Sony are making a very impressive return to the AVR market with a range of receivers fully optimised to impact on home theatre and immersive surround sound.
The company’s first AVRs since 2018 are a huge leap forward, featuring 8K video support, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Atmos, CI integration and Sony’s take on immersive surround sound, 360 Spatial Sound with 360 spatial sound mapping.
There are five models set to ship soon, with all including 8K/60 and 4K/120 HDMI 2.1 compatible inputs.
The STR-AN1000 features 7.2 channels, at 100W per channel, as does the STR-AZ1000ES. The STR-AZ3000ES bumps that up to 120W per channel, while the STR-AZ5000ES flexes to 9.2 channels and 150w per channel and the STR-AZ7000ES shows off with 13.2 channels and 150W per channel.
The 3D surround sound on offer here delivers an all-enveloping soundscape, putting you inside the movie or music you’re engaging with, approaching you from all angles, like it does in real life.
To help boost this, the AZ7000ES can power up to 13 speakers, as well as two subwoofers, supporting a 9.1.4 or 7.2.6 speaker configuration for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and 360 Reality Audio content.
360 Reality Audio content can be found on Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer and Tidal, as well as through an Amazon Fire TV 4K stick or Apple TV 4K,
At the end of the day, with Sony 360 Reality Audio being driven through more content, these AVRs are a smart pick if you’re after an immersive experience.
