Strda3200es

jim VARCOE Bronze Member Username: Polksavage Post Number: 94 Registered: Jun-06	Posted on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 - 23:14 GMT I'm thinking of changing from the HTR-5850 yamaha receiver I have now because I've won a strda3200es sony receiver. I'm finding it hard to find a review on the sony amp tho. what are your opinions?
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 4745 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 - 23:38 GMT Sony bad. Grunt.
jim VARCOE Bronze Member Username: Polksavage Post Number: 96 Registered: Jun-06	Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 03:41 GMT you know I hear people say thta but I work in a big box electronics store and have heard sony and they sound great. I want someone who knows the technical reason for why the sony is less an amp than a yamaha
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 4748 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 11:15 GMT Jim, the yamaha and Sony are likely quite on par with each other. Most receivers cannot come close to their rated power, but if it sounds good to you, then it is. I would like to see the repair records for each before choosing, but given that you got it gratis, all is well.
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 4749 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 11:17 GMT I could not find that sony model either.
Jan Vigne Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 9413 Registered: May-04	Posted on Friday, December 08, 2006 - 02:58 GMT . http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/>INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?Produc tSKU=STRDA3200ES&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=hav_HiFiComponents_Receivers_HiFiRece ivers The ES line of Sony products is their "better" gear. As far as receivers go, sometimes there's little difference between an ES receiver and a regular line product (other than gold plated jacks and better speaker conenctors) and sometimes there is enough difference to make the ES product the wiser purchase. However, features are what usually sets the ES line apart from regular Sony gear. If you like the extra features of the ES receiver you own, then you will probably like the unit overall. Many users find they tire of the multiples of features the ES line presents, which can get quite confusing if you delve into the menus, and stop using many of the more advanced features which makes the ES not that much different then regular Sony (other than the gold plated jacks and the better speaker connectors). You will have to find out whether the ES receiver is a good match for you or not. If you like manipulating the sound of the signal, then this might be the best receiver you'll ever own. Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, etc. are all mass produced products which, like most mass produced electronic products, have become more interested in features and user convenience than in sound quality. As I said above, if you like features, this could be a great advantage to you. There are certainly better sounding receivers on the market and most assuredly better sounding equipment. But what you like is what you like and, if the Sony floats your boat, then you have lucked into a good deal. None of the Sony receivers other than the top line ES model have power supplies which are competent to withstand a difficult speaker load. Money is generally funnelled to the face plate and remote rather than to the internals. This makes them very limited as far as many listeners are concerned. The Sony philosophy has been for many years now to wow the consumer with features and specs, not to work hard at giving the consumer good value for the dollar. Their repair rate is about average for the industry, their customer service is lousy and their desire to back up a discontinued model barely meets the minimum required by the government to cover their @sses. The more complicated the equipment, the less Sony (and most mass market manufacturers) are interested in being of assistance to a client. In home audio gear, Sony has probably amassed more PO'd customers than any other product line. But, along with CocaCola, Sony is one of the most recognized product names in the world. And customers feel safe with a Sony product because they know the name. So, Sony goes on making enemies of their customers in home audio year after year. And, because of their market position, people continue to buy Sony stuff year after year, no matter what their past experience with the company has led them to believe will happen. When it breaks they figure they've had enough use out of the product and go buy another Sony. The world is full of dead Sony products. Which is what Sony likes. Sony has led the way in creating a disposable universe of electronics. In warranty, Sony's most useful repair technique is a product exchange. Even they don't want to fix their own stuff. All of which means nothing to you since you paid, I assume, nothing for this product. Just know that when it craps out, you should have a closet shelf cleared off because fixing it will be unreasonable at the time. Until then, enjoy your receiver. .
Markus Silver Member Username: Markusp Toronto, ON Canada Post Number: 152 Registered: Apr-04	Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 15:57 GMT Jim - the 3200es is a very nice sounding and performing receiver and I think it will be quite a step up from the HTR-5850. The 3200es is virtually identical to the top-of-the-line 5200es minus the new OSD, the video scaler and an extra HDMI input. The amps, processor, and DSP sections are the same. If nothing else, the 3200es gives you 2 HDMI inputs with the ability to process 8 full channels of high bitrate PCM, meaning that it can accept decoded high res audio from both HD DVD and Blu-ray. It is also 1.2a compliant which means that it can accept decoded SACD playback via HDMI as well. Lastly, it correctly maps all sound channels via HDMI (Pioneer and last gen Yamaha's do not - they do not apply the necessary 10dB LFE level boost via HDMI) and as a video switcher, transcodes all analog signals to HDMI output so that you only need to run a single cable to your tv (if it has an HDMI input of course). There seems to be a lot of Sony bashing out on the web right now but these new receivers (5200es, 3200es, 7100es) are very good sounding and performing receivers. Congrats on winning a very nice machine!
Markus Silver Member Username: Markusp Toronto, ON Canada Post Number: 153 Registered: Apr-04	Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 16:03 GMT Jan - check out the Sony STR-DA9000es and see if you still think that Sony puts all of its money into its face plates and remotes. It is one hell of an engineered and well built and performing piece of audio gear and has been acclaimed the world over. I myself am not a Sony fanboy but this piece does impress. Likewise, for the money, the new ES receivers impress as well, especially for the "street prices".
Jan Vigne Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 9457 Registered: May-04	Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 18:50 GMT . Markus - I hope you didn't read my post as saying Sony is incapable of producing a well designed and well built receiver. Whether they choose to do so is another matter. If I were looking for what Sony excels at, there aren't many other options to choose from. But how many HDMI connections should a typical system require? Selling a receiver on its +10dB LFE boost hardly qualifies as a groundbreaking achievement. Overall, Sony excels at such features and excels at turning such features into selling points. Generations of Sony equipment have received very good reviews based on bringing the latest features to the client. Your comments regarding the top of the line ES models exemplify the comments which a prospective HT buyer might find of value. Sony buyers are feature buyers. You don't really talk sound quality or performance when selling Sony gear (with very few exceptions). You run through features just as you have done for Jim. I notice you didn't mention anything about build quality or the receiver's ability to drive low impedance, difficult loads. Nothing about soundstaging, imaging, ambience retrieval. Those aren't the things you discuss with a Sony buyer. "Nice sounding" is what you say when someone asks you about Sony's performance. Or, you quote specs which are for the most part meaningless. If features get you in the buying mood, then Sony will give any company a run for their money and trounce most competitors. Their after the sale service still stinks and even their before the sale service can convince many people to forget about Sony. One of the most effective tools to sell off Sony is suggest the customer try to contact Sony. Unfortunately, this is more and more the norm in the mass market audio world. (It took me six weeks to get Toshiba to tell me they didn't know what I was asking about a DVD player just last year.) Large companies that previously maintained dedicated service centers are closing shop and shipping all the dogs to regional service centers who they don't want to pay for servicing a problem unit. Pioneer, Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon, etc. just aren't interested in taking care of a client to maintain a sold on "X" brand customer. That makes them poor value in my book. But what is a customer to do, if they don't want to spend large sums of money to get better gear? The only alternative is to buy and buy again when the first, second or third unit craps out. That, as I mentioned, is where Sony excels also. Good reviews? Read them and see how often sound quality and build quality are mentioned over features. I don't like to buy things a third and fourth time so I tend to stay as far away from the mass market stuff as possible. But that's just me. .
jim VARCOE Bronze Member Username: Polksavage Post Number: 98 Registered: Jun-06	Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 22:54 GMT thanks Markus I've received it in themail and WOW what a difference from my yamaha, So I'll be keeping it around.
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 4862 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Thursday, December 14, 2006 - 00:46 GMT That's about the umpteenth time I have seen that post from you JV, and it is still true. Hold off, save up, and listen a lot. Shop the pre-loved market. A ton of stuff out there will last a lifetime if it is well designed, SIMPLE and effective. Some of it almost has.
kyle robinson Silver Member Username: Gamerdude Ontario Canada Post Number: 313 Registered: Apr-06	Posted on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - 16:59 GMT I respect Jans post and she is right about the speaker loads (ohm) it clearly stats nothing below 8 anything under would most likly make it clip Audio Channel Power Rating: 170W x 7 (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, THD 0.15%) Impedance: 8 Ohms - pointed out Have any of you ever looked threw the vents and seen that power supply it's not much bigger then your average 5.1 computer speaker power supply. Power Power Consumption (in Operation): 250W Power Consumption (in Standby): 1W Power Requirements: AC120V, 60 Hz And when operating there isnt much power being taken 250W , But it doesnt state all channles driven ES AV ReceiverSTR-DA7100ES/B -$2000 Are feattures alone worth 2000$ allthow it does have preouts which could be used for seprate amps (bryston)

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