Sony STR-AZ3000ES 9.2 CH 8K A/V Receiver
When you jump from the AZ1000 to the STR-AZ3000 you get a unit that weighs over twice as much as the AZ3000! It comes in at just shy of 43 pounds, which is incredibly massive for a 9-channel AVR. With the AZ3000 you move up to 110 watts per channel, but there is more to it than the additional power. The top three models all have a far superior power supply and amplifier section. These units can produce serious sound as we found from our listening tests with the AZ5000. You will not have any issue pushing even hard-to-drive speakers with these models.
You will step up to 4 8K inputs along with 2 4k. It also adds one more analog input for a total of 4 with 2 Toslink and 1 Coax digital.
For automation, it adds a trigger output you could use for a drop-down screen.
With 9 powered channels you could do our most popular Dolby Atmos configuration of 4 Atmos height speakers along with a pair of surrounds, then turn on Sony’s Phantom surround tech to simulate 11 channels. Channels 8 and 9 give you the same great flexibility as you get in the AZ1000 for systems where you are not using all 9 channels for your home theater.
We do wish Sony would have put 11 channels of processing on board with preamp outs so you could just add a power amp later on down the road to take it to 11, but that is one good reason to step up to the next model, the STR-AZ5000ES.
