Ok, I was not a big Sony receiver fan originally, either. Their early models tended to have terrible THD statistics. I've had a Yamaha Z1 and a Pioneer 84Tsi receivers so I am familiar with their quality. Well, my theatre is bit complex and I wanted to accomodate a lot of HDMI sources without totally bankrupting myself so I decided to go with a Sony 5400ES receiver. Here is my review:
Pros: Connectivity, GUI menu, excellent video reproduction and upconversion, good sound,
Cons: Zone 2/3 fixed audio, only analog sources output to zone 2/3
Summary: I bought the STR-DA5400ES to replace my Pioneer Elite VSX-84tsi which only has 4 HDMI inputs. I now have 7 devices that use HDMI. The 5400 has 6; I compromised and used the extra HDMI input on my Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 monitor. Here is a summary of the devices I connected:
1. TiVo HD DVR
2. Request Intelligent Media Client (IMC) movie and music from my Request Media server
3. Direct TV DVR
4. Toshiba HDD/DVD recorder (to archive TiVo content)
5. Sony Blu-Ray player
6. Toshiba HD DVD player
7. JVC DVHS VCR (HDMI video to input 3 on monitor, audio to an optical on receiver)
8. Panasonic DVD recorder to composite input (I use it archive old tapes without impacting the rest of the system if you are wondering why I still have it)
9. Sony cassette (yes, I still have a few)
10. Sony MD (same as 9)
11. Sony SACD (to analog 6 channel input)
12. Totem Acoustics Front, Center, Rear speakers and a Totem Subwoofer
13. Zone 2 output goes to a balun which is connected to Ethernet cables for distribution to another room
14. Zone 3 output goes to a secondary amp for my outside speakers
So, as you can see, I have a fairly complex setup. The 5400ES handles it all easily. After making all connections, I used the included microphone to help set my speaker and subwoofer volumes. The receiver detected them with no problem and set optimal listening levels. I only did one minor adjustment to one of the surround speakers to suit my taste, but other than it everything was fine. I then used the GUI menu to rename and reassign all of the above connections to suit me. Again, the receiver handled them with ease. As for video and audio reproduction, I found no real issues. Video quality from HDMI connected devices was excellent and suffered no ill effects although it does take a bit longer than I would like for HDMI sync to occur. As for analog sources, the up conversion appeared to be good with no harsh or false sharpness affects that I have noticed on other receivers. On the sound side, the receiver had no difficulties with clipping even when stressed. And as for the remote, it is large and basically well configured, although I would have liked the HDMI buttons to positioned better. And I was particularly impressed that Sony allocated a discrete button for each HDMI connection (my Pioneer made me toggle thru them - very annoying). But actually, I don't really use the receiver remote anymore since I have MX-3000 master controller.
So, that is about it for pluses. On the minus side, I found issues mostly with Zone 2 and 3 outputs. Here are my complaints: of the 2 HDMI outputs, only 1 is active and audio is still output when you switch them, forcing me to use the zone 2 and 3 outputs, which are also a bit annoying. Zone 2 and 3 audio is fixed, not variable; forcing me to replace my Pioneer M-10X amp which has no volume control with an extra Sony receiver (I had a spare, so not that big of a deal). Also, only analog sources are output, forcing me to use component video for my TiVo, Request, and DTV sources which I want to duplicate in another room. But, all in all, I would still recommend this receiver to folks with a complex setup like mine. In the future, I may upgrade to a B&K but for now this receiver suits me just fine.
Well, there you go, start your bashing...
Pros: Connectivity, GUI menu, excellent video reproduction and upconversion, good sound,
Cons: Zone 2/3 fixed audio, only analog sources output to zone 2/3
Summary: I bought the STR-DA5400ES to replace my Pioneer Elite VSX-84tsi which only has 4 HDMI inputs. I now have 7 devices that use HDMI. The 5400 has 6; I compromised and used the extra HDMI input on my Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 monitor. Here is a summary of the devices I connected:
1. TiVo HD DVR
2. Request Intelligent Media Client (IMC) movie and music from my Request Media server
3. Direct TV DVR
4. Toshiba HDD/DVD recorder (to archive TiVo content)
5. Sony Blu-Ray player
6. Toshiba HD DVD player
7. JVC DVHS VCR (HDMI video to input 3 on monitor, audio to an optical on receiver)
8. Panasonic DVD recorder to composite input (I use it archive old tapes without impacting the rest of the system if you are wondering why I still have it)
9. Sony cassette (yes, I still have a few)
10. Sony MD (same as 9)
11. Sony SACD (to analog 6 channel input)
12. Totem Acoustics Front, Center, Rear speakers and a Totem Subwoofer
13. Zone 2 output goes to a balun which is connected to Ethernet cables for distribution to another room
14. Zone 3 output goes to a secondary amp for my outside speakers
So, as you can see, I have a fairly complex setup. The 5400ES handles it all easily. After making all connections, I used the included microphone to help set my speaker and subwoofer volumes. The receiver detected them with no problem and set optimal listening levels. I only did one minor adjustment to one of the surround speakers to suit my taste, but other than it everything was fine. I then used the GUI menu to rename and reassign all of the above connections to suit me. Again, the receiver handled them with ease. As for video and audio reproduction, I found no real issues. Video quality from HDMI connected devices was excellent and suffered no ill effects although it does take a bit longer than I would like for HDMI sync to occur. As for analog sources, the up conversion appeared to be good with no harsh or false sharpness affects that I have noticed on other receivers. On the sound side, the receiver had no difficulties with clipping even when stressed. And as for the remote, it is large and basically well configured, although I would have liked the HDMI buttons to positioned better. And I was particularly impressed that Sony allocated a discrete button for each HDMI connection (my Pioneer made me toggle thru them - very annoying). But actually, I don't really use the receiver remote anymore since I have MX-3000 master controller.
So, that is about it for pluses. On the minus side, I found issues mostly with Zone 2 and 3 outputs. Here are my complaints: of the 2 HDMI outputs, only 1 is active and audio is still output when you switch them, forcing me to use the zone 2 and 3 outputs, which are also a bit annoying. Zone 2 and 3 audio is fixed, not variable; forcing me to replace my Pioneer M-10X amp which has no volume control with an extra Sony receiver (I had a spare, so not that big of a deal). Also, only analog sources are output, forcing me to use component video for my TiVo, Request, and DTV sources which I want to duplicate in another room. But, all in all, I would still recommend this receiver to folks with a complex setup like mine. In the future, I may upgrade to a B&K but for now this receiver suits me just fine.
Well, there you go, start your bashing...
