Review: Sony ES Receivers for Home Theater

The STR-AN1000 is the entry level model in Sony’s new Receiver lineup. It’s a stripped down, less bells and whistle model (mostly taking away the specialized integrations), but that doesn’t mean that it’s not built for a purpose.

I think this is a perfect receiver for an area that isn’t your main space, and it’s not really meant to be the center piece of a home system (unless you are into minimalism, then this hits the nail on the head).

I envision this as a perfect gaming surround sound system. You can have a full 7.2 channel experience and be blown away by the immersive environment you can have in a game (just as much as you would in a movie).

The STR-AN1000 is able to show off 8K & 4K/120 video from devices like Sony’s own PlayStation 5 by having (2) dedicated inputs with that capability and it’s HDMI 2.1 support makes it so you have ultra-low latency because of Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate. This is what you will want to match your PS5 to, so you will be unstoppable as you hunt down your opponent and get that split second advantage.

The first model in Sony’s lineup that is dedicated to the premium experience of their ES lineup. The STR-AZ1000 shares the same chassis as the STR-AN100, but it is customizable in its setup.

The STR-AZ100 is a Surround Sound Receiver that is created for the custom installation realm (which is a huge component of World Wide Stereo’s success). With its RS232C connection, it begins to offer the bells and whistles that were missing in the STR-AN1000 (like support for control from Savant and remote monitoring from OvrC), and a major takeaway is that Sony extended the warranty from 2 years to 5 years.

I really appreciate that the AZ lineup all have detachable power cords for two reasons. One is selfishly, they’re easy to install and service if you ever need to make any adjustments or changes meaning you can test different lengths, so you’re not stuck with too much wire management. Two, this gives you the ability to experiment with upgraded power cords to see another way that you can improve your sound experience.

Sony starts to show a different chassis from the 1000 series as you move to the 3000 series and above ES Receiver. Eye up the front and especially the back of the unit. The back of the STR-AZ3000 has all the empty spaces that will get filled out once you get to the top of the mountain, the STR-AZ7000.

The STR-AZ3000 is where you start to see how much more you get for the money. It changes from (2) HDMI inputs that take in 8K and 4K/120 to (4) inputs. Sony does continue with the ability to have (2) areas of video (an easy way to expand your living room to your patio combined with an outdoor TV).

The STR-AZ3000 is also the first in the lineup to have Zone 2 or Zone 3 analog outputs to let you expand to the whole house (or even outside at your pool). A keen eye will also notice that there is a 12 volt trigger. The 12 volt trigger is used engage something like an ancillary amplifier as you expand the musical capabilities of your home.

You’ve really made it once you’ve reached the STR-AZ5000. It’s the perfect straddle between the 3000 series and the 7000 series ES A/V receiver. Why?

You’re getting the more customizable A/V receiver in the Sony ES lineup. How?

Sony added analog pre-outs for every channel and not just the subwoofer. This gives you the ability to use more powerful amplifiers for any speaker in your system. Sony also increased the 12 volt triggers from the (1) available in the STR-AZ3000 and upped it to (3) trigger inputs. All of these features give you the expandability to grow out your home theater setup so you don’t have to do it all at once.

The STR-AZ5000 is also the first in the lineup to add a 7th HDMI input, which they placed on the front of the receiver. This is really convenient if you want to temporarily connect your laptop to your system. It’s right in the front and you won’t have to feel overwhelmed by moving wires around. That input is only 4K, so it’s not really meant for those next generation gaming consoles (like the PlayStation 5) because it won’t handle the 4K/120 you’d want to see.

You’ve reached the top of the mountain with the STR-AZ7000. This top-of-the-line receiver has the ability to decode AND power 13 channels of audio AND it does 8K!!!

The AZ7000 also has dedicated analog pre-outs so if you want to upgrade a power amplifier for your front speakers for an even cleaner sound at lower volumes, you have no limits. In fact, you could decide to not use a single amplification channel from the AZ7000 (although I don’t know why you would) you can do that.

The AZ7000 is built to be a showstopper. Sony upgraded the power supplies, heatsinks, new large-capacity power transformers, you know - all the things that take your experience to the next level.

The AZ7000 is the only A/V receiver in the new Sony ES release to have Dual Center capability. What is a dual center? Well, the label doesn’t lie; the AZ7000 has the ability to do a pair of center speakers for when you have a large screen (imagine a 100” flat panel with a center speaker above and below). If you want to read more about the entire Sony ES line, check out Brian's full review here.

Sony also developed a new capacitor for high power by creating a new block capacitor based on their extensive experience with developing sound quality capacitors with a focus on making sure the materials they used were of the highest quality but also created the highest quality sound.

They even went as far as to offset the position of the screw in the feet of the receiver. Sony did this to increase rigidity and improve resonance control. When you’re focusing on something as small as the foot of a receiver to make sure it’s not the entry point for unwanted vibration on “just a A/V receiver” you know that you’ve made the right decision in your purchase. In fact, Sony made all the right decisions for you already. You just get to sit back and enjoy it. That’s even better, right?