Amplifier
Integra DRX-5.2 and Sony STR-ZA5000ES have 9 channel amplifiers. They both deliver 120 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven) and have stable performance at 4 Ω load. Since 2016 all receiver manufacturers have dropped front wide channel support and these models are no exceptions.
Video Features
Both receivers support 4K passthrough up to 60p. Sony STR-ZA5000ES can do 4K upscaling up to 60p. The receivers support HDR10, Dolby Vision.
HDR10
High-dynamic-range (HDR) video has greater dynamic range than standard-dynamic-range (SDR) video with brigter whites and deeper blacks. HDR10 was announced on August 27, 2015, by the Consumer Technology Association and uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports up to 1000 nits of brightness and 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors.
Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision is an update to HDR10 by adding dynamic metadata that can be used to more accurately adjust brightness levels up to 10,000 nits maximum brightness on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis and supports up to 12-bit color depth (4096 shades of RGB) and 8K resolution.
Dolby Atmos and Dolby Surround upmixer
Integra DRX-5.2 and Sony STR-ZA5000ES support Dolby Atmos with its Dolby Surround upmixer. They can be configured upto 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 channels using internal amplifiers or upto 7.1.4 channels by adding 2 channel external amplifier.
Dolby Atmos is the first cinematic audio format in which sounds exist as individual entities, called audio objects. In Dolby Atmos, any sound - the helicopter, a car screeching around a corner, a melodic bird call - can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. They can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in your room, including overhead, to flow above and around you in three-dimensional space. Through the use of audio objects, overhead sound, and all the richness, clarity, and power of Dolby sound, Dolby Atmos turns your room into an amazing place for entertainment. You'll feel like you're inside the action, in ways you've never experienced before.
Dolby Atmos for the home represents every sound in the original cinema mix as an audio object. Extensions to the Dolby Audio™ codecs, along with an advanced scalable algorithm, allow Dolby Atmos to be delivered via Blu-ray Disc and streaming media. A spatially-coded substream is added to Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital Plus. A Dolby Atmos audio/video receiver (AVR) adapts the cinema experience to your home theater from seven speakers to as many as 34 in 24.1.10 configuration, recreating the original artistic concept. The format supports up to 128 simultaneous independent audio objects in a mix for rich, realistic, and breathtaking sound. It recreates the director's original concept through descriptive metadata to provide customized playback for home theater and delivers sounds above you through overhead speakers, special upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.
If the content is not mixed in Dolby Atmos then the Dolby surround upmixer will expand the audio to all channels including ceiling speakers. The upmixer has replaced the Dolby Pro Logic II family with improved upmixing algorithms.
DTS:X and Neural:X upmixer
Integra DRX-5.2 and Sony STR-ZA5000ES support DTS:X with its Neural:X upmixer. Both of them can be configured upto 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 channels using internal amplifiers or upto 7.1.4 channels by adding 2 channel external amplifier.
A technique used in DTS:X is similar to the one used in Dolby Atmos. Instead of a fixed number of channels, DTS:X defines object locations from the listener in polar coordinates. An a/v receiver then dynamically renders sound according to the current speaker configuration. The speaker layout employed by DTS:X is the sum of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. It has standard 7.1 channel base layer, a 5 channel height layer above the base layer on the front and side walls, and 3 rows of speakers on the ceiling.
DTS Neural:X is an upmixer that can take non DTS:X content and upmix it to the DTS:X speaker layout. It has replaced the DTS Neo family with improved flexibility.
THX™ Certification
Integra DRX-5.2 is THX™ certified which offers optimal performance, superior quality and seamless integration. THX works with partners from the ground up, so that certified products deliver professional quality audio-visual experiences right out of the box. They only certify the very best products with uncompromised quality, performance and consistency. They ensure that THX certified devices play well with lower performing devices and components. THX listening modes make the receiver to have one speaker set up for movies, music and games. They are tested for power output, bass management, signal-to-noise ratio and feature RE-EQ, timbre matching, boundary gain compensation and THX Loudness Plus.
Digital Legato Linear
Sony STR-ZA5000ES features Digital Legato Linear (D.L.L.) to play audio signals with high-quality sound. The D.L.L. function is a technology developed by Sony that allows low-quality digital and analog audio signals to be played with high-quality sound. This function is available for Linear PCM signals, as well as lossy compression audio formats and analog audio signals. It works when [2ch Stereo], [Direct], [A.F.D.] or [Multi Stereo] is selected.
Advanced Music Optimizer
Compressed music enhancement in Integra DRX-5.2 is done by Onkyo’s Advanced Music Optimizer. While MP3 or AAC files may sound fine through the headphones of your portable digital player, the limitations of these files can be exposed when played back through a quality home entertainment system. This is because a significant amount of high-frequency bit information is lost during the file-compression process. To counter this, Onkyo has designed the Advanced Music Optimizer to compensate for lost bit information and improve the quality of compressed audio signals. This results in a clearer and more expansive sound. Also included in this technology is a loudness correction feature that further improves the audio character of compressed files.
Connectivity
Integra DRX-5.2
Integra DRX-5.2 can be connected to internet using ethernet cable. The Receiver works with SONOS and supports[y] Airplay. It has 7 HDMI inputs with HDCP 2.2 copy protection. There is a phono input with built-in phono stage for connecting the cartridge output of the turntable directly to the Receiver. There are 11.2 (shared with Zone 3 Line/Pre Out) channel analog pre-outs for external amplification.
Front panel has HDMI input.
Sony STR-ZA5000ES
Sony STR-ZA5000ES can be connected to internet using ethernet cable. It has 6 HDMI inputs with HDCP 2.2 (6 in / 2 out) copy protection. There are 11.2 channel analog pre-outs for external amplification.
Front panel has HDMI and USB inputs.
