Mainstream MULTICHANNEL Sony STR-DA6400ES Multichannel Receiver and BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray Player neil gader Sony Electronics’ ES (Elevated Standard) products are the crème de la crème of its line—a showcase for high-quality construction, premium parts, and Sony’s razzle-dazzle features and technologies. Sharing space at the summit of the ES universe is the STR-DA6400ES 7.1-channel A/V receiver and the BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray disc player. eS-oterica Describing the Sony STR-DA6400ES as a mere 120Wpc audio/ video receiver (AVR) doesn’t do it justice. Sure it counts among its A/V highlights dual Faroudja DCDi Cinema chips for upscaling standard-def content to 1080p in the main room and 1080i in the second room. And naturally it reproduces the latest audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. But that’s not all by a long shot. It’s a network receiver with capability more akin to mission control in Houston than the average AVR. The 6400ES is designed to be the system hub, routing and directing the action to and from a labyrinth of electronics, a computer, and its peripherals. For example, you can stream music, photos, and videos stored on a PC over a home network via Ethernet or a wireless router. Likewise you can access your music from an iPod or Walkman, as well as SHOUTcast, the Internet radio directory service, or Rhapsody Music Service. XM/Sirius ready? Are you sirious? And, it’s got the connectivity to spread the entertainment around the house, including high-def to a second room via CAT5e cable or three-zone audio. Sony even tosses in an extra full-function remote control. Also bundled is ES Utility software, which adjusts set-up parameters and enables upgrades via the user’s computer. (It’s Windows XP-or-Vista-compliant only, however. Does Steve Jobs know this?) The BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player displays video in full 1080p/24fps resolution and upscales DVDs to 1080p resolution. Unique to the player is a new 14-bit HD video processor that operates in tandem with Sony’s HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technologies. Together these systems analyze each pixel of a disc and automatically adjust the picture quality. The player will also decode surround formats internally, allowing the user to stream multichannel audio through its analog 7.1-channel outputs and making the player compatible with late-model AVRs not equipped with today’s advanced audio formats. With its Ethernet connection and a memory card it’s also BD-Livecapable. The S5000ES continues a tradition of ruggedly built players with a rigid beam chassis and dual-shield construction for increased solidity and isolation from resonances, and uses Sony’s R-Core transformer, a design Sony feels has an inherently 28 June/July 2009 The Absolute Sound <strong>SpeCS</strong> & <strong>prICIng</strong> Str-6400eS Power output: 120Wpc (8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, two channels driven) Video Inputs: Six HDMI, three component, five composite Video outputs: Two HDMI, two component, three composite Audio Inputs: Five optical, three coaxial, four analog audio, one eight-channel discrete Audio outputs: Two optical, one analog audio, one sixchannel discrete Control: RS232C, 12V, IR inputs Dimensions: 16.9" x 6.75" x 16.9" Weight: 34.5 lbs. Price: $2500 bDp-S5000eS Video outputs: One HDMI, one component, one S-video, and one composite Audio outputs: One optical, one coaxial, one analog, one eight-channel discrete Control: RS232C, IR input Dimensions: 17" x 4.92" x 14.37" Weight: 22 lbs. Price: $1999 Sony eleCtronICS 16530 Via Esprillo San Diego, CA 92127 (858) 942-2230 sony.com COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE FORUM AT aVgUIDe.CoM
The Absolute Sound June/July 2009 29