Which receiver, Sony STR-DA5000ES or Yamaha RX-V2500

propman07

Hello-

I've made this a poll so that people can quickly throw in their $0.02. If you would like to make comments, I would appreciate that as well. Here is the background.

I bought a Sony STR-DA5000ES receiver about a year ago. Everything was going okay, until my TV started to go out. At the time, I didn't realize it was the TV, and I thought that it was the Sony receiver (upconverting S-Video to component) I hastily purchased a replacement receiver, namely the Yamaha RX-V2500 based on some reviews that I found online. When I got the receiver, I realized that it was the TV that was bad. Now, I have two receivers, and I'm trying to pick between the two. Here are some stats on each of the receivers.

Yamaha RX-V2500

7-Channel Powerful Surround Sound (130W x 7 RMS) [8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.04% THD]
Digital ToP-ART and High Current Amplification
Pure Direct Switch for High Quality 2-Channel and Multi-Channel Sound Reproduction
192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels
YPAO Automatically Sets Best Sound for Any Room, Any Speaker Placement
Dialogue Lift for Enhanced Dialogue Sound
9-Channel Speaker Outputs with Zone 2 Out
On-Screen Display with GUI (Graphical User Interface)
Main / Zone 2 Front Panel Power Switching
Zone 2 S-Video Output Terminal

Sony ES STR-DA5000ES

170 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.6% THD
Direct Drive digital amplifier
Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6 and Dolby Pro Logic II
Sony Digital Cinema Sound modes
dual 32-bit processors
three-room/three-source A/V output (composite video and stereo preamp output with volume control for 2nd room, stereo preamp output for 3rd room)
learning/multibrand 2-way, 4-line LCD remote with macros
2nd A/V remote for 2nd or 3rd room digital and analog multichannel bass management
video conversion (composite to S-video, or composite and S-video to component)
7.1-channel preamp output
two multichannel analog inputs (one 7.1, one 5.1)
component video switching: 2 in, 1 out (80MHz) digital inputs: 5 optical (including 1 front-panel), 2 coaxial optical digital output 4 audio (including phono), 5 A/V (including 5 S-video & 1 front-panel) inputs
on-screen display

I can't afford to keep both receivers, as one of them will find its way on e-Bay.

Which receiver do you think is superior? Sony? Yamaha? Sell both and get ****?

Thanks for your help.

cfrizz

Do a head to head comparison of the 2 & choose the one that you think sounds the best to your ears.

propman07

cfrizz wrote:

Do a head to head comparison of the 2 & choose the one that you think sounds the best to your ears.

cfrizz-

Thanks for the reply. I plan on doing just that. I guess that both receivers have good points, and bad points. I'll have to let my ears decide.

Thanks again.

aaharvel

sell them both. do business with a company that's not going to jerk you off when it comes to power ratings. "Direct Drive Digital" and "Presence Speakers" don't mean jack$hit when it comes to honest performance.

BIZILL

h/k 7300....yummy.

2+2

I vote for HK 7200....cheaper and it doesnt have a fan....

aaharvel

what we're all trying to say is that both the yammy and sony give you inflated wattage specs and that much better receivers can be had for the same or less amount of money than either.

Outlaw Audio model 1070
Harman Kardon avr7300
Denon avr-3805/6
Marantz sr-8500

this is where I would start. Not to diss your receiver but the day that the sony 5000es puts out 170x7 all channels driven at 20hz-20khz or the yamaha 2500 puts out 130x7 as stated above is the day that i'm an astronaut. Sell them both, check out one of the above superior receivers, and use the gob of extra $ you have left over to buy something nice for your wife. :cool:

propman07

aaharvel wrote:

what we're all trying to say is that both the yammy and sony give you inflated wattage specs and that much better receivers can be had for the same or less amount of money than either.

Outlaw Audio model 1070
Harman Kardon avr7300
Denon avr-3805/6
Marantz sr-8500

this is where I would start. Not to diss your receiver but the day that the sony 5000es puts out 170x7 all channels driven at 20hz-20khz or the yamaha 2500 puts out 130x7 as stated above is the day that i'm an astronaut. Sell them both, check out one of the above superior receivers, and use the gob of extra $ you have left over to buy something nice for your wife. :cool:

Thanks to all for the replies.

aaharvel-

I have also read that the manufacturers tilt the tables in their favor when putting together the specs for their receivers. How about using either one of these receivers as a pre-amp, possibly to drive the surrounds and center channel, and selecting a two channel amp to drive the front speakers?

Thanks for the suggestion on the "something nice for the wife". She just about blew a gasket when she saw last month's Discover bill with the HT furniture on it... :eek:

AsSiMiLaTeD

I wouldn't worry about the power ratings too much when you're looking at this level of receivers. Any of the receivers in the price range you're looking is just as capable of any of the others in driving your speakers.

Everyone will tell you that other companies inflate their power ratings, H/K always underrates their power ratings, blah blah blah. If you're thinking of throwing an amp on your front two speakers, then just ignore the power specs altogether. If you're going to use the receiver to power all your speakers, then my original statement still stands - anything in this price range is going to do just fine.

Ultimately, it boils down to what you prefer - what sounds best to you and which model has the options you need, etc. Every single model mentioned by you and others is a great receiver and will work great for your setup, so don't let anyone scare you away from Sony ES or Yamaha. That doesn't mean I personally like all the choices listed, but they're all still good choices.

Having said that, if I were in your shoes and was going to keep one of the receivers I already had - I'd sell the Yamaha and keep the Sony because I personally don't like the Yammy sound, and Sony ES stuff is top notch.

If you were asking this as an open-ended question and your option of buying a dedicated amp is on the table, I'd say sell both receivers you have and get a mid level receiver (like the Denon 2805, H/K 335, etc) that has preouts. Take all that cash you just got and buy a good 3 channels of amplification for your fronts and center, and use your receiver to power your surrounds until you get the cash/desire to buy an amp for those two...

cfrizz

The main reason that he should keep one of them is because BOTH have pre-outs! So it doesn't matter so long as he is happy with the sound. When he wants more power, he can simply buy a 2-5 channel amp & be done with it!

aaharvel

either the sony or yamaha would make great pre-amps. I'm thinking the Yammie's got more features and has prologic IIx (i think the 5000es only has prologic II)- and being as that the sony is a more expensive receiver than the yamaha I think- I would keep the yamaha and sell the more expensive sony- use some of that money to buy yourself a kickass 5channel amplifier.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Yeah, I only mention the possibility of the amp because you mentioned that in one of your posts above. If you're just looking to unload one of these and get some cash back, then that's a good options as well - like we said, just keep whichever you like.

However, if you're looking at the prospect of getting an amp, the only reason I'd recommend selling both and buying a mid level unit is because it'll free up more cash for a better amp. Aside from an option or two, typically all you're paying for when going up a step or two in a receiver is more power - not a factor if you're looking at an external amp. The processing is usually the same in receivers in the same line (i.e. the Denon 2805 has the same processing as the 3805, the HK 335 same as the 635, like I said minus maybe an option or tow). So if you have two receivers that you can sell for $750 each, can buy a 2805 or the like for $500 - then after all is said and done, you have $1000 to spend on amps, which is plenty.

So if all you're getting with the bigger receiver is more power (you'd want to confirm with what you're specifically looking at) and you're not going to be using that power anyway, you may as well put the extra cash into amplification.

Remember also, your receiver is going to change with technology. As new formats and codecs come out and technology moves forward, you may need/want to change your receiver to keep up with the times. This doesn't apply as much to amplification. Sure amps change over time, but basic technology with amps isn't changing much. You could use the same amps for 5 years, but need to upgrade your processor three times during that same time period. This is why I personally believe that your money is best spent an getting good amplification.

My $.02

propman07

Damn...solid advice from everyone...

Polkmaniac-

I like the sound out of the Yammaha, but the Sony ES receiver is nice as well. It is going to be a tough call. The option of an external amplifier is on the table, but it will have to wait for a while. I was looking at Crown Pro amps, as others have been having good luck with them, and they aren't too expensive. I was thinking of picking up one for the fronts, and maybe later down the road, one for the center channel.

It is difficult to find a decent receiver with a good amount of inputs, but that's another topic for discussion as well.

I'll let you guys know how I make out. Thanks for all of the "sound" advice.

fireshoes

Preach on, Brother Polkmaniac!

Mike682

H/K AVR335: $459, free shipping @ jandr.com

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4015271

cmy330go

First of all Amen to Polkmaniac's comments.

Second I'm not extremely familiar with that model sony. But I will tell you that I really like my RX-V2500. I too plan on using it as a pre/pro soon. At the time I got it I had the option of any HK, Denon, Onkyo, or Yamaha. Of all these brands I felt that the Yamaha: was the easiest to customize (with many great extended I/R codes), had the best and clearest menu system, and interfered with the video signal the least.

Now depending on how you are going to use the receiver these may not be that important to you. I just thought I would throw in my 2 cents in case you decide to keep one or the other.

Enjoy

organ

I like the sound of ES receivers. I can't think of anything to add. You've been given great advice. Good luck.

Maurice

Toxis

Sell both and get seperates.

propman07

cmy330go wrote:

Second I'm not extremely familiar with that model sony. But I will tell you that I really like my RX-V2500. I too plan on using it as a pre/pro soon. At the time I got it I had the option of any HK, Denon, Onkyo, or Yamaha. Of all these brands I felt that the Yamaha: was the easiest to customize (with many great extended I/R codes), had the best and clearest menu system, and interfered with the video signal the least.

cmy330go-

Thanks for your reply. I do like the Yamaha as well. I like the on screen menu, and the way that it automatically calibrates the speakers. At least that's a starting point. What I didn't like about the Yamaha:

1) The first unit that I got from an online store was DOA. I was able to send it back, and get a replacement, but it took about 4 weeks

2) The replacement receiver started to shut down whenever I tried to feed it 5.1 audio material. With the help of Yamaha techs, we determined that the surround amp section had failed. The receiver is now in for warranty repair, and the darn thing is not even two months old.

organ wrote:

I like the sound of ES receivers. I can't think of anything to add. You've been given great advice. Good luck.

Maurice

Maurice-

Thanks for your reply. I like the sound of the Sony as well, but the menus/setup seemed to be lacking. In this department, I'm leaning towards keeping the Yamaha, but we'll see what happens.

Thanks again for all of the input.

fireshoes

That's very odd about the Yamaha, as they typically have outstanding quality control.

Mike682

fireshoes wrote:

That's very odd about the Yamaha, as they typically have outstanding quality control.

Same here...yammies usually last a long time and a yammie doa is almost never heard of...

AsSiMiLaTeD

Just keep in mind that the menu and setup stuff you won't have to use very often - that would be the LAST factor in my decision to buy a receiver.

It sounds like you prefer the Yamaha overall, so I'd keep that one...

Tritonman

Go with the Sony. I personally have on pushing my set of Polk's.and its a very clean and powerful receiver. The benefit of upconversion to component is also a nice feature if you have any items that use something other than a component connection.

Plus i beleive the receiver comes with a 5 year warranty and the Onkyo does not?

The Sony does not have a fan btw. I beleive someone in here mentioned that.

There isnt really much to be said comparing the 2..you spend all day crunching and comparing numbers. In the end..its how your ears tell the difference. And what it is you are looking for as far as features etc.


Also what part of the menu/setup do you feel it is lacking in? Im quite surprised at that comment as the Sony has quite a lot of options and settings. Specially if you utilize the on-screen display.

AsSiMiLaTeD

The Sony has decent setup menus, but the Yamaha has a much better menu system. I still prefer the Sony, but the Yamaha does have it beat in terms of customization and menu setup...

propman07

fireshoes/Mike682-

Thanks for your replies. I was surprised as well on the first Yamaha receiver that I got. I unpacked it, CAREFULLY connected all of my interconnects/speakers, double checked everything, and hit the power switch...nothing...no lights, no clicks...NADA. I proceeded to quadruple check everything, and I tried again, with the same results. I contacted Yamaha tech support, and they had me unplug everything except for the power to the receiver. I hit the power switch, and the receiver just sat there. Yamaha tech support said to return the unit where I purchased it from for a replacement.

The second receiver died shortly after I received my new Polk speakers, and got everything connected. It went in for warranty repair as well, and right now, I'm driving all five speakers (see my signature) with the Sony with no issues....go figure.

Tritonman wrote:

Go with the Sony. I personally have on pushing my set of Polk's.and its a very clean and powerful receiver. The benefit of upconversion to component is also a nice feature if you have any items that use something other than a component connection.

Plus i beleive the receiver comes with a 5 year warranty and the Onkyo does not?

The Sony does not have a fan btw. I beleive someone in here mentioned that.

There isnt really much to be said comparing the 2..you spend all day crunching and comparing numbers. In the end..its how your ears tell the difference. And what it is you are looking for as far as features etc.


Also what part of the menu/setup do you feel it is lacking in? Im quite surprised at that comment as the Sony has quite a lot of options and settings. Specially if you utilize the on-screen display.

Tritonman-

I like the upconversion feature of the Sony as well, but the Yamaha has that feature as well. You're right about the warranty for the Sony, and that is a definite plus.

As far as the menus go, I guess that I like the ease of setup that the Yamaha has with the YPAO feature. I also think that the on screen menus look a bit more polished than the Sony. To be fair to the Sony, I haven't really gone into the menus to "tweak" the system like I should have. I probably should spend some time doing that.

I just looked at your setup, and it is quite impressive. I was going to post some pics of my humble system, but I think that I'll wait for the time being.

Thanks again for all of the feedback. This forum is great!

Polkmaniac-

Thanks for your comments as well. I will definitely let my ears decide, as I don't think that an on screen menu should be a real big factor when selecting receivers.

cmy330go

Just have to say...that is really shocking about the dead yamahas. In the almost 3 years I spent selling them I think we only ever saw one dead one in the whole store. Can't say that for the other brands.

Maybe my luck is rubbing off on you. I'll quit posting.

Tritonman

propman07 wrote:

fireshoes/Mike682-

Thanks for your replies. I was surprised as well on the first Yamaha receiver that I got. I unpacked it, CAREFULLY connected all of my interconnects/speakers, double checked everything, and hit the power switch...nothing...no lights, no clicks...NADA. I proceeded to quadruple check everything, and I tried again, with the same results. I contacted Yamaha tech support, and they had me unplug everything except for the power to the receiver. I hit the power switch, and the receiver just sat there. Yamaha tech support said to return the unit where I purchased it from for a replacement.

The second receiver died shortly after I received my new Polk speakers, and got everything connected. It went in for warranty repair as well, and right now, I'm driving all five speakers (see my signature) with the Sony with no issues....go figure.



Tritonman-

I like the upconversion feature of the Sony as well, but the Yamaha has that feature as well. You're right about the warranty for the Sony, and that is a definite plus.

As far as the menus go, I guess that I like the ease of setup that the Yamaha has with the YPAO feature. I also think that the on screen menus look a bit more polished than the Sony. To be fair to the Sony, I haven't really gone into the menus to "tweak" the system like I should have. I probably should spend some time doing that.

I just looked at your setup, and it is quite impressive. I was going to post some pics of my humble system, but I think that I'll wait for the time being.

Thanks again for all of the feedback. This forum is great!

Polkmaniac-

Thanks for your comments as well. I will definitely let my ears decide, as I don't think that an on screen menu should be a real big factor when selecting receivers.

Thanks for the kind words Im still working on it..I just "finished" doing an inwall rack that I have to post up.

You basically have the exact same setup I do as far as receiver and speakers. In fact I am upgrading my current SVS sub to the SVS PB12-ISD/2. The current one I have does not quite pressurize the room to my liking. Anyways..I can relate to your situation as we share the same components..and I would stay with the Sony based on what my ears tell me in my environment. The Yamaha does not quite have the necessary power to adequately get the performance from the RTi10's that the Sony can deliver.

Otherwise I would have a hard time picking on myself between the two. The Sony just has more power and cleaner at higher levels than the Onkyo can deliver. Not that the Onkyo is a bad receiver at all..for its price range and features its a very good option for the 1k market. But its just not a comparison to the 5000es.

If you were coparing the 3000es to the yamaha.. THEN we would have some tough issues. Which may or may not boil down to a good ole 5 year warranty. Specially since you have already gone thru 2 yamahas

propman07

cmy330go wrote:

Just have to say...that is really shocking about the dead yamahas. In the almost 3 years I spent selling them I think we only ever saw one dead one in the whole store. Can't say that for the other brands.

Maybe my luck is rubbing off on you. I'll quit posting.

Yeah, I was shocked (no pun intended) as well. When the second Yamaha failed, I went as far as to immediately take a meter to ALL of the Polk speakers, to make sure that nothing was going on with them. They all checked out fine, except for the fact that they all read ~ 4 ohms, instead of the 8 ohms that the manual calls out, but that is another issue.

It was odd, in that the receiver worked fine, as long as the input wasn't 5.1. The minute I tried to play a DVD, or some HD, it shut itself down. This was after I had switched the impedance from 8 ohms to 6 ohms, per Yamaha's tech support.

When I had convinced myself that the receiver was at fault, and the speakers were okay, I disconnected the Yamaha, and connected my "old" Sony. I have had it that way ever since, and haven't had any trouble with the Sony getting warm, shutting down, etc.

propman07

Tritonman wrote:

Thanks for the kind words Im still working on it..I just "finished" doing an inwall rack that I have to post up.

You basically have the exact same setup I do as far as receiver and speakers. In fact I am upgrading my current SVS sub to the SVS PB12-ISD/2. The current one I have does not quite pressurize the room to my liking. Anyways..I can relate to your situation as we share the same components..and I would stay with the Sony based on what my ears tell me in my environment. The Yamaha does not quite have the necessary power to adequately get the performance from the RTi10's that the Sony can deliver.

Otherwise I would have a hard time picking on myself between the two. The Sony just has more power and cleaner at higher levels than the Onkyo can deliver. Not that the Onkyo is a bad receiver at all..for its price range and features its a very good option for the 1k market. But its just not a comparison to the 5000es.

If you were coparing the 3000es to the yamaha.. THEN we would have some tough issues. Which may or may not boil down to a good ole 5 year warranty. Specially since you have already gone thru 2 yamahas

Tritonman-

I think that you will like the sub upgrade. When I was putting my speaker system together, I was going to get the Polk sub, but input from this forum helped me to pick the SVS sub instead. I just about fell over when the UPS guy "dropped" off the box. It was HUGE! I unpacked it, and thought to myself "The Wife is gonna kill me!" When she got home and saw it, she didn't say too much about it. She kind of likes the fact that we can use the top surface as an "end table" so to speak...

I think that I am going to see about an external amp option in the future. For now, though, I have to wait on that, until I can save some more pennies...

Your comments on the receiver are right on the mark. The warranty on each will play into my decision on which one to keep, that, along with the "luck" I've had with the Yamahas will both be deciding factors.

Tritonman

propman07 wrote:

Tritonman-

I think that you will like the sub upgrade. When I was putting my speaker system together, I was going to get the Polk sub, but input from this forum helped me to pick the SVS sub instead. I just about fell over when the UPS guy "dropped" off the box. It was HUGE! I unpacked it, and thought to myself "The Wife is gonna kill me!" When she got home and saw it, she didn't say too much about it. She kind of likes the fact that we can use the top surface as an "end table" so to speak...

I think that I am going to see about an external amp option in the future. For now, though, I have to wait on that, until I can save some more pennies...

Your comments on the receiver are right on the mark. The warranty on each will play into my decision on which one to keep, that, along with the "luck" I've had with the Yamahas will both be deciding factors.

As far as an external amp for your RTi10's..if thats what you are referring to..I have heard many good thing about the Crown XLS 402 paired with the RTi10's. The corwn amp can be had for around or under $300 on ebay or some other places.

As far as the sub..i am very much looking forward to upgrading..i currently use the 20-39pci which is a fantastic sub by leaps and bounds..but in my large room area it just has a difficult time.

I am a firm beleiver in long warranties..we all know how finicky equipment can be..one minute its working..the next boom..its dead. Then again you could also argue..do you intend on keeping the 5000es for 5 years? It could also be a selling point 2 years from now..ie. 3 years left on warranty etc.

Either way..i wish you luck in your choice..either receiver will do what you want it to i'm sure.

propman07

Tritonman wrote:

As far as an external amp for your RTi10's..if thats what you are referring to..I have heard many good thing about the Crown XLS 402 paired with the RTi10's. The corwn amp can be had for around or under $300 on ebay or some other places.

As far as the sub..i am very much looking forward to upgrading..i currently use the 20-39pci which is a fantastic sub by leaps and bounds..but in my large room area it just has a difficult time.

I am a firm beleiver in long warranties..we all know how finicky equipment can be..one minute its working..the next boom..its dead. Then again you could also argue..do you intend on keeping the 5000es for 5 years? It could also be a selling point 2 years from now..ie. 3 years left on warranty etc.

Either way..i wish you luck in your choice..either receiver will do what you want it to i'm sure.

Tritonman-

Yes, I was referring to using an external amp to drive the RTi10s, and let the "receiver" (be it the Yamaha, Sony or other) drive the front and surrounds (I have a 5.1 system...for now) I have also heard good things about the usage of the Crown XLS-402 amp with the RTi10s as well (over on AVS Forum), but I need to stop spending so much $$$ for the time being. Maybe Santa will bring it for me this year...

I am also a believer in warranties as well. On my previous receiver (Sony STR-DA 555ES) I had the 5 year warranty as well. I sent it in twice for repairs, and the only thing that I had to pay was shipping. I sold it on e-Bay when I bought the 5000 ES.

Thanks again for the comments.