Customer Reviews

Sony STR-DA2400ES 7.1 Channel Home Theater AV Receiver

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this component to take advantage of all the features of my Sony Bravia XBR KDL-52XBR6 TV and Sony BDP-S550 1080p Blu-ray Player. The integration into my system was as easy as possible with the HDMI cables. One HDMI from the Blu-ray player and one from the Comcast Hi-Def cable box into the A/V receiver. One more HDMI from the A/V receiver to the TV. Connect the 7.1 speakers and your done.

The sound field set up was brain-dead simple with the included microphone. The Theatre Sych feature worked perfectly the first time. Put a disk in the player and hit the play button, the TV turns on and selects the correct input and starts playing your movie. I added a Sony TDM-IP1 Digital Media Port iPod Dock for my iPod. Just plug it into the digital media port on the back of the A/V receiver and you're ready to listen to your favorite iTunes playlist. (Warning: the Sony TDM-IP1 Digital Media Port iPod Dock is not compatible with all iPods - check to make sure your iPod is compatible.)

The best part was, obviously, the sound. Without the 7.1 surround, you're missing half of the movie. Also, the music from the iPod takes on a whole new dimension with the A/V receiver's selectable sound fields (Concert Hall, Jazz Club, etc.). I'm sure there are audio purists who would look down their nose at it, but I don't have unlimited funds to put into my A/V system. The price, ease of connection, and feature integration make it perfect for my home theater needs. The upscaling feature of the A/V receiver compensates for the lack of a 1080p signal on regular (Non-HiDef) cable. Not as good as a true 1080p signal, but watchable.

Overall, I'm very pleased with Sony's latest implementation of Digital Home Theater/Entertainment. The picture and sound are state-of-the-art and I can still afford to pay my daughter's college tuition.

I was willing to spend as much as three times what I spent on this receiver but based on my previous experience with Sony ES products plus online reviews, I decided to go with this system.

I particularly like the GUI interface for setting things up. On my system, the sound was slightly muffled until I switched it from 8 ohms to 4 ohms in the setup. (And I mean slightly -- my roommate didn't notice a difference.)

The reason for this purchase is that I wanted a receiver that supported all the latest sound codecs and had HDMI ports and my 10-year-old Sony ES receiver didn't have either. I'm doing a big Blu-ray upgrade of my home theatre!

Is it just me or are all home theater receivers just too feature-packed? I'm relatively tech savy, but this thing is humbling. More ways to set this thing up than any non-professional would ever need. The result is that it is too complicated for my wife and 6 year old daughter to use without the Logitech universal remote which I have pre-programmed by activity. While it hurts my ego to admit it, I think I'm probably using less than 50% of its true capabilities as well. I have the following running through it: Cable HD/DVR (connected via HDMI), XBOX 360 (via HD component), PS3 (via HDMI), old Toshiba CD changer (via toslink),a 50 inch 1080p Panasonic Viera plasma tv and a decent set of Polk speakers. My favorite activity is, believe it or not, playing Pandora internet radio over the PS3. Both movies and music sound great.

Overall very pleased with its performance after several months of daily use in my main home theater set up. It does get hot in the AV cabinet, so I make sure to leave the door open when in use -- especially if playing with the XBOX 360, which used to sit just below the Sony receiver; I had to move it a few shelves down and cut more space out of the back to ensure better air flow. No image problems compared to plugging directly from the cable HD box to the TV, but then again I don't really see much improvement in the upscaling performance over letting the TV handle this operation.

I bought my Sony STR-DA2400ES in November 2008.

The Sony STR-DA2400ES offers relatively good value for money for a 100w per channel, entry-level, high performance, home amplifier system. The user interface is relatively easy to navigate, but does not incorporating the XROSS interface that is now included in later models. Additional HDMI inputs may be needed depending on the amount of HDMI components you intend to have in your home theater. I have a Sony Blu-Ray, an Xbox 360, and a Tivo...so, I'm all set for HDMI inputs. Frankly, I think there are a ridiculous number of connections on the rear of the unit: three component inputs and an output, four HDMI inputs and an output, five composite inputs and an output, an incredible 11 analog stereo audio inputs and five outputs, five digital audio inputs. The list really does go on and on. Put simply, if you've got any A/V device made in the last few decades it'll find a home at the back of the STRDA2400ES. The unit also supports Dolby Digital plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.

It's certainly an imposing device. The fascia houses a large number of dials, switches and buttons, as well as a removable panel for connecting portable A/V devices. As usual, the volume control is the largest dial and moves perfectly smoothly. All the simplest functions of the receiver can be accessed from these controls, but if you want more complex functionality you'll have to use one of the system's remotes. That's right -- it has two.

The smaller remote is more for convenience's sake, with input and volume buttons as well as a navigation pad. The larger remote includes these features as well as a variety of sound equalisation and alteration keys.

For actually switching and outputting all these ports and connections, there's the choice of composite, component or HDMI outputs; the HDMI port is able to up-scale all video sources to 1080p.

This up-scaling is of great quality, with DVD-quality sources exceptionally vivid and smoothly enhanced. Of course, up-scaling will never be as perfect as original HD content, but the STRDA2400ES makes the best use of any content so you don't have to rely on your television's in-built scalers.

The amplifier is able to output a more-than-adequate 100 Watts RMS to seven channels simultaneously, as well as offering a subwoofer pre-out. This is more than enough to power a full surround-sound home theatre set to painful levels and I couldn't detect any noticeable distortion when driving a set of speakers from AAD.

Switching between inputs and modes was simple; with a little practice, controlling the unit will become second nature. If you have had any experience with home entertainment equipment you should be able to follow the basics without any major problems. If not, the two-inch-thick bundle of manuals included with the unit should come in handy.

If you've got a serious home entertainment setup -- Full HD television, extended surround sound speaker system and any number of DVD, CD, BD or HD disc players -- the STRDA2400ES will perform any task you ask of it with ease.

Last but not least, Sony offers their own media port which allows you to connect devices such as your iPod, PC or Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. This is also complemented by software that will clean up and improve the performance of your MP3 files - a nice touch and definitely not possible on all AV receivers in the level entry range. In fact, it is so rare, this is a definite thumbs up for Sony.

I highly recommend the STR-DA2400ES.

Sony STR-DA2400ES A/V Receiver


I bought this receiver to replace my Denon AVR-1707 which was an amazing 5.1 receiver as well, but I needed to upgrade to compliment my PS3 and 42" TV. So I needed a receiver with HDMI inputs and I'll tell you. The GUI on this is amazingly easy to work with and the amp in it does a great job on its own(for those without a pre-amp). The ability to adjust between PLXII, Nueral-THX, and Neo6 for non-digital signals to get a great simulated surround was very well developed with this receiver. I highly recommend this receiver for anyone who wants to step up to a great high end receiver. It won't ever compare to a Krel or a Sunfire but for the price its the best I can see using.

I recently purchased this item; bought it online for 569.00. Excellent sound, some smart features, I get very good FM radio reception. I have it linked to other Sony products including the KDL 52XBR9 and a Sony BluRay player, so it all comes up with one button. A bit cumbersome to make changes in equalizer and other functions. But then, I exchanged this with a 20 year old sony es receiver.

I was not prepared for the menus GUI, cinema settings, Hdmi ... etc. It was tough start because I had a new 52' Sony TV,blue ray player, new speakers with the receiver.
I am a novice with this but eventually I figured it all out.
It's a very impressive system for the cost and I'm learning more about it every day!

I recieved my Sony 2400 ES and got it all connected and finally got the gui setup to work. It was a bear! I got it all working and configured the speakers for the optimum seating area. Next day I went to turn it on and it would not power up. I even unplugged it from the surge protector and connected it directly to the wall socket. I still would not turn on. I called Sony and I was told to disconnect everything that I had connected the night before and try it again. YUCK! It still didn't work. I was then told that after not even having this unit installed for a day to send it back to Laredo, TX. I didn't think that sounded right so I called again the next day to see if what I was told was correct. I was told I needed an event number which was never mentioned by the first representative and to pack everything I had recieved back into the box. I did so and it cost me $31 plus to send it to the repair center. After not hearing from them for 10 days I went on line to check the status of my reciever. While on line I found they had repair centers very near my home that would have been cheaper than sending it all the way to Texas from my home in WV. I was told by the representative that my reciever was working fine but they wanted me to talk to a technician to make sure they properly understood my problem. I was then told all technicians were busy at the time but one would return my call. I got a call the next day from a technician and was again told the reciever was working fine. I asked why it would have not powered on when I tried at home if it was fine? I told the technician I had looked for a reset button or something and he asked if the representative I talked to initially told me how to reset the unit and I said no and asked if there waw a reset. He said it had to be done in conjunction with them and would not tell me how to reset but did tell me I could call and ask if it ever happened again. I was actually pleased with the technician who I finally spoke with. He told me there was an update available for my reciever and they had installed it and after listening to what I had to say he told me they would run additional tests. He took lots of time with me and I sensed a genuine concern to make sure I was satisfied. He listened to me and told me their testing procedures which were very thorough so for that I am grateful. I don't know if the reciever works well because it was not a very auspicious start for this unit. Maybe once I get the reciever back I can actually say how it works in my home theater set up. So far an awful experience. I write this response now because customer service is an important aspect of any purchase for me.

I have long been a fan of Sony ES Products. Having bought an ES Receiver in 1995, it has lasted all these years and still works. With Digital HD TV conversion, I decided to upgrade my AV system and started with the lowest model of ES receiver available. The 2400ES give me most of what I needed. Things I wish I had considered that I liked about the old unit, now not available on this one...
A/C outlets on the back that allowed you to plug in other components that could be turned on and off with the receiver are no longer available (on the 2400ES).
The older units allowed for video from one source and audio from another, so you could see a picture, surf the cable, and still have music going on...this unit seems not to allow for that, unless I have not yet discovered how to do that. I am pleased with my purchase and the price that I got through Amazon. I saved a bunch of money.

does this receiver have hdmi passthrough on standby?I want to buy it but dont know for shure if it has pass through or not.