In SONY''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s product line, it must be the flagship product of the top class that can be marked with 9000ES. In 1999, SONY launched a flagship split home theater amplifier TA-E9000ES/TA-N9000ES. Do you remember? It is the split home theater power amplifier with independent decoding and independent power amplifier. If you remember well, similar products in the same period include DENON AVC-A1D and YAMAHA DSP-A2.
    In the increasingly competitive home theater market, major brands have tried their best to reflect the latest decoding technology in their flagship products has become a common practice in the past few years. Many of the flagship products we have seen are a face in a year. On the other hand, SONY is much quieter. It just insists on working on low- and medium-priced products, and has not seen any stunning works.
    However, the market is developing very fast, and it is no longer feasible to use the latest decoding technology as the selling point of the product. The market is increasingly calling for personalized products. Therefore, today, we see a richer and more personalized home theater amplifier. At this time, SONY, who had been absent from the flagship product circle for a long time, finally became one of the dazzling stars with its TA-DA9000ES home theater amplifier.
Rising stars debut
    TA-DA9000ES was released in August 2003. At the “2003 Advanced Audiovisual Exhibition” in Hong Kong, SONY Hong Kong was released together with a new generation of home theater amplifiers. TA-DA9000ES with DDD（Direct Digital Driver means: direct digital drive）Circuit design, powerful power supply, and i-Link digital signal input create a new situation for home theater power amplifiers. As for the Chinese domestic market, it is also a recent thing that merchants have introduced it. So, quickly take a look.
 

     Seeing this TA-DA9000ES, it is not an exaggeration to describe this TA-DA9000ES with “tall and mighty”, its size is Width 430mm× height 238mm× depth 430mm, which is larger than the current home theater amplifiers on the market. The layout of the knobs on the front panel is simple, and there is no such thing as a mess. After opening the hidden hidden door, I found that there are various knob buttons for adjustment. In addition to the knob buttons commonly used in SONY home theater amplifiers in the past, I found that the surround speakers also have A, B, and A+B options. .
    Take a look at the wiring ports on the rear panel again, the “tall and mighty” body can naturally accommodate more wiring ports, all kinds of familiar analog/digital ports Not to mention, the rear panel of TA-DA9000E is innovative. Different signal input/output terminals are clearly classified. The signal terminals of the same kind are built on the same circuit board to complete specific functions. Each signal input/output circuit board is only Like a computer plug-in card plugged into the motherboard, it has almost unlimited upgrade capabilities. The wiring terminals of the speakers are all large-scale wiring terminals. In particular, its surround speaker output terminals have two groups A and B. With the A, B, and A+B selector switches of the surround speakers, it can be used for A or B group sound. The two groups A and B sound at the same time, making the DVD cinema effect more enveloping.

TA-DA9000ES was released in August 2003. At the “2003 Advanced Audiovisual Exhibition” in Hong Kong, SONY Hong Kong was released together with a new generation of home theater amplifiers. TA-DA9000ES with DDD（Direct Digital Driver means: direct digital drive）Circuit design, powerful power supply, and i-Link digital signal input create a new situation for home theater power amplifiers.

        Technical analysis—all digital power amplifier
    TA-DA9000ES is the first advanced product that realizes all-digitalization in home theater power amplifiers, and realizes the direct digital drive that engineers and technicians dream of.
    In recent years, digital power amplifiers have been launched in European and American manufacturers, and Hi-End products have been launched. Among them, the Danish TACT S2150 digital power amplifier has been frequently shown in the domestic audio exhibition. In Japan, SHARP and SONY are the manufacturers who are obsessed with digital power amplifiers.
    SONY calls its own digital power amplifier technology S-Master PRO（Professional S-Master）In fact, home theater products with S-Master PRO digital power amplifiers have already been sold in the Chinese market. The DAV-SC8 and DAV-SC5 currently seen on the market use this technology. In order to further enhance the sound effects of ES (Elevated Standard) series of home theater amplifiers, SONY used S-Master PRO digital amplifier technology for the first time in ES series of home theater amplifiers.
    Analog power amplifier originated in the electron tube era, and the main amplifier components have experienced electron tubes, transistors, and integrated circuits. Various technologies that can be used to improve analog power amplifier circuits emerge in endlessly, but basically, the shortcomings of analog power amplifiers have not been overcome. For example: severe heating and low efficiency, except for Class A amplification, all have crossover distortion. The improvement of various technical indicators relies heavily on negative feedback technology. In order to increase the frequency response width and reduce signal distortion, analog power amplifiers need to use feedback circuits. The delay effect generated by the feedback also brings transient intermodulation distortion, which reduces the sound quality. . Undoubtedly, the analog power amplifier has reached its limit. Seeing this, SONY developed its original digital power amplifier technology ——S-Master PRO.
 

     The biggest advantage of the S-Master PRO digital power amplifier circuit is its extremely low power consumption. Field effect transistors with extremely high switching conversion efficiency have almost no loss during operation, and the efficiency can reach more than 90%. High efficiency means low power consumption and low heat dissipation requirements. This is especially important in home theater power amplifiers. The power supply capacity of the machine is limited, and the output power is large. If each output is 50W, 5 channels will output 250W, and 7 channels will output 350W, which is simply It can''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t be compared with a 2-channel stereo power amplifier. The efficiency of analog power amplifier is low, and then waste, then less power can be used for output.
    Another advantage of the S-Master PRO digital amplifier is its low distortion. Since the entire process of S-Master PRO digital power amplifier from input to output is digital, it uses sophisticated signal processing（DSP）The chip does not use any negative feedback loop from input to output, and gets rid of the restriction of negative feedback loop. The conversion time of the digital power amplifier is extremely fast, the delay effect is minimal, and the error generated is lower than that of the traditional analog amplifier, so the output is well controlled, especially the transient response is more accurate and true.
    In addition, two new technologies are used in the S-Master PRO digital power amplifier, namely Pulse Height Volume and DC Phase Linearizer.
    Pulse amplitude volume is a new technology suitable for digital power amplifiers to adjust the volume. The most direct way to adjust the volume of analog power amplifiers is to adjust the volume with a potentiometer, but the all-digital TA-DA9000ES cannot That''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s it.
    The traditional method is to use a digital signal processor（DSP）The method is not difficult to deal with, as long as the value of the representative signal is multiplied by a coefficient, for example: multiplying by 2, the output voltage will be doubled, by 0.1, the output voltage will be reduced by 10 times, and so on. But this method will cause signal loss. Another way is to change the power supply voltage of the digital power amplifier. The output power of the S-Master PRO digital power amplifier is under the same pulse switch signal, which is related to the power supply voltage applied to the output switch power tube. Therefore, change the output switch The power supply voltage on the power tube can change the output power, so that all signal details will not be lost while adjusting the volume, and peak clipping and saturation will not occur under high clothing loads.
    DC phase linearizer is actually a simulation technology. The S-Master PRO digital power amplifier can achieve low frequency amplification without phase shift, but the analog power in the low frequency band will produce phase shift. People have become accustomed to listening to this low frequency with phase shift, and now suddenly listening to this kind of low frequency without phase shift You may feel that the sense of volume is insufficient, so TA-DA9000ES is equipped with a phase linearizer, and there are 7 kinds of phase characteristics for selection. Users can make choices based on different software, listening environment, speakers, and personal preferences.
Technical analysis—i-Link input
    TA-DA9000ES is equipped with i-Link terminals. A single signal line can be used to transmit all audio signals that can be read by the current SONY DVD player. This technology, SONY called H.A.T.S (High quality digital Audio Transmission System), the full name is “High quality digital audio transmission system”, can achieve two-way data transmission.
    The way i-Link transmits digital signals is different from the way of optical/coaxial transmission signals. The data output by the player will be stored in the data buffer first. A similar data buffer is also used to store data in the amplifier that receives the data. When the data volume of the data buffer of the amplifier is lower than the minimum value, it will pass to the i-Link sends instructions to the player to increase the data transmission speed; conversely, when the data volume of the amplifier''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s data buffer is higher than the maximum value, it will also send instructions to the i-Link to the player to reduce the data transmission speed , So that the data volume to the amplifier''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s data buffer is within a normal range. As a result, the amplifier''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s digital processor can use a high-precision independent clock generator, which is not affected by the data stream and reduces the “ Time base error”（jitter）The impact of the sound quality has been improved. The i-Link port of TA-DA9000ES belongs to S200, and the transmission speed is only 200MHz, which is a medium speed.
Technical analysis—signal processing
    In addition to the S-Master PRO digital power amplifier, the other signal processing of TA-DA9000ES is believed to be of concern to everyone. I will only briefly introduce it here.
    Dolby Digital, dts, PCM and other signals input by optical fiber/coaxial terminals are decoded by CXD9718Q. This is a SONY advanced decoder chip that everyone often sees, digital cinema The realization of sound effects is completed by CXD9782, and then processed by CXD2064 for channel delay. For the input analog signal, the two-channel and multi-channel use PCM and SACD DSD methods respectively to complete the A/D conversion. It should be noted that the two-channel input does not support analog broadband signals, and it is only necessary to amplify analog broadband signals. Channel input. In terms of video processing, CXD2064Q is used to convert composite video signal into S video, and CXA2199Q is used to convert S video into component video output. All input coaxial video and S video can be converted into component video output, which will simplify the video connection.
Achieve 9.1-channel playback
    The ability to achieve 9.1-channel playback is another major feature of TA-DA9000ES. From the speaker terminal on the rear panel, you can see that TA-DA9000ES can connect up to 9 speakers, including: front L（left）, Former C（Center）, Former R（right）, Surround L/A（Left/Group A）, Surround L/B（Left/Group B）, Surround R/A（Right/Group A）, Surround R/B（Right/Group B）, Surround back L（left）, Surround back R（right）, The surround L/A, surround L/B, surround R/A, and surround R/B are each driven by an amplifier. If you connect all the 9 speakers, you can achieve 9.1-channel playback as long as you select the surround speakers in the A+B file. The effect is almost like a Hollywood movie recording studio.
How good is it
    In the past, when everyone heard of digital amplifiers, they felt that the sound quality was inferior. Only those affordable models would be used, but SONY proved to users that this concept is outdated.
    The signal source for the audition is Pioneer DV-S969Avi fully compatible DVD player（This is the only fully compatible DVD player with i-Link port I can get）, Use i-Link to connect, the speaker chooses the B&W 700 series products, including: a pair of 704 as the main box, three pairs of DS7 as the surround, HTM7 as the center, and the subwoofer is ASW700.
 

     Played software includes: Danny Summer "Master 2", Lin Yilian CD/SACD two-disc set, "End of the Earth", "Fighting Sea" , "Behind Enemy Lines" and other DVD discs. From the perspective of playing various types of software, TA-DA9000ES first boosted my spirits by its dynamic, fast response and no sloppy feeling. Listen carefully, the distortion of the sound is very small, very clear, and the background is exceptionally quiet. As for the difference between CD and SACD, the sound heard this time is greater than any previous time. SACD has better high and low frequency extension, musical instruments and human voices are bright and bright, and the sense of space and transparency are excellent. On the contrary, the CD cannot hear so much information. When playing DVD discs in 9.1 mode, the moving sound is like putting yourself on the scene. What is rare is that you are always surrounded by sound, and there is no cold spot in it.
    You know, TA-DA9000ES is a very powerful model, and its potential can not be fully realized in a short time. It is certain that the launch of TA-DA9000ES will further strengthen SONY''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s position in home theater.
AMP
Rated output power 200Wx7
(20-20KHz, 8 Ohm, THD 0.15%)
Digitgl Amplifier
24bit/96KHZ Audio digital-to-analog converter
4 Ohm/8 Ohm Switching

Sound
Do|by Digital.DTS decoding
Dolby Pro Logic||Surround sound
DTS-ES(Matrix 6.1ch/Discrete 6.1ch)
32bit DSPx2
4 theater sound effects modes
7 music sound effect modes
Cinema Studio EX.A/B/C mode
Digital Concert Hall mode

Terminals
I_Link Digital audio input
Component input terminal (input 3 groups, output 1 group)
S-Video video input terminal
(Input 7 groups, output 3 groups)
Video terminal (input 7 groups, output 3 groups)
Audio terminal (input 2 groups, output 2 groups)
Optical digital terminal (input 6 groups, output 2 groups)
Coaxial input 5 groups
Front AV/optical input
(S vedio X 1,Vedio X 1
,Audio X 2,Optical X 1)
Reserved RS-232C control and upgrade function
2 sets of 7.1ch input
Dimensions (WxHxD): 430x238x48Omm
Weight: 28.5kg