Sony STR-DA3300ES ES 7.1 Channel Surround Sound Audio/Video Receiver

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16.9 x 16.9 x 6.8 inches ; 33.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 38 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000UNKCGE
• Item model number: STR-DA3300ES
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,897 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2005

Product Description

Product Description

The Sony- STR-DA3300ES 7.1 A/V receiver was engineered to be the entertainment hub for your HD experience. This receiver provides an "Audio for Video" solution which integrates the latest technologies to optimize sound as well as picture quality. The STR-DA3300ES utilizes Faroudja DCDi Cinema Technology which up scales non-HD sources (VHS, DVD, etc ) to 1080p4. In addition to video upscaling, this chipset corrects image jaggedness and reduces block noise resulting in beautiful, smooth high definition images. As for audio, the STR-DA3300ES utilizes high grade components that provide effective heat dissipation, large amounts of power while maintaining precise sound quality. Sony's Xross Media Bar- inspired GUI allows a user to utilize an icon driven menu system which provides easy access to the receiver's most complicated functions. The STR-DA3300ES 7.1 A/V receiver will accept 1080/60p and 24p HD video formats, x.v.Color (xvYCC) while providing 3 HDMI inputs. Sony's DIGITAL MEDIA PORT makes this model iPod- Ready (accessory sold separately) and features BRAVIA- Theatre Sync for "One-Touch Play".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Competence will make the Audio pass through, January 16, 2008

By	Christopher R. Hennen (VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an awesome receiver with an exceptional GUI! The reviewer must be mistaken, the receiver will pass all digital audio thru the HDMI out (except Analog, and who uses analog sources on a digital AVR) and a HDMI-DVI cable doesn't carry the audio because DVI is video only! Don't give a product 1 Star if your equipment is outdated and don't understand how it's supposed to be connected. I couldn't be happier with mine.

Ditto!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Receiver, February 26, 2008

By	Christopher Steele (Cypress, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This receiver is a HUGE upgrade from my older Sony ES receiver (pre-hdmi), and is worlds better.

I loved my old receiver, but it was heavier, ran hotter, had no GUI to speak of, and didn't do video signal upconversion, which meant that changing from my older s-video DVD player to my satelite provider required an input change on the TV as well. NO LONGER! Now I can just use the graphical UI on screen to select the input I want, and it just works. One small remote (the unit comes with a comprehensive universal remote and a smaller, input + volume type remote, which I use) to do just about everything.

I could not be happier. One HDMI cable from my receiver to my TV. A myriad of input connections. No changing the input on my TV ever again. A beautiful on-screen GUI. This is a great receiver.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best deal in town, July 18, 2008

By	Ryan Fitzmorris (Riverside, RI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this unit for 574 delivered.

If you have the following items you will want this reciever

a PS3 or blu ray player

a TV that has an HDMI input, preferably 1080p

I've read up on a lot of the connectivity issues on this unit prior to purchase. I think there is a lot of confusion regarding the new hd sound formats. I hope I can provide some help to individuals reading this post.

To get True HD, or DTS master audio from the PS3 you need to do the following.

Run audio from the PS3 to the receiver over HDMI. Go into the PS3 settings, make sure audio is passed over HDMI, then manually select the PCM 5.1 and 7.1 audio formats at 48khz. To test, put in a Blu ray disc, go into the audio menu of the movie and select one of the new HD formats or PCM uncompressed. If you have done this correctly the blue light on the from center of the reciever will turn on and the screen will show that multi channel PCM is running at 48khz.

Here is the deal, the PS3 and most other blu ray players cannot pass a raw hd bitstream signal to the reciver for decoding, but it can decode the signal itself and pass it over hdmi in multi channel format. Your ears get the same sound either way.

What this means to you. If you're using the PS3 for a blu ray player it doesn't matter if you buy the 3300 4300 or 5300 because the PS3 is going to decode and send the signal as uncompressed pcm. So spending the extra cash to get on board dolby true hd and dts hd decoders is pointless. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, but unless you're planning on running some huge speakers or really committed to a multi room setup the 3300 is the best value. I run my setup in a very large room, the 3300 can blast sound and I have not noticed any distortion at high volumes.

Also, I have an older generation xbox 360 without an HDMI output. Good news if you are in the same boat as me. This reciever will accept a 1080p input through component cables and pass to the TV as 1080p over HDMI.

I replaced an older Yamaha natural sound reciever that I have had over 7 years, it still works wonderfully and I am looking forward to moving it down into the man room in my basement. I was on the fence between a Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo and this Sony unit. The 3300-5300 seemed to have the best video options, and sound performance was comparable accross the brands. Once the price on the 3300 got into the 500 range I decided to pull the trigger. I love the on screen menu, the sound is great, and it has all the connectivity and functions that I needed for my gear. This is a great product and I would highly recommend it.

setup
str da3300es, polk audio RTI series speakers, JBL 12" 500 watt sub, Sony 50" LCOS SXRD TV 1080p, XBOX 360 with HD-DVD, PS3, and a Wii.