Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Sony STR‑AN1000 has been a killer upgrade and an ideal entry point into Dolby Atmos. It delivers the kind of immersive sound most “starter” receivers only hint at. With your 5.1.2 setup, the height effects are clean, directional, and surprisingly convincing — overhead pans actually feel overhead, not just “somewhere up front.” Sony’s DCAC IX calibration does serious work. Dialogue gets clearer, bass tightens up, and the whole soundstage opens wider than your room should allow. Movies instantly feel more cinematic, with Atmos effects floating around you and action scenes hitting harder than expected from a mid‑tier receiver. Gaming on PS5 is where the AN1000 really flexes. Feeding it Linear PCM gives you pinpoint positional audio, and the HDMI 2.1 support means you get full 4K/120 performance without compromise. Even everyday TV and streaming benefit — the AN1000 adds depth and clarity to basic stereo content without sounding artificial. What makes this receiver shine is how effortlessly it fits into your setup. eARC works flawlessly, switching inputs is smooth, and everything just feels dialed‑in. For a first Atmos receiver, it’s powerful, modern, and genuinely transformative. A clean, affordable way to make movies, games, and regular shows feel brand new.

Absolutely blown away by the performance of the Sony STR-AN1000! The Dolby Atmos and 8K HDR support truly elevate the home theater experience—crystal clear sound, deep bass, and immersive surround capabilities. Setup was surprisingly intuitive, and the network features make streaming a breeze. Whether it's movies, music, or gaming, this receiver delivers top-tier performance across the board. Highly recommend for anyone serious about upgrading their home entertainment setup.

Great sound and plenty of power for my needs! Thank you Best Buy for the open box savings!!

This is an excellent receiver! I paired it with the wireless Sony 200 subwoofer and it works perfectly with my 26 year old Bose Accoustimass 10 wired surround sound speakers. The clarity and sound is outstanding after only calibrating once.

I have used my new Sony STR AN1000 receiver for about a week and I'm loving it so far. I honestly can tell a difference in sound from my Onkyo TX NR545 receiver which I used for many years and worked well. The reason I switched receivers is because I just purchased a new 85" Mini LED television (also from Best Buy) and wanted to take advantage of the TV's newer technology. The Sony receiver has 4K 120Hz and 8K 60Hz passthrough via 2.1 eARC HDMI. The Dolby Atmos sound is amazing with or without using the 360 Spacial Mapping. The only Con that I have is that I still have to use individual remotes for all the connected devices (Receiver, TV, Cable Box, Navidia Shield/games, and Blue-ray player). Maybe I'll discover a better way.

Had to replace my old one so bought this one on sale and I am very pleased with it simple to set up easy calibration came well protected in the package yes I would buy this item again,now I can watch my movies and play games with a good sound stage not the most powerful but for the size of my bedroom which is a pretty good size it sounds great very Happy my Sony Av receiver....

Amazing product, very easy to use, and the sound quality is just flawless compared to my denon. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants an upgrade and more advanced surround system. This receiver is very underrated. I was in the very beginning a little hesitant on purchasing it but now i am vey glad i did.

I like to consider my taste, premium, with a fathers budget. I just purchased the Sony 65x93L and I knew it was time to upgrade from my Yamha RXA760. I decided to try going all in on a Sony ecosystem. I will admit, I had very little to no expectation for how this receiver would perform compared to my Yamaha, and I was completely blown away! The customization is awesome, the sound (paird with a Martin Logan 5.1) is actually better than my previous three receivers (over 20years / Pioneer Elite / Marantz / Yamaha). And for $600? I mean. Ive been around A/V for about 18 years, and Im sure there's something Im missing. Maybe because I'm almost 40, maybe because I spent considerably less on this receiver than any of my previous ones, I don't know. What I do know, is you absolutely cannot buy a better AVR for $600.

I have this receiver running Martin Logan 2i Motion speakers and they are powerful enough to fill a whole 15x10 room at half volume.The Sony AN1000 easily connects to Apple AirPlay2 for streaming from Apple Music. I mainly use this receiver for playing CD’s and music streaming.

The eARC can be a bit finicky if you are using a universal remote. Once I got that sorted it has been great. The setup was pretty straightforward. I bought mine as an open box item and had it shipped to my house. The packaging was done very poorly, and I heard the shipper drop it on my front step. This resulted in the side panel being dented, but everything works, and you can't see the damage once it is in my media center.

Works great, sounds great. theres FAR less delay compared to my sony dh550. I'm guessing thats eArc. Using the reciever remote it also DOESNT display the Volume on the tv when changing the volume (THANK you). Minus one star for it turning On by itself everynow and then. atleast Itll shut itself off after a minute, but still a slight annoyance. Also it claims to do 4k 120, but my Xbox Series X Reaaaally does not like running through this thing. maybe its my cable, but sometimes it Does work properly so I figured it cant be that. Maybe its just the xbox, so i just have it run through the tv first, no big deal. Just a bummer I cant use 4K 120 like i should. Also I still have my Bluray player connected to the Tv rather than this because with Enhanced HDMI mode (or whatever its called) it forces my sony bluray player to run at a higher, and seemingly inconsistant framerate. Like a soap opera but not as steady. I tried to find a setting to fix that but i couldnt. These issues I was able to work around, but thought its worth mentioning.

To start off, I’m running… 2 Klipsch R-50 bookshelves in rear 2 Klipsch R800 for left and right 1 Klipsch R-30C for center 2 Klipsch R/41sa for height/Atmos speakers 1 Klipsch R-120SW for subwoofer Once calibrated (which is extremely easy through the set up of receiver) That combination plus the receiver is powerful, clear, atmospheric, engaging, and even all of that at lower volumes as well as theatres might volumes. For the center, the vocals were crisp, clear, and blended perfectly with even the scenes where a lot of explosive action was going on in the scene. I can’t believe there are still better centers out there because this is perfect in every way.

It's a solid performer from Sony plenty of power for the price point. I would've given five stars except It's missing sound options that my older and cheaper sony receiver had (concert,sport's, and a few others). I think sony dropped the ball on that as the other sound stages gave the listener a different level of audio immersion. Still very solid unit that I would recommend to anyone shopping for a good home theater system at around 1k.

I upgraded from a Denon equivalent and I couldn’t be happier. The menus and interface are much more user-friendly and I’m getting considerably more consistent performance from the Sony. Sound quality is great and the remote is straightforward to use. Movie mode is great and the dialogue is always clear. I don’t have an 8K TV to test on this thing, but it’s great having the option for the future.

Working flawless with a variety of audio components manufacturers. Love the auto connection detection switcehing. Cost a little more maybe, Sony quality is worth it. Only ding is removed line of sight, don't understand a decision like that which makes it decidedly less user friendly.

I would like to make this review two fold first starting with the receiver the an1000 is awesome if you are in the need for a 7 channel Atmos receiver I don't see how you could do any better than this. Especially for the price point in combination with everything you get and Sony special sauce AKA 360 spatial mapping. Set up was simple and direct with Sony's room correction working beautifully. The receiver is connected to my Sony A80J and the integration is flawless, the ability to use TV speakers or receiver from a click on the TV screen is fantastic. The spatial Audio with the 360 Mapping puts virtual speakers in places where there are no speakers and the sound is fantastic. I am using this with a Bose speaker system and it's very lifelike. Thank you to the Best Buy rep who guided me to this over the Denon or Yamaha receivers.

I managed to purchase this receiver as an open item and was practically brand new. It's paired with Sony's Core speakers (bookshelves, center and sub) and the wireless SA-RS 5s as rears and height for an Atmos 5.1.2 setup. It's been incredible, as this is my first true theater setup. Very content with the setup.

KEY FEATURES Supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, and IMAX Enhanced Supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X HDCP 2.3 Compliant and HDMI 2.1 Compatible with ALLM & VRR for gaming. Supports 4K and 8K Input & Output Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast, Spotify, and AirPlay Compatible 6 HDMI Inputs / 2 HDMI Outputs 1 Optical Input / 1 Coaxial Input INITIAL SET-UP Sony has spent a lot of time during their absence in the home theater receiver market to thoroughly revamp not only their entire line-up, but also their user interface and set-up procedure. Once all your connections are made on the back of the receiver, the initial receiver set-up and calibration procedure is the easiest I’ve ever used from any manufacturer. I’ve been fortunate enough to own receivers from nearly all the major players in this field over the years and the new Sony interface, while almost generic looking, is simple and easy to master. A big portion of the easy set-up should be credited to Sony and their Digital Cinema Auto Calibration program. It is a very thorough calibration process. I strongly advise getting a laser distance measurer, as you will be asked to take many different measurements throughout your room. Nothing complicated, but it is slightly time consuming. The calibration program considers many different parameters, including seating position, distance, screen height, ceiling height, etc. Any one that has used the Audyssey or Dirac room calibration programs should be pleased with the results of the Sony proprietary calibration programming. After a series of measurements and test tones, including subs, phase matching, level matching, etc. the Digital Cinema Auto Calibration will complete, and the end results are impressive. SOUND QUALITY This is my first Sony home theater receiver I’ve had in a long time and after initial use, it brings back old memories. My first test was using Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos encoded music from Amazon Music Unlimited. This receiver is just like the Sony receivers of old. While sound quality is always totally subjective, this receiver is no where near as warm sounding as my current receiver. I favor the warm, richer sounds of my current receiver for music playback, always have, that’s what led me to my current manufacturer. The Sony doesn’t sound bad, far from it. It just sounds more neutral, cooler, and in a sense, a little thinner. I listened to dozens of songs from all genres: country, rock, classic rock, rap, classical, etc. All exhibited the same trait. They sounded fine, just lacking that warmth and finesse my current receiver gives. Next up, is what you buy a home theater receiver for. Movies. The Sony Digital Cinema Auto Calibration was very comprehensive, so let’s see if the Sony can pull it off when it comes to an immersive home theater experience. Sony claims their technology can create a series of “phantom speakers” giving the user a much more enveloping sound field like you get it a movie theater. First up was a 4k, Dolby Atmos encoded movie from Amazon Prime. It sounded OK, but it left me wanting. Bass was flat and the sound track while clear, was not convincing. Next up, Top Gun: Maverick on an Ultra HD Blu-ray in my Sony 4k Blu-Ray player. Same results. OK, but not impressive. This is exactly what I expected from an entry level receiver. Fiddling with some settings, I found the Movie button on the tiny Sony remote. This allows you to toggle between different sound modes, included in those are Dolby Mode and DTS:X Mode. Do these modes make a difference? Yes, a jaw dropping difference. The little Sony came alive and so did the movies. Bass hit hard, jets were screaming all around, the little Sony became a true cinematic machine. The movie was a blast to watch again. NEGATIVES There is no getting around it. The remote sucks. It’s tiny, it’s hard to read, especially in a light controlled room, there is no tactile feedback with the buttons, they are all flat with no special humps, or bumps to let you know which button your finger is on and most importantly, it is not backlit. Ugh. I hate not having a backlit remote. Because this is an entry-level receiver, there are no Pre-Amp outputs to expand the system past 7.1 and for those interested, there is also no Phono Pre-Amp. The included stereo microphone for room calibration has too short of a cord. I sit 15’ from my screen and the included microphone is just too short. Luckily, I had a 10’ 3.5mm stereo headphone extension cable on hand so I could complete my room calibration. While the Sony advertises Sonos compatibility, it does not have Sonos “built-in”. By compatible, it means that it works with a Sonos Port. The Port will turn the receiver on and off as well as selecting the correct input when you connect, but this receiver does not stream via the Sonos app without additional hardware. CONCLUSION To quote a boxing metaphor, the little Sony STR-AN1000 is a Featherweight hitting in the Welterweight class. Dollar for dollar, the Sony is bringing its A-Game to the table. There is just a lot to like about this little powerhouse. Vocals are colder than I like for music playback (this isn’t so much a negative, as a personal preference), but the Sony makes magic happen with movies. The sound is strong and enveloping. The Sony room calibration is precise and much better at speaker matching than Audyssey. Which, I found quite surprising as Audyssey is touted like it’s the gold standard. Whether it be movies or using multi-channel stereo playback of audio tracks, the sound from my speakers is much more cohesive, dynamic, and punchy than I could ever get it with my old receiver and Audyssey. Believe me I tried and tried. I tried automatic. I tried manual. I used an SPL meter. The Sony implementation and calibration is much better. Don’t let Sony’s odd-ball power rating of 165W x 1 sway you from the receiver (The sticker on the front of the receiver touts 165W x 7, but the Sony website is more accurate at 165W x 1. There is no way this receiver is 165W x 7). A majority of the power needed by speakers is for bass reproduction. Since most folks have a powered sub or two in their theaters, the lower power rating really isn’t a big issue. Coming from a receiver rated at 125W x 7, I didn’t notice any real power difference, as I use the low pass filter to let the subs do the heavy lifting, thereby freeing the receiver from power hungry bass chores. The little Sony never sounded strained or thin at higher volumes. At the end of the day, it all comes down to this. Does the Sony bring enough to the table to replace my existing receiver that is several years old and cost more than 2x the price of this one? The answer is: Yes. The Sony won me over watching movies on it. My home theater has never sounded better and more convincing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

One of the best receivers in the sub-$1000 price range. With enough technology to get started with a home theater system. I use it with Polk speakers and it sounds great.

I am very happy with the audio quality ,however i hate the popping sound while looking on apps like youtube and netflix, i cant leave my xbox on and turn off the receiver unless i disable the power options for hdmi which means i turn off the tv and the receiver stays on. All in all im happy with this product but a few things are annoying.