Sony STR-DA5800ES 9.2 Channel 4K AV Receiver with Automation
Sony STR-DA5800ES 9.2 Channel 4K AV Receiver with Automation
- 9.2 Channel A/V Receiver with 130W per ch (8 Ohm 20-20kHz 0.09%THD)
- Easy Automation home theater and lighting with custom scenes
- 11 HD inputs (9 HDMI, 2 component)
- 4K resolution pass-through and up-scaling
- Stream music from the Internet
Sony’s flagship ES receiver not only gives you gorgeous 9.2 channel surround
and breathtaking 4K video, it redefines the way you interact with your
entertainment options and how you control your entire home. Powerful audio. Easy Automation. 11 HD inputs. 130 Watts x 9 (8 Ohm 20-20kHz 0.09%THD)6 for cinema-like surround sound and crystal clear music reproduction. Control your home theater components, including your
List Price: $ 2,099.99
Price:
Related Audiophile Receiver Products
Similar Posts
Winkine Retro Cowhide Leather Canvas Professional Digital Camera Bag – Sturdy Vintage Shoulder Messenger Bag
Winkine Retro Cowhide Leather Canvas Professional Digital Camera Bag – Sturdy Vintage Shoulder Messenger Bag ✔ WELL-MADE: 100% brand new...
Sennheiser HD 600 Open Back Professional Headphone
Sennheiser HD 600 Open Back Professional Headphone Lightweight aluminum voice coils ensure excellent transient response Neodymium ferrous magnets maintain optimum...
GOWE tube amps Integrated Amplifier With Headphone output
GOWE tube amps Integrated Amplifier With Headphone output Features:Use 6N2 to the pre-amps parts; Use 63p3 to the power amps...
Best sound quality I have heard from an AVR, but the GUI is lacking,
Having said that, though, here is what I miss from my Denon (specifically the Denon X3000):
Immediate, on-screen display of the volume level: This is what I miss the most. With my Denon, when I adjusted the volume from the remote, I got a bar across the bottom of the television screen to indicate the change. The Sony does not have this; it only shows it numerically on the AVR screen. I have a fairly large television room (thus the need for a powerful AVR), and I need to look through a pair of binoculars if I want to see the volume change.
On-screen display of sound settings: Similar to the volume display, with the Denon, you push one button on the remote, a list of sound setting options come up on top of what you are viewing on television, and you scroll through and make your selection…done.
With the Sony, you have to go to the home screen, switching away from what you are watching, and there is a pause here while the home screen loads, which is just downright annoying. You then make your selection, (you can still hear the sound, but you can’t see the picture), and then you must re-select what you want to watch, either from the same home screen or via the remote. It’s a very cumbersome process by comparison.
Along this same topic, though, I should mention my delight with one of the sound options from Sony; the “Studio” selection under HD-D.C.S. With the Denon, when watching television, the dialogue never seemed to come through as effectively as I prefer, no matter what option I tried. However, with this selection activated via the Sony, dialogue comes through especially crisp and clear.
Automatic sound calibration: The Denon allowed up to eight locations for calibrating the speakers. The Sony, while much faster, will only calibrate the speakers from one location. However, I don’t really see this as a big deal (I mean, eight locations? really?) The graphics from the Sony for this particular exercise are excellent…it gives you a “photographic” depiction of various speaker set-ups, from which you select the one that matches your own configuration. They way they designed it really makes it easy.
Manual: The Denon manual is much more user friendly and is fairly “conversational,” meaning easy to follow. Sony’s is more difficult to understand.
However, I should also mention that I ended up bi-amping my front speakers with the surround back (zone 2) terminals. The process was fairly straightforward, even with a manual that is lacking, by taking it one step at a time. But, overall the Sony manual just doesn’t have the same readability as the Denon manual.
Slideshow while playing music: With just a few button pushes on the remote, the Denon has a really neat feature that allows you to watch photos (or a video) on your screen while playing music from any source. We like to view our family vacation photos this way….I wish the Sony unit offered this feature.
These are some of the main differences I miss. I should note that this Sony does offer many more features than the Denon model I am comparing it to, such as lighting control, four Ethernet ports, and a plethora of various connection options. Plus, of course, it is more powerful and offers a 9.2 connection setup. However, considering that this a higher-end model, for the price it is being offered it should do all of the things the much cheaper Denon does and more.
I will also, once more, emphasize the quality of the sound from this Sony unit. When playing movies, watching television, or listening to music, the difference was readily apparent. In fact, I don’t see how it can get much better….if you’re looking for a wow factor, you’ll find it here. If Sony would just learn from Denon regarding GUI, they would have a definite home run here.
I hope this review helped. Please drop me a note if you have a question I might be able to answer….and if things change as I continue to enjoy this receiver I will update the review. Thanks for reading!
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|Completely Blown Away,
Pro’s:
– Super fast speaker auto-calibration that works. Sony provides a binaural mic that is spaced-out horizontally to simulate your ears. The process takes all of two minutes unlike the Audyssey implementation Onkyo uses, which generally takes 30 minutes and is nowhere as effective.
– Setup is fairly straight forward, use the easy setup wizard though and customize after
– Enough connectivity options to handle about any need you have or may have in the future (haven’t used the IR blasters yet)
– The front panel display is easily readable from a distance and I actually like the chassis. Both are old-school, but I like the look
– Menu system is mostly intuitive, I only hit the manual to determine what functions do, not how to find them
– The sound fields are superb. The settings simply work like you would want them to. I’ve always considered these functions useless on other units, not so on the 5800
– No thermal issues so far and I have it in a tight enclosure. There is an internal fan too
– EASILY the best sounding receiver I’ve ever had.
Con’s: (Keep in mind that ES equipment is generally meant for use by pro installers)
– Horrifically expensive, but in the range of other high-end units
– Typical Sony remote. Functional, but not great.
– Default HDMI settings can make devices freak out. I had to do some trial and error to get my uverse dvr to work properly. No problems with the PS3, Apple TV or Oppo 103
– Not overly impressed with the UI look, online video services work well
– Wireless connectivity would be a nice option, but the internal hub works fine
– I’m not using the automation functions, at least not yet. It would be nice to be able to hide these options
Overall, I’m happy with the purchase. The improvement in quality is almost worth the $2k
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|Sony STR-DA5800ES 9.2,
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|