Which should I buy? Harman Kardon AVR525 or Sony DA4ES? (1 Viewer)

[Tito Aguirre]

I am interested to find out if any of you have used and heard both of these receivers and if you could tell me your thoughts as I am deciding between the two of them. I've read lots of good things about both of them.

Is it true that the HK is just as powerful even though its ratings are 70W X 7 versus the Sonys which are 110W X 7?

Any info would be appreciated?

Thanks,

Tito

 

[Barry.Evans]

I just purchased the HK AVR-525 and it will arrive Wednesday. I choose it over the Marantz SR-7300 b/c of price along with favorable reviews online.

I'll admit that I'm biased against Sony because of some bad personal experiences with their products. I didn't take any Sony products into consideration in my search so I can't comment on your other choice.

 

[Thomas_Berg]

i own the HK 520 and love it to death. it just sounds so damn good with music...

oh and logic7 rocks too

 

[MarkO]

The hk is most likely more powerful than the Sony with its bloated power ratings. For sound quality I would choose the hk.

 

[Tito Aguirre]

Can someone explain how it is that HK sounds so good for 2-channel music?

What is the difference in the sound between it and the Sony?

Tito

 

[Bob Saylor]

The power ratings for the Sony are not bloated. Both are decent receivers. While I prefer the Sony, (it looks to be better built with more things you can tweak and it's no slouch in the sound department, either) you should check them both out and see which you prefer. What's good for one person is not necessarily good for another.

 

[EdwinM]

To decide, you have to do a sound test/comparison. I have listened to several amps including the ones mentioned and the Yamaha and sony 5es. I bought the 5es cause it simply sounded the best and had the most realistic sound in HT. I would go for the 4es secondly, and then the Yamaha 2300, and the HK as my last choice.

However, thats just my choice.

 

[Jose T]

I compared the H/K vs Sony a few months back. I choose the Sony EA 4 -ES for options, built quality and 5 year warranty and online price. It had dual multi channel outputs since I have spearate SACD, DVD-A components in my set up. H/K are nice but Sony model gave me more and a way to expand 6.1, 7.1 etc..

 

[NickSP]

The hk is most likely more powerful than the Sony with its bloated power ratings.

Care to explain how you reached this conclusion?

 

[terence]

The hk is most likely more powerful than the Sony with its bloated power ratings.

I have tested them both the 4ES has more power and the headroom to spare. The HK seem to run out gas at higher volumes, the Sony kept pushing. The HK is not a bad by any means but when it came to power, the 4ES comes out on top! What grab me about the 4ES was how clean the sound was at insane volumes.

I keep hearing that the HK is better in 2ch, please! This is part of your test will be very subjective, it will boil down to how you like your music to sound. The HK is very warm, actually too warm for my taste a little laid back if you will. The 4ES is great in 2ch and if you think the 4ES is forward sounding, no problem the eq can fix that right up.(IMO)

 

[Tito Aguirre]

Thanks for all the info ...

So far it sounds like the Sony DA4ES is the better choice.

I will try to listen to both of them side by side in the same environment and with the same music and setup. This is unfortunately easier said than done.

One thing I will add is that I have heard the Sony DA1ES (my brother has it) driving some small Bose speakers and I could definitely feel that it had power. I assume the DA4ES is similar or slightly better since it is rated 10W higher.

Someone told me that the HK has a "high current" amplifier, does the Sony also? What exactly does "high current" mean?

Looking forward to more info.

Tito

 

[MarkO]

Here is a prime example. Look how Sony rates its equipment,, 100W x 6,, 100W x 2 @ 8 Ohms. This is useless information. Is it measured at the full frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz ?? harman kardon rates its equipment at 20Hz – 20kHz, (full range) its written in the specs. Is Sony's claim of 100 watts per channel peak? or a Continuous Average power ratting? harman states "Continuous" in its specs. Sony leaves you guessing again. What do they have to hide?

 

[Diallo B]

Mark,

Your statements concerning the 4ES' specs are not true. Unfortunately I do not have my 4ES manual in front of me but I do know that the 4ES is rated at 110W RMS @ 8Ohms from 20-20,000Hz. I cannot quote THD from heart so I will provide that at some other time. (Unless someone else beats me to it)

****From Crutchfield****
110 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.05% THD


On top of that signals at 20Hz can only be felt while anything approaching 20kHz cannot even be heard by human ears. The entire electronics industry has us fooled with these specs that may or may not mean anything in real world applications. I think it is imperative for folks that have knowledge about the acquisition and use of mid to high end equipment tell novices that they should audition equipment for themselves. Spouting various erroneous specs and making broad statements about various brands of equipment do little to help anyone.

I can vouch that the 4ES has enough power to please the most power hungry, short of those that demand power from seperates. The often quoted Sound & Vision Magazine Sony article from 01/2003 states that the Sony has over 190W of RMS power in two channel applications. (I do not remember the actual RMS numbers) We all know that the crutch of the article revolved around Sony not letting S&V test for power at all channels driven. However, I am looking forward to an independent test of the 4ES in this manner. Hopefully it will come to pass soon.

On a side note, power for SPL and power for SQ are two different things entirely. I find that my 4ES has a nice combination of the two. I never fail to impress anyone with my system regardless of their SQ or SPL preference.

All of these broad comments about various brands of equipment irritate me and make my underwear bunch....

djb

 

[AaronBatiuk]

Here is a prime example. Look how Sony rates its equipment,, 100W x 6,, 100W x 2 @ 8 Ohms. This is useless information. Is it measured at the full frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz ??

Sony's specification for the STR-DA4ES is 100 W per each of 7 channels, with the following: "8 ohms 20 Hz – 20 kHz, THD 0.05 %". Where do you get your [mis]information?

 

[MarkO]

Sony's specification for the STR-DA4ES is 100 W per each of 7 channels, with the following: "8 ohms 20 Hz – 20 kHz,

100 W peak power ? or continuous? Sure each channel may draw 100 W at a time , but since all channels pull from the same power suppy, what happens when more than one channel wants a piece of the pie?

 

[Tito Aguirre]

Why do some of you guys hate Sony so much?

Tito

 

[MarkO]

Tito, its nothing against Sony alone. Its most consumer grade audio doing the power number game. Some are worse than others. A more strict standard is needed.

 

[JackS]

Tito- Buy the one you like the best. The Sony may be a little more powerful but the difference in the average living room would make virtually no difference. Perhaps there's a particular feature of one of these receivers that is of special interest to you. If your unable to do a hands on eval, I'd like to assure you that either wil fill the bill. Good luck. Jack

 

[MarkO]

The above post proves my point. Jack assumed the Sony had a more powerful amp just by looking at the wattage specs.

 

[NickSP]

Marko, this forum should be one of clean debate of merits about each receiver in question. You should not suggest the HK while putting the Sony down and your tone definitely suggests that you were putting the Sony down. HK has definitely made some good equipment but their complaints far outweigh the good and their flagship receiver had a slew of complaints.
Anyway, there is never a winner in This vs. That receiver posts. On features the Sony has a slight edge over the HK but sound is a very relative thing and Tito should do a thorough comparison between both the receivers and make a qualified judgment.