And good news for PJ owners: there are two simultaneous HDMI outputs alongside the six inputs.

Precise setup

Audio grunt is supplied by Sony's Wideband Power Amp version 3. And therein lays the enigma of the STR-DA5400ES's sound.

The power amplifiers have an effective bandwidth that stretches way, way out to the western spiral arm of the sound spectrum in the region of 160kHz. While even bats would have trouble hearing frequencies that high, the effect down in the audio-band is to reduce the onset of phase rotation to over 16kHZ, where the human lughole is least sensitive to it.

The result is a sound that is incredibly linear over the main audio-band, which I have found makes where you put your speakers and what angles they are at absolutely vital. Think of it as a family saloon versus a race car. The average suspension and compromise set-up of a road car means you can drive fairly sloppy and still get from A to B, whereas get the precise suspension geometry of a race car wrong and its 'hello ambulance' pretty swiftly. The Sony demands serious care and attention in speaker set up, and gets better and better with every speaker upgrade.

Okay, so it took me a good few nights of toeing speakers in, toeing speakers out, moving them back and forth, adjusting the tilt and generally faffing about until the early hours to get the Sony singing, but it's worth it. Using my full-range speakers the dynamic scale and drive completely belies Sony's modest power rating and the wickedly fast top-end keeps you firmly in touch with every minute detail.

Action star

Put on just about any HD-audio enabled Blu-ray disc and the depth and solidity of the Sony's sound fights well above its weight – but it does so love action movies.

A high-volume romp through Indy IV is a wonderful TrueHD experience that will leave your Dolby and DTS DVDs sounding flatter than a VHS video. The detailed ambience of the hanger in the opening sequence makes the room feel huge around you and the percussive gun cracks ring out with tangible impact.

Yet no matter how much action is going on the Sony stays firmly in control, ensuring dialogue is perfectly placed in the context of the scene but rendered fully intelligible. The film simply races from start to finish and the Sony keeps up the pace to the very end. Sad as it is to admit, the very next evening I sat down, watched it again and smiled all the way through.

Switch tempo and the DA5400ES does not flinch. WALL-E (Blu-ray) might not offer a Mr Motivator-level audio workout for your AV system but the lack of dialogue means that the directors have had to create the ambience and tell the story through a rich tapestry of audio effects. From the simple beeps of WALL-E's own language to the hum of EVE's movement (complete with Doppler effect as she flies past), each sound seems hand-crafted and placed precisely in the room.

The upshot is superb sound steering and a real 'surround' feel – despite the DTS HD master Audio soundtrack being only 5.1 and not 7.1. Of course, the Sony will spin out some faux rear-back information if desired, derived from the surround channels, but with the immersive and enveloping sound in standard 5.1 it really isn't necessary.