STRDH190.CEK 2 Channel Amplifier with Phone Input and Bluetooth - Black

5 stars for the price (€230 on prime day sale July 2025). Obviously not as good as higher end but more expensive amps but really impressive for what you pay. I've connected it my Sony PS-LX300 turntable and it sounds great (for reference I'm not an audio nerd, I just like clear quality sound and wanted to get away from Bluetooth speakers etc). I need to upgrade my speakers in the future but for now it works well with my cheap 6 ohm 40 watt Sony speakers. Bluetooth works great for Spotify etc on both android and ios devices but I got this amp to get away from Bluetooth. The remote control is excellent. It does everthing you'd want and feels good in the hand. So I've been using this for 3wks now and I love it honestly. I'm going to add new speakers and a cd separate in the future.

I purchased this amplifier to replace an AKAI AM-U22 unit that had started to malfunction after 37 years service. I needed a full set of RCA sockets on the new unit in order to connect with my other equipment in the studio, and the Sony STRDH190.CEK has ample. I have connected my original pair of Goodmans Quartet speakers, plus a feed to two YAMAHA HS8 studio monitors, and the sound is excellent, and very powerful. I have also plugged my computer soundcard into the Sony via a jackplug to RCA adapter lead and that also matches up with no distortion or loss of sound quality. The components used in the manufacture of the amplifier are all heavy duty and the unit oozes quality in all respects, a mid -range price for a top-range product. The stereo receiver is an added bonus and was easy to set up and find channels, and I can now listen to the radio in full theatre quality surround sound. I have not tried the Bluetooth circuit or the 'portable audio device' socket, but feel sure they would work perfectly if required. Would definitely recommend.

I like almost everything about this Sony amp, easy to set up, Bluetooth works great and high volume,only negative is the bass is a bit low, even at the max setting ,a pity Sony did not put in a extra bass setting or loudness button like the old amps, but all in all great value and nice crisp sound that I’m getting used to with low bass ,a better set of speakers may help , I’m happy with this product thank you amazon and Sony ...I changed from four stars to five because the base issue is really down to the format being played and can’t fault this amp , three months so far..

I was on the look out for an amplifier with built in phono inputs as I had started to build up a sound system for my living room. I also wanted to start off on a low budget and improve things in the future. After having done a lot of research, I ended up purchasing this receiver. Overall, it has been a great buy and one I do not regret. There were stock shortages for a while but Amazon managed to grab the stock sooner than many other retailers. My system consists of this amplifier plugged into a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 220s, Sony PS-LX310BT turntable, Hiby R5 digital audio player, Audiocast M5, and a Polk PSW10 subwoofer. It works with all of them perfectly. It is not recommended to use any speakers below 6 ohms. You can switch between 6 and 8 ohms on the receiver menu. Also, the impedance changes if you decide to connect speakers to both the A and B speaker outputs so be careful! I used Cambridge Audio speaker cabling which are pure copper, not the cheap copper cladded aluminium cable (CCA). I ensured the length of cable to each channel for the speakers and subwoofers were of equal length (best practice). Some reckon that you could save some cash and just use pure copper electrical flex instead! I might try that next time. Let me run through some pros and cons below; Pros: - £199 was a very reasonable price - 6 inputs in total - Bluetooth supported (SBC and AAC codecs) - You can rename each input for the display (up to 8 characters) - Up to 100 watts RMS for each channel into 8 ohm speakers - A/B speaker inputs - Remote control - Audio output RCA sockets (line out - not volume controlled) Cons: - Supplied FM aerial is a wire with a custom connector. There is no easy way to use a 75 ohm coax connector for example if you have an external FM aerial. - No DAB. - Takes a few seconds to warm up and become active. - No banana plug sockets to plug in the cables for the speakers, you have to push the bare wire in through some clips. It is quite clear the unit was built to a cost, but the sound is amazing for the price. It provide a clear, neutral and powerful sound. Your mileage will vary depending on the source and speakers you use. My speakers do not pump out much bass below about 100hz, so the subwoofers pick up the slack perfectly! The Sony does not hold back on the bass as some have reported. Although you can adjust the treble and bass levels, I have chosen not to. I mainly use the 'clear direct' mode, and I do not perceive any shortfalls in bass or treble. I have wired my speakers up through the 'A' outputs and the subwoofer accepts a high level speaker signal input from the 'B' outputs of this receiver. So don't let the fact that the receiver doesn't have a subwoofer output put you off from buying this, as it almost did with me! I do not use bluetooth as it is a lossy format and does not do my hi res and vinyl source material much justice. So I have turned it off. The difference is night and day when you connect decent sources to it directly, as I have done with a portable digital audio player that is now playing high resolution lossless music from Tidal and Apple Music. And of course FLAC files. I only notice slight warmth on the top of the receiver, then again, in a modestly sized living room, I rarely have the need to crank the volume level up high. In the early hours, I might have it around 5-7, during the day, 10-20. Any higher than that, and I think my neighbours might start complaining! It can do up to 77 if I remember rightly. This reciever does have RCA jacks for output, which are not affected by the volume control, so you can connect it to all sorts of equipment such as mini disk/tape/cd recorders, sound distributors, amplifiers, spectrum analysers, whatever you like as long as it accepts a 'line in' input. Sound wise, I have little to complain about. I long stopped the days of fiddling the EQs and now prefer a neutral sound. The Sony does a great job of providing clarity with anything thrown at it, whether it is classic, jazz, rock, house, indie, pop etc! There is no noise or interference. Just make sure you position your speakers well and you'll experience excellent separation and quality. Just remember to do your research into speakers, it is very important not to skimp this part. The same applies to your sources, you will really notice the difference when you use high resolution sources when compared to something like bluetooth or even Spotify's 320Kbps level of sound quality. Just don't expect too much from the receiver if your speakers and sources are below par, that's if you care about sound quality! It really is an amazing receiver for the price! Go get one!

Don’t write reviews normally but I will with this. Absolutely brilliant system, easy set up, crystal clear sound, rich sound, Bluetooth works perfect with my iPhone 11. Have it wired also to me 75watt Q Acoustic 3020 speakers which work wonderfully together. Remote control works very well and easy to use. The system was very well packaged and delivered on time. It’s big in size and pretty heavy but all in all it looks very well made. Have the system a few months now and it’s as good as the day I got it. Very pleased customer 🤩

I looked at a whole host of options before deciding on this amp. I bought this to get back into vinyl and set up a dedicated space in the house for quality sound so I’ve paired this with Bose acoustimass 5 cube speakers and a Regar Planar 1 and I’m delighted with the result. I’d be surprised if there’s a better amp at this price (Black Friday £148!). It’s so simple to set up and the pairing with an IPad to link with Spotify was instant and painless. Playback was seamless with no breaks or noticeable interference. Be aware that it’s a full size jack for the headphones so you may need an adapter for when you don’t want to be sharing your tunes with the rest of the street. There’s plenty of oomph to do just that. If you’re on a slightly tighter budget, or want to spend more on other components and need an amp which won’t compromise them, then this is a perfect way to get back into vinyl while still having access to e-music. The Planar 1 is a brilliant turntable and the Sony does it justice with the quality of its output. Some new speaker cables will no doubt enhance the package further but for now I’m really pleased with the STR190 and would happily recommend it.

I’m thrilled to bits with my purchase. I had been looking vaguely for an amplifier to replace my Pioneer A10, but which would enable me to play my Hi-res Walkman player through it without having to use a separate BlueTooth receiver. I had tried that but the sound quality was not great - a bit tinny and lacking in depth. This Sony unit is the answer to my prayers. The sound quality is really great - I use a pair of (rather elderly but superb) Tannoy Mercury M3 speakers - and is definitely superior to my Pioneer amp. The remote control is just right, allowing access to all the functions you need without any difficulty. The BlueTooth input is a dream, connecting instantly with my WalkMan and producing a sound clarity that exceeds what I would have believed possible having regard to the limitations inherent in the BlueTooth process. I presume that the fact that I’m linking two Sony products may have something to do with this. Do I have any reservations at all? No - except perhaps that I didn’t buy this sooner! The build quality and value for money are just unbelievable.

Set up was quick and connected to turntable so I could play my old LPs. Sounds fantastic. Powerful good quality audio, brilliant controls and even used the radio :).