Quick and simple comparison, where I'm just looking at two measurements from the pre-outs of two classic products in pure-direct modes
1) Sony STR-ZA5000ES
- Similar digital front end as the STR-Z1100ES tested here but with beefier amplifier section
- 90 dB ASR DAC SINAD on APx555
2) Yamaha CX-A5100
- Only Yamaha Dolby Atmos product without a major defect (compared to CX-A5200 and RX-A6A).
- 90 dB/95 dB Audioholics SINAD with XLR out on APx585
HDMI input of each respective processor/AVR
1 kHz test tone
1000 tone multitone
At least when comparing these two products, even though the 1 kHz SINAD is only 6 dB apart, once you do a 1000 tone multi-tone, the difference expands to 13 dB difference.
Conclusion:
It's very possible that the Yamaha CX-A5100 (2015) is "more musical" than the Sony STR-ZA5000es (2015). The Yamaha does not change much between a single tone and multi-tone whereas the Sony shows a much larger difference.
1) Sony STR-ZA5000ES
- Similar digital front end as the STR-Z1100ES tested here but with beefier amplifier section
- 90 dB ASR DAC SINAD on APx555
2) Yamaha CX-A5100
- Only Yamaha Dolby Atmos product without a major defect (compared to CX-A5200 and RX-A6A).
- 90 dB/95 dB Audioholics SINAD with XLR out on APx585
HDMI input of each respective processor/AVR
1 kHz test tone
1000 tone multitone
At least when comparing these two products, even though the 1 kHz SINAD is only 6 dB apart, once you do a 1000 tone multi-tone, the difference expands to 13 dB difference.
Conclusion:
It's very possible that the Yamaha CX-A5100 (2015) is "more musical" than the Sony STR-ZA5000es (2015). The Yamaha does not change much between a single tone and multi-tone whereas the Sony shows a much larger difference.