Customer Ratings & Reviews

This receiver is surprise me. First of all the sound output is awesome due to its built in 32- DAC. Secondly, I have been accustom to using marantz and onkyo receivers in the past and familiar with DIRAC and was worried about calibrating my system accordingly. Luckily’ the built in calibration system that utilize its 360 spacial is on awesome.. Half the work is done for you and it is FREE. No need to buy dirac live or bass control. With that being said bass control is none existent with gain your only control, but who cares when it measures everything. Lastly, based on calibration regardless of speaker placement or missing speaker this receiver has the ability to make the SOUND like you have a 5.2.4 or 7.2.2/7.2.4 set up in the correct placement even though your placement is off or missing speakers (atmos) need at least two ceiling / upfiring / height speaker. Confused? My front L is about 5 ft from C channel and R speaker is about 7 due to my living room lay out. Surround and rear surround. Went testing this function i disconnected my L surround and R rear surround but had 2 middle ceiling speakers as my height. Then recalibrated system and picked the phantom setting and miraculously sound was coming out from nowhere and sounded like you had the 7.2.2 system. Enough to use 360 spacial calibration. I reconnected my speakers and did another recalibration and i couldn't hardly tell the difference when watching 4k content. The model is awesome for price. If you can get the sony az7000es but if you are on a budget get the 5000 not the 3000 as a minimum. The sony az3000 has missing output's , do your research and decide if you need it or not. I also want to mention my rear surrounds are the wireless speakers Sony SA-RS 5 ( comes with up firing atmos ) because i didn't want to run too much wires. Cons: Display is dim hardly see unless you’re in front of it ( at least its bigger than marantz peep hole ). Wireless function can only support one pair speakers and two wireless subs( I had two wired sub so I didnt care too much about it ). Had issues with the first pair of sony sa-rs5 connection where my right rear surround keeps cutting in and out so i exchange for new pair! New pair didn't cut out or haven't had any issues yet. It has only two sub outs. (Added y connector to one so i could run 3 subs) Lastly EQ is limited gain only treble or bass In conclusion ( MY OPINION ) : awesome and easy calibration that is on par to DIRAC. However, DIRAC is still awesome due to individual speaker fine tuning. Usually reserved for audiophile's. For everyday listeners you will be happy. Plenty of power but in my set up i have an external 3 channel amp for my martin logan xt f200. Didn't want to over use receiver for all 11 channels. Easy to use set up! Inexpensive for the receiver’s bells and whistles! Buy it. Try it. If it’s not for you then return it! Give it a chance you wont be disappointed especially if your still hung up on deciding which receiver or want to try something new. Happy Hunting!!

Before this receiver Ive tried out the denon avr-x4800h, the avr-x6800h, the avr-x8500ha, Pioneer Elite vsx lx805, the yamaha rx-a1080 and rx-a3080 and this is the only receiver that makes my combination of B&W , Martin Logan, Paradigm, and SVS system sing like it should. So musical out of the box without any autocalibration. IMAX Enhanced DTS:X and Dolby Atmos are just as good. Again out of the box ! I cant wait to do Sony's Auto Calibration to really see it shine !! 360 Reality Audio is a really cool feature and sounds great. It almost reminds of my dads old Pioneer quadraphonic real to real 4 channel system from back in the day, especially listening to smooth jazz, you are definately in the middlle of it. First receiver Ive ever owned that sounded this good out off the Box !! I agree with Andrew Robinson, this is the best sounding receiver out there !! I wonder if the extra power of the 7000es would be even better. Might have to check it out sometime . I'm totally good with what I have now . Sony ES is Awesome !!!

[Employee of bestbuy] Went from a Marantz 6015 to Sony i was nervous at first but wow the clarity thats comes from this is great. The interface is modern simple, calibration was easy to setup Sony’s 360 reality audio is immersive i was very skeptical but after trying it out I changed my mind. The thing keeping it from having 5 stars is no independent subwoofers, It’s driving me nuts i will keep testing it.

Came from a flagship Marantz that dropped an Atmos channel. This AVR has met every expectation I had when researching. Sony doesn't seem to get a whole lot of love in this department, perhaps because they lack an assortment of HT speakers to go with these receivers. I've seen some negative reviews of this AVR complaining of popping noises. Not sure where that comes from as this unit is 100% quality in every way possible and has enough features to please even the most demanding audiophile. Absolutely flawless so far. This AVR will rival any other 11.2 species available. Music, especially Atmos music is extremely immersive. Just sit back, close your eyes, and melt into the sound that is so crystal clear it just gives you goose bumps. When it comes to movies, it in no way disappoints. The same immersive mind meld takes you right into every scene as if you were there. I have this set up in a 7.2.4 atmos configuration with ceiling speakers and used the auto calibration. Haven't changed a thing from that point and the sound is soooo beautiful to the ears. It just makes you go WOW. I play all music and movies from a PC with an RTX 3090 direct to the receiver. Sony hit this one out of the park. It's powerful, it's loud, and its just 100% awesome. I would have to dig deep and search hard to find a complaint but the only one that might come to mind is that it doesn't have independent sub outs. Thats a pretty minor thing though. I dont really find myself having to get out of my recliner much to nudge the subs. I can live with that. Just love this AVR and can't stop entering the mind meld with all the time I have available. If you're on the fence with this AVR, know you can't go wrong with it. You'll be very glad you did. Now you'll have to excuse me, the mind meld is calling.

Well where do I start. The unit build quality alone is impressive and the sound quality is lack of a better word is amazing! Im coming from the STR-AN1000 and before that was the STR-AN790 all impressive receivers. What stood out to me is the clarity of little sounds that in the movie would travel around you and just how precise the receiver would process the sounds. Currently running it in 7.2.2 and with Sonys on screen setup it makes it simple and visually easy and it will suggest speaker arrangements if it to loud in spots or just to close to a speaker. All in all I’m super happy with the unit and I’m loving more time.

I bought the Sony STR-AZ5000ES expecting the premium, customizable experience that the "Elevated Standard" (ES) badge historically guarantees. For a receiver at this premium price point, you expect more control and flexibility than an older mid range unit you upgrade from. I have found it to be completely rigid, frustrating, and plagued by baffling design decisions that Sony refuses to fix. My primary frustration comes down to two major flaws that make daily use an absolute headache: 1. The Forced Startup Menu (HDMI-CEC Nightmare): If you use HDMI-CEC to integrate your TV and receiver, Sony forces its graphical "HOME" menu to overlay onto your TV screen every single time the system powers up. There is absolutely no toggle in the settings to disable this. To get rid of the menu and actually see my video source, I have to manually re-select the input. It completely defeats the convenience of automation. This is purely a software oversight that Sony could—and should—easily resolve with a simple firmware update adding a boot-behavior toggle. 2. Hard-Coded Remote Codes (No Command Mode): Because I run a second, older mid-range Sony receiver (STR-DN1050) in the exact same AV rack, the remotes constantly clash. On older or competing gear, you can simply switch the "Command Mode" (AV1/AV2) so the devices ignore each other. Sony completely stripped this option out of the AZ5000ES firmware. It is hard-coded to a single infrared frequency. The worst part is how these two design flaws actively exacerbate each other. Normally, a user dealing with the annoying startup menu overlay could just quickly click the remote from the couch to clear it. I can't even do that. Because of the hard-coded IR clash, pressing a button on the remote to dismiss the menu on the AZ5000ES completely disrupts the settings on my second receiver right next to it. The suggested work around to bypass the forced-menu by disabling CEC and route inputs through TV: I can't route devices through my older TV because I lose audio quality since it uses older HDMI 2.0a ARC. An expensive custom-install integration receiver should adapt to the user's theater environment—not force the user to invent bizarre hardware workarounds just to have basic functionality. The amplifiers and sound processing are great, but the user experience and lack of basic setup flexibility are completely unacceptable for an ES-class product. ADDENDUM (Quality Control Note): To make matters worse, the first brand-new unit I received had a silly, stupid manufacturing defect: the magnets designed to snap the flip-down front panel into place were literally installed backward from the factory. Instead of holding the door shut, the reversed polarity actively repelled the panel, forcing it to bounce open. For a premium, luxury line of equipment, this level of quality control is embarrassing.

Easy to Hook Up, Sounds amazing, it has multiple HDMI ports allowing you to hook up whatever device you want.Simple & easy to use. Sounds great! Made of good quality.

The system sounded good. The bass was ok and sound placement was awesome. However, after just one month the system shut down as I was watching a movie and went through a never ending cycle of turning on and off with a clicking sound every time it turned on and off. I then did some research and saw that multiple people have reported this same issue and experienced long wait times for repairs. Luckily, I was still under the great Best Buy warranty for their Total members and was able to just exchange it. I ended up getting a Marantz system and I’m currently very happy with it.

I switched from am Arcam AVR11. I liked the sound of the Arcam but HDMI hand offs always caused am issue. It is so close to what Arcam does best and better at everything else. It did take a couple weeks and some adjustments to get the sound where it is now. Great Reciever!!!

Excellent high-end receiver i recommend this, it is the best receiver I have bought even over Denon

Popping sound from speakers anytime format, song or movie changes. Sony advises to set out put of player to set to Auto to resolve the issue, which it does but now your $80 Roku ultra is doing the processing instead of sending the bitstream which compromise the sound quality. Lot of people seem to be okay with it as it resolves the popping sound from speakers. In my opinion what's the point of $2500 receiver if your media player is doing the heavy lifting for your receiver. I returned the Sony and got Onkyo TX-RZ70 instead. No issues so far

When it works, the sound is mesmerizing. Used it with a Bravia A95L, upgrading from a Yamaha Aventage RX-A3080. Subwoofer outputs are not independent, so would need a minidsp 2x4HD to setup properly. 360SSM sounds unreal in the demos. I found the umpiring of normal content to be good too, but not nearly as nice as the demos. The real issue turned out to be the terrible HDMI eARC handshake with my SONY TV. The audio would keep cutting out every few seconds. I should note that the Sony Bravia A95L is notorious for its HDMI handshake issues, but this happening with a Sony AVR seemed unacceptable. Also, I have no problem running it through an AppleTV/Roku, but the Sony Pictures Core App (best streaming app out there) is only accessible on the TV. In short, it's great when it works, but it doesn't most of the time with any TV content. I ended up getting an Onkyo TX-RZ70 which has been pretty flawless, for $2k.

Originally I thought this was a decent upgrade to my 7 year old mid-range Yamaha Avr. Yes, it is “fun” and punchy and “exciting”. But, I couldn’t deny the listening fatigue I felt, or the fact that there was just way too much bass on everything. I could NOT use this for music. Btw, I have focal kanta’s. The big towers. And this Avr sounds terrible with music. Anyway. Following a hunch and a LOT of research, I tried the arcam based on strong recco from the salesman at Santana Row. The AVR11. And immediately it sounded like from a different planet. Audiophile grade, just a bit less than my NAIM streamer. Let me just say, DO NOT BUY THIS! Get the arcam avr11, and I’ll write further on that review. VERY disappointed in Sony! This is NOT what one expects from the ES line, which has a borderline legendary reputation in car stereo head units. Sony, go back to the drawing board. Your competition is not marantz cinema. It is Arcam! Trust me guys and girls, if you can afford this unit, get the arcam (even 5.1 of audiophile grade sound is a planet better than 100 speakers of this Sony). Trust me …. You can thank me later …

Great receiver. Pretty powerful and sounds very crisp

Excellent receiver and amazing channel separation and surround sound separation and effects is something else

The ES Series of Sony receivers are excellent, offered at very competitive pricing. The ability to stream digital audio to multiple zones without casting is a unique feature.

Outstanding Performance for the price. Strong output equal to units costing much more.

I was deciding bewteen the 3000ES or the 5000ES receiver. The 5000ES has a little bit more power but it also has preouts. It took about a week for delivery. I was all excited only to realize the reciever was dead on arrival. It would not turn on at all. No lights lit up, no sound, nothing. I did some research to see if theres any info online to do a hard boot up, no luck. So disappointed to spend $2100 and get a dead receiver. I returned it the next day. I tried to purchase it again but its sold out. I ended up getting the 3000ES instead and yes this unit works. Maybe Sony should do a little better quality control before sending out products especially a flagship product. It may be just an issolated issue, but i would still recommend Sony recivers.

After trying out new high end Onkyo and Marantz models, the Sony proved to be superior in function glitch free coordination with other devices. The Sony spatial measurement system makes for pin point location of sounds from the screen and in space around you. Really wanted to love the others but could not.