Sony STRDA2400ES

Sony’s line-up of A/V receivers has been bolstered by the STRDA2400ES, which offers 100 Watts of power through seven channels as well as a full range of video switching and up-scaling. It’ll do almost everything you could wish for, but might prove to be a difficult beast to set up if you have a lot of equipment.

It’s certainly an imposing device. The fascia houses a large number of dials, switches and buttons, as well as a removable panel for connecting portable A/V devices. As usual, the volume control is the largest dial and moves perfectly smoothly. All the simplest functions of the receiver can be accessed from these controls, but if you want more complex functionality you’ll have to use one of the system’s remotes. That’s right — it has two.

We were hoping that the remotes would have different functions, but it seems that’s not the case. The smaller remote is more for convenience’s sake, with input and volume buttons as well as a navigation pad. The larger remote includes these features as well as a variety of sound equalisation and alteration keys. You might find having two remotes useful — even if it is just to compete over the volume — but we found it slightly baffling.

When it comes to features, though, the STRDA2400ES is able to compete with the front-runners. A frankly ridiculous number of connections are on the rear of the unit: three component inputs and an output, four HDMI inputs and an output, five composite inputs and an output, a whopping 11 analog stereo audio inputs and five outputs, five digital audio inputs... The list really does go on and on. Put simply, if you’ve got any A/V device made in the last few decades it’ll find a home at the back of the STRDA2400ES.

For actually switching and outputting all these ports and connections, there’s the choice of composite, component or HDMI outputs; the HDMI port is able to up-scale all video sources to 1080p.

This up-scaling is of great quality, with DVD-quality sources exceptionally vivid and smoothly enhanced. Of course, up-scaling will never be as perfect as original HD content, but the STRDA2400ES makes the best use of any content so you don’t have to rely on your television’s in-built scalers.

The amplifier is able to output a more-than-adequate 100 Watts RMS to seven channels simultaneously, as well as offering a subwoofer pre-out. This is more than enough to power a full surround-sound home theatre set to painful levels and we couldn’t detect any noticeable distortion when driving a set of M Series speakers from AAD.

Switching between inputs and modes was simple; with a little practice, controlling the unit will become second nature. If you have had any experience with home entertainment equipment you should be able to follow the basics without any major hiccups. If not, the two-inch-thick bundle of manuals included with the unit should come in handy.

If you’ve got a serious home entertainment setup — Full HD television, extended surround sound speaker system and any number of DVD, CD, BD or HD disc players — the STRDA2400ES will perform any task you ask of it with ease.