This Sony receiver will lord over your AV setup like a squat god

Say hello to the Sony STR-DN1070, a $599.99 receiver announced at CES this year and available to purchase now. It's an iterative update on last year's STR-DN1060, supporting Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Google Cast, Bluetooth, six HDMI inputs, and nearly anything else you can think of — including 4K and HDR content. Sony is touting that it has a "brand new DAC ... supporting DSD native playback up to DSD 5.6 MHz/5.1ch." It didn't exactly wow at CES this year, thanks in part to its lack of support for Dolby ATMOS and relatively minor improvements over its predecessor.

That's fair — if you're going to commit to putting this squarish behemoth beneath your television you'd want it to handle anything you could think of. But in a world of soundbars and cheap, svelte HDMI switchers, there's something to be said for having something this substantial in your living room. It connotes seriousness, it offers the promise that no TV setup is too complicated for it to rein in. It commands you to gaze upon its placid solidity and tempts you to imagine how you will use every single one of its many, many ports.

I am Sony, it declares. Trust me and I shall tame thy wicked wires. And please pay no attention to those Yamahas and Onkyos and Denons, for they are not I. For I am Sony.