STR-DA7100ES Remote Control & Listening Tests

Pros

• Easily programmed
• Dedicated TV volume and channel buttons

Cons

• Nonstandard interface that is confusing and awkward
• Limited functions and features
• No numeric keypad
• Bulky
• Missing many standard direct-access buttons

In case my opening statement about this remote was unclear - this is the worst remote control I have ever used in conjunction with a receiver. It is so bad it made me look around inside the Sony box to see if I had the wrong remote control or if some product manager was playing a practical joke on me. The good news? You can buy a nice universal remote control from Logitech, Universal Remote, Philips or another reputable company and you should be all set.

I listed some of the shortcomings of the remote in the Pros/Cons table, but pity stayed my hand from including everything I had to say. There is no numeric keypad. The buttons are not lit. There is no real facility for adding custom controls such as those required to use a complex HD DVR or cable box without relying on the preset available buttons shown on the LCD. In addition, if you are ever controlling a device and select the on-screen display, the remote isn't smart enough to switch over the joystick for use in the menu system - it will still control the source component. To solve this you have to go to the LCD screen and select what the 'CURSOR TYPE' should be controlling. It is this reliance upon the very limited LCD screen (which almost feels like a crutch at times) that makes this remote so awkward to use.

For not having many buttons, the remote is also extremely bulky and heavy. It weighed in at 6.7 ounces loaded, but for some reason (probably its wide stance) felt heavier. What can I say - I love good remotes, but I am equally passionate about those which fail to impress. This is completely 100% subjective and I have learned in the past that the only opinion that counts in the end is the one you have after using the product for yourself.

Because I'm a glutton for 'setup' punishment, I decided to do some comparisons of the Sony STR-DA7100ES receiver against the new Yamaha RX-V2600 to get a feel for how the Digital Drive amplification in the Sony ES sounded compared to a reasonably powered Class AB receiver. This comparison was not scientific, but purely subjective and my goal was to establish whether or not there was a dramatic or overtly noticeable difference between the two amplifier sections. The methodology included sending toslink coax to the Sony receiver and coax digital to the Yamaha - all from a single source DVD player. Levels were matched beforehand using test signals from the AVIA test DVD. Switching was done manually by altering the speaker cables from one receiver to the other. Let's just say that I will not be submitting these results to AES for peer review.

DVD-Audio: R.E.M. The Best of R.E.M.
I selected The Best of R.E.M. so that I could play back some excellent stereo mixes and really hear what each amplifier section was doing. First up was "Man on the Moon". Michael Stipe's vocals were lifelike, with just a touch of that "too close to the microphone" sound that marks many of R.E.M.'s tracks. I could discern a clean, wide soundstage and the finger noises present on the acoustical guitar track revealed that the Sony could bring out the most subtle details in any recording. The decay time on background percussion elements was clean and smooth and I felt the drums were tight and well represented. When I switched back to the Yamaha I'd love to say that my wife could hear the difference pulling into the driveway, but then I'd have to work for a different publication wouldn't I? To be honest I could not put my finger on any specific differences in the sound and will look forward to doing more scientific ABX comparisons later this year in the Audioholics Showcase Home.

What this told me was that Sony's Digital amplifiers weren't producing a significant amount of distortion or artifacts in a way that was readily audible in a non-controlled unscientific setting. It certainly didn't affect my enjoyment of the source content or ability to pick out detail and resolution. After playing several more titles and tracks I put away the comparison receiver and focused solely on the Sony.

"E-bow the Letter" contained some tight, low bass and allowed me to have the Sony really push the RBH Sound CinemaSITE system with a full frequency range track. Acoustic guitars were exceptional in their realism. Patti Smith's backing vocals were rich and deep in this track and I really enjoyed the detail and transparency this song afforded me. "Orange Crush", which came next, offered one more opportunity for me to listen for vocal detail and the tightness of electric bass and kick drums. While the instrument performance on this song track had a rather narrow soundstage, the vocals were exceptionally wide and reverb was room-filling from just two channels. The dialogue and effects sequence occurring three quarters of the way into the song was almost mystifying in its 3-D soundstage (in 2-channel mode, mind you). It quite literally came into the room, causing me to visually verify I hadn't somehow enabled Pro Logic II on the receiver.

CD: Damien Rice O
This CD has some wonderfully raw vocals, drums and guitar in some of the nicest two-channel mixes I've heard. Track 1 "delicate" had Damien's gossamer voice coming through like he was standing in Reference System 2 with me. Cymbal decays were smooth, subtle and shimmery while the snare was crisp - you could easily discern the edges of the fan brush within the track. The Song didn't appear to miss a lick of detail or ability to control a pair of speakers like the SI-6100s with control and precision.

Track 2 "Volcano" features a lot of raw guitar, complete with fret and finger noises. The intimate mix with acoustic bass and strings combined with some very tight backing vocal harmonies sounded refined and almost mesmerizing. The round robin style of verse used at the end of the song made for some excellent material with which to gauge the Sony's handling of a very precise mix. The transparency of this amplifier is commendable and the dynamics I heard were both accurate and satisfying. This entire album sounded very lucid and lively and I quickly got lost in the moment, allowing it to almost play through to completion before I remembered I was supposed to be critically evaluating the Sony. Enjoy the music, right? In any case I finally realized that I had to move on and pulled myself away from this disc.

CD: Jack Johnson Brushfire Fairytales
Track 2 of this album, "Middle Man" shows off some smooth, low bass with wide-panned doubled guitars. Later, Adam Tupol brings in some bongos and the mix gets fuller, but never overbearing (a trait you could ascribe to almost all tracks on this album). This use of "stereo" guitars exhibits a very wide soundstage that also reveals great depth. Instruments sound controlled, and again reverb such as the smooth but noisy decay in "Posters" have all of their nuances in tact. The STR-DA7100ES was able to accommodate multiple layers of detail without skipping a beat, such as articulating a cymbal bell over top of a driving, vocal-rich mix. Additional tracks on this album did much to bolster my confidence in utilizing the Sony as a clean, powerful amplifier for two-channel music. If you want a really up close and personal track with intimate male vocals, check out track 6 "Bubble Toes."

CD: Amos Lee Amos Lee
This album is a pleasure to listen to - even more so when you have a nice, articulate system. The Sony kept pace and passed the full experience from the CD, unmolested, to the RBH Sound speakers in my room. Starting with Track 1 "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" and continuing through the rest of the album Amos' vocals are raw and authentic. Guitars and bass aren't significantly processed or "overmixed" and, in fact, the disc retains some dynamics which I am finding harder and harder to locate these days. Amos' vocals were dead center in the mix and up front as if he was singing from directly between my speakers. Track 4 "Give It Up" got a bit funkier with the addition of an organ and a more energetic guitar and vocal style. Even with the additional, and busier, arrangement I still found the Sony offered a clarity and detail that made the tracks all that much better.

DVD-Audio: Seal IV
I wanted to experience some fuller, more compressed mixes with plenty of low frequency, so I queued up Seal IV and settled in for some tunes. The first track I listened to was "Waiting for You" which intros with a bass line and doesn't let up the entire time. Amidst the rather dense mix I was still permitted to distinguish individual instruments and detail. Entry level receivers have clipped the top end and resulted in a more sibilant, less enjoyable rendition of this song in prior listening sessions. Track 10 "Heavenly" was the second track I listened to find out whether the Sony would do a clean rendition of vocals amidst a sea of reverb, percussion, and keyboard synth. The results were enjoyable and I almost became frustrated that I couldn't find a track to trip up the Sony to some audible degree or another (ok, it was more like I was frustrated that the transparency of the Sony left me little to write about...)