Shopping for a stereo receiver can be a frustrating, complicated, and, most of all, incredibly expensive endeavor, but the Sony STR-DH190 offers a much-needed breath of fresh air. It's missing a lot of the features you'll find on more expensive receivers, but by focusing on the essentials, Sony is able to create a very appealing product for the low-key buyer who just wants to blast sound out of their speakers without blowing their entire budget.

What you lose are mainly conveniences, such as HDMI inputs/outputs (and thus HDMI ARC compatibility), Wi-Fi and Ethernet capabilities, Alexa/Siri/Google integrations, preamp outputs, subwoofer outputs. Okay, so maybe many of these won't be conveniences for many buyers, but I can't imagine the STR-DH190 was high on their list to begin with.

You still get plenty of great features though, such as phono inputs with a proper preamp, Bluetooth connectivity, the ability to hook up two sets of speakers, and a very generous 100W per channel of power. Is this enough for the price? I think so, but let's take a look at the rest of the features to see if it has enough to suit your needs.

I'm a big fan of the design of the Sony STR-DH190. The minimalistic look somehow makes it look a lot more expensive. Of course, Sony didn't have to make the design too complicated, because there aren't a ton of functions to make buttons for, but this same design can be found in many of their more expensive, feature-rich products. I'm inclined to believe it's just a design choice.