STR-DG720 quality (1 Viewer)

[Dan Rudolph]

I was planning to get the STR-DG720, which looks to be pretty cheap on Black Friday. It has 7.1 decoding and all the codecs and inputs I need. I mentioned this on High-Def Digest and was told this was the worst receiver ever and it sounds terrible. Is there any truth to this? If so, what's good in the sub-$400 range that has 7.1 and decodes all the audio codecs used on Blu-Ray?

 

[David Willow]

Sony's don't get alot of love.

Check to Onkyo 606. I've seen it for $350.

If you look around, you may find the 705 or even the 805 for $400. These are excellent receivers (last years models).

 

[Michael Nelson]

The 720 does 7.1 PCM, but not the newer DD and DTS formats. If your BD player decodes the newer formats and spits out PCM you'll be just fine. However, if you expect the Reciever to do the work, you'll need to look at the the 820 or 920.

I opted for the 820 to replace my beloved Outlaw 1050. It was a money thing that drove the decision. I knew there would be a drop in quality and was prepared for it. A funny thing has happened, though - I'm pretty satisfied with the 820. It decodes all the new DD and DTS streams, sounds decent, and cost almost $100 less than the Onkyo 606 I originally wanted. (I paid $280 USD at the time, but it's a bit cheaper these days).

The 606 suggested ealier in this thread is more akin to the STR-DG920 in that it has analog inputs and upconversion capabilities.