Sony STR-DH790 vs Yamaha RX-V485BL

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Votes 1 1
Rating 5 5

STR-DH790 vs RX-V485BL comparison chart

Sony STR-DH790 vs Yamaha RX-V485BL review

Sony STR-DH790
vs
Yamaha RX-V485BL

Let's make the Sony STR-DH790 versus Yamaha RX-V485BL comparison. According to the results of our review, Sony STR-DH790 received 5.3 points out of 10 possible, and Yamaha RX-V485BL was rated 6.6 points. Both AV receivers were introduced in 2018. After comparison, it will become clear that among these two devices, the RX-V485BL is more suitable for the role of the heart of home theater system.

Main advantages Sony STR-DH790 over Yamaha RX-V485BL

  • More channels, namely 7, makes this receiver more profitable than its 5-channel competitor.
  • 90/6 W/Ohm RMS makes it more productive compared to 80/6 W/Ohm RMS in another receiver in the review.
  • Surround sound ensures the availability of Dolby Atmos.
  • Object-oriented sound ensures the availability of DTS:X.

Main advantages Yamaha RX-V485BL over Sony STR-DH790

  • Thanks to 2 multi-room zones support, RX-V485BL bypasses its competitor without multizone support.
  • There is WI-Fi support.
  • The Spotify support is an exclusive advantage.
  • There is support for Apple AirPlay.

Amplifiers

For the built-in amplifier, the devices received different marks - 7 and 5, respectively, on a 10-point scale.

STR-DH790
7
RX-V485BL
5

The number of channels is equal to the number of possible connected speakers. The Sony STR-DH790 supports 7.2-channels sound, but Yamaha RX-V485BL supports a 5.1-channels configuration.

RMS stands for the actual power of the receiver. The higher this value, the louder the sound can be produced. The differences between the models in terms of RMS power are significant - for the STR-DH790 this value is 90/6 W/Ohm, and for the RX-V485BL it is 80/6 W/Ohm.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Channels7.25.1
Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm90/680/6
Output impedance, Ohm66
Frequency response10Hz-100KHz10Hz-100KHz
THD in stereo, %0.090.09

Audio features

After reviewing the audio features of each model, we can rate the STR-DH790 8 out of 10, and the RX-V485BL - 9.

STR-DH790
8
RX-V485BL
9

Most receivers now come with a microphone included. It is with the help of this microphone that the auto-calibration system functions, which adjusts the sound of the receiver to the room.

Speaker A/B switching allows you to change between the main and sub speaker set. Sony STR-DH790 can work with the main and additional set of speakers - and switch between them.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Digital to analog converter (DAC)192 KHz/24-bitBurr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit
Bi-amping
Pure direct (straight)
Auto speaker calibrationDCACYPAO
Speaker A/B switching
Other audio featuresHi-Res audioCINEMA DSP, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT

Connectivity

The connectivity of competitors in our comparison is markedly different, Sony STR-DH790 scored 6, and Yamaha RX-V485BL scored 8 out of 10.

STR-DH790
6
RX-V485BL
8

Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for the receiver's control or even music broadcasting.

Wired internet connection via RJ45 allows receiver faster connection than wireless or even use NAS storages. Wired connection via RJ45 is possible in the RX-V485BL only.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Wi-Fi2.4/5GHz
USB1 (USB 2.0)1 (USB 2.0)
Bluetooth
Ethernet (RJ45)1
DLNA
MHL

Streaming services

Now music streaming services are gaining more and more popularity. They allow users to listen to millions of songs by subscription.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Apple Music (AirPlay)AirPlay, AirPlay 2
Amazon Music
Spotify
Other streaming serviceshas nothas not

Extensive connections

The presence of many connectors makes the receiver more versatile. But there are also narrowly targeted models, the number of connectors which are limited to a certain area of use. And when choosing their own receiver, users need to consider exactly your goals for using the receiver. For extensive connection, Sony STR-DH790 got 7 points, but Yamaha RX-V485BL received 6 points.

STR-DH790
7
RX-V485BL
6

Competitors in our review have 4/1 HDMI inputs and outputs.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
HDMI input/output4/14/1
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel)
HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)
HDMI CEC
Digital content protection (HDCP)HDCP 2.2HDCP 2.2
Subwoofer output (LFE)21
Headphone output1 x 6.31 x 6.3
Optical digital input12
Coaxial digital input11
Composite input02
Component input/output0/00/0
Phono (MM) input
Front panel connectorsphones, setup micUSB, phones, setup mic, AUX
Multi channel preamp output

Video features

The AV receiver is the heart of the home theater. And in this case, support for all current video formats ensures the best user experience, so it is very important to consider this when choosing a device. Video features of the STR-DH790 were rated 7 out of 10 against the 8 for the RX-V485BL.

STR-DH790
7
RX-V485BL
8

Most of the AV receivers have a video scaling function, it is the process of reformatting the video signal to a higher resolution without losing the quality of the image. Upscaling the video signal resolution is possible with Yamaha RX-V485BL.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
HDR (High Dynamic Range)HDR10HDR10
4K signal pass-through4K/60Hz4K/60Hz
8K signal pass-through
HDMI signal pass-through
3D signal pass-through
HDMI pass-through in standby mode
Video conversion
Analog to HDMI scaling
HDMI to HDMI scaling
Dolby Vision
Other video featuresHLGBT.2020, HLG

Additional features

In terms of evaluating additional features, the STR-DH790 got 6 points, but the RX-V485BL has 8.

STR-DH790
6
RX-V485BL
8

Voice control allows you to control the basic functions of the receiver through a smartphone, smart speaker or using the microphone that comes with the kit. The RX-V485BL can be controlled by voice via Google Assistant. Yamaha RX-V485BL has the ECO mode.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Voice controlGoogle Assistant
App controliPhone, iPad, iPod, AndroidiPhone, iPad, iPod, Android
Displaycolour OSDcolour OSD
TunerAM, FMAM, FM
Sleep timer
Auto power off
ECO mode
Graphical user interface (GUI)
Setup assistant
Firmware updateUSBnetwork, USB
Other additional featureshas nothas not

Multi-room

As the center of a home media system, each multichannel receiver has an additional set of terminals for connecting the second set of speakers to create additional audio space in Zone 2 or even Zone 3 where audio can have the separate source.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Multi-room zoneshas not2
Zone audio outputhas notspeaker
Zone HDMI outputhas not
Multi-room controlhas notMusicCast
RS-23200
Remote control input/output (IR)0/00/0
DC trigger output (12V)00

Multichannel surround

Sony STR-DH790 got 7 points for the multichannel surround sound and Yamaha RX-V485BL got 5.

STR-DH790
7
RX-V485BL
5

Dolby Atmos' particularity is that this is the object-oriented sound format, that is, each audio signal object is independently sounded and connected to its spatial position. Sony STR-DH790 can create 3D sound due to the Dolby Atmos support.

DTS:X is an algorithm used by the processor to create sound scenes, where sounds connected directly to objects rather than channels, and to determine the optimum sound output distribution in space. Surround sound with DTS:X is available only on the STR-DH790.

STR-DH790 RX-V485BL
Dolby Atmos
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Surround
Dolby (other)Dolby Digital PlusDolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pro Logic
DTS:X
DTS HD Master
DTS Virtual:X
DTS Neural:X
DTS (other)DTS-ES, DTS 96/24DTS 96/24, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS, DTS-Surround, DTS Neo:6
Auro-3D
IMAX Enhanced
Multichannel stereo
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