Sony STR-AN1000 - AV network receiver - 7.2 channel
$899.99
$696.99
Mfg # STRAN1000
CDW # 8028532
| UNSPSC 52161521
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360 Spatial Sound Mapping 8K 7.2ch AV Receiver |STR-AN1000.
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Sony STR-AN1000 - AV network receiver - 7.2 channel is rated
4.40 out of
5 by
18.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
bad raptor from
Superb, Crisp Surround Sound. A Few Issues.
INSTALLATION AND CALIBRATION
My previous Denon AVR which was older than 10 years did feature multi-channel sound separation but unfortunately may have had a capacitor fail because one of rear sound channels was no longer working and the AVR would go into a power-down/safe mode with flashing red power LED after a few minutes of use. Not really inclined to open the unit and attempt a self-repair involving soldering, I opted to upgrade the AVR to a newer Dolby Atmos-capable receiver, the Sony STR AN1000.
Installing the AN1000 into my existing home theater set up was relatively easy, if you don’t account for crawling and stretching out on the living room wood floor and reconnecting existing speaker wire and subwoofer connections. Once the speakers were all connected, I used the calibration microphone and stand that comes with the AN1000 to establish the relative sound fields for each of the speakers. The graphical user interface from the Sony receiver to my Sony 4k TV was quite helpful in double-checking the accuracy of the calibration settings, which were slightly off in a few cases – particularly the distance of the subwoofers to the TV which for some reason added about 12 feet when they were only about 2 feet from the TV. When calibrating the unit, it is important to have a measuring device to verify the distance and height of all of your speakers, the height of your TV screen and the height of your ceiling. My home theater set up is in my living room and adjacent dining room that together have a 19-ft cathedral ceiling, so the acoustics can be quite pleasing.
The other disconcerting thing about the graphical interface for the speaker setup was that it doesn’t give the user and option for smaller (bookshelf-sized) rear surrounds and only displays large speakers if your left and right surrounds are large. My front and side surrounds are large Sony tower speakers and given how my dining room is set up it doesn’t make sense to add additional tower speakers.
CONNECTING AN APPLE TV 4K – Lack of the Dolby Vision Support
I initially connected my AppleTV 4k set top box directly to the Sony AN1000 using an 8k-rated HDMI cable only to discover that the receiver would not pass through a Dolby Vision signal to the AppleTV 4k which display 4k SDR only. When I went online to see if this was a unique issue or whether other users had encountered this, I discovered that unfortunately this is a known issue that as far as I could tell that neither Sony nor Apple have yet to resolve. So, I was forced to reconnect the Apple TV 4k directly to the Sony TV once again. Sony claims to support Dolby Vision through the AN1000 but this is simply not the case unless there is a solution or work-around that they have published as of this writing that I have missed.
DISPLAYING THE SOUND FIELD BEING USED
The Sony AN1000 does have a nifty 360 Spatial Sound setting which comes in handy when watching older films whether they are streamed or from a Blu-ray player. That said whatever the current sound field being used is displayed on the front display panel of the receiver but is so small as to be unreadable especially considering that the user may be sitting some 10 feet away from the receiver and TV screen and not inclined to keep getting out of their chair to kneel down and get within a few inches of the receiver’s front display to see what the settings are.
Attempting to verify the sound field by using the included Sony remote for the receiver is not much help since it hardly ever displays the information. Using the Sony TV’s remote isn’t much better since the option in the audio setting it displays is “Dolby Audio” not “Dolby Atmos” or “Dolby Digital Plus” or other sound fields/codecs like “DTS”.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE - SOUND CLARITY AND SURROUND EFFECTS
Despite some of the aforementioned annoying user interface issues, the surround sound effects of the AN1000 when in Dolby Atmos or using the Sony 360 Spatial Sound setting is quite impressive and to my ear sounds much crisper than my previous Denon multi-channel AVR. Initially my subwoofers were putting out probably a bit too much thundering low frequency bass; so, I actually had to reset the levels on them down a bit. This was quite noticeable when playing the 4k UHD Dolby Atmos stream of Blade Runner, for example and some other action films with explosions and other pyrotechnics.
When playing the tornado scene from The Wizard of Oz, you really do get the sense that wind is whipping around you from every corner of the room. Other films that have been adept at incorporating Dolby Atmos will sometimes startle the viewer with offscreen sound effects that was made by another character that soon makes an appearance. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are very good examples of this.
I also tested the AN1000 with different genres (classical, opera, jazz, rock) of music on Amazon Music and was quite pleased with the crisp, clear sound of instruments and vocals.
FINAL WORD
To say that the AN1000 has horsepower and can create a dynamic and immersive theater sound experience in an averaged-sized living room is an understatement. This is a feature-rich and powerful home theater receiver and for most living room/family room/bonus room situations, the Sony STR AN1000 will be more than suitable for what you will need to create an entertaining surround sound environment.
Date published: 2024-09-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bay123 from
Great product with cons
I love it great sound, that being said this isn’t easy to set up with surround sound. It taxed my knowledge of electronics. Had trouble getting the rear speakers to work, the manual “ novel “ isn’t that clear to fallow. It took nearly 2 weeks to get it working the way I wanted. However now is working and sounding the way I want I’m in love with it.
Date published: 2024-04-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Gatorzman from
Pretty good receiver with a lot of options.
Bought this "open box" from Best Buy. When I had trouble because they sent the incorrect microphone for setup, it reminded me why I try to stay away from buying anything from Best Buy. Zero help at the store and every excuse. Called Sony and the correct version will be sent in 2 weeks, so maybe three weeks from now I can properly set this up.
I'm the mean time I set it up with what I have. Took about three days to properly configure and I'm still not done. A lot of steps that should be easy, like programming FM stations is laborious. Not easy to find a number of things that should be readily accessible like renaming inputs. I still haven't found my CD changer or auxiliary electronic.
Sound is an upgrade from the mid-level Onkyo I purchased 8 years ago that had already failed due to a bad DTS chip on the board. (Never buy Onkyo again). Love the 360 spatial sound when playing music. It fills the room and I can hear sounds and instruments I have never heard before.
Not sure my movie sound settings are dialed in correctly. The surround sound is good sometimes but lacking punch on some types of scenes. The voice dialog coming from my Klipsch center channel could be better. Maybe the correct microphone will fix this, otherwise I'll adjust manually.
Not a fan of the dumbed -down remote. And the screen features black and white that looks so 1990s. Lot to learn on all the features. Some options like Chromecast and Spotify have a separate menu button that does absolutely nothing but tell you to cast it from your phone. Wouldn't that be the same as Bluetooth connecting the phone.
Hoping to find a remote for the phone that is better than the one provided. Not sure how to manually adjust each speaker yet. And an equalizer doesn't seem to be present beyond the couple options like turning on Dolby. Seems too limited for a receiver of this price point. And disappointed to only have FM when my older two receivers both had AM and were cheaper.
Date published: 2023-09-09T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
joejoe512 from
great feature
very happy with this unit had a sony before these one
Date published: 2023-10-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Andrew in DC from
Reboots unexpectedly with a very loud thump
This nicely designed unit could be an excellent upgrade to my previous Sony home theater but, even with the latest firmware - every few days, this unit shuts down unexpectedly with a very loud thump scaring everybody in the house. Then it displays “Hello” and “Please wait”. One minute later it is operating ok.
Date published: 2023-09-26T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Stan L from
Great product , pairs well with Sony Oled TV
Nice receiver plenty of power sounds great with my Klipsch speakers & woofer, Sony tech support quickly answered the questions I had.
Date published: 2024-01-28T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
DesertSquatch from
High End Hi Fidelity from the lows to the highs
Had another brands AVR that basically would only work with their proprietary app.i returned and decided to buy a Sony that would work with my Bravia 4K Android TV. Set-up was seamless from the internet to the speakers.
Date published: 2024-05-06T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
dimar from
Sounds amazing
Positive: Love the receiver, sound quality is amazing especially when bi-wired the front speakers and calibrated. Wireless surround speakers option is something I'll consider later on.
Negative: Will not play DSD over HDMI or UPnP with with Foobar2000. No dedicated fast forward buttons on the remote. Website GUI is broken with firmware 1.455, will try to figure it out later.
Date published: 2024-01-07T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
tiger2024 from
sony 360 receiver
still learning // has options more than others / has tiny antenna wish it was more advanved// but goodoverall
Date published: 2024-02-02T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jamos1 from
Excellent Receiver
This is an excellent AV Reviever I bought to replace an earlier version that was suffering from old age after 5 1/2 years - and better replaced than repaired (it is hard to find someone who repairs them, unless still under warrantee).
This Reciver has more capacity than I need, but it's solid with great specs and upgrade capcity to not only 4K but also 8K. It upgrades cable signals for an excellent video result AND audio. Easy to use. I had my Geek Squad (I'm a Total Care Member) set it up for me to include adding banana plugs to my speaker wires - I've wanted to do that.
This Receiver has recently gone on sale - so there's no reason to settle for less. And it works seamlessly with my other Sony Products and my Spectrum Remote. I once had a tech friend in HS who worked on electronics ... he said when you open up a Sony product, it is obvious the build quality is a cut above everybody else. So I buy Sony.
Jim
Date published: 2023-11-23T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Phyneds from
Home Theater experience on Steroids!
Love it and have only scratched the surface of all my receiver can do!
Date published: 2024-03-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Lath6988 from
If you are not good on your own this isn’t for you
The directions were of no help and even the settings used once attached to the tv explained noting either.
Date published: 2024-02-27T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mark227 from
Fantastic with Bravia TV
Have owned numerous AV receivers over the years. The str-an1000 may not be the best one, but if you have a recent Sony Bravia OLED TV with center channel capability, it's great. The combination gives you a great surround sound setup without a bulky center speaker that can be difficult to place.
Date published: 2023-10-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
CJacks from
Excellent but one Flaw
The receiver is excellent but has one flaw. The Xbox or series x will not 4k pass through like the others. Fire stick and other cable boxes pass through at plug in. Xbox only pass 1080 off a 2023 receiver. That sucks. Sony need to fix ASAP.
Date published: 2024-01-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
m3g60 from
Best on the market right now, specially the pictur
Had STR-DN1080 that sounded amazing!! This DN1000 got better picture quality but the sound 25% less than the DN1080 BUT still great. The only problem with this receiver the volume!! If you turn it off and the next day when you turn it on it goes to the last setting from the night before!!! This is unacceptable for a receiver!! All other manufacturers got option to reset the volume at start up to your convenience. That’s a no no in my opinion
Date published: 2024-04-30T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
kevindasoundguy21 from
Good Solid Product
I purchased this product a few weeks ago after carefully researching the feature and quality of this audio/visual receiver over the span of several months. This receiver has lived up to its reputation as a solid performer. Set-up was ok and the instructions where a tad bit confusing but after I figured out the applicable connections it was good. One would be best served to integrate all Sony products (for example a TV and soundbar). My PlayStation 5, Bravia TV and even my Xfinity Cable box effortlessly connected without encountering a problem. Please be sure to purchase a TV with the esarc/arc HDMi port (as you will need this to connect to the receiver and other devices). Although the receiver comes with a remote, the unit uses the TV remote of my Bravia TV to access devices connected to the receiver. The good: Unit is controlled via TV remote, turning on the TV automatically turns on the receiver, it is feature rich in it audio feature; for i.e., Dolby DTS, Atmos are some of the feature rich alternatives. The not so good: Third party sound bars without HDMI do not work this unit (I suggest, purchasing Sony speakers). Even as an audiophile, it took me a few days to thorougly understand how to access those devices that are not dsiplayed on the TV screen and there's an extra step in accessing other devices. However, that is not a deal breaker. I would recommend this unit to friends! So far, so good!
Date published: 2024-05-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
sony es from
sony
sony has done it again for making the best in home electronics, im a sony owner for 36 years and counting, very proud sony head office keep up the good work.
Date published: 2024-08-22T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
jercom from
Good, but has some drawbacks for me.
Overall, it's a great receiver, but:
No video on USB output. Had I known that, I would not have purchased the receiver.
The equalizer does not select individual speakers, or change individual frequencies.
The remote control has a weak signal, and has be aimed mainly at the receiver, very annoying.
Date published: 2024-11-08T00:00:00-05:00