Sony STR-DA5000ES AV-receiver
Sony always tries to be one step ahead of its competitors. A seven-channel STR-DA5000ES, which was released in 2003, also confirms this.
The brain of the device is two 32-bit processors, performing multichannel decoding, processing and correction in high sound resolution. Control system allows you to set manually the receiver from the faceplate. STR-DA5000ES is equipped with a switch-board with advanced features: two multichannel inputs (5.1 and 7.1), two inputs from the pre-amplifier. The receiver offers to the user a number of unique functions: it can recreate an acoustic atmosphere of the famous recording studios and halls, to correct phase of low frequencies and surround stage depending on the location of rear speakers. We can't not to note S-Master Pro - the system of digital amplification, for which Sony was awarded by the prestigious EISA.
At low volume level the sound is a bit cold in the middle case and slightly simplified in the upper range - musical picture turns out to be a schematic. At the increasing volume the playback becomes better: voices are warmer, top is clearer, the sound has not only accuracy but charm. It is impossible to find fault in the quality of bass transfer as well as in its dynamics - the flavor of drum and bass instruments is transmitted with excellent realism. But there are minuses too: an increased noise level masks the thickest sound details. Direct mode activation makes the playback more neutral and academic, but does not improve the detailing. As we expected, turning on through analog input by sound quality turned out to be less preferred: the stage has not clear enough contour of imaginary sources (in comparison with digital turning on) and instability of plans' separation. However, speaking not about nuances but in general, we should admit that STR-DA5000ES is able to transfer sound space very deep and localized. At the switching to multichannel input the volume level decreases on two decibels, but there are no significant advantages in sound quality before digital input.
