Within the icy, frozen panorama that was Austin this week, myself and a handful of others have been gathered to see Sony’s lately introduced 8K AV receiver lineup for its Elevated Customary (ES) line. It was a journey, to say the least, each attempting to get to the placement by way of the downed bushes and energy traces and experiencing all that this new lineup has to supply, not simply by way of technical punch, but in addition close to the {custom} set up (CI) trade.
This newest entry within the ES Collection options 4 receivers constructed completely for {custom} installations, in addition to one consumer-grade mannequin. Every mannequin has various capabilities between them, however the best strategy to distinguish them from the beginning is by the channel breakdown. The skilled fashions are as follows:
- STR-AZ7000ES: 13.2 CH
- STR-AZ5000ES: 11.2 CH
- STR-AZ3000ES: 9.2CH
- STR-AZ1000ES: 7.2 CH
The patron mannequin STR-AN1000 helps 7.2 channel audio.
Greater than being a powerhouse of an AV receiver for all of the audiophiles on the market, Sony was clear: The brand new ES lineup was constructed for integration. Practically each side of those gadgets have been retooled from earlier fashions based mostly on intensive suggestions from the seller stage, with the consequence being a receiver that may simply incorporate itself into nearly each dwelling system whereas additionally offering one of the crucial immersive and clear AV experiences Sony has put out to this point.
The New Sony ES Receiver is Designed to Sit on the Coronary heart of AV Installations
Since its unique introduction into the American market, the primary Sony merchandise have been designed for audiophiles by way of and thru. It was by way of the mixed suggestions and request from artists and musicians that the primary Sony ES receiver was even created within the first place. Again then, the main target was on reliability and ease of use because the bedrock for all ES merchandise, and that ethos caught as Sony grew to become extra concerned with the {custom} set up area across the mid-80s.
Since then, the supposed purchaser has shifted. It’s nonetheless made with audiophiles in thoughts, however Sony has said that the core options and a big chunk of what it has been engaged on with the brand new ES receiver lineup is concentrated completely on not simply how this suits into a house theater, however the way it suits into the ever evolving dwelling ecosystem of management and automation.
Sure options range between the completely different fashions however lots of the core capabilities embody a newly designed body buffer board chassis and ft to extend stability and cut back vibration, 4K and 8K upscaling alongside HDR10, HLG, Dolby Imaginative and prescient and IMAX Enhanced, VRR and ALLM in HDMI 2.1, an up to date wi-fi module to work with most wi-fi networks, new auto-calibration capabilities, middle speaker enhancements, and 3D spatial audio mapping.
Installers at the moment are additionally in a position to entry most options of the ES receiver straight from the entrance with no need to interface with the GUI, although that also exists as an choice if wanted, Sony said. There’s additionally settings save operate that permits installers to retailer all configurations for the receiver on a thumb-drive that be used as a again up within the occasion of a difficulty.
Spatial Audio Capabilities Come to the Residence Theater
Throughout the time spent with the brand new lineup, myself and others have been handled to a custom-built dwelling theater expertise—courtesy of Sony, KEF and Control4—the place the STR-AZ7000ES receiver was placed on full show controlling all 13 channels of audio. It was additionally there we bought to expertise the extra superior elements of the product.
Middle speaker enhancements allowed for clear placement of the central channels throughout some pulse-pounding cinematic moments (the subwoofers even offering a haptic component in some instances). The 3D Audio Mapping, in the meantime supplied some extremely immersive audio results as properly, with the auto-calibration by way of Digital Cinema Auto Calibration IX having dialed in a really impactful expertise when sitting on the middle of the theater.
Then the whole lot turned over to the 360 Actuality Audio demonstration. Having largely used this know-how in its headphones up so far, the ES receiver is the primary time Sony has dipped into creating immersive audio environments in a bodily area. Whereas there are limitations (there’s a particular format songs must be recorded in to work with the function), you may nonetheless colour me impressed on the implementation.
Having come from a wellness background, spatial audio is one thing that, whereas deeply rooted in creating immersive environments (one thing I imagine each AV integrator desires to create), has largely stayed throughout the industrial sphere. Now, having seen, and skilled, what Sony is doing right here, I discover myself very excited for the way forward for dwelling audio, particularly as extra artists start recording on this 360 Actuality format.
Sony’s ES Receiver Works with Sonos, and Simply About Every little thing Else
Circling again to the better emphasis Sony placed on the {custom} set up channels, the ES receiver comes with many built-in integrations for main management and residential know-how methods. With {custom} drivers for RTI, Savant, the brand new Crestron Residence platform, Control4 and Elan to make set-up and integration less complicated than ever earlier than, the ES collection are additionally the primary merchandise from Sony to incorporate Works With Sonos.
Noting that Sonos is without doubt one of the hottest multi-room AV options within the dwelling as we speak, Sony said that this new addition to receivers permits wi-fi Sonos gadgets to attach on to the receiver. When positioned on the identical community because the receiver, integrators can simply join wi-fi Sonos audio system in a course of that takes roughly 15-20 minutes, in keeping with Sony.
By integrating with OvrC, integrators can even wirelessly set-up, monitor and restore any points clients could find yourself having with the receiver with out sending somebody out in individual. Control4 integrations, in the meantime, provide a secret installer dashboard that even comes with directions for first-time installers on the setup of the gadget throughout the system.
We additionally bought to style the flexibility of the ES collection from fulfilling luxurious full dwelling setups to an audiophile with some sensible gadgets additionally current. Within the decrease part of the house, Savant confirmed how the receiver might work throughout the firm’s subtle whole-house management system, whereas additionally incorporating cleanly in with lots of its Cync merchandise due to Alexa.
These partnerships, Sony says, are what it desires to emphasise as being a core energy of the brand new ES receiver line, and I can see it. Within the age of post-Matter, interoperability is the function everybody expects within the sensible dwelling, and installers anticipate that interoperability to come back headache free.
Ultimate Ideas On the Presentation
Pleasure is an efficient phrase to put on the entire expertise. In idea, the end-user will get a massively enhanced audio expertise, and the installer will get a massively improved configuration expertise. Having seen it myself from an end-user perspective, I can attest to the previous. Nonetheless, CE Professional may also be exploring the way it stacks up with the set-up in a forthcoming evaluate of the STR-AZ5000ES, so keep tuned for that.
From my expertise, the brand new ES lineup represents a collection of surprisingly sensible, highly effective and versatile receivers that basically reside as much as the title of ‘Elevated Customary.’ Sony’s said dedication to the {custom} set up trade additionally shouldn’t be understated.
The selection to give attention to this specific component throughout the presentation speaks volumes for these merchandise and the place Sony sees the trade transferring ahead with the ever current demand for crisp, immersive audio within the dwelling in addition to the rising affect of sensible methods each giant and small. It additionally exhibits an immense quantity of consideration for the professionals putting in this tools with respect to time and availability of sources because the trade continues to maneuver by way of powerful instances.
