DA4ES as a Pre/Pro compared to others (1 Viewer)

[Shane Yates]

I think it would be very interesting to see a head to head comparison of the Sony DA4ES(as a pre/pro only), Outlaw 950, or even Rotel 1066 and maybe some other dedicated pre/pros. It would interesting to see the results of such a test when comparing the Sony against some of the entry level processor units. Given the Sony's flexibility I bet it would hold its own in such a comparison, or at least be a very impressive $600 pre/pro. If anyone has some feedback on such a comparison, or have experiences with the DA4ES as a pre/pro I would love to hear it. The DA4ES seems like a relatively inexpensive way to get into the realm of separates.

 

[terence]

I'm willing to bet that the 4ES will do an great job. Soon as my money is right i will make the move to buy any amp for the 4ES to mate with. Also their were alot of reasons i bought the 4ES and the ability to use it as a pre/pro was high on that list.

Nick where are you buddy? Tell Mr. Yates how the 4ES performs as a pre/pro.

 

[NickSP]

Given the Sony's flexibility I bet it would hold its own in such a comparison, or at least be a very impressive $600 pre/pro

Shane, the Sony does hold its own as I found it does not lack in any way when compared to the Outlaw and the Rotel. I came from a Denon background prior to the Sony 4ES and was very skeptical about trying the Sony out. That was the last receiver I tried as a prepro and loved it. On paper, the 4ES is an ideal prepro offering customization that other receivers don't. Once I decided who my finalists were going to be, I made a chart and drew up all the features. The Sony won there too quite easily over the Outlaw and the Rotel almost tied the Sony. I wanted future upgradibility so the Outlaw was out the door and quite frankly, I was not much impressed with the sound performance either.
To make a long story short, I decided the Sony over the Rotel as the 4ES beat the Rotel in terms of HT performance.
Also I do not buy in this nonsense of Sony being bright, etc. I would urge anyone to play enough with the EQ settings to get the music to sound just right for you. If music is still very important to you then don't think that the Outlaw or Rotel will offer any substantial improvement over the 4ES. In that case I would recommend a 2 channel preamp in the loop and that should satisfy the ultimate music critique.
The Sony makes a very nice prepro (IMHO) and in the end sound is very subjective and one's opinion does tend to get biased to the equipment they own.

 

[Alex Dydula]

When I look at what a Outlaw combo costs, and the added costs of cabling...and I look at the SONY STR-DA4ES and how well it performs, I smile and laugh out loud alot!!!
(smiling!!)....

Best of luck!
Alex

 

[Shane Yates]

Positive comments like that make for an easy decision, and it seems the most economical way to get into separates. The only drawback I see is a 44 pound pre/pro, but for $600ish it seems like it can't be beat, a giant killer perhaps. Thanks for the quick responses, and let the amp hunting begin.

 

[Craig_Kg]

The nice thing with using a receiver as a prepro is that you can ease into the separates game (especially for a 7.1 setup). You don't have to buys all your power amps at once .

 

[Alex Dydula]

Why is 44lbs a handicap??????

A.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Because you have alot of weight for the internal amps of the 4ES that won't be used if it's a strict pre-pro. Not really a big deal and the ability to ease into seperates like Craig said is a big plus. I'm ordering my 4ES next week since my Denon 1803 just sold a few days ago. Hopefully this summer I can add a good amp, probably 2ch, but possibly 5ch.

Does anyone know how the HK PA2000 as a 2ch amp would compare to the 4ES's internal amps? If it would be a solid upgrade from the 4ES internal amps, then I may consider adding it sooner than this summer. If not, then I'll probably wait and get something from Parasound or Carver later on this summer.

 

[Alex Dydula]

Stephen,

Before you buy any other amp for 2ch....believe me I have been doing this for 30+ years!! Get the 4ES and your speakers, get them set up as best you can for your room. Listen for several months.

Then, audition the amp your interested in and compare it to what the receiver can do...IN YOUR Listening room...be real objective, if you can....play stuff that has a very wide bandwidth, in freq response and in amplitude, at low and high levels.....be careful with volume levels, get a Radio Shack SPL and compare apples to apples...

Remember with the addition of a seperate amp come the additional cost of interconnect wiring etc....

After all this you then can make a better informed decision if this makes sense....maybe save you a whole bunch of bucks!!

Alex

PS: Spend your hard earned money on the speakers!!

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Thanks for the advice alex. I've JUST upgraded my speakers to 3 matched Paradigm 3SE MK3s (predecessor to the current monitor 3s) across the front, Titans for the surrounds, and atoms for the back surrounds. I doubt i'll be making another speaker purchase any time soon unless i find a good deal on some SE MK3 floorstanders this summer to go up front and move the 3SE MK3s to the surround position.

I know the benefit of listening in my room (which changes from home to school and vice versa twice a year) but there are NO retailers that carry the amps i'm considering anywhere near buy. The only shop close enough to my home to consider only carries Thiel and B&K amps, which are both far out of my price range. So unless someone in the Atlanta (school) or the Mt. Vernon, KY (home) area wants to drop by w/ their amp, in home auditioning is probably out of the question. If i do pick up a PA2000 and it doesn't offer a true upgrade, I can always ship it back at only the cost of shipping (under $30) and cut my losses.

I do have a RatShack SPL meter and the S&V HT Tune Up disc for calibration. Those were one of my first investments when i got my first decent receiver (an 810S back in Feb of 2002). I also know about the cost of wiring and would probably continue using NXG cables, since my system is completely comprised of them and I am very happy w/ the quality and price.

Thanks,

Stephen

 

[Alex Dydula]

Stephen,

I have a PSAudio 200C amp I am selling. Its build like a tank 60Pounds, rated 200w rms per ch 20-20Khz. Used it to drive my Maggies and Mirage 801's for years, a real awesome amp.

I have downsized to a smaller house and the receiver is perfect for my small listening, HT room over the 'garage'..

I paid $1800 for this beast, if your at all interested let me know.

Alex