Question Sony str-da5300es upgrade options

[AndyA]

Hi all,

I currently have a Sony STR-DA5300es & 7.1 Mission speaker system with a Paradigm PDR10 Subwoofer and would appreciate any thoughts on upgrading the receiver.

I use this for both Hi-FI and AV

I currently have the following AV connected to it :
Sony XR-48A90K TV
BT You view UHD Freeview
Dune HD Real Vision 4k Plus (Streams Films and Music from a QNAP NAS)
Sony UBP-X800M2 Blu ray player

I also have a HDMI Switch on the output of the amp that lets me switch to a Wireless HDMI transmitter to send to a 4k Projector (I am aware that due to the current amp this only works at 1080P)

I also have the following HI-FI components connected to it

NAD 5120 Turntable
Sony ST-SRE700 DAB/FM Tuner
Sony CDP-XE520 CD Player
Sony MDS-JE480 Mini Disc player (old school I know)
Sony CDP-350 CD changer
Sony CDP-355 CD changer

Whilst this setup works well I realise that the AV receiver does not support 4K therefore I am looking for one that does.

I have been searching for quite a while for a replacement but most amplifiers don't have 4k and a tape loop.

Initially I have been looking at the Sony TA-AN1000 and the older Sony DTR-DN1080 but neither seem to meet my needs (no tape loop) so I have broadened my search to Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo and others but with not joy.

I have considered using a the current amps multi channel inputs /outputs for the new amp so that the HIFI stuff could stay connected an the new amp would handle the AV requirements (@4k) and the speakers /sub -

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated

 

[Al ears]

Tape loops only exist on integrated amplifiers as far as I am aware. Cannot recall any AV amp having this function, and why should it?
Think you might need to keep this requirement and home cinema requirement completely separate.

 

[AndyA]

Tape loops only exist on integrated amplifiers as far as I am aware. Cannot recall any AV amp having this function, and why should it?
Think you might need to keep this requirement and home cinema requirement completely separate.

thank you for your comments - appreciate your time

 

[AndyA]

To add to this - perhaps I should have said recording loop - the current amp (Sony STR-DA5300es image attached) provides an optical output as well a multiple optical in puts - this allow a digital recording device to be connected.
In addition there are also two Stereo RCA input /outputs to allow this. I am referring to these (perhaps incorrectly) as tape loops and was hoping to get advice on AV receivers that offer this functionality in addition to supporting 4k/8k over HDMI.


Again, any advice or help you are able to give would be appreciated.

 

[Messiah]

Hmm. I cannot claim to be up on the connections of all modern AV receivers but I do not recall any that support 4K/8K that also have tape loops etc.

I just think that technology (cassette/Mini disc etc) is rarely used these days so no point in manufacturers adding the connections for them.

 

[AndyA]

Hi Messiah,

thanks for your response - the only ones that I have found @Richer Sounds are the Arcam AVR5 and the Anthem MRX 540 8K as both of these provide optical outputs. But at around £2k these are expensive options.

I agree that the Mini disc is old technology but it still gives me the ability to record CD quality sound which is why I was hoping to retain it.

A lot of the new model AV Receivers offer USB functionality, but I am not sure if this is playback only or if it is possible to record from the various input sources to the USB stick. ... I will do some more research around this

As AL Ears suggests above it may be time to separate the AV and the HI-FI side of things and get a dedicated Integrated Amp and speakers for Music and also a dedicated AV Receiver for the TV and projector. This route again could turn out to be an expensive option.



Thank you for your thoughts on this .

 

[dhp]

Hi Messiah,

thanks for your response - the only ones that I have found @Richer Sounds are the Arcam AVR5 and the Anthem MRX 540 8K as both of these provide optical outputs. But at around £2k these are expensive options.

I agree that the Mini disc is old technology but it still gives me the ability to record CD quality sound which is why I was hoping to retain it.

A lot of the new model AV Receivers offer USB functionality, but I am not sure if this is playback only or if it is possible to record from the various input sources to the USB stick. ... I will do some more research around this

As AL Ears suggests above it may be time to separate the AV and the HI-FI side of things and get a dedicated Integrated Amp and speakers for Music and also a dedicated AV Receiver for the TV and projector. This route again could turn out to be an expensive option.



Thank you for your thoughts on this .

Hi ,

I had a similar problem but found a solution that works for me. All I did was connect all my HIFI sources :

CD Player , CD recorder , Mini Disc Player / recorder , turntable, and a Tape deck to a Pre amplifier, In my case an Audiolab 8000C ( which has 3 tape loops ), then run a stereo connection from the pre amplifier outputs on the Audiolab to the CD Input of my AV Receiver.

Set the volume output on the pre-amplifier to approx. 50 Percent and then set the CD input on my AV receiver to 'Direct' or 'Pure' , depending and what AV receiver your using . Doing this removes any processing on your AV receiver and effectively turns it into a Power amplifier. I'm currently using a Marantz SR 7015 Receiver and this set up works really well . I've used it in the past with 2 other AV Receivers with great results .

If you want to ensure you get the Best sound quality you might want to consider using an AV Amplifier with Pre Amp outputs on it so that you can add good quality external power amps.

However you should be able get enjoyable results using the on board amplification on a decent AV Receiver

If you cannot find a dedicated HIFI pre amplifier, any Stereo amp with pre amplifier outputs and the number of tape loops you require should allow you to do the same thing

 

[jjbomber]

I have been searching for quite a while for a replacement but most amplifiers don't have 4k and a tape loop.

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated

Could the headphone output be used as a tape loop? You'd have to adjust the levels manually.