Sony's first AV amplifier in seven years knocked our socks off when we reviewed it back in April, and since then I've spent even more time using it as part of a wider home cinema speaker system. Put simply, it's spectacular and only gets better the more I use it. So when I was browsing Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale hoping to find a worthwhile home cinema deal, I was ecstatic to see the Sony emblazoned with a red sale banner, with £150 knocked off the asking price.
This isn't the first time the Sony TA-AN1000 has been treated to a major discount, but it is a very good deal nonetheless, knocking the price down to £849. In our five-star review we called it a "no-brainer" buy for the money, so now at this lower price it's an even easier recommendation.
Not only is this a healthy discount on an excellent AV amp, but it might also be the best home cinema deal I've spotted in the Prime Day 2 sale so far.
So what makes the Sony TA-AN1000 so good? Well, you can read our TA-AN1000 review for the full lowdown, but here are our Cliffs Notes. Sonically, it just gets so much right with very little sacrifice. Capable of driving a maximum 7.1 or 5.1.2 configuration with 85W per channel, the Sony provides truly cinematic sound and doesn't skimp on the video features either. Surround sound tech support is as strong as we'd hope and expect with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony 360 Spatial Sound Mapping immersive audio formats, too.
Starting with the all-important sound performance, we quickly came to appreciate Sony's crisp, textured and detailed sound. Its impeccable dynamism impressed at every turn; whether that's low-level dynamics that created subtle variation in dialogue which more muscular and less subtle AVRs failed to capture, or bigger impactful moments that required powerful bass and enhanced volume, the Sony was never caught out.
Overall, the Sony provided an energetic and detailed sonic presentation, and while we found the 360 Spatial Sound mapping traded off some precision, it did open up the sound to an impressive scale. We found it difficult to resist how engaging the Sony was in our testing, and to this day I often find myself watching along to whatever I'm using to test and having to refocus back to actually testing the speakers attached to this AV amplifier.
The Sony is also a champion in the picture department, with a total of six HDMI inputs, all technically labelled as HDMI 2.1 albeit only two actually support 4K/120Hz or 8K/60Hz. They all support VRR and ALLM, however, meaning gamers should be well serviced regardless, although aim to dedicate those 4K/120Hz connectors to your Xbox Series X, PS5 or both. HDR format support is also good, with HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG all on board, but no HDR10+ which may put off Samsung TV owners.
As for general features, the microphone-assassinated automatic setup process is speedy and easy, and you can save two presets for switching out speakers quickly - something we've come to appreciate when switching between multiple home cinema speaker packages frequently during testing. This amplifier is also packed full of streaming smarts, with Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, and Chromecast built-in and you can even integrate it into your wireless Sonos system.
At £150 off the usual asking price, this Sony AV amplifier is hands down the home cinema deal I would take advantage of right now if I were in the market for a sub-£1000 model, especially considering we seldom see this AV amp on sale. In fact, this might be the lowest price we've seen it drop to since August, so now is the perfect time to take your home cinema sound to the next level.
MORE:
Check out more of the best Prime Big Deal Days offers
As well as the best home cinema deals
And our round-up of the best AV recievers
