I have a Sony STR-DN850 AV receiver, which I use to drive a pair of floorstanding Monitor Audio speakers. It is a good setup, for my budget and I have been very happy with it until a while ago, when I moved to a new place and decided to part ways with my TV. In other words I currently use the AVR strictly as an amp for the speakers.
Since the AVR has both cable and wifi network access, and support various streaming protocols like AirPlay and Spotify Connect, I often stream to it which has worked like a charm when a TV was attached to it. When I set up the system at the new apartment, I carried my computer screen next to the AVR to set up the network settings. It turns out as soon as the display is disconnected the AVR ignores the networking settings (even when using wired connection).
I have confirmed this with Sony Support. I cannot make any sense out of it, since in terms of hardware it is absolutely irrelevant if there is a display attached or not. It must be a firmware setting.
My question is if it's a common thing for AVRs in general or if Sony just decided to come up with a weird "solution" to the fact that you need a display to set up the network. If it's just a Sony thing, I could imagine changing to a similar AVR from Denon or Onkyo etc, but if it's a common thing for AVRs specifically I might need to get a "pure" amp which might be a more expensive affair. Most companies dont specify whether or not the networking features are specifically designated to use cases with a display.
PS: I checked the SE sites to see if there is a better fit for this question but figure SU is the best alternative out there.
