List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $523.00
Today's Bonus: 13% Off
Updated 6/16/2013 original post 6/3/2013
Great news first you can stream your music files on Android Phone over wifi(like Airplay though not as good) using AirTwist(from DoubleTwist for 5$). More on this below in the File Steaming section.
I am a first time buyer of A/V receiver. I researched a lot about the receivers for about a few weeks i was actually looking at the DN1030 and I had the following wishlist of features in the order of priorities.
1. Builtin/Cheap Wifi(~20$)
2. Stream Audio from Android/Airplay
3. USB In front for FlashDrive with Charge Power >500ma
4. 2 HDMI OUT
5. 2 Digital Audio In
6. MHL in front(powered HDMI in other words)
7. ARC(Audio Return Channel)
8. Passthrough Input Change while in Standby
9. Preout (totally optional as I know it adds to price significantly. NOT available on DN1040)
10. High HDMI Count
Due to price and desired features limitation my research was focused mostly on Sony, Onkyo and Yamaha. The top contenders were Onkyo and Sony with Onkyo leading with its TX-NR616 ($349 + 25$ Wifi Dongle) and Sony DN1030 was next.
DN1040 sounded good but it was too expensive that I did not even consider it in the features matrix. Luckily last week I saw a deal on Rakuten.com (formerly Buy.com) that was only 449 for DN1040. I checked my feature list and all the top 8 parameters as well as number 10 were a go on this one and added Bluetooth which was not even in my feature list. So I pulled the trigger immediately. And boy am I glad that I did!
(Add 6/10) One other important reason why i bought this is because the STR-DN1030 came out on the top in the mid range receivers in the CNET Review last yr and many other websites recommend it.
My Setup:-
Speakers: Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black) (i paid 299$)
Speaker Wire: RCA AH16100SR 100 Ft. 16-Gauge Speaker Wire
Banana Plugs: Sewell Direct SW-29863-12 Deadbolt Banana Plugs, 12-Pair(26$ NOTE: Cannot use banana plugs on the speaker side without Speaker mounts)
Speaker Mounts: Videosecu 6 Black Satellite Studio Speaker Mounts / Brackets for Walls and Ceilings 1UP (needed some grinding to fit the speaker but works great for the price)
My Amazon Reviews:
Speakers : http://www.amazon.com/review/R25L9POODXC2X8/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
Mounts : http://www.amazon.com/review/R2GPNDBZ7HSVSV/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
Initial Setup:-
Was a breeze just power up the system and it asked you about the setup of the speakers and network, And does a quick 2min speaker audio configuration using the bundled mic and you are ready to use it. Most of the features like Airplay, DLNA just work out of the box without any changes to the system settings. Looks great too especially compared to the 1030 this one has much better looks and works great the two big dials looks nice and the buttons are kind of invisible as they almost the same color as the front panel. The UI is pretty simple almost too simple i would have preferred a little more control especially with the HDMI options etc.
Remote:-
I got the remote to work with my LG 42LH90 TV using the code 503 and Also by LG Bluray Player with code 337. Though a little confusing the remote works okay once you get a hang of it. One major drawbacks i see of the remote is that it cant be used in a truly universal mode i.e you cant control the BD player without having the receiver wakeup. However you can control the TV with out waking the receiver. I have a feeling that it is probably me that is not able to use the remote correctly. Will revise my review as soon as i figure that out.
File Steaming:-
I have used Doubletwist/Airtwist for a few days works pretty well and reliably each time from 2 different Android Devices. But couple of issues to use this you have to enable AirTwist which is heavy on WIFI, depending on how much wifi drains your device battery the runtime of the phone can be less than halved. The worst part is that double twist does not have an option where it only enables airtwist when playing music to External Speakers it has to be switched on/off manually and you know how that goes.
There is another app to use the Airplay Feature of the receiver but primarily for people who are ready to root their devices it is AirAudio on Google Play Store i only tried the free version without rooting and works like charm. Still considering rooting for this. If you want to try it please read the complete play store description of the app beware some devices can get temporarily bricked because of the app. The advantage here (i.e if you root) is you can use any music player or video player and it works. Also appears this following app works similar to the above AirAudio App it is called Airplay on Android AOA Service.
On a personal note first time in 2 yrs i am unhappy about being on android the reason is Airplay. Google seems to be working on an Airplay like protocol and system level support for external playback thing but it is probably a few months and a couple of updates away for all current devices.
To conclude its seems the best way(power and functionality efficient) is to have the tunes stream from a home media server using sony network media app.
Apps:
Apple iOS Remote Apps: Media Remote App + Network Audio Remote App (compatible with iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad; requires iOS 4.3 or later)
Android Remote Apps: Media Remote App + Network Audio Remote App (compatible with Android 2.2-up)
Bluetooth:
The blue tooth does work very well too. The pairing is real easy and audio quality seems to be good as well. One thing I liked about their implementation of BT is that you can skip track from the remote. But i personally prefer file streaming compared to bluetooth as the audio quality is better that way and also your phone doesnt need to stay in the range radius for the bluetooth to work.
Music on USB:
I used a USB flash drive and this feature works fine with it. Though i think it could be a little better like faster UI and remember where it was previously on the directory. Also if you hook up your iphone or android it has a 1A at 5V rating for charging.
To wrap up:
The setup was easy everything just works. Looks great and works great. The UI is pretty simple almost too simple if you ask me. The Android Remote App works fine. Streaming from android works flawlessly with double twist (DLNA). I paired it with Energy Take Classic 5.1 the audio is great (I am not qualified to do a comparative study here) and the connectivity option are amazing this is something I can certify Sony has basically thrown in the kitchen sink (well in the world of AV Receivers don't compare it with sonos) with Wifi/Bluetooth/Airplay/DLNA and combine that with Net Streaming Option (Pandora, Slacker Sony Unlimited Music etc)
The only complains I have so far is too few options/granularity when controlling connectivity, more Audio Streaming Options, Video streaming (netflix et all but 59$ roku can fix it). All in all I think it is an amazing receiver (especially for what I paid) will add more details as I explore them.
All in all i am very happy with my purchase especially give the deal that i got.
If you are shopping for a receiver you should also check out Sony STR-DN840 the network features are same.
CNET, whathifi, and crutchfield already have professional reviews of 1040. And crutchfield has a ton of tech spec.
Features yet to be evaluated
Standby power
Sony Network Media Remote App(this is different from the remote control app)
Standby Switching of Inputs
MHL (BTW it has 1A at 5V rating like the USB)
Note: if any one has suggestions/questions please put it in comments will respond as soon as i can.
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