New Sony ES 8K AV Receiver Line STR-AZ7000ES STR-AZ5000ES STR-AZ3000ES STR-AZ1000ES

[Porter]

For those that have one of these receivers... if it's set to Bi-Amp the front LR channels using the Surround Back terminals, are the levels for each individual amp output channel still configurable in the speaker setup?

For context, I'd like to bi-amp, but also drop the bi-amp high frequency output (from the SB terminals) by at least 6dB going into my Klipsch Heresy IVs. Today I'm doing this in the calibration with Dirac without bi-amping, but the Sony room correction doesn't seem to have that kind of curve control.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can assist, the Sony documentation says nothing on this topic.

 

[rafacq]

It's Sony's own room correction system and its brand new to these receivers its based on there correction system for the HT-A9 4.0 wireless home theater system that got rave reviews, my guess is it will be good and super easy to use. Also I think these receivers are a great price for what they are giving you, the STR-AZ5000ES looks the most interesting to me, its $2,099.99 for 11.2 powered channels and 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, there's nothing on the market right now that will touch that.

I bought the AZ5000ES and am very happy. My other choice was the Marantz SR7015, which right now is selling for $1,999 st Crutchfield.

Currently using Klipsch RP-8000F for main front, RP-600C for center. Using my old and dearly loved, NHT SuperZero as surrounds. About to add 4 Klipsch in ceiling as front and rear top atmos speakers. Anxious to hear how Atmos will sound at home.

 

[wseroyer]

I bought the AZ5000ES and am very happy. My other choice was the Marantz SR7015, which right now is selling for $1,999 st Crutchfield.

Currently using Klipsch RP-8000F for main front, RP-600C for center. Using my old and dearly loved, NHT SuperZero as surrounds. About to add 4 Klipsch in ceiling as front and rear top atmos speakers. Anxious to hear how Atmos will sound at home.

Nice, I have the Denon x6700h its very similar to the SR 7015. interested in seeing how you like the Sony's 3D room mapping, it's suppose to be really good.

 

[rafacq]

Nice, I have the Denon x6700h its very similar to the SR 7015. interested in seeing how you like the Sony's 3D room mapping, it's suppose to be really good.

Previously I always listened to music in Pure Direct mode, now I find myself using Audio Enhancer/360 all the time. I hear better imaging and an improved soundstage.

 

[GameAudioPen]

Ok... even though this initial release is plagued with issues, which hopefully Sony will sort out in due time.
I"m still interested in the AVR due to people's praise of it for music and gaming imaging.

Realistically, will there be a notable difference between the 7000 and 5000 series, if I am using 2.1, up to 7.1 in the future, and generally enjoy music at a moderate/low level of 60-65 dB

 

[rafacq]

I bought the STR-AZ5000ES and find it the better buy over the 7000ES. I think many will agree. My other choice was the Marantz SR7015 which is currently liquidating for $1,999. It was a tough decision. For me, the additional 2 amplified channels and the new 360 spatial sound puts the Sony slightly ahead of the Marantz. But it’s a close match in my book.

 

[kalexan9]

Ok... even though this initial release is plagued with issues, which hopefully Sony will sort out in due time.
I"m still interested in the AVR due to people's praise of it for music and gaming imaging.

Realistically, will there be a notable difference between the 7000 and 5000 series, if I am using 2.1, up to 7.1 in the future, and generally enjoy music at a moderate/low level of 60-65 dB

As a 7000 owner, no, you will not notice a difference between the 7000 and 5000 - in your case. Even with its few bugs, imo, these new Sonys are arguably the best sounding receivers released this year and last.

 

[GameAudioPen]

As a 7000 owner, no, you will not notice a difference between the 7000 and 5000 - in your case. Even with its few bugs, imo, these new Sonys are arguably the best sounding receivers released this year and last.

I bought the STR-AZ5000ES and find it the better buy over the 7000ES. I think many will agree. My other choice was the Marantz SR7015 which is currently liquidating for $1,999. It was a tough decision. For me, the additional 2 amplified channels and the new 360 spatial sound puts the Sony slightly ahead of the Marantz. But it’s a close match in my book.

Sounds great, thank you.
The AZ5000ES is out of stock on most places, so that means the first batch must have sold out already XD
Maybe i'll wait till Fourth of July to pick it up so it will be batch 2+

 

[rafacq]

Sounds great, thank you.
The AZ5000ES is out of stock on most places, so that means the first batch must have sold out already XD
Maybe i'll wait till Fourth of July to pick it up so it will be batch 2+

I just checked Crutchfield, they have it in stock, two day delivery. $2,099.

 

[The Guy who cares]

Well the Sony str-az7000es and the str-az5000es still isn't available in Canada? While the two lower models are? I wish Sony will release a Pre Pro. If enough people ask them for it they will.

 

[STR-AZ7000ES User]

Receiver update on the AZ-7000ES; Sony decided against the replacement. They stated their engineering team has identified an issue so the replacement would not fix the 'hum' in their opinion. They are willing to buyback the unit still, or they stated I could wait for a 'solution' which I assume is a firmware patch.

I am trying to find out what the ETA is for a patch before making my decision.

 

[The Guy who cares]

Receiver update on the AZ-7000ES; Sony decided against the replacement. They stated their engineering team has identified an issue so the replacement would not fix the 'hum' in their opinion. They are willing to buyback the unit still, or they stated I could wait for a 'solution' which I assume is a firmware patch.

I am trying to find out what the ETA is for a patch before making my decision.

So I guess what you're saying is there isn't any humming issues as long as 360SSM isn't used. If so how does the unit sound with Room Correction without 360SSM and how does it sound with manual room correction.

 

[STR-AZ7000ES User]

So I guess what you're saying is there isn't any humming issues as long as 360SSM isn't used. If so how does the unit sound with Room Correction without 360SSM and how does it sound with manual room correction.

I did do a lot of testing before coming to final conclusions: it is always present.

Without 360SSM, without room calibration, and with a factory reset - it still is present (although you almost have to have the speakers to 100% max and no other audio playing to get it) - so realistically it is not present

But with room calibration, 360SSM, and at normal audio levels - attentive ears can notice the feedback during audio pauses - menu operations - etc.

I do believe the feedback is less than the unit output new after getting a lot of use over the month - it is something the casual viewer would never notice is its current state, but it is something i would not live with if Sony cannot provide an ETA or fix.

 

[Beershaun]

I did do a lot of testing before coming to final conclusions: it is always present.

Without 360SSM, without room calibration, and with a factory reset - it still is present (although you almost have to have the speakers to 100% max and no other audio playing to get it) - so realistically it is not present

But with room calibration, 360SSM, and at normal audio levels - attentive ears can notice the feedback during audio pauses - menu operations - etc.

I do believe the feedback is less than the unit output new after getting a lot of use over the month - it is something the casual viewer would never notice is its current state, but it is something i would not live with if Sony cannot provide an ETA or fix.

I would not recommend waiting for a fix. Ave firmware updates are generally not frequent and there is no guarantee they will decide to fix your specific problem. If you are unhappy with it I would take the buyback offer and get something else.

 

[Dougey_Jones]

I'm having a very hard time understanding how Sony is going to implement their new 360SSM in a regular AVR without each speaker having multiple microphones built in like the HT-A9 system. THAT makes complete sense to me. Every test tone that's played is heard from each of those points simultaneously, thereby providing a wealth of information on which to base the room correction calculations. Remove all those mic's and I just don't get it.

Can someone explain?

 

[GXAlan]

I'm having a very hard time understanding how Sony is going to implement their new 360SSM in a regular AVR without each speaker having multiple microphones built in like the HT-A9 system. THAT makes complete sense to me. Every test tone that's played is heard from each of those points simultaneously, thereby providing a wealth of information on which to base the room correction calculations. Remove all those mic's and I just don't get it.

Can someone explain?

It's a bit like Trinnov with quad microphones except Sony does it with a stereo microphone and repeating the measurement twice. Yamaha does the same but with a mono microphone in 4 positions. The key is that it's not 4 positions for "moving mic average" but 4 positions for "triangulation" or more accurately, Trilateration because it's 4 not 3 data points.

The easiest way to think about it is like GPS. GPS relies on the speed-of-light + relativity. By knowing how long something took from, you know distance. By having four points, you know your point in 3D space.

The Global Positioning System: Global Positioning Tutorial

Using the Global Positioning System (GPS), every point on Earth can be given its own unique address -- its latitude, longitude, and height. The U.S. Department of Defense developed GPS satellites as a strategic system in 1978. But now, anyone can gather data from them. For instance, many new...

oceanservice.noaa.gov

For audio, it's just the speed of sound that you use.

I agree that the HT-A9 is going to be the superior system for understanding location of speakers, but the AVR approach is likely superior to knowing room nodes/etc at the main listening position.

This is in contrast to Dirac or Audyssey where a LCR that is 10 feet away in a row right in front of you, versus an LCR that is at the 9/12/3 o'clock position 10 feet from you are indistinguishable.

 

[The Guy who cares]

I'm having a very hard time understanding how Sony is going to implement their new 360SSM in a regular AVR without each speaker having multiple microphones built in like the HT-A9 system. THAT makes complete sense to me. Every test tone that's played is heard from each of those points simultaneously, thereby providing a wealth of information on which to base the room correction calculations. Remove all those mic's and I just don't get it.

Can someone explain?

Sony's room correction microphone is Stereo. Sony also wants manual measurements programmed into the unit before running room correction. That's how the Receiver knows where the speakers are ect.

 

[RIC4044]

I bought the STR-AZ5000ES and find it the better buy over the 7000ES. I think many will agree. My other choice was the Marantz SR7015 which is currently liquidating for $1,999. It was a tough decision. For me, the additional 2 amplified channels and the new 360 spatial sound puts the Sony slightly ahead of the Marantz. But it’s a close match in my book.

I have demo'd several AVR's over the last few months. Using a 2.1 setup for 50/50 mix of movies and music, but need the zone 2 funtionality to feed a multizone channel Russound amp and also 2nd HDMI feed to outside deck that is about 20 feet from the main source area. An AVR just fit my needs better because of it's all-in-one functionality. The SR7015 is a little more warmer sounding, the bass is the best of all the amps demo'd. The Sony is just more open and airy and clearer with all vocals. You lose a touch of musicality that the Marantz has, but the clarity and all of the spatial options (even with a 2.1 setup) are just too much to give up. The closest to the Sony sound wise would be the Onkyo RZ50. The Onkyo has a better app and also dirac, but the Sony's room correction did more to improve the sound in my listening area to me. The Onkyo is about a 6.5 on clarity, the Sony is a solid 8 or 8.5 (Marantz would be a 6). The Yamaha A2A and the A4A were good with music and instruments, but the vocal clarity was the worst. Even with all of the customization available, I couldn't get vocals to sound as clear with music and movies. Yamaha has the best web interface, followed by Onkyo, Marantz and then Sony. Sony has the worst app, period. It's functional, but once you've played around with the other apps you wish Sony would invest more resources into this area. Sony also has the worst remote. Yamaha's backlit remote is great, plus it somehow was able to work a few menu options on my sony tv, something that even the Sony receiver's remote failed to do. So, best in sound is the Sony, but it's middle of the pack or bottom in the other areas.

 

[Doctors11]

I have demo'd several AVR's over the last few months. Using a 2.1 setup for 50/50 mix of movies and music, but need the zone 2 funtionality to feed a multizone channel Russound amp and also 2nd HDMI feed to outside deck that is about 20 feet from the main source area. An AVR just fit my needs better because of it's all-in-one functionality. The SR7015 is a little more warmer sounding, the bass is the best of all the amps demo'd. The Sony is just more open and airy and clearer with all vocals. You lose a touch of musicality that the Marantz has, but the clarity and all of the spatial options (even with a 2.1 setup) are just too much to give up. The closest to the Sony sound wise would be the Onkyo RZ50. The Onkyo has a better app and also dirac, but the Sony's room correction did more to improve the sound in my listening area to me. The Onkyo is about a 6.5 on clarity, the Sony is a solid 8 or 8.5 (Marantz would be a 6). The Yamaha A2A and the A4A were good with music and instruments, but the vocal clarity was the worst. Even with all of the customization available, I couldn't get vocals to sound as clear with music and movies. Yamaha has the best web interface, followed by Onkyo, Marantz and then Sony. Sony has the worst app, period. It's functional, but once you've played around with the other apps you wish Sony would invest more resources into this area. Sony also has the worst remote. Yamaha's backlit remote is great, plus it somehow was able to work a few menu options on my sony tv, something that even the Sony receiver's remote failed to do. So, best in sound is the Sony, but it's middle of the pack or bottom in the other areas.

Thanks for that. That's a lot of good info. You mentioned the app not being very good. Did you try the web interface?

 

[RIC4044]

Thanks for that. That's a lot of good info. You mentioned the app not being very good. Did you try the web interface?

The web interface is ok....it took a day just to figure out what setting to turn on in the Sony menu to allow the web interface to connect. It gives you the functionality to make changes without having to grab the remote and pause your movie or music. It's functional, graphics and layout for the web interface are pretty basic in appearance. The one thing that really bothers me is that if you're streaming music and make changes in the settings (not the basic sound changes like AFD, Spatial on/off, etc) - like changing the crossover frequency or turning up the speaker levels - it kills the music connection. You have to re-cast and connect (using Amazon music) and your the song starts over and never picks up where you stopped it.