Denon 3802 or Sony STR-DA5ES? (1 Viewer)

[Irshad]

Currently trying to choose an AVR and had settled on the Denon, came back from vacation and saw the posts below raving about the Sony.
I'd be using the AVR primarily for HT (90% -- music 10%), and much of our viewing is broadcast sat TV. I liked the DPL II feature of the Denon, and it appears the Sony does not appear to have Pro Logic II
(http://www.sonystyle.com/electronic...id=30325&type=p )
Assuming price diff is not an issue, would you recommend one vs the other? And can anyone confirm that the Sony lacks DPL II?

 

[John Tompkins]

The str-da5es does have dpl II. It also has the best bass management on the market. Two sets of 5.1 inputs for dvd-audio and sacd. Eq for the front speakers and a gizzillion other tweaks. If you are 90 percent movies I would advise you to go for the sony for sure. The denon is better for music though in my opinion, Having had the sony 777es and denon 3801 recievers.

 

[Irshad]

John,

Thanks for the quick reply -- you say the denon is better for music. Is it a lot better than the sony? I don't want to sacrifice my music listening.

 

[John Tompkins]

Irshad,
In a word, yes. The sony is great for home theater but for music, well lets just say it made MY ears bleed it was so bright and edgy. No offense to sony owners. Its qualities for HT are clearity, dialog, seperation and decoding all exceptional.Plus all the tweaks can make a big difference.
I have nht speakers which are ever slightly forward or bright. These combined with the sony for music wasnt a good combo. Maybe if you have def techs, b&w or a warmer type speaker this combo may rock for music as well as ht...hope this helps but probably does nothing but confuse you
PS. the denon 3802 is good for both ht and music as it has a warmer sound which lends itself well to music, but you said 90 percent ht which is why I said get the sony. Either would be a great choice but both are basically totally different sounding recievers. I would suggest a local demo if possible because it is very possible that you might love or hate one or the other.

 

[Jeff Massey]

I just tested both the sony A3es (they didn't have a a5es out) and the Denon 3802 and didn't find a lot of difference in the sound for music. I also listened to the integra AND didn't much care for it. I have an old sony 800es abd think it sounds great for music with my vandersteen. It all personal taste, just make sure you give both a listen.

Jeff

 

[Chris PC]

Anybody else with advice on the sound compared to other Sony's? Marantz? NAD? Darn Sony for having such good bass management and to darn Marantz and NAD for having lousy bass management. I only hope the new NAD's have better bass management
So how does the STR DA5ES sound compared to say a Marantz SR 6200 or NAD T751 or 761??

 

[Michael_T]

I have nht speakers which are ever slightly forward or bright. These combined with the sony for music wasnt a good combo

I also have NHT speakers (2.5i), and I purchased the DA5ES because it had dual multi-channel inputs. I was able to audition one in my home for a few days before purchasing, and in the beginning I would tend to agree that it was "bright" sounding with CD, SACD and LP compared to the Integra 6.2 I replaced.

At first I wasn't that enthusiastic, but it didn't sound that bad, nor was it overly bright to make my ears "bleed" as John stated - but granted it was bright sounding.

But now I have had the DA5ES for over 2+ months now, and it is used ALOT for music (as well as movies), and it seems to be mellowing out. Now, it may just be that I have gotten used to the sound, but I do detect a more musical and warmer sound than I first heard from the unit when I first purchased it. So I would assume that break-in, or a settling in of the internal electronics is taking place.

At first I wasn't so sure I was going to love the Sony DA5ES, because I am very particular about listening to music, as well as movies. But I gave it a chance - and now I really love the unit. It sounds very well defined with music (even though still a bit brighter than the Integra 6.2), and it is superb with all video sources (DD, DTS, DDEX, DTS-ES, DP2, etc.).

I would definitely recommend the Sony DA5ES for anyone that may have interest in this unit.

 

[chung]

I have been using the Sony STR-DA5ES as a preamp for about a week. I do not find the sound bright, but I am not using the internal amps for L/R. I can't really find any flaws of its stereo analog performance, but I guess if one were to look hard, there might be some subtle differences between this preamp and a good analog-only stereo preamp. I would say that most listeners would be happy with the Sony's performance in this regard. The center channel is powered by the Sony, and it sounds great for movies.

At $750 or so, the receiver is a very good deal. My only complaint is that the user interface/remote control is not intuitive for me. But neither is the Denon's, from what I have seen. You should also check out the Harman Kardon AVR-520, if you do not need 6 or 7 amps in the receiver.

The 5-year warranty is also great.

 

[Earl Simpson]

You will be happy with either one. The 5es is a better video processor. If you are running video direct, as I am, then the denon is good to go.
The biggest feature to me for the 5es is an independent equalizer for every channel. For music, this is a must if you have all full range speakers and they are all not identical(all 7). You really need to go and listen. I couldn't do that because of where I live (sticks).
You have to judge these with outstanding full range speakers, to really see the differences in the amps. A good rcvr could make a cheap speaker sound bad and the other way too.