Yamaha recently announced six new Aventage AV Receivers, anchored by the company’s new flagship RX-A3050 9.2-channel model. Yamaha has seemingly left no stone unturned in design and execution, making several of these new models incredibly competitive in a receiver market that has been struggling to meet the demands of rapidly evolving audio and video requirements. We’ve been preaching patience to potential buyers for the better part of a year, but Yamaha’s new gear appears to be ready to tackle AV demands for the foreseeable future.
We’ve yet to see a receiver that ships with HDMI 2.0a (High Dynamic Range video), HDCP 2.2, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 4K/60/4:4:4 pass-through, and 9.2 (7.1.2 or 5.1.4) channels of audio output…until now. The RX-A3050 offers all of the above in addition to the ability to run a 7.1.4 speaker arrangement with an external amplifier. The step-down RX-A2050 is the only other new Aventage receiver that can run a 7.1.2 Atmos speaker configuration. Those configurations are key and might be the biggest separating factors between the A3050/A2050 and Yamaha’s other new receivers for buyers looking to implement Dolby Atmos in their home theater. This opinion is based on a recent interview of Matt Severaid (Senior Manager of Integrated Marketing, THX) by AVForums that focused on THX’s testing impressions of various Dolby Atmos speaker arrangements. During the interview, Severaid revealed that he couldn’t currently recommend an Atmos configuration that lacks rear channels. Severaid said that Atmos audio in 5.1.2 or 5.1.4 is diminished in its presentation value and that a non-Atmos 7.1 configuration is the better option.
It’s worthy to note that both DTS:X (A3050 and A1050) and HDR pass-through (all models) will be available via firmware updates at a later date.
Yamaha's new Flagship Receiver, the RX-A3050.
The RX-A3050 (165W, 1kHz, 2ch driven) is loaded to the max. Aside from possessing all of the bells and whistles listed above, it offers Hi-Res Audio (FLAC, WAV, 192 kHz/24, and Apple Lossless) playback, Bluetooth audio, Airplay, networked WiFi functionality, multi-zone HDMI switching, adjustable DSP parameters, and a compressed music enhancer. It also carries Yamaha’s top-end version of the YAPO room correction suite, which enables multipoint and angle measurement analyses.
The A3050 also carries several enhanced surround modes. The unit’s Cinema DSP HD3 uses four Cinema DSP engines in conjunction with two front mounted presence channels to create a 9.2 channel configuration. Yamaha says this arrangement produces a robust vertical front stage sound dimension. The receiver also uses Cinema Front to create the appearance of virtual surround speakers. Of course, this is merely an illusionary function, but might be of interest to buyers that aren’t interested in physical installation of rear and surround channels.
An inside look at the vibration reducing "H Frame" used in the Aventage line.
Yamaha offers Dolby Atmos functionality on three of the remaining five new receivers (A2050, A1050, and A850), with DTS:X only available on one other model (A1050). The latter leaves a gap between the A1050 and the flagship A3050 model, which will likely cause buyers some decision making difficulties.
Yamaha is planning to rollout their new Aventage models over the next two months, with the following MSRPs:
RX-A550 ($549.95; July availability)
RX-A750 ($699.95; June availability)
RX-A850 ($999.95; July availability)
RX-A1050 ($1,299.95; July availability)
RX-A2050 ($1,699.95; July availability)
RX-A3050 ($2,199.95, August availability)
Home Theater Shack's Official Review of the RX-A3050 can be found by clicking here. For complete details about Yamaha’s new receivers, visit usa.yamaha.com.
Image Credits: Yamaha
We’ve yet to see a receiver that ships with HDMI 2.0a (High Dynamic Range video), HDCP 2.2, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 4K/60/4:4:4 pass-through, and 9.2 (7.1.2 or 5.1.4) channels of audio output…until now. The RX-A3050 offers all of the above in addition to the ability to run a 7.1.4 speaker arrangement with an external amplifier. The step-down RX-A2050 is the only other new Aventage receiver that can run a 7.1.2 Atmos speaker configuration. Those configurations are key and might be the biggest separating factors between the A3050/A2050 and Yamaha’s other new receivers for buyers looking to implement Dolby Atmos in their home theater. This opinion is based on a recent interview of Matt Severaid (Senior Manager of Integrated Marketing, THX) by AVForums that focused on THX’s testing impressions of various Dolby Atmos speaker arrangements. During the interview, Severaid revealed that he couldn’t currently recommend an Atmos configuration that lacks rear channels. Severaid said that Atmos audio in 5.1.2 or 5.1.4 is diminished in its presentation value and that a non-Atmos 7.1 configuration is the better option.
It’s worthy to note that both DTS:X (A3050 and A1050) and HDR pass-through (all models) will be available via firmware updates at a later date.
Yamaha's new Flagship Receiver, the RX-A3050.
The RX-A3050 (165W, 1kHz, 2ch driven) is loaded to the max. Aside from possessing all of the bells and whistles listed above, it offers Hi-Res Audio (FLAC, WAV, 192 kHz/24, and Apple Lossless) playback, Bluetooth audio, Airplay, networked WiFi functionality, multi-zone HDMI switching, adjustable DSP parameters, and a compressed music enhancer. It also carries Yamaha’s top-end version of the YAPO room correction suite, which enables multipoint and angle measurement analyses.
The A3050 also carries several enhanced surround modes. The unit’s Cinema DSP HD3 uses four Cinema DSP engines in conjunction with two front mounted presence channels to create a 9.2 channel configuration. Yamaha says this arrangement produces a robust vertical front stage sound dimension. The receiver also uses Cinema Front to create the appearance of virtual surround speakers. Of course, this is merely an illusionary function, but might be of interest to buyers that aren’t interested in physical installation of rear and surround channels.
An inside look at the vibration reducing "H Frame" used in the Aventage line.
Yamaha offers Dolby Atmos functionality on three of the remaining five new receivers (A2050, A1050, and A850), with DTS:X only available on one other model (A1050). The latter leaves a gap between the A1050 and the flagship A3050 model, which will likely cause buyers some decision making difficulties.
Yamaha is planning to rollout their new Aventage models over the next two months, with the following MSRPs:
RX-A550 ($549.95; July availability)
RX-A750 ($699.95; June availability)
RX-A850 ($999.95; July availability)
RX-A1050 ($1,299.95; July availability)
RX-A2050 ($1,699.95; July availability)
RX-A3050 ($2,199.95, August availability)
Home Theater Shack's Official Review of the RX-A3050 can be found by clicking here. For complete details about Yamaha’s new receivers, visit usa.yamaha.com.
Image Credits: Yamaha