Three Ways to Fill a Rack:
Moderately Priced: Sony STR-DA3300ES
Moderately Priced: Sony STR-DA3300ES
ES is Sony's step-up line for receivers and other audio products. I've seen that acronym for decades without realizing that it stands for Elevated Standard. Although the STR-DA3300ES ($1,000) is the moderate selection in this story, with 100 watts times five, it's actually the junior model in a line that also includes the STR-DA4300ES and STR-DA5300ES ($1,300 and $1,700). Those two support all of the next-generation surround codecs through their HDMI 1.3 jacks. And the top-line model has six HDMI inputs, versus three on the model reviewed here. All three upconvert all signals to 1080p, including support for 60p and 24p frame rates, and they feature Faroudja DCDi video processing.

Sony made some gutsy connectivity choices. One thing that's conspicuous in its absence is S-video. There are no S-video inputs or outputs at all. However, there is a full complement of composite video jacks for your legacy analog sources. And there are inputs for both Sirius and XM satellite reception. Most manufacturers support only one or the other. The mysteriously labeled DMPORT turns out to stand for Digital Media Port, a triple-threat interface that accepts either Sony's TDM-NC1 wireless streamer ($200), the TDM-iP1 iPod dock ($100), or, if you're a true-blue Sony patriot, the TDM-NW1 adapter ($50) for the Network Walkman music player.

Making life easier seems to be a prime design directive. Like the other two receivers reviewed here, the STR-DA3300ES features auto setup and calibration, now standard equipment in most receiver brands at this price point.

Even more of a morale booster (especially for us tweaky types who spend a lot of time navigating receiver menus) is a truly first-rate, full-color graphic user interface. The Xross Media Bar interface bears more than a passing resemblance to a PlayStation Portable menu. Being Sony, indeed, has its advantages. The GUI is especially pleasing when you're fiddling with the speaker settings, showing a beautifully detailed room layout with speaker icons that literally get big or small when you select big or small. This is the only receiver setup menu I've ever seen with multiple settings for the side-surround speakers: side low, side high, behind low, and behind high.

Exterior aesthetics look about average. But even here, Sony shows ambition, festooning the front panel with no fewer than four knobs—two or three more than most competitors. These include volume and source select, of course, but also tone control and radio tuning. People love knobs. They make a product more fun to operate from the front panel. Some of us actually do that, you know.

Being Sony also means you can try stuff just because it's cool and Sonyesque. In this category is the Cinema Studio EX surround mode. I'll quote verbatim from the manual's descriptions. Cinema Studio EX A "reproduces the sound characteristics of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Cary Grant Theater cinema production studio. This is a standard mode, great for watching almost any type of movie." CSEX B mimics the Kim Novak Theater studio, making it "ideal for watching science-fiction or action movies with lots of sound effects." CSEX C emulates the studio's "scoring stage" and is optimized for orchestral soundtracks. Sonically, the Sony aced orchestral and acoustic-guitar music with a warm, but not vague, presentation that stood up to high-volume blasting. Dual-format satellite compatibility sure doesn't hurt. And the user interface is attractive.

Highlights
Sony STR-DA3300ES A/V Receiver:
• HDMI video switching only
• DMPORT for iPod or wireless streamer
• Super-cool Xross user interface