Customer Reviews

Sony STR-DA4400ES 7.1 Channel AV Receiver

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

 

 

There is not another brand on the market that can do what this one can, but it still has a lot of limitations and notes on every page of the manual. The manuals are available on the Sony web page under support.

This can convert component/composite into 1080P HDMI, but it can't convert any HDMI video into component or composite. I was using Zone 2 component output for my old HDTV and HDMI for the new one. It worked okay for the satalite receiver, but I had to connent both HDMI and component video inputs to get it to work for both zones. Unfortunately, the Sony DB is a pain to switch between HDMI output and component and it can't do both at the same time. So it is a real pain that zone 2 only supports component output with the receiver and you have to connect all your components twice to really use both zones. Many you could live with only component inputs, but TrueHD and DTS Master Audio require HDMI input require HDMI inputs. If you want to utilize deep color and 1080P from the DB, you have to use an HDMI input too. It can't upscale to deep color, connecting the Wii with the component input looks great in 1080P though.

It is pretty awsome with allowing different video and audio sources being configured to work together. From the different options available (DB, DVD, CD,...) there are some limitiations of want video and audio sources can be configured, but I was able to do everything combination I needed.

I couldn't find anyway to tell if Deep Color was actually passing through the receiver other then watching the change in the picture. It says you have to use direct video for Deep Color, so some configuration can actually loose deep color from the signal. I also was not able to upscale 1080i to 1080P.

It supports two channel audio out the HDMI port but will not pass DD, DTS etc. If you turn this functin on though, you only get 2 channel audio from the receiver speakers too. So, you can't really use the TV speakers via the HDMI input, but you can connect separate analog audio cables to do it. You can use the preouts to connect the TV as center channel, but it you are spending this much you should really invest in a quality center channel speaker.

The mircophone supplied for automatic speaker calibration is not very good. It said my speakers were out of phase when they were not. The stereo microphone with the STR-DA5400ES worked much better.

Control for HDMI may not work if you have a cheap HDMI cable like I started with.

I have spent about a week with the 4400es and it is without a doubt a great and versatile product. I have my cable box, pc, wii, ps3, xbox, and hd dvd all hooked up to it. It all sounds and looks great.

There are however some limitations you must be aware about. For one, you cannot use a hdmi to dvi cable for output. If you use such a cable to plug into your tv the receiver WILL NOT ouput sound for any Hdmi connected devices, in any way. period.
(non hdmi connected devices will still work in video and sound)

If you have an old DVI TV you will have to connect the video through the component inputs/ouputs and assign the HDMI connection to component video.
(you cannot assign hdmi video to any other audio input when using component connections) You will still get full dolby hd, dts hd, or linear pcm, but your video will be coming through component. Got it? good! (if you have an hdtv with hdmi you dont even have to worry about this)

Also there are some limitations with the GUI interface with component video. If you have resolution set to direct, meaning you are disabling the video upsaler, the gui interface will not work. It will come up but the scaler has to "turn on" while you make changes, and then turn off to resume direct connection. Furthermore, if you connect hdmi for audio and component for video, the GUI interface will have to scale to 480p to work. Basically you will see and hear flickering and clicking as the resolution changes from one format top another. Sounds confusing but you will see what I mean if you connect it this way. You can avoid all this if you just set GUI interface to OFF, and there will be no issues with the scaler kicking in on and off.

Last but not least, the second zone hd connections offer no scaling or digital options. Make sure whatever you are sending the signals to can actually accept them. Furthermore, the second zone option must match your input. Component RCA output from the 2nd zone must match a Component RCA input. No mix and match with any other connections.

hope this info helps future buyers out there.

I bought this receiver because it covers all the bases. Almost every audio option is supported (Logic 7 would be nice but Lexicon/Harmon Karden keep that one on a tight leash). The GUI is very PS3 like which is okay with me however I find that it's integration with the remote to be less than desirable. The biggest disappointment is the lack of a switched AC outlet. I have a powered sub and the lack of the AC outlet requires me to manually turn the sub on. Oh and the calibration mic claims that my speakers are not in phase when I know for a fact that they are. I use a PS3 for blue-ray and it works well with the receiver but I can't get the multichannel audio programs to work when I stream the audio using the PS3 from my PC. I think that this is a limitation of the PS3.

Easy to set up. Great audio/video quality. I've got it set up now with my Logitech Harmony 890 with pre-programmed macros for TV/Blu Ray/WII/ ETC. The On Screen Display feature is nice as well as the control over HDMI which allows the TV to control functions of the Receiver and vice versa.

like all of sony,s products this is one of their top of thin line receiver, I am very pleased with the av unit

All I have to say is I owned a denon befor this and the sony is way better. It has 6 HDMI ports and I can view the Receiver interface from my tv in HD. not all receivers can do that at least not older ones the price is a little high but amazon and other online stores have it at a much lower price. Only down side is with my PS3 it only does LPCM and the reciver will not display the new formats name on the screen. Not the receivers fault if you want to display DD HD audio and DTS master audio on the screen you have to use a standalone BD Player but thats only if you really need to see the audio in bitstream. Not a big problem because LPCM is just the same. Maybe they will update the PS3 firmware so it can do HIGHDEF audio in bitstream. note the new PS3 slim does HD audio in Bitstream.

I have revised my review after reviewing the actual device. My rant in my prior post was with VANNS who was the shipper of this product and not clear shipping policy.
I still think you should buy from Crutchfield, same price and 2 day FedEx shipping with great phone support. I left my original post below this review.

The box arrived yesterday, the original Sony box was encased in a larger box with 1 small padding, the receiver was poorly packed and it was rattling inside. When I opened the box, the foam inside was cracked most likely due to box being dropped.
I noticed the outer box was also dented. I turned on the device and it appeared to work ok so I proceeded with my setup.

Again, I want to stress again that I am very unhappy with this vendor, I should have gone with my instinct and bought through Crutchfield, same price and free 2 day fedex shipping and they are excellent help over the phone.










The device installed very easily and setup was little confusing at first, I suggest that people take the time to read the manual first, once you go through it, the setup is not bad.
I was able to eliminate al my wirings down to using only HDMI cables and this allowed me 4 device input (AppleTV, Tivo, BlueRay DVD, PS3).

Here are some problems I encountered at my first setup that was sorted out.

* If you use HDMI input and use the HDMI ports in device selection, both video/audio is played (very straight forward), however if you use their named device like BR (Blue Ray), DVD, Sat. Input etc... and you select the HDMI port as Video, you must also have separate Audio port setup using Optical or cable in. You can not assign the Audio of the HDMI for this. This is not a big deal if you have Optical cable and just use one of the optional input port, but bit annoying as you can't assign one of the pre-labled buttons on the Remote for this, if you want to have a single cable in from your devices (i.e. Sony BlueRay or AppleTV) you need to use the HDMI button. The annoying part of this is that I do have a High End Sony Blue Ray Player, and it has HDMI output, yet if I want to assign it to the BlueRay button on the remote, I need to use separate Video and Audio cable

* The Speaker calibration worked great, easy to setup and it helped me quickly balance the 5:1 setup in my room. It found the out of phase speaker wiring fast, I tested it by flipping the cable and it detected it. I moved the microphone around and checked the status of what it thinks on the distance and it is not bad, fairly accurate based on my movement of the microphone. Remember to keep it at the ear level and keep quiet during calibration.

* Zone 2 setup was not as straight forward as I expected, had problems trying to setup the second room. After reading the manual I figured out that I will need a IR extender in order to control the sound from second room. Not a big deal but in reality it will be difficult to control devices like AppleTV as I can't see the video.


* Remote is fine for controlling Sony devices but I really can't use it to control my Tivo, the learn mode seems to work but not for all signals, I had problems teaching it to control my AppleTV, I have not tried to reprogram for my Tivo yet.


Overall my initial impression is very positive on this device, need to spend more time playing around with teaching the remote, I was hoping to use it over my Harmony Universal remote someday.


***** original review ****** NOTE THIS WAS ABOUT THE SHIPPER AND NOT THE DEVICE!



I found this unit for same price on Crutchfield. I have Amazon Prime and it shows free shipping.
I should have looked closer to the shipping because after I ordered it, it shows 7 days shipping using Fedex Ground.
I could have gotten it in 2 days.

Even before I got my shipment they are bombarding me with promos and spamming me, I never asked to be spammed by these guys.

I am happy with Amazon quality of service but I am now told after I bought this unit, not to contact Amazon and call Vans directly.

This is total BS, and I tried to cancel the order within the hour as I found out, I couldn't cancel.

Be warned.

Bought this item used. New was $1400, refurbished from Sony was $1200. I got it for $500. Delivery, etc. was fine, and all of the packaging was there. But after the receiver is on for 15 minutes or so (which I did not notice for awhile) the receiver generates a distinct buzzing. If you are watching an action movie you will not hear it. But for a quieter piece, or if you are closer to the receiver, it is distracting and annoying. There was nothing in the description as to the problem, but at such a discount Buyer Beware should have popped into my head.

The "award winning" GIU is lame and slow. The XM input broke off the circuit board. Because it is "physical damage" its not covered under warranty, even tho it was never soldered to the board. The sound is amazing but not for the price. I've put it up on a shelf and am using my old Sony receiver form 1997 because IT STILL WORKS. SONY quality is not what it used to be and they don't care. Save money and headache by buying something other than Sony.