a new design, uprgaded internal components and a raft of connectivity features.
READ: Sony STR-DN1040 review
The STR-DN840, yours for $449 (or around £400 in the UK), is a seven-channel amp, with power weighing in at 95W per channel.
Decoding for high-def audio movie formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio is included, as is built-in Wi-Fi and AirPlay for wireless music streaming. File compatibility includes WAV, FLAC while both amps can also handle high-res 24bit/192kHz content.
The STR-DN840 also features six HDMI inputs, one output, 3D pass-through and 4K pass-through. A Preview For HDMI feature allows you to preview the images sent from any HDMI-connected sources, such as a Blu-ray player or games console.
Centre Speaker Lift Up allows the user to raise dialogue from speakers positioned below your TV. Sony claims this mode helps give a greater impression that sounds are coming from your display.
The STR-DN1040 at $599 (around £550) ups the ante with more power, eight HDMI inputs, and 4K upscaling for feeding 4K pictures to a compatible television such as Sony's 84in KD-84X9005 and upcoming 55in and 65in 4K sets, the XBR-55X900A and XBR-65X900A.
Both the Sony STR-DN840 and Sony STR-DN1040 go on sale in June.
MORE: Sony KD-84X9005 4k Ultra HD TV review
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Written by: Andy Madden