To factory reset a Sony STR-DH590, turn the receiver off, then press and hold the power button on the receiver itself for 5 seconds. “CLEARING” flashes on the display, then “CLEARED *” appears. Don’t turn the receiver off or unplug it until you see “CLEARED *.”
You have to use the power button on the front of the receiver. The remote can’t do this, and there’s no reset option in the TV menu or the AMP MENU. The reset erases every setting you’ve saved, including your speaker calibration and Bluetooth pairings. The next time you turn the receiver on, the Easy Setup screen shows up on your TV. If you only need to undo sound mode changes, there’s a smaller reset below that leaves everything else alone.
Which reset do you need?
The STR-DH590 has two button resets. Most people jump straight to the full reset, but it isn’t always the right choice.
| Reset | Buttons (receiver off) | What it clears | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound field reset | Hold MUSIC, then press power | Sound field settings only | Sound seems wrong after you’ve changed sound modes or effects |
| Full factory reset | Hold power for 5 seconds | All saved settings | Odd behavior that other fixes don’t solve, or before you sell or give away the receiver |
Sony suggests working through problems in this order: check the troubleshooting steps for your problem, reset the sound fields, then clear all settings with a factory reset. If none of that works, the next step is service.
Before you start: write down what you want to keep
A factory reset can’t be undone, and there’s no way to back up settings on this receiver. If you’ve tuned the system by hand, take a minute to note what you changed. The easiest way to find your current values is on the TV. Press HOME on the remote and open Speaker Setting. It’s worth writing down:
- Speaker Size, Distance, Level, and Crossover Freq values, if you set them yourself
- FM radio presets and any names you gave them
- Custom input names you set with “NAME IN”
- Anything else you changed in the AMP MENU, like “TV.OFFSET” or “AUTO.STBY”
If you just ran Auto Calibration and never changed anything, you can skip this. Running it again rebuilds those settings for you.
How to factory reset the STR-DH590
You’ll do all of this at the receiver, so stand where you can see the display panel.
- Turn the receiver off with the power button on the receiver or the remote. The display goes dark. The power indicator may stay red if features like Control for HDMI or Bluetooth standby are on. That’s normal, and the receiver still counts as off.
- Find the power button on the front of the receiver. It has the standard power symbol on it.
- Press and hold the power button for a full 5 seconds.
- Let go when “CLEARING” starts flashing on the display.
- Wait. Sony says clearing the memory completely can take a few minutes. Don’t press power or unplug the receiver while “CLEARING” is showing.
- When the display changes to “CLEARED *,” the reset is done.
- Turn on your TV and switch it to the HDMI input the receiver is connected to. Then turn the receiver on. The Easy Setup screen should appear on the TV.
If “CLEARING” never appears
- The receiver was still on. The reset only starts from off. Turn the receiver off, wait a moment, then hold the power button again.
- You used the remote. Holding power on the remote doesn’t reset anything. Use the button on the receiver.
- You let go too soon. Count the full 5 seconds before you release the button.
The smaller option: reset only the sound fields
Sound fields are the listening modes like HD-D.C.S., Hall, or Multi Ch Stereo. If you changed effects and now the sound seems off, this reset puts them back to Sony’s defaults. Your speaker setup, HDMI settings, and Bluetooth pairings stay as they are.
- Turn the receiver off.
- Press and hold the MUSIC button on the receiver.
- While still holding MUSIC, press the power button on the receiver.
- Look for “S.F. CLEAR” on the display. That means the sound fields are back to their defaults.
Like the full reset, this only works with the receiver’s own buttons, not the remote.
What to set up again after a full reset
Because the reset clears all saved settings, your system will act like it just came out of the box. Go through these in order:
- Run Easy Setup and Auto Calibration. Easy Setup appears on its own the first time you turn the receiver on after the reset. It needs a TV connected to see the screens. Keep the supplied calibration microphone handy. Our speaker setup and Auto Calibration walkthrough covers mic placement and the error codes you might see.
- Check the speaker pattern. Press AMP MENU and look at “<SPKR>” – “PATTERN.” If you have a subwoofer, it needs to be an “x.1” pattern, such as “5.1.” A pattern without “.1” is one of the most common reasons a subwoofer goes silent.
- Confirm Control for HDMI is on if you use ARC. TV sound through HDMI ARC needs “<HDMI>” – “CTRL.HDMI” set to “CTRL ON.” Check it in the AMP MENU. If TV sound is missing, follow our HDMI ARC setup guide.
- Pair your phone again. Your pairings are gone, but your phone still lists “STR-DH590.” Delete that old entry in the phone’s Bluetooth settings first, then pair it again from scratch. Sony lists a stale pairing as a common cause of “can’t connect” problems.
- Restore the rest. Re-enter FM presets, input names, and any AMP MENU settings you wrote down.
When a reset won’t fix the problem
Some problems look like a confused receiver but have a different cause. A reset won’t help with these, so check them first.
“PROTECT” appears on the display
“PROTECT” means the receiver shut itself off to protect its circuits. Clearing settings does nothing for that. Sony’s steps are:
- Unplug the power cord and wait 30 minutes before plugging it back in. A power surge or outage can trigger PROTECT.
- Make sure nothing is covering the receiver’s ventilation holes.
- Disconnect all speakers and the subwoofer.
- Check that the speaker wire strands are twisted tightly at both ends, with no loose strands touching nearby terminals.
- Connect only the front speakers. Turn the receiver on, raise the volume, and let it play for at least 30 minutes so it fully warms up.
- Add the other speakers back one at a time, testing after each one, until you find the speaker that causes PROTECT.
- Check your speakers’ impedance. The STR-DH590 is meant for speakers rated 6 to 16 ohms. Speakers rated lower can trigger PROTECT.
If PROTECT keeps coming back after all of that, the receiver needs service.
The receiver turns itself off
Check these three things before you reset. First, the auto standby setting: press AMP MENU and set “<SYSTEM>” – “AUTO.STBY” to “STBY OFF.” Second, the sleep timer may be on. Third, it may be the PROTECT shutdown described above.
The remote doesn’t work
The remote has no reset of its own, and resetting the receiver won’t fix a remote. Point it at the receiver’s sensor, clear anything in the way, and put in fresh batteries.
HDMI control acts up after a power outage or unplugging
Sony notes that after the receiver has been unplugged, HDMI control features can take a while to start working again. Wait at least 15 seconds and try again. Try that before you reset.
Quick answers
Can I factory reset the STR-DH590 from the TV screen?
No. Sony’s only documented factory reset is holding the power button on the receiver. The home menu and the AMP MENU have no reset option.
How long does the reset take?
You hold the button for 5 seconds, and then the receiver clears its memory. Sony says that can take a few minutes. Wait for “CLEARED *” before you do anything else.
Will the reset unpair my phone?
Yes. Plan to pair every Bluetooth device again. Delete “STR-DH590” from each device’s Bluetooth list first.
Is there a separate Bluetooth reset?
Sony doesn’t document one. If one phone won’t connect, remove “STR-DH590” from that phone and pair again. That fixes most pairing problems without touching anything else.
For Sony’s wording of both procedures, see the Help Guide pages on reverting to the factory default settings and resetting sound fields. The PROTECT troubleshooting page covers the protection shutdown.