STR-DA4ES Question (1 Viewer)

[Colin Banfield]

This might be a silly question but...do all of the internal processing options in the STR-DA4ES(bass management, time delay settings etc.) work through the multichannel pre-outs?

 

[John Garcia]

No, not that I am aware of.

*edit - nevermind, I misread - thought you said pre-INs, not pre-OUTs.

 

[Jeffrey_B]

I have a question (similar I hope) regarding my Sony STR-DA30ES (a bit older model). There is no way to configure the cross over when setting the speaker to small. I cannot find in the specs anywhere what the actual frequency is that crossover from mains to subwoofer output. I believe someone once said it is 100Hz but I don't know for sure. Anyone have this model reciever and knows about it. With my sub connected and the speakers set to small; and running the AVIA 200 - 20 Hz sweep, I hear output from the sub way above 100 Hz (actually, closer to the 200 Hz starting point). Any ideas? JEFF

 

[AaronBatiuk]

This might be a silly question but...do all of the internal processing options in the STR-DA4ES(bass management, time delay settings etc.) work through the multichannel pre-outs?

Absolutely.

This receiver can be used as a pre/pro (preamp/processor) with external amplification if that is what you are asking. The sound coming out of the pre-amp outputs is exactly what is fed into the internal power amplifiers.

Now, the opposite is not true, that is, you get no controls of any kind except for volume and left/right balance when using the 5.1 or 7.1 inputs. No EQ, no soundfields, no bass management, no level or delay controls. Nada. It is assumed that all controls and processing is done externally. This is the only way to preserve the high quality of DVD-audio or SACD sources connected to these inputs.

 

[Sebastien David]

Jeffrey,

this is normal. assuming the crossover point is in fact 100Hz (could also be 80Hz), you will still hear sound out of the sub one octave above the xover point. Same for the mains, you will still hear sound from them an octave lower, i.e. at 50Hz.

this is because a crossover is progressive, with a certain "slope", which could be more or less abrupt. the receiver doesn't simply neatly spearate the frequencies, it really mixes the sound coming from the sub and mains so that they blend in together properly.

 

[Colin Banfield]

Thanks for the response, Aaron. As far as the multi-channel inputs are concerned, I happen to be from the school of thought that believes that an option for bass management, etc. for these inputs (D/A) is a better evil than none at all. What's the point of having a prestine signal that doesn't allow you hear bass out of a satellite/subwoofer setup and don't allow you set level and delay for these speakers? I support the philosophy adopted by the likes of Outlaw, Anthem, etc. on this. Of course, you can still have bypass as the default option.

I would of course prefer for all this stuff to be handled in the DVD-A/SACD player, but how many players out there do full bass management, level adjustment and time delay for the output channels? Until these facilities become the norm for DVD-A/SACD players, I think that an option for converting the signal back to digital is important.

The reason for my convictions on the above is that I've heard and AVM20 with and without bass management applied to the inputs coming from a DVD-A player and was able to appreciate the difference in sound when everything in the room was taken into account.

 

[AaronBatiuk]

I happen to be from the school of thought that believes that an option for bass management, etc. for these inputs (D/A) is a better evil than none at all.

I would tend to agree. Despite the fact that the 4ES already has 24/96 D/A's for all channels, it would need to have a set of (expensive) 24/96 or at least 24/48 A/D's in order to do this. Anything less wouldn't cut it. My SACD player (SCD-CE775) does do full bass management and level adjustment, but does not have any kind of delay settings. I had wanted to buy a DVD/SACD player instead, but it lacked bass management, so I had to stick with the SACD-only unit. The only thing holding me back from buying a DVD-audio player right now is the relative lack of players with bass management.

It is interesting to note that if you have the sub output turned off in the setup of the 4ES, then the sub channel of the multi-channel inputs is mixed into the front left and right channels (at -3 dB each channel). This is done in the analog domain.

 

[BrunoB]

I have the impression that this feature decreases the sound quality. I don't have a sub, but now I always have the sub output turned on when listening to SACD's, even with stereo programs.


Now a question about Sony's DCS (digital cinema Sound). DCS has the capability to create virtual speakers to enhance the surround sound experience. I have read many favorable comments on DCS on the web. I tried DCS A, B and C with LOTR and "The Haunting" (DTS-ES discrete), but I don't hear much differences. Certainly I don't feel that I have extra virtual speakers. With DCS A and B, the center channel dialogs are not as clear. My 5 speakers (all Ascend Acoustics CBM-170) are quite close to my listening position (8 feet for the front and 5 feet for the surrounds). Any ideas why DCS does not seem to work for me?

Thanks

 

[Mark Davenport]

DCS is a beast to get configured properly but once you do it holds up to other surround formats like DPL-II, Neo and logic 7. Plus you can always overlay it ontop of DPL-II and Neo. I have an older Sony the V444es and use DCS for All material.

I've got screen depth set to mid, virtual speakers on, crossever for all channels set at 180khz. As far as why your not hearing a difference that's odd I hear a major different with it on and can't deal with it off now that I'm use to it . Make sure the rear enhancer function is on and make sure you have the screen depth set to something. With screen depth turned off it ruins everything. Make sure you don't have something like normal pro logic turned on by accident.

I took me about 8 months to get my V444es configured to perfection for my setup but after that I'm so happy with the sound I won't be upgrading until a universal digital interface it accepted for all high rez formats, whihc could be anothe decade at the wya it's going.