raj2776
RegisteredJoined Feb 12, 2007
41 Posts
#818 · a moment ago
New
Hello AudioScienceReview members and fellow enthusiasts, I finally bit the bullet and got the STR-AZ5000ES about two weeks ago after almost a decade long relationship with top tier (2nd or 3rd from the top models ... most recent was Denon AVR-X6700H). I was totally prepared to be vowed by this 40lb beast. However, after two weeks I am a bit underwhelmed. I have tried almost every source available from devices such as Apple TV 4K, Nvidea Shield Pro, Panasonic 4k UHD BluRay Player and apps such as Disney / Hulu Plus, Spotify Premium, Amazon Music Unlimited, etc. With my speaker setup (Aperion Verus Grand LCR and Surround with 6 in ceiling 8" Speakers from Polk, 2X Seaton Submersive HP and miniDSP 2X4) and room configuration, the sound quality / clarity sounds similar to my Denon but bass response even with Subwoofer Level Setting at 10 and Seaton Submersives at 60-70% seems to be lacking in a big way.
My speakers are more or less in the right place, except for the fact the the Rear Heights are directly above the MLP, rather than behind the MLP. Hence the SSM enabled or disabled makes very little difference. I have tried a few 360 Reality Audio songs from Amazon Music and did not find the experience to be anything to write home about. If I set the front towers as Large, the Subwoofers go completely silent. And if I set them to small, the subwoofers start getting a signal but I feel they can do a lot more.
Please advise what am I doing wrong. What do I need to do to get to hear the true potential of this "revolutionary" receiver.
A sincere call out to prior Denon owners and their insights on why they feel this new Sony ES series is better for them.
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