I had friends who swore by Yamaha receivers and amps back around 1975, when I had begun building my first Marantz/Pioneer system. I had to admit that their Yamaha gear was dang good. Years later, when I started to revisit the audio gear world and began looking at AVR's, I walked into a Magnolia store on a very slow day, and spent about an hour with the new Yamaha Aventage models. The RX-A2050 was nearest my budget range, and sounded incredible with every speaker, but especially the B & W's. Today, with this great video, I am again intrigued by the new Aventage gear. Very impressive, and I have no doubt that they are the best Yamaha AVR's, yet. Thank you very much for this deep dive into these new Yamaha beasts!
Brought my new A6A December 2022 . Have the new updates installed.while my family is Denon and Marantz gear heads I step up to the Top teardrop flag ship with all KEF speakers. Thank You Yamaha for putting me out front with this beautiful masterpiece.
Gotta say it must be amazing working for Yamaha. No company is perfect and there will always be seperate views on products, internally all companies have disagreement, but to be involved with a company that so often make brilliant and exquisite products must be inspiring
I have the Z11. Picked it up for 80 dollars Australian not working and fixed it for 800. Problem was with the power supply and a component video board. Been using it for 18 months now with no problems and I give it plenty of ventilation. It drives my Magnepan LRS easily and sounds pretty damn good for a surround amp. I rarely watch 4k and Netflix and Disney etc that I watch is mostly Dolby digital plus so I won't be upgrading any time soon.
Awesome! I`m Yamaha fan - 2x3080 + 2 older AVRs at home (one has 20 years+ and still rocking). I would really like to see new separate processor from Yamaha on the level of Storm/Trinnov. I think they can do it and make it much cheaper than those companies. Patiently waiting :)
This is why I only trust what Gene does. Most of the technical stuff I cant understand, but daaaaamn this dude is such a beast, so honest and transparent. Thanks again Gene.
This is a very informative video!!! I have an older Yamaha receiver and am looking forward to getting one of the new Aventage receivers, most likely the RX-A4A or 6A. Yamaha seems to be cutting-edge with av receiver technology, design and engineering. I haven't listened to any of the Aventage receivers, but I'm pretty much sold on the technology, features, and build quality. Very impressive!
I just bought the RX-A6A. I can just tell from this interview it could take me at least 6 months to know maybe 70% of what this AVR can do. it just got here 3 days ago I have just opened the box. I won't rush to install it just yet. renovation first. Thank you, Gene and Phil. awesome interview a year late. I waited because I thought the price would come down. it didn't. newer does not mean better. I think this receiver would compete against any flagship receiver.
3 months going back n forth in my head what receiver and brand too buy too replace my 2004 SR4400, watched this video right through, and I’m sold on this range, even the A2 will easily replace my old donk, literally was meant too watch this video for sure.. cheers Phil and Gene.✌️🇦🇺
Awesome video. HDMI board failures pushed me to Pre Pro set up. MX5000 runs so cool after an hour of spirited listening, it's hardly gotten warm. I love it. Awesome listening to the SMEs here. SLDV is all worth every penny of its $0.5M cost. Changed SMC bulk caps design and location on diesel turbo actuators on the PCB. I agree, $3k spent on a Yamaha is nothing compared to the awesomeness you get. I missed initially Audessey XT32 when switched from Onkyo. But not anymore, I go between manual and YPAO flat depending on the soundtrack. I love the Yamaha products so much and this presentation just consolidated that love ❤️!
Too bad i missed this live. Thumbs up. Im loving vintage gear lately. Yamaha in on my radar. They made some capable and gorgeous gear during the receiver wars and beyond. Interested to hear about new gear too. Cheers folks
What manufacturers should do, is the assign bi-amping to other channels beyond the front speakers for people that don't have more than a 5.1 speaker setup.
Gene, I have been surfing your channel for a while. I just want to thank you for all the great info, and especially seeing your passion to this wonderful hobby! By the way, I am going back and fourth between the Yamaha A8A , and the Marantz Cinema 40. I would love your opinion on this. I have the Def Tech 9080 series for a 7.4 system. Would appreciate your opinion….. Thankyou.
Both great choices. It comes down to which room correction you prefer. Marantz has the edge there w Audyssey and Dirac. Yamaha gas the edge in amplifier power and manual PEQ.
@@Audioholics Thankyou. I didn’t mention this in my post- I will be using separate Amps to run everything. So, in actuality the receiver will become a pre pro.
Great video. I am saving up for the A8A. I really love the ability to tweak low frequency...and a friend of mine had the V6A, and I was really suprised by the soundquality in that (and decided that an Aventate would be my next AVR right there 🤪).
@@LichaelMewis I ended up with a Denon X3700H insted. Don't need the extra power (have 4 externaly amped channels😊), and concluded it was not worth rhe extra money, more than twice the Denon🙊
I have the 3070 and quite pleased. When I first got it worked for 2 days and then the power would not come on. They fixed it and I had it since. This is my 5th Yamaha receiver since I bought my first one in 1980. The 3070 is not as detailed as my 775 on music but has more power. I love it but is not going to up date this one since I only had it working for 8 months( I got it for a bargain 2 years ago and put it in storage until last april) I might up date in 2 years and thinking about adding the 5200
This channel is the best. Pre bought my a6a 2 months ago, anxiously waiting delivery. Your content always seems to hit the mark. Looking forward to whats next
I had a question about about the 4K/120hz update that was promised in February 2022… it’s March now and there hasn’t been an update… do you or anyone else on this feed know when Yamaha is going to actually going to release the update?
🤩 THANKS GENE …WE FOUND THIS WAS VERY GOOD AND TIME WELL SPENT 🤗 ALWAYS GOOD TO KNOW WHAT IS AHEAD 🧐 Just got the 3080 this year and we are always behind the curve 😉 because of the budget 😊 …. But THANKFUL 🤗🤗🤗 And we wonder what we are missing 🧐 BUT WONDERING HOW MUCH BETTER CAN IT BE 🧐😍😍😍 AND THANKS TO PHIL WHEN YOU SEE HIM 👍
Wish I knew 1/2 of the technical details they were talking about but it sounds like a very impressive product. I have 2011 Onkyo txnr-3080 and I think it is time for an upgrade.
The Yamaha logo is a circle with three crossed tuning forks. The tuning forks represent the company's three pillars: technology, production, and sales. The circle symbolizes the company's reputation for sound and music. The configuration of the tuning forks also resembles the wheel of a motorcycle.
Wow!! Yamaha doing that thing. I have a TSR 700 and love it, looks like Yamaha has put together something really nice here!! Sound United better be watching too, this could be great for the average consumer like myself
I bought an A8A for myself for Christmas. It's replacing an Onkyo TX-NR1010. I can't wait to connect everything and tune it. I'm also replacing my speakers with a 7.1.4 Atmos setup. The L&R channels will be Heco Aurora 1000s, the center will be a Heco Celan Revolution 4 and the surround channels Heco Aurora 300s. The 4 Atmos channels are Klipsch 5800CDTII ceiling speakers. The sub is a PSA TV2112M. Although it hasn't come in yet. It's going to be exiting. Just hope the YPAO doesn't let me down.
I’m probably jaded now but am always leery when I hear things like “future proof”. My Onkyo TX-NR929 was sold “with 4k pass thru” so I thought I was covered when I upgraded to a 4k Blu-ray player. But it would only pass 1080p. After wasting hours going thru settings and changing everything possible on the player and the receiver, I figured it out. HDCP 2.2 was the problem. The copy protection sold as a “feature” was preventing me from playing discs I personally purchased on a receiver and blu ray player own legally own. That stung a bit. No way they could have anticipated it at the time the Onkyo was made, but it is just as obsolete as it would have been without that “feature” I was actually trying to use.
Talk/list Sinads plz! In the past Yamahas DAC sections have performed poorly there, hopefully it's not the same reason why they skipped over talking about it....
This thing is pretty much a pre/pro, IF you want to turn on pure direct mode, it has 13 pre outs with balanced outputs AND intputs for L/R. Turns off video section and every other digital channel processing module; to go full analog… Then again I do agree, I think they would make wonderful high end pre-pros if they have the R&D capacity. But at this price, this thing is ALMOST a pre/pro and a dedicated 11 channel amp in a box. They could make a RX-A10 with two power supplies and two power inputs in a box, that would be epic 😂 I still have an old Yamaha amp that has separate power supplies for the left and right channels. It’s pretty impressive
It's hard to believe that you can no longer buy an AVR for under $1000 that has line level outputs for at least 5 channels. And speaking of Yamaha, why don't they offer a Multicast receiver that has only 3 channels of internal amplification, since the surround channel speakers will have their own amplification?
I don't know how he can speak with so much confidence. I've been looking at a load of Yamaha cinema amplifiers and it's a world of pain. If they are working there is too much compression so must find out how to turn it off, not obvious. Then things break. Voltage rectifiers, HDMI chips, DAC chips. Sound can be strange, lack of bass, tone controls not working correctly, tone control or DSP chip not functioning correctly. they could have been good if they were made bomb proof but they keep breaking and can be difficult to make sound good. I expect over bright sound from many yamaha products but i hope these newer models are more reliable.
Behind the front plastic face plate is steel. The top plate is thick still with big venting. The plastic is cosmetic. These are the best built receivers since the Z11.
Still £3000 for an amp that looks like a £300 amp. I have ‘bought Yamaha amps for years and still own a dsp a2 from 30 years ago as I could not let it go. I have had other Yamaha amps and all had a nice brushed metal finish and I am not impressed by this plastic cheap look at all. I don’t mind the design but the all plastic is making me think twice. They might be the best built but they do look cheap as hell big mistake on Yamaha’s part as this looks to me to be a money saving idea.
I agree, that plastic look is a big turn off and a deal breaker for me, not having a front hdmi input puts the nail in the coffin. Yamaha went cheap with this design and it looks cheap. No excuse for the amount they are charging. I own the RX-Z11 and that is an awesome receiver but the RX-A8A is no replacement.
@@chriswyatt9868 the RX-8A has a superior DAC, HDMI, and CODES. Only loss is 20wpc but that's was preouts are for. Hanging on to a Z11 for nostalgic reason is a poor excuse not to modernize. You're missing out.
@@Audioholics I'm not missing out. I had the CX-A5100 and MX-A5000 and now have a Marantz AV8805 and SR8012 in my two rooms. The Z11 is sitting in its box for now. Was hoping I'd like the A8 but so far not to impressed, maybe it will grow on me if i seen it in person. It's just not a Z11 replacement.
I bought a new Yamaha 3080 for 1400.00 the main lcd screen went out a few months later and come to find out it was a B stock unit and had no warranty . Just using the OSD for now . My last Yamaha a2000 lasted 8 year now problem until the power supply board psb went out . Over all I still a big fan .
I refuse to ever buy a product based on "future firmware update" promises. I've been burned by too many companies' false promises before. Sell them when your HDMI 2.1 features and Auro 3D are actually working. We've seen what happened last year when HDMI 2.1 is not tested beforehand.
They’re using a programmable FPGA so they can effectively “upload” a brand new chip design whenever it’s needed. It’s explained in the video. This is actually forward thinking because why release a whole new range of amps every year with a brand new hardwired HDMI chipset, especially when the actual amplifiers don’t need upgrading at all. It’s madness. FPGAs are the future for creating an actual future proof high end receiver and not bodge an update like what Denon and Marantz have done by releasing an extra box to cheat the HDMI bug. Yamaha is getting my money.
@@kashyusaf9260 I get that but Samsung's One Connect box was supposed to be the same thing for TVs and look how that turned out. 🙄 I'll no longer buy products on firmware update promises. I'll buy it once it's present. As far as I know, Sony still doesn't have ALLM and VRR working in their newest TVs. Working firmware update has not come. Lots of broken promises on firmware updates, not just in the receiver space. There's a long list.
@@kashyusaf9260 I for will buy this based on their current FPGA architecture. It truly is forward thinking. Btw did the price shoot up $300 since this video was made. Inflation is maddening.
Beyond the fact that they're using programmable FPGA allowing them to completely rework this thing going forward, I would add a couple thoughts. I GET your point about being burned before by other companies (like Sony & Samsung to name just a few) not delivering on their firmware promises. That said, this is YAMAHA. They have a philosophy of caring for their customers. I own an older RX-A2030, and FOUR YEARS after they released it they offered a FREE firmware update that added Dolby ATMOS to a receiver that was NEVER setup or advertised to have it (ATMOS was just beginning when it was made)! They did NOT have to do that. Most companies don't update past the second year never mind totally renewing a 4 year old product! If they say they'll deliver it they will. BTW - at the time of this writing the units are shipping with the promised update. These guys deliver on their promises and beyond.
@@mickmouse2258 how's that working out for ya? I saw recently they JUST got some HDMI 2.1 features last month and are STILL waiting for others. 😆 Also, the previous model year Yamaha owners all got screwed so I wouldn't say they always deliver.
I just installed a A2A Aventage in my home theater system after my RXV-681 got hit with a voltage spike.... I'm not impressed at all with it. The center "foot" holds either a front or rear foot off the table (glass top )and it teeters.... really not impressed
One reason seems to be front faceplate rigidity. This could be solved by making the faceplate solid then mounting a larger outboard display on the exterior of the faceplate.
@@a9fc Ahhhhh. So that's why the NAD's, Rotels and other high end AVR's and processors have the nice large color displays and the yamaha doesn't. Even the Denons and Onkyo etc have large INFORMATIVE displays. Hmmm..ok. 😂
@@jimbanville and that's why they don't sound as natural =) There's a reason why audiophiles prefer separate components. To reduce interference. An AVR already has so much electronics inside. I'm glad they chose to use a smaller screen which will draw less power and produce less interference. And anyway, in a home theatre system, I want to watch the TV/Projector screen, not the AVR. I only need the AVR to give me some information for reference occasionally. Not like I'm going to stare at an album cover while watching a movie lol 😂
@@a9fc Lol. There's no interference from the large color displays on the NAD, rotel, etc etc AVR's. They're also not separate components. They're fully intergrated AVR's. It's not difficult with MODERN ELECTRONICS to have pure sound AND convenience features like large informative displays. This isn't the 80's or 90's. Does the hi res audio coming out of flagship cell phone get interference when the screen is on? Lol. No. Why is it only these new yamaha AVR's have these tiny displays? They're used to be on par with the larger, informative displays on the denons, onkyo, etc etc. Yamaha is going backwards. Of course no one stares at the AVR's front panel. But it is nice to be able to look at the front panel and EASILY see what source is playing and at what resolution, the type of decoding, etc etc etc ...without pulling out your phone and without pressing buttons and scrolling scrolling scrolling on a tiny single color display with your magnifying glass in hand 😂😂😂 Not everyone has their tv on when listening to music through their avr/audio system. Using your logic, why put any display or buttons or knobs on the avr at all. Just use your phone for everything. AVR's should just be a plain black box tucked away somewhere. You'd be happy that they're "saving money" but charging you the same price because they claim it's "better" 😂👍🏼👍🏼
I got a 2080 aventage powering 2 JBL studio 290 2 JBL studio 570 1 jbl 520c And 2 self powered 550p Talk about home theater on a budget. Only cost me 3600$ for everything including the receiver.
Hi guys. I came here because I’m having issues with my nvidia shield pro tv streaming box and my Yamaha aventage. Plugging straight into the receiver I always get a black screen with Dolby vision content unless I switch inputs and switch back. It’s very annoying. All issues are fixed when I use eARC though. Has anyone fixed this issue?
To me what needs serious improvement is YPAO. I have an A3050 and through the years and subsequent updates still I can't use the calibration it provides, I got to go manual, painstakingly manual. Maybe this new LF mode will help somewhat, but, it would be very good if we could set the speakers crossover beforehand. Setting the crossovers afterwards mess with the whole calibration. Also this 3D thing never worked in my room, if I don't go manual I loose stage, I loose depth, I loose dynamics (in low, mid-low frequencies).
I bought an Aventage and it sounds great for 2 channel music, but can NOT compete with my Sony STR DN1080 for movie sound. It sounds thin and not life like on movies. I do not understand why.
This is a shame... i currently have the aventage 2080 with 2 external amps to run a 7.2.4 Bi-amp system... and this new flagship does NOT allow a 7.2.4 Bi-amp configuration in any which way.. i called Yamaha and spoke to their tech support to confirm this.. but it allows a 7.2.2 bi-amp with an extra zone.. why couldnt they also give the option of a 7.2.4 bi-amp instead of the extra zone like they did with the previous flagships... really a shame.. now i have to switch to Denon after being a long time Yamaha guy... this is just mind boggling
Another year has gone, and no sign for DSD streaming at 512, no sign for implementation of top-of-the-range DAC from Sabre or AKM... Also, the design... Overall it looks ok, but also it looks like a lot of corners have been cut, in order to reduce costs - on the display quality side, for example, it's very obvious. I cannot forget how bright and clear and long-lasting were the displays from Akai (and other companies) back in the '80. Most of them look the same, even after 30 years. ...and why do you still refuse to implement HDCD decoding? For a few dollars that you have to pay to Microsoft, for licensing?? Many of us, audiophiles, have in our collections CD's HDCD recorded that we would love to play from time to time... We would like very much to have also this decoder incorporated in a high-quality receiver or A/V processor. And also, on all connectors - gold or silver-plated copper RCA and binding posts - not the inferior brass!! At least, on the top of the range receivers and A/V processors. Hope that the right peoples (deciding factors) on Yamaha, are seeing this.
Gene, love your show with your informative and engaging format. I am hoping you can help me with a Yamaha receiver Challenge with no bad endings. About 14 months ago I needed a receiver and bought the Advantage RX-A1080 and it seems to work great. I wanted the 2080 or the new line but none would be available for a long time. The owner of the store told me when the new stuff comes out he would give me my money back towards a receiver of the new line which if the offer is still good the RX-A6A would be my choice. I recently got some Cornwall 4's that I love for their live front row sound, that my RX-A1080 seems to power just fine, and it seems to do what I want it to do. What my question is would up grading to the A6Amake any audible difference or would it be just upgrading to the newest series. Thanks TR.
Is there anything in particular in these new Yamaha receivers that stands out or makes them preferable over something else comparable from say, Denon or Anthem? Thanks Gene. You always have the most thorough reviews on the most interesting gear.
My big question is availability? I want 2.1 supported receivers and am looking to a new one, I had Yamaha for a few years ago a "Aventage" which I loved, currently using a Denon 3500, not bad but the Aventage were built like Tanks! Hopefully I can find one!
@Wayfaerer thank you but that doesn’t answer the question. I am curious as to why they didn’t just support the full fat 48Gbps of 2.1. But Im chasing info about FreeSync. Not just forum VRR.
WTF. No front HDMI. Who the hell wants to unnecessarily wrestle with 50 lbs or so of receiver sitting in the cabinet just to quickly plug in something for a quick/temporary test ? No Yamaha for me.
Looks good, just that it isn't "AI" it's actually machine learning. Wanted to point that out as true "AI" is a ways off, especially for a consumer product. However the innovation is impressive!
So technically I can't buy a Yamaha Rx4a because I have the new Polk r 200s because it's technically a 6ohm receiver and if I had a issue while using those speakers will the deny any malfunction warranty claims ? If any
A late response, but absolutely no warranty issues with doing external cooling. I'm an AV Tech for >40 years, and I run external cooling on all my DVR's (easiest is just a laptop cooler, but you MUST keep up with cleaning on any "add on" cooling setup). That said, one of the main points made repeatedly in this video is that the Yamahas run much cooler than most other AVRs. These guys are the tops in engineering the small things like cooling that others put in the back seat. MOST setups don't require cooling unless you're driving a HUGE room at top levels and there's restricted airflow to the receiver (like in a closet or buried on a shelf). You should NOT place anything on top of it. A normal home theater setup doesn't need any add on cooling.
Very good presentation , Phil is great, BUT I won't accept this stupidly crappy small display on new models! In the times of big LCD displays on better AV receivers , Yamaha decides to integrate a display that looks like it's taken from 2006 MP3 portable player? I've tested RXV6A at home and it sounds great, but you cannot see display from 1 away! That's unnaceptable for me, sorry and I'm sticking with my 3080 (I wanted to go for A8A but that display is a deal braker - i could accepted a plastic front panel but i won't accept that horrible display!). I hope that next generation would have a proper display! And one more thing : please modernize the on screen display because it looks like crap, even a sharper font would be nice! Otherwise I'm a true Yamaha fanboy all my life - I own/ed a lot of your stuff and I hate to see the newest front panel design decisions of your receivers..
The size and layout of the A8A is different than the V6A. I AGREE with you on the "make it larger" but it was an actual design decision after finding how the majority of the users actually used the display. They intend the App / On screen display and/or the easy (fully redesigned) Web interface to be how you do things. Everyone has a phone or tablet easily available that allows full graphical control from the couch rather than kneeling and viewing a display on the front panel ... IMHO buying or not an $3K AVR based in the size of the front panel display is a bit extreme and a little shows some strange priorities. I personally buy an AVR for it's performance.
I was thinking the same thing concerning Dirac. I have a Arcam AVR- 850 (bought used for $2,700) with Dirac that I have been using since 2017 and I must say I like using Dirac for the room correction over others that I have used. I am using the Arcam in my man cave and using a Pioneer SC-LX901 in our main viewing room. The Pioneer utilizes MCACC Pro software for speaker calibration that I have been using from 2017. Prior to the Arcam I was using a Denon 4311CI that was using the Audyssey MultEQ XT. I never liked the sound the Denon produced for 2 channel music listening with the Audyssey software on or off. In fact I started looking for new front and left speakers to replace my Mirage OMD-28's. One listening session at a Best Buy Magnolia Design Center when auditioning potential B&W speaker to replace my Mirages. It was then after listening to offerings from Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, Onkyo, and Arcam. All the aforementioned receivers were the top off the line or flagship models during that time frame. Other customers were in the listening room and all of the receivers had no room correction enabled and the bass and treble were in the neutral position. All were in agreeance the Arcam had the best sound for 2 channel music listening but they were also the most expensive. Two things I wish this new Yamaha had is Dirac and the use of class D amplification. I have a Wyred 4 Sound (ST-MKII 1000, Power Output 8Ω @ 0.2% THD+N: 460W Power Output 4Ω @ 0.2% THD+N: 725W) class D amp connected to my Arcam that provides power to the front left and right speakers. I would have liked Phil to expand upon what Yamaha is looking for in a class D amplification, I believe he said it would cost 11 or 12k for the Yamaha for the class D amplification they were considering. Over on the Audio Science forum there are various different class D modules getting rave reviews. One amp I am considering is the Benchmark AHB2. While not inexpensive at 3k it is highly recommended.
So i watched tho whole video, and the Yamaha a8 looks excited, but can you answer this question for me, in an old video of yours where you where at arcams booth the showed their new line up the avr10 /20 and so on Arcam told you the chose for their avr 10 to be 7 channel powerd, and the other 5 you can use an external amp they could power all the channels but their would be quality los. The Yamaha all 11 channels are powerd What’s you opinion on this because I want one of the two Arcam plus amp or the a8 Hope you can give me some advice
@@rumporridge1 I like the A6A a lot! My ears really like the Yamaha sound. The A6 offers many audio options to enjoy. To give my music a fresh sound, I find myself rotating between those options. Two-channel stereo, Atmos, Auto 3-D, All Channel Stereo, etc. SurroundAI sounds good as well. I have a finished room over our two car garage, with a 5.2.4 speaker setup.
@@soundisfun2238 brother you sold me. Putting in a pre paid order in a few weeks. Exactly what I was looking for. Stepping up from a Marantz SR5014. Love that the A6A/A8A has xlr in’s and out’s as well. Appreciate the quick reply too. Life is good!
Hi iwont to buy a av receiver very soon , i wont to make a choice between this 2 , the Denon x8500HA and Yamaha a8a , please i need some advice , the denon has 13.2 chanells and only 1 hdni 2.1 connector , the yamha a8a has 11.1 chanells and 7 hdmi 2.1 connectors , what is best sound quality between this 2 , and durabilty please i need advice thank you for time !
This was great. Was looking at anthem or JBL but the bugs were scary. Cant with till Gene puts the A6A through its paces since this model is in my future.
@@seanlacroix I've been reading them as well on avs and av and thats (fan noise) not fixed at all and some have had replies that stated that that's how it's supposed to be, that's why I'm going with the a8 over the 740. And I don't think the avm 70 even has a fan.
@@slyfoxx8540 yes, the avm 70 has a fan. All of them do. Even my 1120 has a fan and when it runs I don't hear it. For 99% of people they are going to notice it. Especially since most people put it in a rack.
I wish they would get away from ypao. After using Dirac live and ARC genesis it just can't keep up. It's a shame because these look like killer receivers.
