Home theater shoppers looking for a system compatible with the latest live 4K Ultra HD high dynamic range (HDR) profiles will want to check out the flagship Yamaha Aventage AV receiver line introduced Monday.
This makes the eighth generation of the Yamaha Aventage receiver series, which is targeted at discerning high-performance audio and video technology enthusiasts with custom home theaters.
The new line includes six models that support 4K Ultra HD video with three profiles of HDR – HDR10, Dolby Vision and the more unusual Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG). They also have been engineered to deliver audiophile grade music and sound reproduction for authentic sounding music and immersive movie and sports viewing.
Read more about the Yamaha Aventage AV receiver line after the jump:
Dolby Vision and HLG are also supported this year in the Yamaha RX-V83 AVR line and will be added to most models through a firmware update. When integrated into the receiver, the inclusion of Dolby Vision and HLG will address one of the biggest concerns of HD Guru’s readers looking to avoid premature obsolescence. Both the V83 and Aventage A70 series models ensure the receiver purchased today support two of the most prominent HDR profiles coming down the road for potential use by broadcasters and cable and satellite TV services.
Both Dolby Vision and HLG are among a number of on-the-fly live HDR profiles under consideration for inclusion by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) in the next-generation ATSC 3.0 broadcast system. Once approved, that new digital broadcast system will start rolling out on a market-by-market basis across the country over the next several years.
By announcing support for both Dolby Vision and HLG, Yamaha is sending a message that its 2017 receivers will be among the first to integrate support for two of the more popular HDR candidate standards for the future digital terrestrial broadcast TV system as well as for transmission by some multichannel TV service providers.
What’s different from the current baseline HDR10 profile used by Ultra HD Blu-ray players and streaming services is that these new profiles produce so-called “dynamic” HDR that will present images with wide dynamic range color and brightness benefits without the need for post-production color and light grading. All of the HDR elements are captured and transmitted in real time on a scene-by-scene and even frame-by-frame basis.
What is significant here is that some industry watchers had speculated systems using dynamic metadata (like Dolby Vision) or metadata-free live dynamic HDR, like HLG, were going to require new inputs like HDMI 2.1 (due out next year) and possibly other hardware. The 2017 Yamaha receivers will be ready to deliver those benefits today to supporting 4K Ultra HDTVs.
However, we must point out that we still don’t know what the ATSC or the various multichannel video services will ultimately select for HDR support, but it seems likely Dolby Vision and/or HLG will be among the eventual solutions.
In addition to accepting and passing through these advanced HDR video signals, the new Aventage receivers were designed for audiophile grade music and sound reproduction in the home theater and around the house.
The receivers support wireless multiroom audio distribution using the Yamaha MusicCast platform. This enables the receivers to accept streaming music and operating control instructions from a free easy to use MusicCast app on an iOS or Android mobile device and wirelessly distribute that music to MusicCast speakers or supporting sound systems in remote rooms.
Many of the latest and most popular music streaming services are available as is wireless connection to DLNA-enabled storage devices and PCs. That way, listeners can access personal music libraries using a home network. The system will also permit listening to files stored in some of the latest high-resolution audio formats and distributed wirelessly from room to room.
New this year, all of the Aventage receivers–including the RX-A670 ($599.95 suggested retail; May availability), RX-A770 ($699.95; May availability), RX-A870 ($999.95; June availability) RX-A1070 ($1,299.95; June availability), RX-A2070 ($1,699.95; June availability) and RX-A3070 ($2,199.95; July availability)—will add support for the TIDAL and Deezer international music streaming services, each offering libraries with more than 40 million songs.
The Aventage RX-A670, RX-A770 and RX-A870 receivers will add TIDAL and Deezer with a forthcoming firmware update; while the RX-A1070, RX-A2070 and RX-A3070 models will be ready for them out of the box.
When it comes to home theater entertainment, all of the receivers support the immersive object-based audio formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, using high-performance DSPs.
In addition, the Aventage line uses some of the industry’s most sophisticated and highest-performing components and circuitry, to produce realistic and lively music and sound with minimal distortion.
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The entry Aventage RX-A670 offers 7.2-channel surround sound and includes four HDMI inputs and one output, all with HDCP 2.2 copy protection; virtual Cinema Front and Extra Bass; virtual surround back speaker, YPAO automated sound calibration and optimization and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The AV receiver outputs 80 W per channel and includes Extra Bass to enrich sound even in small speakers.
The Aventage RX-A770 this year adds 4K video upscaling of lower resolution video sources from HDMI and Scene Plus functionality bringing four Scene presets with Scene Plus functionality. The RX-A770 steps up with MusicCast Zone 2 Link Master (distributes sound from equipment connected to the AV receiver to other rooms linked to Zone 2) and Preamp and Powered Zone 2.
For Zone 2, the receiver adds Zone Tone Control, Zone Volume EQ (automatically balances bass and treble to match volume); Zone Extra Bass (amplifies bass in the main room and Zone 2); and Zone 2 controls for balance, mono, Compressed Music Enhancer, audio delay, sleep and Party Mode. The RX-A770 has 90 W per channel and adds five HDMI inputs (3 with HDCP 2.2) and one HDMI 2.0a /HDCP 2.2 output. The model also adds a phono input.
The Aventage RX-A870 steps up to 100 W per channel and seven HDMI inputs (three with HDCP 2.2) and dual HDMI/HDCP 2.2 outputs. A secondary room setup can be added using the receiver’s built-in HDMI Zone B with Zone 2 pre-out / variable output.
The Aventage RX-A1070 this year includes Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing with Cinema DSP HD for even more dynamic and lifelike motion and spatial representation from 3D surround sound programming. The AV receiver features three DSP LSI chips providing sound with enhanced levels of presence and realism without acoustic boundaries. Other step-up features from the RX-870 include: 110 W per channel; seven HDMI 2.0a inputs with HDCP 2.2 and dual HDMI/HDCP 2.2 outputs. The AV receiver also adds symmetrical amplifier layout and YPAO multipoint room calibration with 64-bit precision EQ and subwoofer EQ for precise automatic channel output adjustments.
The Aventage RX-A2070 moves up to 9.2 channels (5.1.4 or 7.1.2 channel) and includes advanced Yamaha video processing with HDMI Zone switching supporting Powered Zone 2 and 3 and HDMI Zone 4. The AV receiver steps up to 140 W per channel and includes; dual Sabre Premier DACs and YPAO R.S.C. with 3D, multipoint and angle calibration providing 3D speaker location measurement.
The flagship Aventage RX-A3070 is a 9.2-channel receiver that is expandable to 11.2 channel or 7.1.4-channels of object-based surround (with an external-channel amp). The AV receiver steps up to 150 W per channel and adds an ESS ES9026PRO Sabre DAC and Sabre 32 Ultra DAC delivering minimized distortion and advanced signal-to-noise levels. It also includes XLR-balanced inputs for secure and stable pro-level signal transmission with reduced degradation from supporting source components.
By Greg Tarr
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