This page was updated on 28th April, 2002 to include the V2.01 and V2.50 upgrades
The Sony TA-E9000ES pre-amplifier is a heavyweight. Tipping the scales at 12.8 kilograms (28 lbs, 4 oz.) it is no flyweight in the AV control pre-amplifier stakes. Physical dimensions are 430mm wide x 150mm high x 387mm deep (17 x 6 x 15.25 inches) which places it in the typical format for today's full sized hi-fi components. The weight of this unit belies the modest power consumption figure of 72 watts quoted by Sony. As most audiophiles would agree, power supply is everything in an amplifier - especially in the power amplifier stakes, but in a pre-amp? So what is the story with this pre-amplifier? I would suspect that Sony had not only thought about good power supply regulation, filtering and separation of the supplies for the analogue and digital circuits but also reliability. What most people perhaps forget is that digital circuits consume power even if they are not passing or processing signals. In fact the current consumption is almost constant, thereby requiring a power supply capable of delivering this sustained load over the lifetime of the device.
On unpacking this unit and installing it amongst my other hi-fi and home theatre components one can't help but admire Sony's commitment to build quality and superb standard of finish for the majority of their ES products. For starters, the exterior case of the TA-E9000ES is constructed of a heavy gauge steel and is well ventilated on both the top and side panels. Not one of those ultra thin sissy jobs that one finds all too frequently on cheaper units. The front panel is a brushed aluminium finish in Sony's new colour (for European, Australasian and Asian models) being a light shade of silver / champagne gold. Fortunately not that deep gold hideous finish that Marantz became so famous for, or dare I say infamous for ! The front panel has a fairly austere (British / European) look and lacks many of the knobs and buttons that seem to decorate most AV equipment that one normally associates with the Asian / Japanese electronics. Instead Sony have opted for only three small knobs to control input selection, menu selection and parameter adjustment in addition to the usual volume control as a larger control on the right side of the front panel. Eight very small "button" switches control other functions and adjustments, whilst the large rectangular switch on the top left corner turns the power off and on to the amplifier. A stereo 6.5mm headphone socket is provided for the obvious.
An infrared receiver window and a separate transmitter window are located on the front panel. The receiver is just above the headphone jack and the transmitter below the volume control on the right. The front panel sports the Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG Multi-channel and Sony's Digital Cinema Sound logos which gives even the casual glancer a quick insight into what goes on in the electronics behind the facade. A generously sized plasma display gives clear visual indications to the user of the status of input selection, decoding system employed, playback channel indicators, surround mode and additional information about the source signal format that is too involved to expand on at this point of the review. (More about the display later). A row of eleven small orange LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) above the main display illuminate to indicate the selected input and a row of five similar indicators are located below the main display window to indicate menu selection.
The rear panel is a very well and logically laid out collection of connectors for the interconnection of almost all sorts of AV equipment one is likely to want to interface with the TA-E9000ES. Personally I would have liked to see a few more inputs (both analogue and digital). I have a few pieces of equipment that would have benefited from the presence of more interfaces that haven't been fully satisfied by this unit. All wire connectors have been gold plated to keep resistance low and reduce the possibility of noise at interconnection points due to oxidation. A single switched AC mains outlet is provided on the European and Australian models and the US version has two. My only criticism of the unit I have is that the AC mains outlet is a European round two pin without an earth. This doesn't follow Sony's previous standard of two pin IEC AC mains sockets. In my case, this means my existing remote controller / high power AC mains switch unit will not function with the new Sony unit until the mains socket is changed to suit the pre-amplifier.
For a view of the internal workings of the TA-E9000ES check out my Sony TA-E9000ES Technical Information page.
Back
panel input and output connectors
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(mini DIN) |
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Control A1 |
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Audio LR Front |
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Audio LR Rear |
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Audio Center |
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Audio Woofer |
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Note about digital inputs : All digital inputs will accept input signals of sampling rates of up to 48kHz and word lengths of 24 bits. All co-axial and only the DVD optical input can accept signals with sampling rates up to 96kHz.
Documentation
The Sony TA-E9000ES AV
Control pre-amplifier comes with a very comprehensive and informative user
manual. Published in several languages it guides the user through
the initial setting up, familiarisation with controls, tips on enjoying
surround sound, adjustments of the speaker setups, equaliser, surround,
level and customising features amongst many other topics. The English
language version of the manual is covered in 49 pages which include many
detailed and comprehensive diagrams to assist even the most novice of users
in obtaining a satisfactory result. I would however advise that you
sit back with a cup of coffee or two and take time to read through the
user instructions a couple of times before making any component connections
to the unit and attempting the "SETUP" procedure. By following Sony's
suggestions regarding interconnection with other components you should
not experience any difficulty in getting the E9000ES up and running within
a short time. In my situation I decided to re-arrange the physical
location of my existing components so the process of interconnecting all
the devices took a little longer than expected. With so many connections
to make I decided to completely strip down all the interconnecting cables,
make a thorough visual inspection on their condition and sort them into
lead type and length. Having discarded any leads which had seen better
days I gave preference to those which were of high quality had gold plated
connectors. As the Sony has all its audio and video connectors plated
with gold it seemed to make sense to avoid the potential problems of dissimilar
metals by not using the nickel plated leads. Besides nickel plated
connectors are reputed to have a sonic signature of undesirable characteristics,
so they are best avoided in a high quality installation.
Power Amplifier Hookups
Sony provides three dual
RCA (phono) to RCA leads for the interconnection of the E9000ES to a suitable
five channel power amplifier. The supplied leads allow the
user to physically separate the red and white leads to allow for independent
connection to an independent sub woofer amplifier. I opted
not to use the supplied leads as they were not long enough to reach the
location of the power amplifier. Instead I used low capacitance double
shielded cables from another manufacturer to establish the audio link between
the TA-E9000ES and the matching Sony
TA-N9000ES five channel power amplifier. Using the supplied CONTROL
A1 cable that came with the power amplifier allows the Sony TA-N9000ES
to be switched on and off via the pre-amplifier. The only negative
criticism I have of this arrangement is the Sony TA-N9000ES has a "warm
up" mode that can't be activated from the TA-E9000ES pre-amplifier or via
the supplied remote commander. This effectively means cold starts
only in this configuration.
Digital Component Hookups
The TA-E9000ES has a wealth
of digital interconnection possibilities with other components. The
upper level of the back panel has no less than five optical inputs (CD,
MD/DAT, DVD, TV and LD), and a single optical output (MD/DAT) all via TOS
Link connectors. Other digital inputs are via three RCA coaxial sockets
for CD, DVD and LD for bitstream sources and one AC-3 RF connection for
LaserDisc. In my opinion just enough for the average user.
In my case not enough, and I would have preferred Sony to have included
at least one other digital input (perhaps a coaxial connection for the
MD/DAT input), and at least one additional digital output or either coaxial
or TOS Link optical format. The reason I have suggested this is that
my digital recording / replay components consist of both a Sony MDS JA3ES
Minidisc recorder and a Philips DCC900 Digital Compact Cassette recorder
deck. I have doubled up the CD digital input capability of the E9000ES
by using the TOS Link optical connection for replay from my Sony CD player
and I am utilising the coaxial bitstream input for replaying tapes from
the Philips DCC unit. This arrangement still leaves me without an
independent digital connection for recording on my DCC deck. I'm
sure I'm not the only person with this dilemma.
Analogue Audio Component Hookups
The E9000ES provides five
sets of gold plated RCA connectors dedicated for the connection of analogue
stereo audio sources as inputs. These are for moving magnet phono
cartridge, tuner, CD player, MD / DAT and tape. The latter two having
stereo analogue output sockets to interconnect with these components.
Analogue stereo inputs are also provided for connections to TV, DVD player,
LaserDisc player and three VCRs. The three VCR (Video 1, 2 and 3)
interfaces also have stereo audio outputs as well. As with the with
the five audio source connections, these too are gold plated RCA connectors.
It should be noted that
this pre-amplifier does not have 5.1 analogue bypass for connection of
multichannel or stereo sources from external decoders or equipment such
as Super Audio CD (SACD) or DVD-Audio (DVD-A) player which have their own
proprietry digital decoders built in. To acheive this using Sony
ES components you will need to purchase the Sony
TA-P9000ES multi-channel pre-amplifier that has two 5.1 inputs, one
5.1 bypass input and one 2 channel bypass mode
Pre-amplifier Outputs
Eight gold plated RCA
connectors couple the analogue output signals from the pre-amplifier to
the power amplifiers. These are designated as Left and Right Front,
Left and Right Rear, Center (2 connectors) and Woofer (2 connectors).
Video Interfaces
The Sony E9000ES supports
both composite video and S-Video sources via gold plated RCA connectors
and gold plated 4 pin mini-DIN connectors respectively. All six video
sources of TV, DVD, LD, Video 1, 2 and 3 accept signals into the AV control
unit. Composite and S-Video sockets provide video outputs to the
three VCRs (Video 1, 2 and 3). Two pairs of RCA and 4 pin mini-DIN
connectors provide composite and S-Video outputs to the video monitor(s)
or television. The control unit also has both RCA and 4 pin
mini-DIN connectors for input and output to an external video processor.
A nice and useful touch to the design features, worthy of mention.
Control Interfaces
Sony have allowed for
control interconnection between the pre-amplifier and other Sony compatible
components by incorporation of two Control A1 S-Link cable sockets on the
rear panel. These allow the control unit to sent signals to other
Control A1 compatible products to switch things off and on amongst other
functions. A single Control S input is also featured which allows
a Sony television with this supporting feature to cause the E9000ES to
automatically turn on when the television is switched on.
RS-232C Connector
The E9000ES incorporates
a 9 pin Sub-D connector on the rear panel. This is provided to allow
users (owners) and Sony service centres to provide upgrades to the software
held in flash ROM within the control unit. As the E9000ES has two
SHARC 32 bit floating point DSP chips with enormous digital processing
power the performance and functions of the DSP modes can be enhanced and
upgraded via simple software changes. Since the TA-E9000ES
was orginally released, Sony has released several free software upgrades
and two purchase upgrade kits. More information about the software
upgrades can be found here.
I'm pleased Sony has taken a sensible approach to a design feature that
will potentially prevent this unit from becoming prematurely redundant.
A problem so often prevalent in these times of rapid technological change
and development.
Analyzer
The mystery connector
in the form of a 3.5mm socket appears on the top left corner of the rear
panel of the E9000ES. Designated simply with the label "ANALYZER"
and "MIC IN" the user handbook explains this as for use with future upgrades.
One can only guess the purpose of this connector except to assume that
with a good quality microphone connected to this port and under some possible
software control the function, the function of the E9000 can be extended
to spectral analysis of the listening room acoustics resulting in possible
and subsiquent equalisation of these via the DSP circuitry.
Interconnection the TA-E9000ES with other components
Inteconnection the Sony with other hi-fi audio and video components is a breeze. The handbook provided with the unit is very helpful in this respect with many clear diagrams to illustrate all manner of possibilities along with easy to read understandable text explanations. Sony should get accolades for the effort in this respect. Some seven pages of the user manual are devoted purely to this subject. Nothing is left to the imagination and therefore mistakes are not likely to occur even with the most novice of users doing the work.
Three pairs of gold plated
RCA to RCA leads are supplied with the unit for the purpose of interconnection
with a five channel power amplifier and active sub woofer. No Control
A1 cords are provided as one is supplied with the Sony
TA-N9000ES multi channel power amplifier and the Sony
TA-P9000ES multi channel pre-amplifier.
For the remainder of
analogue audio, video and digital signal connections, the user must supply
these leads.
Description of the front panel controls
The front panel of the E9000ES is rather spartan when compared with many models offered by Sony's competitors for an AV product in this class. Even other ES amplifiers seem to have a miriad of controls in comparision, albeit that they might be concealed behind a flip down panel. Instead of decorating the unit with dozens of knobs, switches, buttons and flashing lights; Sony has opted for the minimalist approach with the E9000ES. However don't let this lure you into a false impression on the audio and video capabilites or features of this machine, for below that subtle exterior beats a heart of a pure digital processing powerhouse.
A rectangular POWER ON/OFF
button provides power activation / isolation for the unit. To switch
the unit from STANDBY to ON a simple touch of the appropriate input on
the touch screen of the supplied remote control is all that is needed.
Likewise switching the unit from ON to STANDBY requires the toch of a button
on the remote control. A small red LED is illuminated when the unit
is in the standby mode and goes out upon activation of the unit.
Next to, and just to the right of the power switch is a small button designated
"MAIN MENU", which, when depressed momentarily is backlit by an orange
glow. Each depression of the button steps the E9000ES through the
various menu options of << SP SETUP >> (speaker setup); <<
EQUALIZER >> ;
<< SURROUND >>
; << LEVEL >> and << CUSTOMIZE >>.
These selections are echoed by the illumination of a small orange LED linked
to the function selection below the main plasma display in the centre of
the front panel. The "MENU" rotary control allows selection
of the desired parameter from the current menu selection. Adjacent
to this control knob is the "+/-" control that can be used to adjust the
setting of the currently selected parameter.
Source input selection is acheived by rotation of the "INPUT SELECTOR" rotary control. A row of orange LEDs above the central display illuminate corresponding to the selected source. A small button above this control allows the user to select between auto, analogue, optical, co-axial or AC-3 RF signal source depending on the capability of the selected input.
Below the main display
is a row of button switches designated "EQUALIZER BANK" which allows the
user to select from no equalisation (flat frequency response contour) or
to five other user defined settings; "AUTO FORMAT" which automatically
selects the source signal format and performs automatic decoding; "MODE
- and +" which allows the user to select the appropriate soundfield; "2ch"
which disables the surround modes and performs normal two channel stereo
reproduction; and finally "AUDIO SPLIT" which allows reproduction of the
audio from one source whilst viewing the video from another.
On the far right side
of the unit is a large rotary control marked "MASTER VOLUME", the purpose
of which I believe should not require explanation.
Specifications
Sony's aclaimed performance
specifications for the TA-E9000ES are in line with what one would expect
from an AV control unit in this class. Low harmonic distortion of
0.05% with a respectable signal to noise ratio of 100dB for digital inputs,
82dB for the phono input and 94dB for the remaining analogue line inputs.
The line input figure signal to noise ratio is quoted with respect to an
input level of 2.5 volts which is respectable but nothing exceptional.
All five channels have levels which are independantly adjustable, however
equaliser settings are restricted to left and right front channels (as
a pair), left and right rear channels (as a pair) and the centre channel
independantly. Control of the sub woofer (Low Frequency Effects)
channel level is also provided for.
Table of Specifications (Audio section)
| Harmonic Distortion | with soundfield and equaliser bypassed | < 0.05% |
| Frequency Response | Phono | 20Hz to 20kHz +/- 0.5dB |
| . | Line (Tuner, CD, DAT/MD, TV, DVD, LD, Video 1,2,3 | 20Hz to 20kHz +0, -0.2dB |
| Signal to Noise ratio | Digital inputs | 100dB (20kHz LPF, A) |
| . | Phono | 82dB (A) |
| . | Line inputs (analogue) | 94dB (20kHz LPF, A) 2.5V input |
| Sensitivity (analogue) | Phono | 5mV / 50Kohms |
| . | Line (Tuner, CD, DAT/MD, TV, DVD, LD, Video1,2,3 | 250mV / 50Kohms |
| Sensitivity (digital) | Coaxial bitstream inputs (see note 1) | 0.5V p-p / 75 ohms |
| . | AC-3 RF | not stated / 75 ohms |
| . | Optical (see note 2) | not stated |
| Outputs (analogue) | MD/DAT, Tape, Video 1,2,3 | 250mV / 1Kohm |
| . | Pre-amplifier Output (L,R, Centre, LR, RR and Sub Woofer) | 1.0 V / 200 ohms |
| . | Headphones | not stated, high and low impedance okay |
| Outputs (digital) | MD/DAT | optical |
| Sampling frequency | 48kHz | for internal A-D conversion |
| Equalisers | Bass : 99Hz to 1kHz (21 steps) | +/- 10dB in 0.5 dB steps |
| . | Mid : 198Hz to 10kHz (37 steps - wide / mid / narrow) | +/- 10dB in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Treble : 1KHz to 10kHz (23 steps) | +/- 10dB in 0.5dB steps |
| Level Adjustments | Centre channel | +10 to -20dB, Off in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Rear channels | +10 to -20dB, Off in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Sub Woofer (LFE channel) | 0 to -20dB, Off in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Front L / R balance | 17 step in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Rear L / R balance | 17 step in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Surround channel trim level adjustment | +5 to -5dB in 0.5dB steps |
| . | Dialogue trim level adjustment | +5 to -5dB in 0.5dB steps |
| Decodable Digital Formats | Linear PCM, MPEG, Dolby Digital (AC-3) and dts | . |
| Decodable Analogue Formats | Dolby Pro-Logic surround | . |
Note 1:
Coaxial bitstream inputs are capable of accepting 32KHz, 44.1KHz, 48KHz
and 96KHz sampling frequencies and up to 24 bit word
lengths.
Note 2: The CD, MD/DAT and LD optical inputs are not compatible with 96KHz / 24 bit signals.
Note 3:
Audio specifications subject to change and may be dependant on the software
version.
Table of Specifications (Video section)
| Composite inputs and outputs | 1.0Vp-p / 75 ohms |
| S-Video inputs and outputs | Y: 1.0Vp-p; C: 0.286Vp-p / 75 ohms |
The Surround Fields
The E9000ES supports automatic decoding of multichannel digital audio sources from program material encoded as Dolby Digital AC-3, dts, MPEG and AAC* multichannel. Recent software upgrades have added additional soundfields to the original package supplied by Sony. Sony market two software upgrade kits which add additional decoding modes and soundfields. The VUCD-E9000A kit (V2.01) adds MATRIX 6.1 decoding and six additional soundfields to the already impressive list as well as enhanced bass management features not available on earlier software versions. (* AAC decoding is only available if the unit has been flashROM [ software] upgraded to V2.50) Sony market an upgrade kit VUCD-E9000B (V2.50 software) which adds AAC decoding for Japan's domestic satellite television service. Of course decoding of analogue multichannel source material like standard Dolby Pro-Logic is also supported, but sadly no Pro-Logic II at this stage. Standard two channel stereo reproduction is also possible.
The AV control unit can simulate multichannel surround sound from conventional two channel stereo sources. The Sony has both conventional modes that utilise the front and rear speakers as well as virtual modes that use only the front speakers to create the surround soundstage. These modes and their use are very well explained in the user handbook supplied with the pre-amplifier. In fact Sony have gone to considerable lengths to explain each mode and how to set up your system and speaker placement for optimum reproduction and enjoyment of surround sound.
One thing I liked about the set up of the E9000ES other than the very easy to follow instructions, was the ability to be very flexible with speaker placement and size. In this regard Sony has catered for just about every possible installation. The "Main Menu" "SET UP" function allows the user to select speaker size (large or small) for front, centre and rear independantly. This allows low frequency bass signals to be corrrectly re-directed to the larger speakers or sub-woofer ensuring the soundfield and sound remains balanced. The low frequency cut-off point can be set by the user, below which all bass frequencies will be re-directed to the large speakers or the sub-woofer as appropriate.
Placement of the rear
speakers is very flexible, allowing them to be placed into three different
locations with respect to the listening position as well as being placed
on the floor or in elevated positions. The only requirement
on the user is to measure with some degree of accuracy the distances from
the front, centre and rear speaker locations to the prime listening position
for optimum surround sound reproduction. The E9000ES "SET UP" menu
lets the user set these distances to within 0.1 of a metre.
The adjustment range for placement of all speakers is from 1.0 to 12.0
metres or 3 to 40 feet. This ensures the correct delay for
the sound reaching the listener's ears. Adjusting the distance by
1 foot is equal to changing the propogation delay time by approximately
1mS.
Table of Surround Modes
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| 2 CHANNEL STEREO | Normal reproduction of stereo program material through front left and right front speakers. | Surround modes are disabled. |
| NORMAL SURROUND | Software with multichannel surround audio is reproduced according to the way it was recorded. Program material that was recorded in standard 2 channel stereo will be "decoded" using Dolby Pro-Logic to create the surround effects. | Reproduces surround material without enhancements as it was recorded. |
| CINEMA STUDIO A | Reproduces the sound characteristics of Sony Pictures Entertainment "Cary Grant Theatre" cinema production studio. | Standard movie mode suitable for most movie soundtracks. |
| CINEMA STUDIO B | Reproduces the sound characteristics of Sony Pictures Entertainment "Kim Novak Theatre" cinema production studio. | Ideal mode for watching Sci-Fi or action movies. |
| CINEMA STUDIO C | Reproduces the sound characteristics of Sony Pictures Entertainment scoring stage. | Ideal for reproduction for soundtracks from classic films and musicals. |
| NIGHT THEATER | Retains the theatre like environment whilst listening at low levels. | Simulates a smaller cinema. |
| MONO MOVIE | Creates a theatre like environment when reproducing a movie that has a monaural soundtrack. | . |
| STEREO MOVIE | Creates a theatre like environment when reproducing a movie that has a stereo soundtrack. | . |
| VIRTUAL MULTI REAR | Utilises 3D sound imaging to create three sets of virtual rear speakers from one set of actual rear speakers | . |
| VIRTUAL MULTI DIMENSION | Uses 3D sound imaging to create an array of virtual rear speakers positioned higher than the listener from a single pair of actual rear speakers. | This mode creates five sets of virtual speakers at approximately 30 deg. elevation from a single pair of actual rear speakers. |
| VIRTUAL THEATER A | Adds the 3D sound imaging of the VIRTUAL MULTI DIMENSION to CINEMA STUDIO A. | This mode creates five sets of virtual speakers at approximately 30 deg. elevation from a single pair of actual rear speakers. |
| VIRTUAL THEATER B | Adds the 3D sound imaging of the VIRTUAL MULTI DIMENSION to CINEMA STUDIO B. | This mode creates five sets of virtual speakers at approximately 30 deg. elevation from a single pair of actual rear speakers. |
| VIRTUAL THEATER C | Adds the 3D sound imaging of the VIRTUAL MULTI DIMENSION to CINEMA STUDIO C. | This mode creates five sets of virtual speakers at approximately 30 deg. elevation from a single pair of actual rear speakers. |
| VIRTUAL ENHANCED A | Uses 3D sound imaging to create three sets of virtual rear speakers from the sound of the front speakers only without actually using rear speakers. | . |
| VIRTUAL ENHANCED B | Uses 3D sound imaging to create one set of virtual rear speakers from the sound of the front speakers only without actually using rear speakers. | . |
| VIRTUAL SEMI-MULTI DIMENSIONAL | Uses 3D sound imaging to create virtual rear speakers from the sound reproduced by the front speakers only without actually using rear speakers | Creates five sets of virtual speakers surrounding the listener and elevated at 30 deg. above. |
| VIRTUAL SEMI-THEATER A | Adds 3D sound imaging of VIRTUAL SEMI-MULTI DIMENSION to CINEMA STUDIO A without using actual rear speakers. | Creates five sets of virtual speakers surrounding the listener and elevated at 30 deg. above. |
| VIRTUAL SEMI-THEATER B | Adds 3D sound imaging of VIRTUAL SEMI-MULTI DIMENSION to CINEMA STUDIO B without using actual rear speakers. | Creates five sets of virtual speakers surrounding the listener and elevated at 30 deg. above. |
| VIRTUAL SEMI-THEATER C | Adds 3D sound imaging of VIRTUAL SEMI-MULTI DIMENSION to CINEMA STUDIO C without using actual rear speakers. | Creates five sets of virtual speakers surrounding the listener and elevated at 30 deg. above. |
| SMALL HALL | Reproduces the acoustics of a small rectangular hall. | Does not use centre speaker or woofer. |
| LARGE HALL | Reproduces the acoustics of a large rectangular hall. | Does not use centre speaker or woofer. |
| OPERA HOUSE | Reproduces the acoustics of an opera house. | Does not use centre speaker or woofer. |
| JAZZ CLUB | Reproduces the acoustics of a jazz club. | Does not use centre speaker or woofer. |
| DISCO / CLUB | Reproduces the acoustics of a discotheque or dance club. | Does not use centre speaker. |
| CHURCH | Reproduces the acoustics of a stone church. | Does not use centre speaker or woofer. |
| LIVE HOUSE | Reproduces the acoustics of a 300 seat live house. | Does not use centre speaker or woofer. |
| ARENA | Reproduces the acoustics of a 1000 seat concert hall | Does not use centre speaker. |
| STADIUM | Reproduces the effect of being in a large open air stadium. | Does not use centre speaker. |
| GAME | Maximises audio impact from video game software. | Does not use centre speaker. |
| CINEMA STUDIO EX.A | Creates a 3D soundfield imaging of V.MULTI DIMENSION of 5 sets of virtual speakers from 2 actual rear speakers. | Movie mode suitable for most movie soundtracks. (2.01 only) |
| CINEMA STUDIO EX.B | Creates a 3D soundfield imaging of V.MULTI DIMENSION of 5 sets of virtual speakers from 2 actual rear speakers similar to Sony Pictures forefront-class acoustics facilities in Hollywood. | Movie mode suitable for most movie soundtracks. (2.01 only) |
| CINEMA STUDIO EX.C | Creates a 3D soundfield imaging of V.MULTI DIMENSION of 5 sets of virtual speakers from 2 actual rear speakers similar to Sony Pictures for the BGM recording of movies. | Movie mode suitable for most movie soundtracks. (2.01 only) |
| VIRTUAL MATRIX 6.1 | Virtual decoding of matrix 6.1 surround material without using a centre rear speaker using the same characteristics as CINEMA STUDIO EX.B soundfield | Movie mode suitable for most movie soundtracks that use a 6.1 surround encoded soundtrack. (2.01 only) |
| SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.A | Creates a 3D soundfield imaging of V.MULTI DIMENSION of 5 sets of virtual speakers without actual rear speakers. | Does not use rear speakers (V2.01 only) |
| SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.B | Creates a 3D soundfield imaging of V.MULTI DIMENSION of 5 sets of virtual speakers without actual rear speakers similar to Sony Pictures forefront-class acoustics facilities in Hollywood. | Does not use rear speakers (V2.01 only) |
| SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.C | Creates a 3D soundfield imaging of V.MULTI DIMENSION of 5 sets of virtual speakers without actual rear speakers similar to Sony Pictures for the BGM recording of movies. | Does not use rear speakers (V2.01 only) |
| AUTO FORMAT DECODING | Automatically detects the type of analogue or digital signal being fed into the pre-amplifier (Dolby Digital, MPEG, dts, AAC* and Linear PCM) and performs the proper decoding of the signal. | Automatic
detection of Pro-Logic encoded signals is not possible.
AAC decoding only possible with V2.50 software installed. |
| VIRTUAL MOVIE PHONES | Simulates virtual surround sound through normal stereo headphones. | Only available when headphones are plugged into the headphone jack on the front of the E9000ES. This mode is not selectable from the front panel of the unit or the remote commander. |
Using the Sound Fields
The sound fields can be selected from either the main unit or via the Remote Commander. Selection of the CINEMA STUDIO EX, MATRIX 6.1 and SEMI C. STUDIO EX modes can only be made if the unit has been flashROM upgraded to V2.01 software. In most modes the effect level, wall type reverberation time, low frequency effect mix, dymanic range compression, front balance, rear balance, rear level, centre level and sub woofer level can be adjusted. In some surround modes the effect level, wall type and reverberation time can't be adjusted. Likewise in the surround modes of Small Hall, Large Hall, Opera House, Jazz Club, Disco / Club, Church, Live House, Arena, Stadium and Game the centre level can't be adjusted even though the handbook and Remote Commander would imply that you can. In these modes the centre speaker is mute and any attempt to adjust the level has no effect. This information is somewhat misleading to the newcomer to this unit as most think it is a fault. I assure you it isn't, and I'm a little dissapointed that Sony have overlooked this most obvious mistake in both the user handbook and the intuitive interface.
A useful feature is the
ability to "trim" adjust the dialogue level and the rear channels level
for each soundfield over and above the levels that you have established
during the set up proceedure. This is important as the mix
down on certain program material may not be to your liking, thereby allowing
you to compensate for this without destroying or losing your original settings.
Likewise being able to select from any one of five user defined equaliser
settings once again assists in overcoming tonal imbalances in recordings.
Table of
Sound Field Modes and Adjustable Parameters
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TIME |
MIXING |
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|
LEVEL |
| 2 CHANNEL STEREO |
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| NORMAL SURROUND |
|
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| CINEMA STUDIO A |
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| CINEMA STUDIO B |
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| CINEMA STUDIO C |
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| NIGHT THEATER |
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| MONO MOVIE |
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| STEREO MOVIE |
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| VIRTUAL MULTI REAR |
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| VIRTUAL MULTI DIMENSION |
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| VIRTUAL THEATER A |
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| VIRTUAL THEATER B |
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| VIRTUAL THEATER C |
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| VIRTUAL ENHANCED A |
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| VIRTUAL ENHANCED B |
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| VIRTUAL SEMI-MULTI DIMENSION |
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| VIRTUAL SEMI-THEATER A |
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| VIRTUAL SEMI-THEATER B |
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| VIRTUAL SEMI-THEATER C |
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Table of Sound Field Modes and Adjustable
Parameters (continued)
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TIME |
MIXING |
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|
LEVEL |
| SMALL HALL |
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| LARGE HALL |
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| OPERA HOUSE |
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| JAZZ CLUB |
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| DISCO / CLUB |
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| CHURCH |
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| LIVE HOUSE |
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| ARENA |
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| STADIUM |
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| GAME |
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| CINEMA STUDIO EX.A (V2.01 only) |
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| CINEMA STUDIO EX.B (V2.01 only) |
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| CINEMA STUDIO EX.C (V2.01 only) |
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| VIRTUAL MATRIX 6.1 (V2.01 only) |
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| SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.A (V2.01 only) |
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| SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.B (V2.01 only) |
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| SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.C (V2.01 only) |
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| AUTO FORMAT DECODE |
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| VIRTUAL MOVIE PHONES |
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In the modes of CINEMA STUDIO EX.A, B & C as well as SEMI CINEMA STUDIO EX.A, B & C :- VIRTUAL SPEAKERS can be turned on or off; SCREEN DEPTH can be adjusted to three levels and REAR ENHANCEMENT can be switched off or on.
In VIRTUAL MATRIX 6.1 mode :- 6.1 MATRIX can be switched off or on and SCREEN DEPTH can be adjusted to three levels. In this mode the equalizer bank settings become inoperative.
For detailed operation and comment on these modes read the V2.01 review.
Adjusting the Levels of Each Channel in the Surround Modes
The user interface is very friendly in this respect on the Sony. The user has the option to perform the adjustments on the actual pre-amplifier unit itself or via the two way communicating Remote Commander. I prefer the later option as it allows the user to tailor the adjustment for their preferred listening position within the room very easily. I must however emphasise that before performing any adjustments to the levels and balance it is virtually impossible to get an acceptable result unless you have initially accessed the "Main Menu" < SET UP > program and made the nessecary adjustments for speaker configuration and size, cut-off frequencies, distance to the prime listening position etc. Failure to set up these parameters correctly will result in an unsatifactory and confused or blurred soundstage. Fortunately this < SET UP > proceedure needs only to be done once and will never be required to be re-adjusted unless you change the placement, size or number of speakers in the system. I would suggest the use of a tape measure to get the distances correct.
As far as setting the levels is concerned, Sony have made this pretty easy with an inbuilt test tone generator that can be conveniently activated and all adjustment made via the Remote Commander. If all your speakers are identical for all five channels then setting up the levels is extremely easy. Activation of the ''Test Tone" mode causes a white noise signal to be injected into each channel in turn, stepping around the soundfield at approximately ten second intervals. The user then simply adjusts the levels (shown in dB for centre and rear speakers) and balance between front left and right, balance between rear left and right. Feedback of what is happening appears on both the LCD screen of the Remote Commander and the central display of the main unit. It is also possible to hold the test signal onto a particular channel to allow the user adequate time to perform exact level adjustments then continue through the reamining channels. I found this feature helpful when setting up my own system. Unfortunately I don't have five identical speakers in my configuration. KEF three way units are used for the front channels, Richter Acoustics Unicorn as the centre speaker and Richter Wizards service the rear channels. These were a hangover from my previous system that I used in conjuction with my Sony TA-E1000ESD pre-amplifier of which the TA-E9000ES has replaced.
If all your speakers are
identical they will be tonally balanced and be of equal efficiency in the
conversion of electrical power into sound intensity. Using the test
tone facility with this configuration should yield a very satisfactory
and balanced result. However, if your situation is similar to mine
then getting a very good balance is somewhat more complicated.
I tried using my ears alone to make subjective adjustments of the sound
levels from each speaker. This resulted in a satisfactory performance
but I found myself constantly fiddling the adjustments in an attempt to
get a better sound. The solution was simple. I purchased an
inexpensive sound level meter from Tandy Electronics for under AUD$100.
Using the sound level meter and the Sony's test tone facility it was possible
to get a very balanced soundfield in a matter of minutes. The
only task left was to tweek the equaliser adjustments for the centre and
rear speakers to tonally match the main front KEF units. Once
again this is not overly complicated. I decided to break this task
into sections. First match the Richter centre speaker as best as
possible to the KEFs. By adjusting the centre channel equalizer I
was able to use my ears to closely match the "colour" of the white noise
from these units. A small amount of level adjustment with the aid
of the sound level meter and then I repeated the process comparing the
front KEF units with the rear Richter units. Within about twenty
minutes the whole set up was ready to undergo the critical listening test.
The TA-E9000ES Intuitive Interface
The central display on the TA-E9000ES reports to the user the status of the pre-amplifier with details of the surround mode selected, source (optical, co-axial, AC-3 RF); digital bitream (Dolby Digital, MPEG, dts, AAC*, decoding mode (Pro-Logic etc); activated speakers and dynamic range compression mode.
When digital sources are detected and processed, the display can be scrolled using the "+/-" control to reveal additional information about bitsteam format (AC-3, dts, MPEG, AAC* etc) as well as sampling rate, bitrate, emphasis and dialog level depending on the source. The unit is smart enough to identify the signal source characteristics and report this to the user. Typical displays might appear as below :-
When playing a dts encoded
CD -
dts
[3/2] >>> STREAM=dts(unformat)[3/2]
BITRATE=(OPEN) FS=44kHz CATEGORY=CD-DA(IEC60908)
EMPHASIS=OFF
When playing a typical
dts DVD -
dts
[3/2] >>> STREAM=dts(IEC61937)[3/2] BITRATE=1536kbps
FS=48kHz CATEGORY=DVD PRODUCT EMPHASIS=OFF
When playing a typical
Dolby Digital DVD -
DOLBY
DIGITAL[3/2] >>> STREAM=AC-3(ATSC)[3/2]
BITRATE=448kbps FS=48kHz CATEGORY=DVD
PRODUCT EMPHASIS=OFF DIALOGNORM=27
When playing a typical
2 channel MPEG DVD -
LINEAR
PCM [48kHz] >>> STREAM=PCM 16BITS
[48kHz] BITRATE=1536kbps FS=48kHz CATEGORY=DVD
PRODUCT
EMPHASIS=OFF
When playing a standard
audio CD -
LINEAR
PCM [44kHz] >>> STREAM=PCM 16BITS [44kHz]
BITRATE=1411kbps FS=44kHz CATEGORY=CD-DA(IEC60908)
EMPHASIS=OFF
When the source is a digital
stream from a DCC player -
LINEAR
PCM [44kHz] >>> STREAM=PCM 18BITS [44kHz]
BITRATE=1587kbps FS=44kHz CATEGORY=DCC PRODUCT
EMPHASIS=OFF
When the source is a digital
stream from a Minidisc player -
LINEAR
PCM [44kHz] >>> STREAM=PCM 20BITS
[44kHz] BITRATE=1764kbps FS=44kHz CATEGORY=MINI
DISC SYSTEM
EMPHASIS=OFF
When the source is a digital
stream from a Digital Video Broadcast receiver -
LINEAR
PCM [48kHz] >>> STREAM=PCM 24BITS
[48kHz] BITRATE=2304kbps FS=48kHz CATEGORY=BROADCAST
EMPHASIS=OFF
(MPEG
2 transmission)
DOLBY
DIGITAL[3/2] >>> STREAM=AC-3(ATSC)[3/2]
BITRATE=448kbps FS=48kHz CATEGORY=BROADCAST
EMPHASIS=OFF DIALOGNORM=31
(Dolby
Digital 5.1 surround transmission)
Analogue inputs are sampled
at a 48kHz rate and encoded internally without emphasis.
The Critical Listening Test
What you have all been waiting for...... Before continuing I must comment that the Sony TA-E9000ES pre-amplifier is a marvel of electronics. The build quality is outstanding and the user interface both informative and flexible. Once the user has set up the system correctly the listening enjoyment can commence. To simplify the evalution of the subjective performance of this unit I have decided to split the review comments into sections, each detailing my impressions. These are my findings with the unit loaded with V1.18c software. For a review of my impressions of the TA-E9000ES loaded with V2.01 and V2.50 software go here.
The following is a list of equipment in my system that was used to perform the evalution tests :-
Sony TA-E9000ES Pre-amplifier
(the product under review)
Sony TA-N9000ES 5 Channel
Power Amplifier
Sony CDP-338ESD Compact
Disc Player
Sony MDS-JA3ES MiniDisc
Deck (record / replay)
Philips DCC900 Digital
Compact Cassette Deck (record / replay)
Sony TC-K590 Cassette
Deck
Sony ST-JX411 AM/FM Stereo
Tuner
Technics SL1200 Direct
Drive Turntable fitted with Shure V15 type III cartridge, MicroRidge stylus
on Audio Technica low mass headshell
Sony SLV-X822 Multi-standard
VHS video recorder
JVC HR-S5000EA S-VHS
video recorder
Pioneer CLD-1850 LaserDisc
PAL / NTSC player
Kenwood DVF-5010M DVD
/ VCD / CD player (modified for multi-region use)
Pioneer DV-S838A DVD-Audio
/ Video player
KEF Concerto speakers
(front units)
Richter Acoustics Unicorn
(centre speaker)
Richter Acoustics Wizards
(rear speakers)
Richter Odin powered
sub-woofer
Sony MDR-V3 and Sennheisser
HD-414 headphones
JVC AV-S29F8s (29" 3:4
ratio) multi-standard stereo colour television
Stereo Performance
Now I can almost hear the cries. What is the point of buying a surround processor if you intend to listen to recorded material only in two channel stereo? Well, some material does not lend itself well to artificial manipulation of the soundfield. The engineer who recorded the material and produced the final two channel stereo mixdown had possibly something in mind at the time of how the sound was likely to be reproduced in the home on a stereo system. I found that some live recordings did not reproduce well when the soundfield was manipulated electronically. The ambience was already part of the recording so why try to double the effect?
I used several of my favourite Compact Discs to evaluate the two channel stereo performance of the Sony. The sound was very transparent and the soundstaging had incredible depth. Accurate placement of both the instruments and vocals was highly evident. I would have expected nothing less from a unit in this price range. The signal to noise ratio was excellent even with the volume control advanced well beyong the fifty percent mark. With an absence of input signal and the volume control attenuation to minimum (0dB), the background thermal hiss was only slightly evident when one placed one's ear close to the speaker enclosure.
The performance through the phono input was less impressive. The signal to noise ratio was adequate but nothing startling. Sensistivity of the phono input was in my opinion not good enough. I am using a Shure V15 type III cartridge with a Shure MicroRidge stylus mounted in an Audio Technica headshell in combination with a Technics SL1200 direct drive turntable and found that I was only able to obtain adequate listening levels with the volume control well beyond the half way mark. This doesn't surprise me. The results through the TA-E9000ES are a bit better than the same combination through my old TA-E1000ESD. In this digital age the message is loud and clear - forget vinyl as a prime audio source. With my old set up I overcame the problem of poor phono performance by adding an independant outboard phono pre-amplifier to handle this source and fed this through one of the unused analogue line inputs. Regretably the 9000ES doesn't have enough analogue line inputs to satisfy my needs to I have gone back to using the phono input provided and am no longer using the external RIAA pre-amplifier. Pity as the external unit has a far superiour performance to the Sony both from a sensitivity and noise point of view.
As for the performance
via the digital inputs is concerned the TA-E9000ES can't be faulted.
Absolutely no overload or distortion could be detected from a variety of
sources. Hats off to Sony on a job well done in this department.
All possible standard bit rates are accommodated when delivered via the
appropriate inputs. Analogue inputs are sampled at a 48kHz rate before
processing takes place within the pre-amplifier in the digital domain.
Dolby Digital Performance
To evalute the Dolby Digital (AC-3) performance of the TA-E9000ES I used a variety of program material on DVD. I used a mixture of movies and music DVDs to do this. Movies such as "Event Horizon", "Meet Joe Black", "Ronin", "Seven Years in Tibet", "Star Trek Insurrection", just to name a few were used to evalute the E9000ES's ability to decode these soundtracks. Audio decoding was faultless irrespective of DD format ("3/2 ; 2/0 etc) or bitrate employed. Unlike many threads I have read on the various DVD newsgroups about lip sync problems with certain DVD player / receiver combinations, there was none of this problem evident with the Sony TA-E9000ES and Kenwood DVF-5010 or the Pioneer DV-S838A. Since I have owned the Sony I have had the opportunity to view many DVDs with Dolby Digital AC-3 soundtracks. There isn't anything in this pre-amplifier's performance with this format that leaves anything to be desired. Channel separation and soundstaging is excellent with the result a clear and well defined audio performance. The ability to trim the dialogue level easily without disturbing the main set up parameters is a sensible inclusion in the Sony's features.
To make a musical judgement on the pre-amplifiers performance I used the "Bee Gees - One night Only" DVD (Region 4). This soundtrack concentrates most of the musical information on the front left and right speakers, directing little vocals or instrument information to the centre channel. Rear channel information on this disc is a mixture of audience participation and venue ambience acoustics. Warner Music have been very sensible in their mixdown approach by deliberately avoiding the use of the centre channel in the musical context, thereby effectively eliminating it out of the audio equation. This tends to null out the audio limitations especially regarding low frequency response and handling of most centre channel speakers that are by in large optimised for dialogue reproduction on movies. Sony holds back no punches in highly recommending that all five speakers be of equal quality and performance in the user handbook. This becomes plainly evident in the reproduction of dts soundtracks which I will discuss later in this article.
As for Dolby Digital,
musical performance it is very good from the Sony. Initially
I selected "AUTO DECODE FORMAT" from the surround menu selections letting
the TA-E9000ES make all the decisions regarding signal format and decoding.
The Sony automatically detects the signal type and performs the appropriate
decoding. On some movie soundtracks (mainly musicals or containing
a musical score of a live performance) and music DVDs I found combining
DD AC-3 decoding with the Virtual Multi Dimension additional processing
gave the best subjective results, giving the listener the sense of "being
there". The Sony does also allow the user to enhance the soundfield
with many other cimena simulations. Three such cinema simulations
are included which include the Cary Grant Theater (Cinema Studio A); Kim
Novak Theater (Cinema Studio B) and Sony Pictures Entertainment Scoring
Stage (Cinema Studio C). I've tried them all, and yes, there is a
difference on how they manipulate the basic soundtrack.
Dolby Digital AC-3 RF Performance
Absolutely nothing wrong
here. The onboard AC-3 RF adapter does a good job at converting to
a digital bitstream. The decoder locks up very quickly and the performance
is identical to that from other Dolby Digital 5.1 sources such as DVD.
dts Performance
This is the area of surround sound where the Sony really shines. Anyone who has never heard dts before should do so in a well adjusted and balanced system. The sound staging, positioning, clarity and separation of the sound is exceptional and leaves Dolby Digital for dead. Once again just as with DD you can implement various enhancements and imbellishment to the basic sound decoding. I used several dts encoded DVDs, laserdiscs and CDs to perform my evalution. On DVD, "Dances with Wolves" gives you the option of both dts and Dolby Digital soundtracks. Comparing the two is like chalk and cheese. The dts soundtrack wins hands down especially when handling the musical score. Much better sound resolution and clarity whilst still maintaining an exceptionally wide dymanic range. This is possibly due to the lower compression ratio algorthim used in dts compared to Dolby Digital. I must admit I'm probably a bit biased in this area as I am more of a music lover than a home theatre enthusist, so the musical quality of the sound is more important to me than ping pong sci-fi effects and explosions.
To evalute dts from a musical point of view I used several dts encoded CDs as well as dts encoded music DVD. The Telarc 5.1 DTS Surround Sampler (DC-84402-DTS) is a great disc to demo dts to your friends. The first track "Surround Madness v5.1.03" runs for just over five and a half minutes and is an interesting collage of musical scores, movie soundtrack effects, noises and music that is a definite shock value if not bizarre introduction to the capabilities of this encoding system. I used the optical digital output from my Sony CD player to feed the dts signal into the pre-amplifier. The Sony recognised the signal and automatically switched to the appropriate decoding system. Other dts CD titles used were "Boyz to Men" (Mowtown 710215 10001 28) and "Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Not Fragile" (Mobile Fidelity MFI-4409). All of these dts CDs gave superlative performance when decoded by the Sony. The whole dts experience kind of reminded me of the heady days of quadraphonic sound in the early seventies only so much better. I only wish EMI would release Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon on dts or better still DVD-Audio!! An oustanding disc for music DVD evaluation was the "Eagles - Hell Freezes Over". Once again crytal clear reproduction. I also gave "Peter Frampton - Live in Detroit" and "Roy Orbison - Black & White Night" a spin. The latter a real feast for the ears.
In respect of dts from laserdisc I only have one dts LD in my collection, that being "Boogie Nights". Once again using the optical output from my LD player the E9000ES automatically detected the signal format and performed the correct decoding.
dts does place some performance
criteria on the reproduction equipment to get the best out of the format.
I think it is important to have all five speakers the same and in the case
of movie soundtracks that contain a lot of LFE information a good sub woofer
that is matched. I hope that loudspeaker manufacturers will recognise
this and make sheilded centre speakers that have identical sonic performance
to the the main front and rear units permitting the use of a conventional
cathode ray tube television receiver to be used without the danger of picture
distortion. Currently a lot of speaker makers have fully magnetically
shielded centre speakers on offer but few manage the performance capability
of the larger floor standing models. Many claim tonal matching but
nine times out of ten the bass performance leaves a lot to be desired.
The problem with five channel power amplifiers is not as evident especially
with regards to stand alone units. The Sony
TA-N9000ES power amplifier is a good example of an adequately powered
unit capabable of equal performance and power output for each of the five
channels and is the amplifier used in the review of this pre-amplifier.
Dolby Pro-Logic Performance
The E9000ES does a good job of decoding this encoding method. Other compatible formats like Ultra-Stereo for instance, seem to be decoded with equal ease. AUTO DECODE FORMAT does not work with matrixed soundtracks no matter what the source with the exception of Dolby Digital AC-3 encoded DVDs with a 2/0 (192kbits/s) soundtrack. The Sony assumes normal two channel stereo format and switches to this mode. The user then has to select the desired decoding method and enhancement required. When the signal comes from a digital source such as a CD player, DVD player or LD player utilising the digital bitream output then the decoding of the left, right, centre and rear channel information is faultless. If however the source is analogue such as that available from a stereo television set, FM tuner or Hi-Fi video recorder then the accuracy of the decoding is not always great. This is not a limitation of the TA-E9000ES's ability to do a good job of the Pro-Logic decoding but of the level balance of the signal source. Allow me to explain further.
Dolby Pro-Logic is a matrix encoding method. It relies on the accurate level and phase relationship of the main left and right channels to carry the centre and rear channel information. In simple terms the centre channel information is derived from L + R whereas the rear channel information is L - R. If the input two channel matrixed signal into the Sony is not balanced then accurate decoding cannot take place. The E9000ES allows the user to adjust the left and right balance only post the decoding process not before it. Therefore if there is any serious imbalance between the level and phase relationships of the left and right input signals the Pro-Logic decoder can't separate the channels out accurately. This can impact on the E9000ES's ability to handle less than perfect sources, degrading the separation of centre and rear channel information. I am a bit disappointed that Sony have made no attempt to address this potential problem. On my previous Sony TA-E1000ESD pre-amplifier this was not an issue as Sony had provided a control concealed behind a drop down panel for just such adjustment should it be required. I can only attribute the omission of this facility to the fact that analogue Dolby Pro-Logic encoded material has its days numbered. I still use encoded material from analogue sources and will probably continue to do so in the future.
My only disappointment
is that to date Sony has not seen fit to support Pro-Logic II decoding
in the TA-E9000ES.
Performance of the Enhanced Surround Modes
The TA-E9000ES provides numerous other surround modes, some of which add enhancement to existing multi channel surround decoding capabilities of the unit. To enhance the surround sound experience from conventional two channel stereo sources the E9000ES incorporates several pseudo surround modes to add to you listening enjoyment. These include the ability to simulate the reproduced sound as it might be heard in everything from a small hall seating about three hundred people to a large stadium seating thousands, including the novel sound environment of "GAME" to increase the impact of sounds generated whilst playing computer games with stereo sound.
The Sony "re-creates" realistic simulations of the music venues in multi channel surround format when fed with a two channel stereo signal. The "CHURCH" soundfield for instance really sounds authentic. Coral works and pipe organ material benefits quite nicely by this treatment. The good thing is that the pre-amplifier makes no attempt to seriously alter the original signal. Unlike my previous Sony DSP the TA-E9000ES doesn't take a two channel stereo source and attempt to turn it into pseudo ping pong quadraphonic sound. The result is a more realistic soundfield that enhances your listening enjoyment of music rather than detracting from it. As one should be aware, most of the enviourmental soundfield simulations allow the user some degree of control over the end result. The TA-E9000ES allows the user in most cases to adjust the wall material type, reverberation time and the amount of effect the particular soundfield creates. With some fiddling the listener can optimise the performance to their liking from the factory settings. My only critism in this area is the lack of an ability to adjust the early reflection time delay which was a useful feature on the TA-E1000ESD as was its comprehensive parametric equaliser.
The only surround modes I took a particular dislike to were the virtual enhanced modes that attempted to create surround sound without actually using any rear speakers. I found these modes almost useless in creating a convincing surround sound illusion and I wonder why Sony even incorporated them in the first place. Anyone contemplating using this DSP in its intended modes would surely have a multichannel power amplifier and speakers to feed the signals to. The only virtual modes I can actually say that enhanced the listening soundfield were those that made use of the rear speakers. One in particular, "VIRTUAL MULTI REAR" in combination with Pro-Logic decoding really gave the illusion of being there when decoding soundtracks with a musical score. One such that comes to mind is the movie "The Thing Called Love", where the reproduced sound of the auditions at the Blue Bird Cafe actually gave the illusion of being there. Likewise the outdoor performance at the ranch on the same movie had the ambience one would associate with being on the set.
In conclusion on this particular aspect of the surround sound modes Sony has impressed me and have made remarkable improvements on their previous DSPs. The user handbook makes numerous suggestions as the approriate use of the surround modes and I would encourage any prospective purchaser of this pre-amplifier to explore them all.
For a review on the V2.01
surround modes of CINEMA STUDIO EX, VIRTUAL MATRIX 6.1 and SEMI CINEMA
STUDIO EX modes read my notes here.
Video Performance
The TA-E9000ES supports both composite and S-Video connections in and out of the unit. The composite video connections are made via gold plated RCA connectors and the S-Video via gold plated 4 pin mini-DIN connectors on the rear panel. Composite video and S-Video signals are handled independantly. This means an input connected to a S-video source can't be outputted through the composite video system and vice versa. This is pretty much a standard arrangement on all domestic AV equipment. A total of six video source inputs are possible from the VIDEO 1, 2, 3; LD; DVD and TV input selections. The VIDEO 1, 2 and 3 selections also have video output signal connectors allowing video recording to devices connected to these ports.
There are two composite and two S-Video connections possible to the video MONITOR outputs. A nice touch if you want to feed more than one television. A useful inclusion is the ability to route the video signals (both composite and S-Video) to an external video processor via the E9000ES. The facility can be activated via the < CUSTOMISE > menu on both the front panel of the E9000ES or via the Remote Commander.
I have fed the E9000ES with a variety of video sources to make a subjective evalution on the video performance ot the unit using my JVC television. The JVC is a 3:4 aspect ratio unit with an ultra flat screen. JVC claim a picture resolution in excess of 800 lines and over a few years of viewing this and other models I'm inclinded to believe them. On viewing off-air PAL signals (625 lines / 50Hz frame rate) at broadcast standard, then comparing them with signals from my Kenwood DVD player (both NTSC and PAL), from LD and Super VHS tape there is a noticable difference between the video sources. This would lead me to conclude the video bandwidth of the video circuitry inside the TA-E9000ES is very high resulting in a very high quality picture. There was absolutely no evidence of video overshoot or chroma bleed and I would estimate the video bandwidth to be in excess of 20MHz.
The video performance
of the TA-E9000ES is a significant improvement over that of the TA-E1000ESD.
But one would possibly expect so with the availablity of digital TV broadcasting
(DVB) which will make huge demands on the video capability of AV units
if the best possible reproduction is to be obtained. Sony have done
a good job with this aspect in the TA-E9000ES. The video circuitry
performance is on par with the audio capability which is pleasing to see
that video performance hasn't taken a back seat to audio in this AV gear.
Overall Opinion
Sony have really got a winner with this model. It has been a long time coming since a stand alone pre-amplifier has been produced by Sony that offered so much in one box for so little. Even with a recommend retail price of around AUD$2750 it is a bargain. Expect to pay a lot less than this from most dealers. It isn't an investment that I would go into blindly. I would suggest auditioning this product over a weekend in the privacy of your own home. To get the most out of this unit you may need to fiddle with the set up parameters and have enough time to explore the full capability of this unit. Check to see what version of software is installed in your TA-E9000ES. This can be done by rotating the +/- control fully anti-clockwise. At the end of the information string you will see the software version reported as :- TA-E9000ES Vx.xx (where x.xx is the version of software installed). The last free software upgrade was V1.18. Ensure your TA-E9000ES has at least this version installed. If not get your dealer to upgrade to V1.18 before auditioning or purchasing this amplifier.
Below I have outlined
some specific likes and dislikes that I personally have come to conclude
after owning and using the TA-E9000ES pre-amplifier over a period of several
years. I have teamed it up with the matching Sony
TA-N9000ES five channel power amplifier and the Sony
TA-P9000ES Multi Channel Pre-Amplifier when taken in an overall context
represents not only good value for money but superb audio and video performance.
In most respects Sony have done their homework with this product with the
glaring exception of the remote control which is a dog and the ommission
of Pro-Logic II decoding. Sony needs to take note and do some serious
redesign of the remote control. The remote control consumes batteries
like there is no tomorrow. It would be a pity to see the re-built
reputation of Sony's ES product range fall into disrepute by poor design
of a remote control and a lack of customer responsiveness.
What I liked about the TA-E9000ES
Besides the superb audio and video performance of this unit I specifically liked its ease of use. Sony have been very good in their explanations of the functions and features of the unit and how to go about using them. The handbook has clear diagrams and explanations so even the most novice of users should be able to get the TA-E9000ES up and running satisfactorily in a short time. I would however suggest reading through the book a few times over a cup of coffee or two and then taking the time to establish the external connections correctly before switching on.
Setting up the parameters via the system menus is easy but I would recommend the use of a tape measure and an inexpensive sound level meter to simplify the procedure to obtain a good surround sound balance.
Sony have included an optical digital connection associated with the TV input in addition to the support of both composite and S-Video connections. I am already using these with my DGTEC DH-2000A Digital TV set top box, and I'm very pleased with the TA-E9000ES's performance regarding decoding MPEG 2 and Dolby Digital broadcasts.
The front panel layout is simple, uncluttered and neat. The display is intuitive, easy to read and gives the user more than enough information for even the most advanced audiophile to drool over without being gimmicky. Sony have deliberately avoided the Christmas tree treatment on the E9000ES and thankfully so. When the volume level is altered the display momentarily changes to indcate the attenuation level in dB. A nice touch in a darkened room. The display can be switched on and off from the remote control. Nice touch....
Sony's inclusion of a Dolby Digital AC-3 RF input is most useful for those whom have an AC-3 laserdisc player, plus it does all of the established digital and analogue surround modes in one box with the facility of auto detection and switching to the appropriate decoding mode.
The rear panel is logically and well laid out. Every input and output is clearly labelled. AC mains power input and switched output are located well away from the low level inputs thereby reducing the possibility of hum indiction compromising the audio performance. The full use of quality gold plated connectors for all inputs and outputs reduces the possibility of noisy connections as the equipment ages. The matching TA-N9000ES power amplifier can be switched off and on via the TA-E9000ES, likewise this facility also works with other Sony components that support the Contol A1 and Control S IN functions.
The presence of a 9 pin
RS-232C connector on the back panel for future software upgrades is a sensible
inclusion making sure this box isn't going to see redundancy at an early
age. Upgrades to the sytem software are simple using a personal
computer, an interface (flashROM writing) program and the binary data file.
With 8Mb of flash memory capacity on board it is unlikely that the facility
and performance enhancements will be limited. Since the initial release
of the TA-E9000ES there has been several software upgrades to overcome
some problems with lip sync on Dolby Digital sources. The latest
free upgrade is V1.18c and two purchase upgrade kits VUCD-E9000A (V2.01
with smaller one-way remote control) and VUCD-E9000B (V2.50 which adds
AAC decoding to any existing upgrade). See details at end of this
review.
What I disliked about the E9000ES
The Remote Commander really sucks. Please excuse the language, but in this case it is the only apt description I can give the device. It eats batteries at the same rate of that of a Shrew - an appetite that is never ending. I exhausted my first set of batteries in three weeks, two weeks of which the unit got no use as I was away on a business trip. The display is somewhat difficult to read and the backlighting is hopeless. I tried varying the contrast setting of the LCD screen but there was marginal improvement in the readability of the display.
The Remote commander comes pre-programmed with the basic and sometimes advanced features of many facilites and functions that can normally be remotely controlled for numerous audio and video products from both Sony and other manufacturers. Unfortunately the unit does not have an ability to "learn" from other remotes. I can't use the Remote Commander to control my Kenwood DVD player, Philips DCC recorder or my DGTEC DVB Set Top Box. Neither of these products crack a mention in the factory installed selections, not that I expected the DGTEC STB as it came after the TA-E9000ES and the Philips DCC deck isn't exactly mainstream hi-fi.
The touch screen on the Remote Commander has somehow become less sensitive with what limited use it has had in the past few months. I'm not impressed at all with this aspect of the product and I believe that unless Sony are prepared to address the issues of battery comsumption, poor display readability and selection of pre-programmed remote protocols this one aspect of the overall package is likely to discourage prospective purchasers. Sony have had more than a reasonable time to address these issues and have chosen to ignore customer feedback, except to offer owners a retrofit modfication to the Remote Commander to address the issue of battery consumption.
There is only one digital output (OPTICAL OUT) and this is associated with the MD / DAT interface only. This is simply not enough and I would have preferred to see at least one more included. In my system I have two devices that can accept digital signals for recording purposes. Those being my MD and DCC decks. To record on my DCC deck I have to swap the optical cable over from my MD deck to my DCC deck. It is an inconvenience I could well do without.
Sony have seen fit to drop the use of the 4 wire CONTROL S facility used on their previous generation equipment. No conversion device is on offer to facilitate the interconnection of older Sony products that use this system to the new two wire standard.
The switched AC outlet is a European two pin round connector. Pretty useless in my opinion and I would have preferred Sony to have stayed with the IEC connector they used on previous models and the same as that used in the US version of this product.
I would have liked Sony to have included an analogue audio and both composite and S-Video interface accessable from the front of the pre-amplifier. I quite often use my Canon Hi-8 video camera to playback home video and this facility is not offerred on the TA-E9000ES, which means fiddling about at the back of the unit to make the connections to the camera. Once again a major inconvenience as I have already used up all the available inputs. This means disconnecting something to allow the connections to be made. (I am already using the VIDEO 3 audio connections to allow analogue interconnections to my DCC deck.) Digital playback from the DCC deck is acheived by using the CD co-axial digital input.
There is no separate 5.1 analogue audio input. This effectively precludes the use of third party decoders (not that I imagine there is much requirement for such), but it could possibly limit expansion at a later date. There is a TA-P9000ES add-on unit that will address this issue. It will add two 5.1 analogue inputs that are not available on the TA-E9000ES.
The 32 bit floating point
DSP (Analog Devices SHARC chip) is used for the digital decoding functions
such as dts and Dolby Digital AC-3. This chip can also decode HDCDs
but Sony have not included this in the E9000ES. Why? I can't
imagine. I can only hope that Sony will come to some licensing agreement
regarding HDCD and offer this as a software upgrade for users.
About Firmware Upgrades
Sony have released several firmware upgrades for the TA-E9000ES since its launch early in 1999. In some instances the upgrades have been released to overcome decoding difficulties with Dolby Digital soundtracks from DVD software. Other releases have added features and improved the sonic qualities of the unit.
Firmware
Versions (Update details will be added as they come
to hand)
1.04a
An upgrade to solve the lip sync problem on Dolby Digital decoding when
the source is DVD.
1.10c Further improvements as follows :-
1. Decode delay (Lip sync. malfunction) at playing Dolby Digital (AC-3) has been modified.
2. The problem of no sound from the right channel of the rear speaker in Dolby Digital (AC-3) [2/1], [3/1] mode has been improved.
3. The problem with no sound from sub woofer when setting Pro-Logic against the signal with LFE at [2/0] of Dolby Digital (AC-3) has been improved.
4. The clipping problem in case of entering full-scale signal to LFE during dts play has been improved.
5. The malfunction with incorrect information display when playing special source of dts [2/0] has been improved.
6. A function for version display when scrolled to the end of the stream information display has been added.
7. The display malfunction of incorrect PCM bit number at the stream information display has been modified.
8. Modified as the vocal sound comes from the front when playing Karaoke DVD.
9. The malfunction that turns muting on when operation LEVEL menu with the remote controller after released MUTING by rotating the volume knob while MUTING is set has been modified.
10. Digital filter dither value has been modified for sound improvement.
11. New setting menu for using "one way remote commander" in CUSTOMIZE menu has been added. (One way remote commander: RM-PP402 on sale in Jul/99 , etc.)
12. The malfunction
of no sound from the rear when playing 3/1 or 2/1 mode has been modified.
V1.18c:
Sony have a free release
of V1.18c of the firmware on their websites in most countries.
Download the flashwriter program, binary data code, connect up the cable
between your PC's serial port and the RS-232C connector on the back of
your TA-E9000ES an off you go. Within 5 minutes you will have
completed the job and your pre-amplifier is ready to listen.
V2.01
Sony are marketing a
kit (VUCD-E9000A) to upgrade your TA-E9000ES which adds more features,
surround modes and another remote control. For a detailed review
visit my page on the V2.01
firmware upgrade.
V2.50
Sony have marketed a
kit (VUCD-E9000B) which adds AAC decoding to any existing version of software
installed.
Disclaimer
Thank
you for taking time to visit this page and read the review. I must
point out that this is a completely independant review and I am in no way
connected with any hi-fi dealership or Sony. The views expressed
here are my personal ones and the information contained herein does not
in any way express or imply any facilities, features or specifications
that can be acheived by the use of this product. Any prospective
purchaser should undertake their own research and information gathering
before making any decisions with regards to this product. Errors
and omissions expected.
Links
Review of the new V2.01 firmware upgrade.
Technical information and pictures of the inside of the TA-E9000ES
Frequently Asked Questions about the TA-E9000ES
The Sony TA-N9000ES matching 5 channel power amplifier
The Sony TA-P9000ES Multi Channel Pre-Amplifier
This page was compiled on Netscape Composer and is best viewed with a resolution of 1024 x 768. All information and images are the copyright material of Alan Rutlidge and may not be reproduced in part or full using any medium whatsoever without permission of the author in writing.
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