Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony STR-DG820B 7.1 Audio Video Receiver in Black
Sony STR-DG820B 7.1 Audio Video Receiver in Black
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £269.99Average Customer Rating
(3.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Great Amp
(5 out of 5) by Papa Smurf on Nov 25, 2008 (Sussex, England)This is a great Amp, the SkyHD problem has been fixed now so all the amps now decode dolby digital properly, there is a slight buzz when the volume is high (don't notice it that often) but this can be got rid of with a button on the remote. I bought this to upgrade my old Sony Dolby Digital amp as this one has Dolby True HD.
It is so easy to set up and excellent value for money, 4 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, loads of other inputs and great sound quality.
It is so easy to set up and excellent value for money, 4 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, loads of other inputs and great sound quality.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
But can you connect a turntable?
(4 out of 5) by Paul Magnussen on Dec 28, 2008 (Campbell, CA USA)For the benefit of other greybeards like myself who may still want to be able to play their old vinyl, I should like to add that of the STR-DG520, STR-DG720, STR-DG820 and STR-DG920, only the last-named has a phono input!
19 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
Beware of the Hum/Buzz!
(1 out of 5) by J. Sands on Nov 19, 2008 (United Kingdom)I bought one of these amps a few months ago. It's all very well that it can decode all HD audio and has 4 HDMI ports but there were two crucial things wrong with it.
1) There is an issue with SKY+ HD where you cannot listen to Dolby Digital 5.1 on it where you are using HDMI with the amp, as DD 5.1 can only be used with the optical/co-axial cable on SKY+ HD. I had to take the amp to a shop where they installed a fix. This was an annoying waste of time and should have been thought about BEFORE being put on the market.
2) THE most important thing about an amp Is how it sounds and this one sounds awful. There is a horrible and annoying hum/buzz that comes through all 5 speakers, regardless of what speakers you use or what input you use. I listened to several STR DG 820's in many shops all over London and they all sound the same. DTS is unbearable to listen to with a loud angry hissing and buzzing noise. Watching a quiet scene with just dialogue, the humming noise is very easy to hear. I had to stop watching several movies, regardless of whether the soundtrack was Dolby Digital, LPCM, DTS HD Master etc. Albeit the buzz/hum appears to go away when there is a loud scene with music/explosions it IS still there! It becomes extremely prevalent again during quiet scenes. It really is not good enough.
I exchanged my STR DG 820 for an STR DA 2400. It's a little pricier, but worth every penny in my opinion. No hum, no buzz, no SKY+ HD issues, it can decode all HD audio, has four HDMI ports - I wish I would have bought this one in the first place!
1) There is an issue with SKY+ HD where you cannot listen to Dolby Digital 5.1 on it where you are using HDMI with the amp, as DD 5.1 can only be used with the optical/co-axial cable on SKY+ HD. I had to take the amp to a shop where they installed a fix. This was an annoying waste of time and should have been thought about BEFORE being put on the market.
2) THE most important thing about an amp Is how it sounds and this one sounds awful. There is a horrible and annoying hum/buzz that comes through all 5 speakers, regardless of what speakers you use or what input you use. I listened to several STR DG 820's in many shops all over London and they all sound the same. DTS is unbearable to listen to with a loud angry hissing and buzzing noise. Watching a quiet scene with just dialogue, the humming noise is very easy to hear. I had to stop watching several movies, regardless of whether the soundtrack was Dolby Digital, LPCM, DTS HD Master etc. Albeit the buzz/hum appears to go away when there is a loud scene with music/explosions it IS still there! It becomes extremely prevalent again during quiet scenes. It really is not good enough.
I exchanged my STR DG 820 for an STR DA 2400. It's a little pricier, but worth every penny in my opinion. No hum, no buzz, no SKY+ HD issues, it can decode all HD audio, has four HDMI ports - I wish I would have bought this one in the first place!