A Huge Step Up In Performance

FOR Stunningly insightful and assured; punchy; agile; features

AGAINST A backlit remote would be nice

When Sony missed out on the £500 AV receiver shoot-out last year, we were worried that was the end of the company’s celebrated range of amplifiers.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, as Sony is back with a belter of an AV receiver. Packed with all the latest technology and a stunning performance to match, the new Sony STR-DN1080 is very much a force to be reckoned with.

We need only a couple of minutes listening to the 4K Blu-ray of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them and we’re grinning. The Sony amp sounds, dare we say it, fantastic.

Best of both worlds

The subtlety and control that we loved in the Award-winning STR-DN1050 is back, but there’s more to it. The 1080 reaches deep into its reserves to deliver a sound packed with punch, dynamism and authority in a way we haven’t heard before at this level.

There’s an incredible amount of detail, from the natural, expressive voices to the layers of insight and space surrounding each sound effect. As a window shatters under a spell, you can hear the sharp tinkling of glass as well as the deep note rippling around the effect.

Dynamically, this amplifier makes for such a fun, exciting listen. Quiet moments are as captivating as when huge explosions go off in every corner of the big, open soundfield, and the DN1080 handles the changing sonic shifts with masterful control. It’s enthralling.

Surround effects swirl around you convincingly and you can track exactly where each noise – whether it’s a spell, a crash, a gunshot or the unearthly sounds of some magical creature – is placed in the soundfield. It envelops you in a cocoon of sound – and that’s before you engage the Dolby Atmos or DTS:X 3D soundtracks.

The additional heights are convincing, although spreading the sound out more does take away a bit of the solid punch from the overall presentation.