Multi-Channel Audio Digital Converters in Use. 2000 SONY STR-DA5ES is Back! Part One.

November 3, 2026

 #555

Gentle reader,

First of all, thank you SO much for your continued reading of my blog! When I began this blog in 2008, it was just something different to do. I had no idea that anyone, let alone so many people, would be interested in what I have been up to and keep coming back for more!

I was in a local Thrift Store (Charity Shop) one day many years ago, and spied a large SONY AV receiver marked: "No Sound As-is $10" It was the SONY STR-DA5ES, circa 2000, 5.1 channel home theater receiver. "ES" stands for Elite Series, SONY's top-of-the-line. It features 6-channel analog inputs for SACD playback. Included was the manual and remote! The speaker selector knob was missing, and the switch was set to OFF! I was able to twist it to A, hooked up a couple speakers the store had, and turned it on. I switched it to FM and hiss was coming out of the speakers. "Yes!", I said, and carefully loaded it into a shopping cart. I later found the speakers switch knob was stuck to the bottom of the unit!

It predates HDMI by many years, but it has Digital Optical and Coaxial Digital inputs. Since I only have two sources, that was enough for my needs. I never wrote about finding and buying it. 

I did research it when I got it home and found that it retailed for $2,500 in the year 2000 and that it weighs 48 pounds. I used it without problems for many years. Then, one day, the Optical inputs stopped working. That was a problem. Thus, the search for a suitable SONY receiver replacement began. I wrote you about it here: The Robb Collections: Dragging Myself Into The 21st Century HDMI-Capable SONY: STR-DG1000 vs STR-DA5ES I found and bought a bedraggled SONY STR-DG1000 via eBay. What was not evident in the seller's photos was the HDMI inputs looked like they had served time in prison. Nonetheless, everything else worked. 

Ah, the days when equipment assemblers in factories had to hook up ALL of those ancestral sources analog RCA input and output terminals.

This is the rear of a middle-of-the-line 2026 SONY STR-AN1000 receiver. Quite the difference! 

WHY SONY and not one of the many other audio company's offerings? Six-channel analog SACD inputs are a must for me. SONY invented SACD. Few other makers were willing to take a chance. 

I used the STR-DG1000 since March, 2026, but felt that it could not really be putting out 100WPC. The volume decibel reading was near the 90 watt output. The speakers I am using are super-efficient KLIPSCH RB-35 models, given to me by my next door neighbor. I showed you them here: The Robb Collections: Having Friends Who Are Neighbors is a Wonderful Thing! Gifted Klipsch Speakers And More.

96 decibels at 1 watt output (within an anechoic chamber), means that I would have been deafened at near peak output. Something is wrong with the DG1000 receiver.

(All PROZOR IMAGES COURTESY OF MANUFACTURER)

I had tried two inexpensive, Chinese-made, optical to coaxial digital converters I found online. However, both only output in Stereo. The one above was the answer! It's called PROZOR. The Model number is PST148.

As you can see, one moves the tiny slide switch to the input of their choice, in my case: Toslink optical. I plugged in the quality optical cable I had been using from the TV output into that input socket on the PROZOR.

As shown above. Then, I plugged my quality Coaxial Digital cable into the Output RCA plug. The other end went into the second input of the DA5ES, seen below, lower, left.

The digital coaxial cable from the OPPO Blu-ray player went into the lower input. I wrote about getting and installing the OPPO here: The Robb Collections: Klipsch RB-35 RC-25 Speakers Plus OPPO BDP-93 Blu-ray SACD Player 6-Channel SACD at Last!

So, with PROZOR in place, I fired up the OPPO and Netflix on the TV. In both cases, switching back and forth all six speakers were showing up in the STR-DA5ES' little display window.

Did you notice the "Part One" in the title? Yeah, here's what happened: To demonstrate it to Nancy, I turned on the DA5ES with the remote and there was a POP in the back speakers. "What was that?" she asked. "I don't know, it's never done that before." Nonetheless, everything was working and sounding amazing. And volume? L-O-U-D! Thus proving that the ES's output is true 100WPC in all five speakers. Definitely something wrong with the DG1000.

Well, the POP continued every time I turned the DA5ES on. Then a warning in the display PROTECTION MODE TURN ON UNIT. Sigh. 

Back into the system went the DG1000. Fortunately, there is a local electronics repair place the DOES work on vintage equipment! I am lugging the 48 pound beast there this afternoon for them to check it out. Stay tuned for Part Two!

Thanks again for taking the time to reading my article and viewing my (and PROZOR's) images. Feel free to comment below or via Facebook.

Scott Robb

November 3, 2026

#555