Sony announces TA-DA3200ES 7.1 channel HDMI-compatible A/V receiver

Sony has announced its new TA-DA3200ES A/V receiver today, able to handle a full 7.1 channels of linear PCM audio and 1080p video through its HDMI interface, in other words, just enough to make the most of your brand-new Blu-ray player. The receiver's also got plenty of power, blasting 120W through all seven channels at 8Ω, and includes a auto-calibration mic that'll let you easily set up your speakers properly. And, since most of us will still be hanging onto our DVD collections for a while yet, you'll be pleased to know that the receiver can upconvert video through its array of inputs, including four S-video and three component. Look for it to drop this November for 99,750 Yen, or about $865 US.

[Via HD Beat]

[Scott Lippert @ Aug 9th 2006 4:55PM]

Don't most hd-dvd players do the upconverting for you? So why would you need an old dvd player and an hd-dvd player? Sounds like a worthless add-on.

[Jay @ Aug 9th 2006 4:56PM]

Hmm, I figured since this is being released in Nov it would have HDMI v1.3. I mean after all didn't they already have to implement it for the new PS?

[MDB @ Aug 9th 2006 4:59PM]

This technology is old news. Sony receivers aren't very well respected in the audiophile community anyway, though it's wrong to assume what a receiver sounds like based on past products.

[Jeff @ Aug 9th 2006 5:04PM]

Scott:

Huh? Not all of us are willing to fork over the cash for HD-DVD right now when it's not clear who's going to win the format war. The point is this receiver is at least somewhat future-proof (unlike HD-DVD) and will upconvert your DVD's for you in the meantime. It's not a question of buying an HD-DVD player *or* this receiver. You need a receiver anyway, and most people would be wise to have a good one *before* they upgrade to a new optical disc format.

Not to mention that this thing does HDMI upconversion on *all* inputs, which is something of a holy grail, and not common in a receiver that costs $865. That means you can upconvert more than just your DVD's. A lot of us still have VCR's, camcorders, etc.

[Jim F @ Aug 9th 2006 5:05PM]

Regionless capabilities seem like a good enough reason to hang on to current DVD hardware. There is a lot of great cinema that is available in vastly superior packaging and transfers in places other than North America (an excellent example would be the Eureka! Masters of Cinema series)

[Jason T. @ Aug 9th 2006 5:09PM]

>>This technology is old news. Sony receivers aren't very well respected in the audiophile community anyway, though it's wrong to assume what a receiver sounds like based on past products.

Are kidding me? The ES line of Sony receivers has always been well respected by audiophiles, especially for its price category.

Obviously, the you get what you pay for so they clearly aren't gong to be the best of Denon, Elite, Marantz, etc. But for a sub-$900 receiver its very competive.

[Paul @ Aug 9th 2006 5:18PM]

I hardly call Denon an audiophile brand.

I think you mean...Naim, Arcam etc

But the QS and ES by Sony is very good.

[Jay @ Aug 9th 2006 5:41PM]

I agree with Jason T - I've been in the high end audio business for a LONG time and Sony ES products have always been highly regarded by audiophiles. Now there are a few that won't even look at it because it's a Sony, but in general these are the same ones that believe putting a $500 wood volume knob on their preamp is going to improve sound by reducing resonances in the knob. (That's not a joke)

[Jim @ Aug 9th 2006 6:14PM]

Actually the ES receivers have not been well received by the audiophile community. Their ES preamps were exceptionally well received - a great deal of bang for the buck but that was nearly 7 years ago since their last model. I have seen that model on sale just a year ago (new) for about $1500 at a semi-audiophile store so it is still popular 7 years later - how many receivers hold that recognition?

They stopped the preamp as one of the pointy haired bosses at Sony thought their $4000 integrated receiver was the way of the future. However the 4000 receiver lacked the warmth, fullness or power of their $1500 preamp combined with a decent $2000 multichannel amp. Perhaps if they started to use some of the new class-d amp technology in their receivers they will be right but it is still a ways before we see anything that good.

I have the TAE-9000es preamp and still think it was a good investment and would consider another Sony Preamp if they made one comparable but with DTS HD, Dolby Digital Plus, True DD and other updates that have come out in the last 7 years.

A lot of the mid-range manufacturers pulled out of the seperates market a while ago as there was too much competition for the smaller demand than their receivers for the low end market. Perhaps the large gap in the market will be filled by someone willing to risk filling that gap. I would hope Denon takes up the challenge.

I checked out their $4000 receiver a while ago and my seperates of a comparable price blew them out of the water - honestly there was no comparison. I would value that receiver at the time I listened to it at $1000 but that wasn't what Sony charged for it.

[RyanTV @ Aug 9th 2006 9:16PM]

If you really know anything about home theater, you would know that Sony (even their es line) is by no means well respected in the home theater community. Their receivers are notorious for over heating and going into protective fault when operating well within respectable operational perimeters.

Denon, Yamaha, etc are much better choices for (somewhat) affordable home theater gear. Sony makes very nice displays - are they worth the premium you pay for the Sony branding, absolutely not - same goes for their home theater gear. End of story.

[Junk @ Aug 10th 2006 6:37PM]

For quite a few years, Sony has slapped the ES designation onto their "mainstream" equipment. About the overheating issue, I just got rid of a fifteen year old STR-AV970, and it needed frequent cleaning because of its (frequently known) spontaneous switching on and cranking it up while you're out of the house or asleep. That thing had seven different boards and some dedicated surround IC with board and the machine is flashy and a beast compared to the current crop of receivers nowadays; but it lacked a load of niceties we're used to these days.

[Bob @ Aug 17th 2006 6:50AM]

We received official confirmation from Sony Europe that the HDMI connection will be HDMI v1.2a, not v1.2 or v1.3. Also to clarify there are 840 watts in total split over the 7 channels, 120W per channel, 20Hz to 20kHz with a THD of 0.09%. The mention of 480W in a spec sheet in Japanese represents, in fact, the power consumption, not the power output.