Ever since Sony unveiled 5 new AV receivers for the US market, again at the start of February, we’ve been ready with bated breath, questioning if will we see any fashions launch within the UK.
Nicely, we now have our reply. Say hiya to the Sony TA-AN1000. This AV amp is said to its US cousin, the STR-AN1000, however there are some main variations. They centre across the reality the TA-AN1000 is a UK-bound European mannequin and has been tuned for this market. Additionally, it would not embody a built-in tuner which you do get within the US equal, therefore Sony refers to it as an AV amp and never an AV receiver.
So, the TA-AN1000 is official and it’s set to go on sale in June with a price ticket of £999 (€1199) and a raft of options in tow. We have already been fortunate sufficient to listen to it in motion so if you wish to skip straight to the good things, you possibly can head over to our Sony TA-AN1000 evaluation. Staying? Nicely, enable us to run you thru a number of the amp’s key options…
One in all which is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, which goals to present listeners a extra immersive expertise by creating a number of phantom audio system round your room, along with the bodily audio system in your speaker bundle.
It’s aided by Sony’s new Digital Cinema Auto Calibration IX (D.C.A.C IX) software program which takes you thru the amp’s set-up course of and may right the space, angle, sound strain and frequency response of every speaker. For those who’ve bought a tough speaker placement to take care of, the Sony can compensate accordingly.
There’s Dolby Atmos and DTS:X help out of the field plus HDR 10, HLG, Dolby Imaginative and prescient and IMAX Enhanced are additionally all catered for, as is 8K content material. You’ll discover six HDMI 2.1 inputs and two outputs (together with eARC help).
Avid gamers can make the most of the TA-AN1000’s compatibility with all the newest gaming codecs, together with 4K@120Hz, Variable Refresh Fee (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM).
Personal a appropriate ‘Excellent for PS5’ Sony Bravia TV? The amp can move by Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Style Image Mode so your TV and PS5 can work collectively to offer the perfect gaming expertise potential. In case your Sony TV occurs to have Acoustic Centre Sync, the amp can mix audio from the TV with audio out of your centre speaker for a extra seamless expertise.
The Sony TA-AN1000 additionally boasts high-res audio help and native DSD playback, ought to you may have entry to appropriate tracks. Streaming smarts are additionally included, with Bluetooth, Spotify Join, Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2 all supported. With low-quality information, customers can make the most of Sony’s built-in DSEE Final engine which makes use of AI to enhance the constancy of low-quality digital audio information. The TA-AN1000 can also be the primary Sony product to boast ‘Works With Sonos’ compatibility so you possibly can slide the amp into any present Sonos multi-room set-up and use the Sonos S2 app as a controller.
Below the hood of the TA-AN1000, you’ll discover all method of uprated elements together with a newly designed warmth sink, energy transformer and resistors. There’s additionally a brand new digital part the place all digital sign processing is completed on a single chip, whereas a brand new IC (Built-in Circuit) chip is used within the pre-amplifier part to cut back noise and promote a extra pure, atmospheric sound.
Sony’s had some nice success with its dwelling cinema amplifiers previously, not least with the multi-Award-winning STR-DN1080, a funds AV receiver that dominated the class till just a few years in the past. Can the brand new mannequin decide up the place the 1080 left off, admittedly at a extra premium value level?
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Learn our Sony STR-DN1080 evaluation
