7.2 Channel 2450W Sony Home Theater - HT-M77

The HT-M77 home theater is an improvement of the 2012 HT-M7. Just like the HT-M7, the HT-M77 is a very loud home theater system featuring an STR-KM77 AV receiver of 2450W RMS total music power and 9 speaker units. Sony has added attractive enhancements to the 2012 HT-M7. Among them, is an enhanced bass punch, which it achieved through use 30cm subwoofer drivers instead of the 25cm drivers adopted for the HT-M7 home theater.
Secondly, if you owned an HT-M7, you know how cumbersome it was to automate and connect media sources. Thanks to Sony, the 2014 HT-M77 is enabled for Bluetooth streaming and NFC for Bluetooth pairing. This new feature allows you to effortlessly stream your favorite tunes directly from your compatible iPhone/iPod, tablet or smartphone to the HT-M77 receiver. On the HT-M7, you had to stream through a Bluetooth enabled laptop connected to the AV receiver via an HDMI connection.
What's more, Sony has added more Soundfields on the HT-M77 to spice every bit of action. You can now enjoy your favorite football games with the Football sound effect activated.

Attractive Features on the HT-M77 Home Theater

• 2450W RMS Total Amp Output Power

The HT-M77 is louder than its predecessor, the HT-M7. Sony ramped up the total RMS music power output on the HT-M7 from 2012W to a whooping 2450W. If you enjoy loud music, the HT-M77 is the one for you. It is a home theater system with a good bass response and with enough volume. To achieve these numbers, the Amp in the HT-M77 is driven too close to its limit as revealed shortly;
In stereo mode, it is rated at 120 W + 120 W (measured for 6 ohms, at 1 kHz and THD 1%) - which is the same with the HT-M7. However, in surround mode, the Amp is driven into severe distortions by as much as 30% as indicated as follows; Measured for 6 ohms at 1 kHz and THD 30% to get 264W to FRONT speakers per channel, 266W to CENTER speaker, 264W to SURROUND speakers per channel, 264W to SURROUND BACK speakers per channel, and lastly measured for 4 ohms at 100 Hz and THD 30%, to get 300W to the SUBWOOFERS per channel.

The very high THD values imply that in normal operation you will never fully enjoy Maximum volume on the HT-M77 for all media sources because at high volume the distortions become more pronounced and you experience a lot of discomfort at these volumes. However, general usage is always at about half the rated maximum volume. Even at this volume, the HT-M77 is still loud enough for a house party hosted in a large living or lounge room. Maximum volume is never really necessary!

• Bluetooth and NFC for effortless streaming

To me, the Bluetooth feature is the best improvement made on the the HT-M7. Wireless music streaming has never been made any easier! You can stream directly from your compatible smartphone or tablet with a simple touch on the NFC area of the HT-M77 AV receiver.

• Football and Digital Music Arena soundfields

On the HT-M7, there are three soundfields; Gaming, Movie and Music. Two new sound fields; Football and Digital Music Arena, have been introduced on the HT-M77. You can now enjoy football games with a live football stadium atmosphere if the Football soundfield is activated while watching your games. In addition, the Digital Music Arena DSP brings Live Music Concerts to life by mimicking arena sound effects.

• Two 30 cm Metallic Cone type Subwoofer

The two 30cm metallic cone drivers in the HT-M77 are designed to give a lower frequency response than was possible with the HT-M7 which is delivered with two 25cm metallic cone type subwoofers. The HT-M77 features slightly bigger subwoofer drivers to give you a much heavier punch to rattle rattle your windows and floor!

Full tech specs of the HT-M77 Home Theater

• 2450W Total Power Output (Measured at 1kHz, 6Ohms, 10%THD)
• 7.2 analog Amplifier channels
• Falcon 2.0 DSP
• Bass/Treble Control
• Jog Input Selector 
• Bass and Treble Equalizer
• Speaker Level Control (dB) FRT: BAL. L+1 to BAL. L+6, BALANCE, BAL R+1 to BAL. R+6 CNT: +/-6 SL, SR: +/-6 SBRL, SBR: +/-6 SW: +/-6 

Input and Output Ports

• Bluetooth(NFC) In
• 3 Audio In
• 2 Optical Digital In
• 1 Coaxial In
• 3 HDMI In
• 1 HDMI Out
• 1 USB In

Available Soundfields 

• Movie
• Music 
• Gaming 
• Football mode 
• Digital Music Arena

Decoding Sound Formats 

• LPCM (2ch / 5.1ch / 7.1ch) through HDMI
• Dolby Digital
• DTS
• DTS 96/24 
• Dolby Prologic II
• 96k/24Bit PCM 
• Dolby Dual Mono 

Tuner

• 30 AM/FM Channel presets
• Preset Channel FM/AM Station Name 
• Auto Tuning 
• Direct Tuning
• FM Mode

Video Features 

• A/V SYNC
• LPCM for HD Surround from Blu-ray Disc
• HDMI Quality - 1080p
• HDMI Quality - 1080/24p
• HDMI Quality - Deep Color
• HDMI Quality - x.v.Color (xvYCC)
• HDMI Quality - Audio Return Channel
• HDMI Quality - 3D Pass Through
• HDMI Quality - HDMI Pass Through
• HDMI Quality - 3D over HDMI

General Display 

• Union Jack Sleep Timer
• (up to 2 hours) Auto Standby 
• Pin Jack Nickel 

Speaker System 

• Subwoofer speaker system

• Bass Reflex Unit
• 30cm cone type  driver.
• 4 ohms rated impedance 

• Front Speaker system

• Bass Reflex system
• 2 way 3 driver
• 2.5cm horn type
• Two 20cm cone type Woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance 

• Surround Speaker System 

• Bass Reflex unit
• 2 way 2 driver
• 2.5cm horn type Tweeter
• 16cm cone type Woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance 

• Surround back speaker system

• Full range
• Closed Box Speaker unit
• 10cm cone type woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance

• Center Speaker System

• Bass Reflex
• Full range
• Magnetically shielded
• 6 ohms rated impedance
• 10cm cone type woofer

Power requirements

• Input power: 110-127V or 220-240V AC, 50/60Hz depending on region.
• Power consumption in operation: 195W
• Power consumption in idle: 0.3W (with Ctrl HDMI set to off) 

Weight and Dimensions

• Main Unit

The main unit measures approximately 430 x 178 x 336mm (W x H x D) and weighs 10.3kg.

• Front Speaker

Front Speakers are approximately 280 x 925 x 265mm (W x H x D) and weighing roughly 15kg.

• Center Speaker

The center speaker size is roughly 430 x 182 x 178mm (W x H x D) with weight of approximately 3.3kg 

• Surround Speaker

Each Surround Speaker approximately weighs 13kg with approximate dimensions of (W x H x D) 280 x 885 x 265mm.

• Subwoofer

A single subwoofer weighs roughly 14kgs and measures approximately (W x H x D) 410 x 555 x 350mm. 

• Rear Surround Speaker

Rear Surround Speakers are the smallest with approximate dimensions 280 x 235 x 162mm (W x H x D) and weight 2.4kg

 

HT-M77 Buying Guide

• The HT-M77 is currently priced at $1399.99, which is comparatively lower than most high end home theater systems in its category. I would bet that the HT-M77 is the best home theater you can get given its power and at such a low price. 

•  Like its predecessor, the HT-M7, the quality of the media inputs affect performance of the HT-M77. So to enjoy it to the fullest always use high quality media sources, i.e HD movies, High quality audio, etc. 
• If you are to turn up the volume to maximum, set the speaker level controls at about 0dB. At this level sound distortions are less pronounced and the output is really good. Anything above 0dB makes the output sound uncomfortable to listen to.

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7.2 Ch. Sony Muteki STR-KM77 AV Receiver

From the 2012 STR-KM7 to the 2014 STR-KM77! The STR-KM77 is just an AV receiver for the HT-M77 component music system which in addition includes 9 speaker units. Sony has added attractive enhancements to the STR-KM7. One of my frustrations with the STR-KM7 was the absence of Bluetooth Streaming. Fortunately, it's like Sony heard my silent frustrations and introduced Bluetooth and NFC for Bluetooth pairing on the STR-KM77. This new feature now effortlessly allows you to stream directly from your compatible iPhone/iPod or smartphone to the STR-KM77. With the STR-KM7, I could only stream from my Android phone through a Bluetooth enabled Laptop

that is connected to the AV receiver via an HDMI connection. Thanks to Sony, my laptop is no longer needed!
Additionally, Sony has added more Soundfields on the STR-KM77. You can now enjoy your favorite football games with the Football sound mode active.

Attractive Features on the STR-KM77

• 2450W RMS Total Amp Output Power

Sony has boosted the power output on the STR-KM7 from 2012W to a staggering 2450W. If you like a home theater system with a heavy punch, this is cause for excitement. But wait, not just yet! Here is what I found out.
In stereo mode, it is rated at 120 W + 120 W (measured for 6 ohms, at 1 kHz and THD 1%) - which is the same with the STR-KM7. But when it comes to the surround mode, Sony has allowed the incredible to happen. The Amp channels are allowed to be driven into severe distortions by as much as 30% as indicated as follows; Measured for 6 ohms at 1 kHz and THD 30% to get 264W to FRONT speakers per channel, 266W to CENTER speaker, 264W to SURROUND speakers per channel, 264W to SURROUND BACK speakers per channel, and lastly measured for 4 ohms at 100 Hz and THD 30%, to get 300W to the SUBWOOFERS per channel.

To clearly understand this, you need to first understand the concept of THD explained here. But what this means is that in principle you will never fully enjoy Maximum volume on the STR-KM77 for a number of media sources as you will experience a lot more discomfort at these volumes than on the STR-KM7. However, realistically, ordinary usage is always at about half the rated maximum volume. And even at this level, it is loud enough for a large room. Unless you are hosting a party, maximum volume is never necessary!

• Bluetooth and NFC for effortless streaming

To me, this is the best addition that was lacking on the STR-KM7. You can stream directly from your compatible smartphone or tablet with a simple touch on the NFC area of the STR-KM77 receiver.

• Football and Digital Music Arena soundfields

Football and Digital Music Arena sound modes are a great addition, which were never present on the STR-KM7. You can now enjoy an enhanced football stadium atmosphere with the Football Sound field set to active while watching your games. In addition, the Digital Music Arena DSP brings Live Music Concerts to life as it mimics arena sound effects.

• 2 x 300 mm Metallic Cone type Subwoofer

Unlike the HT-M7 that is delivered with 2 x 250 mm metallic cone type subwoofers, the HT-M77 features slightly bigger subwoofer drivers of 300mm. This means, with the HT-M77 you enjoy a much heavier low frequency (bass) punch that will certainly rattle your windows and floor.

Full tech specs of the STR-KM77

• 2450W Total Power Output (Measured at 1kHz, 6Ohms, 10%THD)
• 7.2 analog Amplifier channels
• Falcon 2.0 DSP
• Speaker Terminal Color Socket 
• Bass/Treble Control
• Jog Input Selector 
• Bass and Treble Equalizer
• Speaker Level Control (dB) FRT: BAL. L+1 to BAL. L+6, BALANCE, BAL R+1 to BAL. R+6 CNT: +/-6 SL, SR: +/-6 SBRL, SBR: +/-6 SW: +/-6 

Inputs and Outputs

• Bluetooth(NFC) In
• 3 Audio In
• 2 Optical Digital In
• 1 Coaxial In
• 3 HDMI In
• 1 HDMI Out
• 1 USB In

Soundfields 

• Movie
• Music 
• Gaming 
• Football mode 
• Digital Music Arena

Decoding Formats 

• LPCM (2ch / 5.1ch / 7.1ch) through HDMI
• Dolby Digital
• DTS
• DTS 96/24 
• Dolby Prologic II
• 96k/24Bit PCM 
• Dolby Dual Mono 

Tuner

• 30 AM/FM preset channels
• Preset Channel FM/AM Station Name 
• Auto Tuning 
• Direct Tuning
• FM Mode

Video Features 

• A/V SYNC
• LPCM for HD Surround from Blu-ray Disc
• HDMI Quality - 1080p
• HDMI Quality - 1080/24p
• HDMI Quality - Deep Color
• HDMI Quality - x.v.Color (xvYCC)
• HDMI Quality - Audio Return Channel
• HDMI Quality - 3D Pass Through
• HDMI Quality - HDMI Pass Through
• HDMI Quality - 3D over HDMI

General Display 

• Union Jack Sleep Timer
• (up to 2 hours) Auto Standby 
• Pin Jack Nickel 

Speaker System 

• Subwoofer speaker system

• Bass Reflex Unit
• 300 mm cone type  driver.
• 4 ohms rated impedance 

• Front Speaker system

• Bass Reflex system
• 2 way 3 driver
• 25 mm horn type tweeter
• 2 x 200mm cone type Woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance 

• Surround Speaker System 

• Bass Reflex unit
• 2 way 2 driver
• 25 mm horn type Tweeter
• 160 mm cone type Woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance 

• Surround back speaker system

• Full range
• Closed Box Speaker unit
• 100 mm cone type woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance

• Center Speaker System

• Bass Reflex
• Full range
• Magnetically shielded
• 6 ohms rated impedance
• 100 mm cone type woofer

Power requirements

• Input power: 110-127V or 220-240V AC, 50/60Hz depending on region.
• Power consumption in operation: 195W
• Power consumption in idle: 0.3W (with Ctrl HDMI set to off) 

Weight and Dimensions

• Main Unit (W x H x D): Approx 430 x 178 x 336mm Main Unit Weight (kg) Approx. 10.3kg 
• Front Speaker Size (W x H x D): Approx. 280 x 925 x 265mm Front Speaker Weight (kg) Approx. 15kg 
• Center Speaker Size (W x H x D): Approx. 430 x 182 x 178mm Center Speaker Weight (kg) Approx. 3.3kg 
• Surround Speaker Size (W x H x D): Approx. 280 x 885 x 265mm Surround Speaker Weight (kg) Approx. 13kg 
• Subwoofer Size (W x H x D): Approx. 410 x 555 x 350mm Subwoofer Weight (kg) Approx. 14kg
• Rear Surround Speaker Size (W x H x D): Approx. 280 x 235 x 162mm Rear Surround Speaker Weight (kg) Approx. 2.4kg 

 

Buying guide

• The HT-M77 currently goes for $1399.99 buying price, which is comparatively lower than other high end home theater systems in its category. I would bet that the HT-M77 is the best home theater you can get given its performance and at that price. 

•  Like its predecessor, the HT-M7, the quality of the media inputs affect performance of the HT-M77. So to enjoy it to the fullest always use high quality media sources, i.e HD movies, High quality audio, etc. 
• If you are to turn up the volume to maximum, set the speaker level controls at about 0dB. At this level sound distortions are less pronounced and the output is really good. Anything above 0dB makes the output sound uncomfortable to listen to.

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7.2 Ch. Sony Muteki STR-KM7 specs

The Sony Muteki STR-KM7 AV receiver has been around for quite some time and party lovers like it because it delivers on power just as promised. For a full review click here while for a full system specification, continue reading.

Amplifier specifications:

• 7.2 Channel Analog Amplifier; Total power output - 2012W RMS (6 Ohms, 1kHz, 10% THD)
• Stereo Output mode(6 ohms, 1kHz, 1%THD), Output (L+R, 120W + 120W)
• Surround mode output (6 ohms, 1kHz, 10% THD), Output FL/FR /C/SR/SL/SBR/SBL = 216W. Subwoofer (4 ohms, 100Hz, 10%THD), SW = 250W.
• 4 Sound fields (Movie, Game, Music) and without lock.
• Falcon 1.1 DSP
• Bass and Treble equalizer (+/- 6dB)
• Speaker level (dBm) control; +/- 10 for Centre, Subwoofer and Surround speakers, L+1 to 8/R+1 to 8 or BALANCE for Front speakers.

Decoding formats:

• LPCM (2Ch, 5.1Ch, 7.2Ch) through HDMI
• Dolby Prologic II
• Dolby Dual mono
• 96kHz/24bit PCM
• DTS 96/24
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby TrueHD 
• HD Digital Cinema Sound

Inputs and outputs:

• Analog Audio in/out : 5/1
• Optical digital in/out: 2/0
• Coaxial in/out : 1/0
• Component video in/out: 2/1
• Composite video in/out: 2/1
• HDMI in/out: 3/1

 

Sensitivity

• Inputs

Analog: 800 mV/50k ohms
Digital (Coaxial) Impedance: 75 ohms

• Outputs

Analog Audio out: 800 mV/1k ohms

• Tone

Gain levels +/- 6 dB, 1 dB step

• Frequency Response

28Hz - 20k Hz        

Video features:

• A/V Sync
• 1080p HDMI Quality and 1080/24p
• HDMI Quality - 3D pass through and 3D over HDMI
• HDMI Quality - HDMI pass through
• HDMI Quality - Audio Return Channel (ARC)
• LPCM for HD surround from Blu-ray Disc.
• HDMI Quality - Deep colour/x.v.Color

Video specs

• Video In/Out level: 1 Vp-p, 75 ohms
• Component Video In/Out level: [Y: 1Vp-p, 75 ohms], [PB: 0.7Vp-p, 75 ohms], [PR: 0.7Vp-p, 75 ohms], 80MHz HD Pass through.

Tuner and general specs:

• FM/AM mode, Station name input, Direct/Auto tuning, Preset channel tuning
• Sleep timer(up to 2hrs), Auto standby, Union jack display
• Power requirements; 110-120V or 230-240V, 50-60Hz, 185W depending on region
• Power consumption standby: 0.3W
• USB Playback option located at the front of the system unit.

Speaker system:

• The HT-M7 home theater system is supplied with 9 speaker unit; 1 Centre(CN), 2 Front speakers (FR/FL), 2 Surround Back, (SBR/SBL), 2 Surround speakers (SR/SL) and 2 Subwoofers (SW).
• Bass reflex Front, surround, Subwoofer and centre speaker system.
• Metallic cone speaker system,
• Magnetically shielded speakers
• Subwoofer system: 250mm cone type
• Speaker weight: Front R/L -15kgs, Centre - 3.3kgs, Surround R/L -13kgs, SBL/SBR - 2.4kgs, Subwoofer(SW) - 8.5kgs 

Buying tips

• This muteki KM7 is very loud and is suitable for large room installations. The acoustics of a large room make the KM7 sound much better with minimal discernible sound distortions even when it is not properly sound calibrated. If you live in a rented neighborhood be careful about having late night parties for you might be thrown out by your landlord! 

• The STR-KM7 is very bulky; 9 speakers in total plus a AV receiver unit weighing almost 100kgs in total. It is not an appropriate choice for a small room because it requires a huge space and it may not be very pleasing to have speakers scattered allover the place.

• The KM7 is essentially an AV receiver supplied with speakers. To make it complete you need AV sources such as the Blu-ray/DVD/CD/MP3 Disc players, portable HDD players,  FTV/FTA satellite receivers, Gaming consoles, USB devices etc. 

•  The KM7 amplifier is rated at 10% THD, which is quite high. Sound distortions become very vivid if you listen to sound from a low quality source. The result can actually be very discomforting to the ears. A cumbersome solution would be to manually recalibrate the speaker output. The best solution though is to always use high quality AV sources to ensure the amplifier outputs high quality sound as well.

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9.2 Ch. TX-NR929 Onkyo Network AV Receiver

The Onkyo TX-NR929 is a state of the art 9.2 channel Network AV receiver from Onkyo corporation. It is built to impress and will turn a 'big room into a small one'by virtue of its output. It provides an 11 speaker jack configuration for a 9.2 channel output. It can be connected in a 3-zone installation, in which Zone 1 enjoys a 5.1 channel movie, Zone 2, a movie with stereo audio and Zone 3 stereo audio. It provides Infrared, Bluetooth, LAN/WLAN and RS-232 for interconnection with compatible devices for automation.

Attractive features on the TX-NR929 AV Receiver

• HDMI Support for 3D, ARC and CEC HDMI
• Support for Deep Color, x.v.Color, LipSync  
• HDMI Support for DVD-Audio, SACD, Multichannel PCM
• Analog To HDMI Upconversion: (from 480/576i)
• 1080p Upscaling: (Marvell Qdeo)
• 4K (up to 4096 x 2160) Upscaling: (Marvell Qdeo) 
• 4K Passthrough
• Powered Zone2 and Zone3
• Zone 2 Line Out and Zone 2 Video Out
• HDMI Zone 3 Line Out
• iPod Ready: (via optional DS-A5)
• Airplay Ready: (via optional DS-A5)
• Supports Onkyo Remote App: (iPod touch/iPhone and Android-Powered Devices)
• Internet Radio Capable: (Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, Sirius/XM, Slacker, last.fm, Aupeo!, TuneIn)
• Streaming Audio From PC / Network: (DLNA, Home Media)
• Streaming Audio Formats Supported: (MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, AAC Stereo, Apple Lossless, DSD, LPCM, Dolby TrueHD 
• Wireless Network: (Wi-Fi-Certified) 
• Bluetooth: (Built-in)

 

TX-NR929 Amplifier tech specs

• All Channels: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Front L/R: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven) 
• Center: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Surround L/R: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Surround Back L/R: 160 W (6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7%THD, 2 channels driven)
• Dynamic Power: 300 W (3 Ohms, Front), 250 W (4 ohms, 1 Front), 150 W (8 ohms, Front)
• THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise): 0.08%THD (20 Hz-20 kHz, Rated Power)
• Damping Factor: 60 (Front, 1 kHz, 8 Ohms)
• Input Sensitivity and Impedance: 200 mV/470 Ohms (Line), 2.5 mV/47 k-ohms (Phono MM)
• Rated RCA Output Level and Impedance: 200 mV/470 Ohms (Line Out)
• Maximum RCA Output Level and Impedance: 4.6 V/470 Ohms (Line Out)
• Phono Overload: 70 mV (MM, 1 kHz, 0.5%THD):
• Frequency Response 5 Hz-100 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (Direct Mode)
• Tone Control: ±10 dB, 30 Hz (Bass), ±10 dB, 20 kHz (Treble)
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 110 dB (Line, IHF-A), 80 dB (Phono MM, IHF-A)
• Speaker Impedance: 4 Ohms–16 Ohms or 6 Ohms-16 Ohms 9.2 Channels (11 speakers)
• Power Watts/Channel: 135W (8ohms 20-20kHz, 0.08% THD, 2 Channels Driven) 
• THX Certified: Select2 Plus Continuous 6-ohms Rated and Certified 4ohms performance 
• All Discrete Circuitry 3-Stage Inverted Darlington Circuitry: (All Channels) PUSH-PULL Design
• Independent Power Supply Bi-amp Capability For Front 

 

Video and Audio Processing

• DTS Neo:X DTS Decoder
• DTS-HD Master Audio DOLBY Decoder
• True HD, DolbyDigital Plus, Dolby PLIIz 
• ONKYO GAME Surround Modes 
• THX Processing Mode 
• Audyssey DSX 
• Audyssey Dynamic EQ 
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume Music Optimizer: (Advanced) 192K/24 Bit DACs:  (Burr-Brown) 
• isf Certified Calibration Control 

 

Connectivity

• 3/0 in/out Audio 
• 1/0 in/out Phono 
• 3/0 in/out Optical Digital 
• 3/0 in/out Coaxial 
• 5/1 in/out A/V  
• 0/1 Video 
• 2/1 in/out Composite AV connection 
• 1/0 in/out USB 
• 9/2 in/out HDMI 
• I/O VGA - PC Input (15 pin D-sub) 
• 0/9 channel pre-outs 

 

Networking and Integration Access

• IRS-232
• IR Input
• Ethernet
• ONKYO-RI System Control
• 12V Trigger: (Zone 2/3)

 

Video Input Sensitivity/Output Level and Impedance

• 1 Vp-p/75 Ohms (Component)
• 0.7 Vp-p/75 Ohms (Component PB/CB, PR/CR)
• 1 Vp-p/75 Ohms (Composite) Component Video 
• Component Video Frequency Response: 5 Hz–100 MHz, -3dB 

 

Tuning Frequency Range

• FM: 87.5 MHz–107.9 MHz
• AM: 530 kHz–1,710 kHz
• FM/AM Preset Memory: 40 stations

 

Power Supply

• AC input: 120 V, 60 Hz 
• Power Consumption:  9.1 Amps
• A No-Sound Power Consumption: 120 W 
• Standby Power Consumption: 0.1 W 

 

Dimensions and Weight

• 17 1/8" x 7 13/16" x 17
• 1/4" (435 x 198.5 x 437.5 mm)
• 40.8lbs (18.5 kg)

 

Miscellaneous

• Learning Remote
• On Screen Remote Programming
• Activity Based Remote
• Color-Coded Speaker Terminals
• Auto Speaker Calibration
• W/Mic.: (Audyssey MultEQ XT32)
• OSD Out: (Advanced "Home" GUI)
• Solid Aluminum Front

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9.2 Ch. Pioneer SC-1523-K AV Receiver

The SC-1523-K high end AV Receiver has a magnificent metallic look with unexpectedly fewer manual controls and a beautiful screen display. The SC-1523-K featuring enormous amounts of power with exceptional control is certainly a must have AV receiver as its loaded with several features!

Attractive features of Pioneer SC-1523-K AV Receiver

• Class D amplifiers

The SC-1523-K is powered by Class D amplifiers. Class D amplifiers, though complex in design and implementation, deliver efficiencies close to 100% and as such do not dissipate a lot of heat; thence consuming less power.

• Multi Zone and Multi Source configuration

The SC-1523-K permits up to 4 zone configuration. You can enjoy a 5.1-channel home theater in zone 1, stereo in zone 2 and 3, and HD video content in zone 4 delivered over HDMI. This means 4 media sources can be enjoyed in the different zones simultaneously and controlled via a smart android/iOS app iControlAV2013.

• HD Codec support

The SC-1523-K is capable of decoding HD audio signals of codecs namely; THX surround EX, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby Pro logic IIz, DTS-HD MA and DTS Neo:X. This means it can deliver a stunning High Definition Audio experience from HD media sources.

• 4K Ultra HD support

The SC-1523-K supports 4K Ultra HD pass through and upscaling to a 4K Ultra HD TV or other compatible display; 3840 x 2160 (24/25/30Hz) or 4096 x 2160 (24Hz) pixels. The system uses Qdeo video processing technology from Marvel to upscale virtually any video source while preserving the aspect ratio of the source.

• High performance ESS-DAC Sabre

The SC-1523-K employs the high performance 32 bit ESS-DAC Sabre on all channels to deliver high fidelity sound with minimal harmonic distortion. An ESS-DAC Sabre is a 32-bit DAC chip which comprises of 2-channel audio Digital to Analog  converters. The ESS-DAC SABRE are a series of high-performance video and audio semiconductor chips from ESS technology Incorporation, designed specifically for use in high end home entertainment, mobile phones, digital music players, consumer applications such as Blu-ray players, audio pre-amplifiers, AV receivers, as well as professional applications such as recording systems, mixer consoles and digital audio workstations.

• Supported playback file format

The SC-1523-K supports gapless nonstop playback and a myriad of  file formats including but not limited to FLAC, MP3,WAV, AIFF, 192kHz/24bit WMA, AAC, Apple lossless format, iPod digital audio, DSD via USB network, etc. So whatever you have got on your PC or Smartphone, the SC-1523-K is ready to play it. 

• Windows 8 Certified

Pioneer SC-1523-K AV receiver is Windows 8 Certified; meaning you can stream media content from a windows 8 PC over the network.

• vTuner^®

If you are an internet radio enthusiast,  pioneer SC-1523-K features a vTuner® for internet Radio which allows you to listen to your favorite radio stations across the globe. You will have access to Pandora Internet Radio in addition to the vTuner Internet Radio.

• Spotify® Connect

TheSpotify® Connect feature lets you control and play media sources on connected sources through the SC-1523-K receiver. You can for instance select your playlist on your smartphone and listen to it through the SC-1523-K AV receiver.

• MHL 2.0 support

The system features a Mobile High Definition Link (MHL 2.0) that lets you connect, charge and play high definition and 3D content from a mobile phone.

• AirPlay Support

Play or stream media content on PC, iPod, iPad, Mac, iPhone, etc wirelessly via the AirPlay feature. It is possible to send different content to different zones as well with Airplay.

• The PQLS Bit-stream jitter reduction technology

The PQLS Bit-stream jitter reduction technology helps to reproduce realistic sound by utilizing the master audio clock in the AV Receiver for playback in lieu of the video clock in a compatible Blu-ray Disc player.

• Immersion Perfection with Full Band Phase Control

This unique feature helps to eliminate phase disruptions and better synchronize the output between multiple speakers for a stunning surround sound experience.

• MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration)

With the MCACC feature you are able to automatically fine tune and optimize the sound field for a given room using a supplied microphone to monitor the sound environment and an equalizer to optimize the parameters.

• DLNA 1.5 Certified

The Pioneer SC-1523-K is is compliant with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standards for home network streaming. With this AV receiver, you can stream content directly from DLNA compatible smartphones and other devices within your home without requiring a network.

Full tech Specs of the SC-1523-K AV Receiver

• 63 Channel presets for AM/FM tuner
• 9.2 Channel Class D3 Amplifier (Direct Energy HD)
• 135W x 9 RMS music output power at 1kHz and 8 ohms.
• 175W x 9 RMS music output power at 1kHz, 6 ohms and 1% THD
• Power consumption in operation: 330W and 0.1W consumption in standby mode with HDMI-CEC off.
• The SC-1523-K supports HTC Connect app which allows to stream wirelessly high quality audio and video from your HTC smartphone to the SC-1523-K.
• iControlAV2013 app for controlling the SC-1523-K AV receiver on your iOS and Android smartphones or tablets.
• Pioneer Air Jam Application support through an AS-BT200 stereo Bluetooth Adapter supplied separately.
• You can control your pioneer SC-1523-K via a networked PC
• The Areus MS320DA7x DSP family Digital Core DSP Engine
• Supports Hi-bit24 Audio Signal Processing technology which helps to create a virtually an undistorted sound and bringing out the best in the 24-bit DAC. It achieves this by expanding the resolution of the audio signal to create a smooth and detailed sound closely emulating the original analogue sound.
• Audio Scaler 192 kHz/32-bit Enhancer DAC

Sound field calibration

• Full Band Phase Control/Auto Phase Control Plus
• Standing Wave control
• 9-band Equalizer
• Symmetric Equalizer
• Auto Subwoofer crossover
• Polarity Check
• X-Curve
• PC Display
• 0.5 inch Distance adjustment
• MCACC memory: 6 settings

 

Listening Modes

• Auto Surround
• Stream Direct, DSD
• Wide Surround
• 15+1 Mode DSP surround
• Front stage surround advance
• Headphone surround
• Virtual surround for surround height/back/depth and wide speakers.

 

Audio features

• Multi channel DSD to PCM converter.
• Bit Stream PQLS jitter reduction
• Multi channel level Control
• Support for dialog enhancement
• Multichannel Sound Retriever
• Sound Retriever AIR
• Digital Noise Reduction
• 2 Channel Tone control
• 800ms Sound Delay
• Supports front channel Bi-amping

 

Video features

• HDMI-ARC
• HDMI x.v. color
• HDMI 36-bit Deep color
• Qdeo Video processor
• HDMI video converter
• 3D Noise Reduction
• Pure Cinema I/P converter
• 4K Ultra HD HDMI to HDMI video scaler
• 4K Ultra HD Component video scaler
• 4K Ultra HD composite video scaler
• 4K Ultra HD video Passthrough
• 4K Ultra HD video scaler
• HDMI Passthrough on standby
• 3-D Ready
• Video Color management 

 

Installation

• ECO mode
• HDZone
• FL Dimmer
• Function Rename
• Learning Remote Control
• Sleep timer with 1.5 hours max
• Auto power down
• FL Demo Mode
• On screen display GUI with Album art for HDMI sources only
• AVNavigator
• IR serial remote input and output
• Multi room and source output: HDMI HDZOne Video and Audio/powered zone Audio

 

Inputs and outputs

• HDMI input/Output: 9in/3out (Main Zone & Zone 2)
• iPod/iPhone input (Audio only)
• USB input: 1 Front for memory input, 1 rear for WLAN
• MHL 2.0 input: 1 Front
• Ethernet input: 1 back
• Headphone output:1
• Wireless adaptor port: 1
• Front AV inputs: 3 (MHL,HDMI&USB)
• Component video input/output: 2 in/1 out
• AV input/output: 4 in/ 2out
• Pre-Amp output: 9.1Channel or 11 speaker terminations.
• Audio input/output: 0 in /1 out
• Video/Monitor input/output: 0 in/ 1 out
• Optical input/Output: 2 in /1 out
• Coaxial input/Output: 1in /1 out
• Bluetooth Adapter port: 1
• RS-232C  Port.
• Infrared serial remote input: 1 in/ 1 out

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Sony Muteki STR-KM7 AV - Review

Sony Muteki STR-KM7  is a 7.2 channel AV Receiver for the HT-M7 home theater system. It processes full HD input signals and delivers 2012W RMS music power to a 9-speaker box configuration. I have owned this Muteki STR-KM7

for two years now and I can comfortably say I'm very satisfied. It is a home theater built for action. It is incredibly loud; its two Subwoofers are designed to deliver a heavy punch for majority of media sources. 

If you are a movie lover and a fan of loud parties, a phenomenal 2012W RMS of music power is available to the speakers. You will enjoy every bit of action with incredible clarity and volume. For movies enriched with bass effects (LFE channels), the subwoofers give you a thunderous rumbling effect with clean bass and remarkable voice clarity. This home theater is able to reproduce low frequency notes with great clarity and power. The metallic cone speakers adopted by Sony make it possible to reproduce sound with minimal distortion. 

The STR-KM7 processes Dolby TrueHD, HD Digital Cinema Sound and DTS 96kHz/24bit audio formats. In addition, it allows 3D and HD picture pass-through. DTS Master Audio is down mixed to DTS 96kHz/24bit. Some models however, do not process Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio. Always confirm this for your model before purchase. Logos of Dolby TrueHD, HD Digital Cinema Sound and DTS 96kHz/24bit must appear on the AV receiver unit and packing boxes.


I like how this STR-KM7 reproduces the sound of the canon while watching the hunger games DVD; it gives you a heart wrecking boom! It is without doubt that any movie with this home theater is always a pleasure to watch. The STR-KM7 is built for movies, and gives a true cinematic experience as advertised! From my continued use I have noticed movies encoded in DTS 5.1 or Dolby 5.1 audio formats or higher give the best experience.

The Sony Muteki STR-KM7 is easy to automate and easy to set up if you know what you are doing. It comes along with an elaborate manual detailing every bit. For me, I normally connect a PC/Laptop, HDMI Blu-ray Player and HDTV/SATV; and control everything via an Android phone.  

The STR-KM7 is delivered in two boxes weighing 65+34 kgs. It comes along with 9-aluminium cone speaker box system; 1 center, 2 surround, 2 surround back, 2 subwoofers, 2 front speakers and a single remote. The STR-KM7 has been sold in several other models like for instance; Muteki STR-K7SW - a model for middle East and Africa. All these are just AV receiver variants used with the same HT-M7 home theater system, but with only slight improvements among them and tailored for specific markets.

Like any other AV receiver, the STR-KM7 has its downside as well. I don't get enough Bass especially when listening to music. I would have loved to get a little more punch from the Subwoofers but they seem to max out at half volume (though even at this level it is still good enough for the price) and any further increases in volume seems to affect only the front and surround speakers. This leaves you craving for more bass. At maximum volume the bass effect seems to get blanked out by the sound from the front and surround speakers. It is more evident when listening to mp3 music and media not loaded with LFE effects. It's like as though, some channels lose power as you turn up the volume. The KM7 will never set your floor into vibration because its deep bass drivers are not designed to respond to audio frequencies lower than 100Hz. Deep bass frequencies lie somewhere between 20Hz and 100Hz. So if you are the kind that enjoys deep bass that rattles your spine, this is not for you! Noteworthy though, the STR-KM7 is very loud, even at half volume it delivers just perfectly, loud enough to satisfy your ears!

If you choose to sync the Sony Muteki STR-KM7 with the TV through BRAVIA sync, you are able to control it through the TV using a single remote. It is able to recognize the TV output selected. I have tested this on a Phillips and a Sony TV. I cannot guarantee whether other TV's will behave the same way. Though, the down side of this sync, is that sometimes the sound output gets distorted  and may require a reset to normalize.

The USB playback option is very limited. This Sony Muteki STR-KM7 can only play WMA, AAC and MP3 files of bit rates not more than 192kbps and it is unable to read NTFS formatted USB devices, portable HDDs for that matter. It becomes slower between playbacks for devices stacked with a large volumes of audio files. It allows up 100 folders and maximum of 8-level folder depth thereby limiting you on the number of hours and precious audio file playback. A solution to this is to connect a portable playback device to one of the AV ports on the rear panel instead of using USB; giving you the luxury of playing all kinds of files without worrying about system limitations.

Surprisingly, the Sony Muteki STR-KM7 has fewer manual controls making its remote an indispensable part. You have to keep it far from destructive kids lest you get stuck with a box you can hardly operate and program. Overall, it is a fantastic system built with an extra touch of class. If I were to rate it on a scale of 1-5, I would give it a 4.8. For more information and detailed technical specifications of the STR-KM7, please visit tech specs of the KM7. 

A few Notes:

• It should be noted that this system is rated 2012W Total RMS power. The speaker output ratings given are obtained about a specific frequency (i.e. 1 kHz) and speaker load (say 6 ohms) as indicated instead of the entire signal range of 20-20kHz. For this reason the very high values are justified. In addition, the high aggregate harmonic distortion value means at some point you may experience some sound discomfort. I have experienced this during my continued use of the KM7 especially while playing some MP3 files from a laptop. Turning the volume down a bit,  distortions become less pronounced. 

• If files are played from a high quality source, the output is similarly of a high quality. Playing files from Android phones and tablets has always given me the best output quality at all volumes. For best sound output from all sources, it is advisable to connect all inputs to an audio distortion correction unit and pick inputs to the home theater from the outputs of this unit. 

• Currently, 7.2 channel digital media is not readily available. Most media copies available commercially are recorded in the traditional 5.1 channel format. This means a 5.1 channel media source will never give you the sound effects as intended by the recording sound engineer much as the KM7 tries to predict and reproduce the remaining channels for a 7.2 channel output configuration. 

• The STR-KM7 is not network AV receiver; does not support WiFi, Bluetooth Streaming and NFC pairing for Bluetooth. Automation is very limited to the HDMI-CEC or BRAVIA Sync features.  

• The HT-M7 i.e.[STR-KM7 + 9 speaker units] currently goes for $999.99 buying price, which is comparatively lower than other high end home theater systems in its category. Even if this is a 2012 make I would not think twice cashing in on it because it gives you more than its price tag can fetch! 

• In case you are interested in the user and service manuals, just drop me an e-mail.

• You might also find the STR-KM77 particularly interesting.

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9.2 Ch. Sony STR-DA5800ES AV Receiver Review

Sony STR-DA5800ES is a 9.2 Channel AV Receiver from Sony Entertainment. The STR-DA5800ES delivers an incredible 9.2 Channel output surround sound [at 130W x 9, 8 ohms, 20-20kHz, 0.09% THD] and is capable of 4K resolution pass-through and up-scaling with a 4K TV or 4K projector. Streaming movies and music from the internet is even made easier on this DA5800ES through its integrated 4-port Ethernet switch. What's more you can easily control the AV receiver with an iOS or Android device using an ES Remote app available on Google play or iTunes store.
The STR-DA5800ES is fully compatible with control4 controller for home automation; making it easy to integrate with virtually any home automation system.

DA5800ES Video Features

The STR-DA5800ES is fully loaded with equipment and features. The 8 HDMI inputs are more than enough for all the input sources you can pack in your living room. The remaining 2 HDMI outputs are enabled for 4K up-scaling and pass-through to a 4K projector or TV. Please note that, the 4K up-scaling feature is not meant to improve the image quality of the source picture, rather increase picture size without any image quality loss! During the tests, this feature was never tested since I did not have a 4K TV or 4K projector in my possession. I would very much like to know what happens when you scale up a 576i, 720p, 1080i, 1080p picture to 4K. I hope no jagged images result!

Music and Video Streaming on the STR-DA5800ES

For those of you who love internet streaming, you are in luck because with this STR-DA5800ES it is possible to stream movies and music directly from internet via its native Ethernet ports. However, while streaming an HD movie, you need a link speed of at least 2.5Mbps or 100Mbps for better picture
experience.

DA5800ES Sound Quality

The STR-DA5800ES produces an immersive experience and a nuanced performance for large rooms. It delivers all notes with extreme clarity for virtually the entire musical frequency range (20 Hz-20 kHz). However, at high volume the DA5800ES begins to waver a little bit - signaling running short on power. When the volume is turned up, it maxes out pretty quickly before my ears get enough of it. I cannot fault the DA5800ES on sound crispness; it is designed for accurate sound reproduction, no wonder it is rated at 0.09% THD!

STR-DA5800ES Pricing

I had considered acquiring this system to replace my Muteki STR-KM7, but after experiencing it at a friend's place, I have decided not to buy it mainly on grounds of limited power relative to its pricing. The STR-DA5800ES costs $3999.99 and if you are to add on premium speakers, this value stretches to $8000 to setup the whole system! This is way to high! On the other hand, the Muteki STR-KM7 or popularly sold as the Muteki HT-M7 home theater is very cheap and delivers a heavy punch as well. Don't get me wrong, the STR-DA5800ES is not in any way comparable to the KM7 in terms of features and sound quality. But what I'm saying is that it is over priced.

The STR-KM7 is supplied along with 9 speaker units for under $1399.99 unlike the STR-DA5800ES. You have to buy speakers separately and very often compromising on the price of speakers, which in turn affects sound output quality.

DA5800ES Installation

Installation of the STR-DA5800ES is a night mare - the backside simply has so many ports, figuring out which ports to use is no ordinary man's job! A lot of cabling has to be done. I advise getting a techie to help you out if you are not sure of what to do. If you do not have any home automation system of any kind, you can still control it via the ARC HDMI port, TV and iPod or iPhone or any smart phone to a limited extent. So set it up fast and have a blast!

STR-DA5800ES GUI and Software

I do not normally give a fuss about the GUIs and software that Sony has always loaded on their entertainment systems because I prefer to concentrate on what it is capable of delivering. For as long as the output is excellent then it's a system worth my dime! I'm quite sure though a good many would find the STR-DA5800ES GUI less flexible, less intuitive and unappealing to the eye. But since this is not part of my core judgment features I will overlook it and leave it for you to judge!

Wireless Audio and Video Streaming

The STR-DA5800ES is NOT enabled for Bluetooth audio streaming and NFC for Bluetooth pairing, and neither is it enabled for WiFi video and audio streaming because it has no built-in WiFi adapter. If you were hoping to do away with the clutter of cables, you should be utterly disappointed because the DA5800ES does not have wireless streaming capability!

Audio Specifications of the STR-DA5800ES AV Receiver

• 9.2 channel A/V receiver

The STR-DA5800ES is 9 Amp channel AV receiver rated at 130W x 9 @ 8 ohms for an entire audio signal frequency range 20-20kHz, at 0.09% THD. For STR-DA5800ES models sold in the UK each Amp channel is rated somewhat higher at 145W instead of the 130W for models sold in the US. The Amp is designed to minimize sound distortions as evidenced by the incredibly low THD for crisp music sound reproduction.

• Flexible speaker options

The STR-DA5800ES gives you a flexible speaker configuration with an option of Bi-Amping speaker units. Additionally, the speakers can be installed in a multi-zone configuration of up to 3 zones. You can enjoy a 5.1 channel movie in the main zone while in zone 2 and zone 3 enjoy a video stereo source. For Zone 2 you have the flexibility of connecting either 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers. On the other hand, if you decide to enjoy a full 9.2 channel cinematic environment, you can connect Front High Speakers to complete the setup.

• High-quality Audio Transmission System (H.A.T.S.)

This feature is meant for Super Audio CD (SACD) audio synchronization. But since there are not many commercially available media volumes recorded on SACDs today, I regard it as a redundant feature. I personally, have never needed it and possibly not in the foreseeable future.

• A variety of sound fields

The STR-DA5800ES features the common Movie, Music, AFD, Headphone, 2-Channel, Digital Legato Linear and Portable Audio Enhancer Sound fields. Additionally it is equipped with new sound fields like the HD-DCS (Digital Cinema Sound) which mimics different movie environments, and Berlin Philharmonic Sound Optimizer specifically for orchestra and classical music optimization.

• Digital Stream Direct(DSD)

DSD technology is devoted to Super Audio CD music quality. This DSD feature allows you to directly stream audio from sources offering Super Audio CD quality music. There are not many sources though but if you carefully scour the internet you will certainly land on them. Such as provided here.

• DTS Neo:X
• DTS-HD
• Dolby® True HD/Dolby® Digital+/DolbyPro Logic II
• 31 band graphic equalizer

 

Video specifications

• Supports HDMI 1.4a
• 3D pass-through and Audio Return Channel (ARC)
• Supports 4K pass-through and upscaling
• Supports 4K pass-through to 2nd zone
• On-screen graphical user interface with overlay
• Uses an HD Faroudja upscaler chip for up-scaling video to HD for zone 2
• Supports Deep Color and x.v.Color™
• 24p True Cinema™

 

Inputs and Outputs

• 11 HD inputs (9HDMI, 2 component)
• 3 HDMI outputs (1 for 2nd zone)
• Integrated 4-port Ethernet switch
• 2nd zone Component over Cat5e
• Output Multi-channel inputs: 7.1 Pre out: 9.2+2 (fH) 3rd zone audio only
• Front USB for iPhone or iPod

 

Control Features

• Can be Activated to full Control4 controller
• Control over IP, RS232, 1 IR-in/4 IR-out and triggers.
• USB port for ZigBee(ZigBee dongle included)
• AMX Device Discovery Beacon
• Crestron Connected™

 

Dimensions and Weight:

• 17"(W)x 7 3/8"(H)x 16 1/2"(D)
• 39 lbs / 17.7kgs

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