Yamaha AVENTAGE BD-A1040 Universal Blu-ray Player Preview

Psst, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: we here at Audioholics are big fans of Yamaha’s AVENTAGE line of electronics. OK, it’s not really a secret. Let’s face it, we haven’t reviewed an AVENTAGE component yet where we walked away unimpressed. Build quality is always high, inside and out, and that translates into excellent real world performance. Enter the BD-A1040 universal disc player; priced at $449.95, Yamaha states that this new model is designed and engineered with the same attention to detail as other AVENTAGE products, including a solid aluminum front panel to dampen vibrations, symmetrical audio circuitry, and a high grade 192kHz/32 bit DAC. Want to know more? Keep reading!

Features...and look, more features

As you might reasonably conclude by the fact that Yamaha labels the BD-A1040 a universal disc player, it can play Blu-rays, DVDs, CDs, SACDs, and DVD-Audio discs. Upscaling of DVD content is also available, up to 1080p resolution with video noise reduction. Want more? The BD-A1040 also boasts integrated WiFi and Bluetooth antennas, which opens up a world of content. The Yamaha provides access to VUDU, Dropbox, YouTube Leanback, and Picasa Web Albums in addition to being DLNA certified. The BD-A1040 also has another neat trick up its sleeve: Miracast. This allows compatible mobile devices to wirelessly stream A/V content (pictures, games, videos, etc.) to your Blu-ray player. Combine that with a Netflix app or Amazon Prime on your smartphone / tablet, and you’ve got even more content at your disposal.

Rear panel of the Yamaha BD-A1040.

Is that all the BD-A1040 does? Not quite. It comes with a remote as you’d expect, but Yamaha also offers their excellent A/V controller app for iOS and Android for improved usability. The BD-A1040’s rear panel features a USB input which can support a variety of audio formats including WAV, FLAC, MP3, and WMA. Last but not least, the Yamaha boasts a RS-232C port and IR input/output for custom installations.

Summary

If you’re in the market for a new media player, Yamaha’s new BD-A1040 is worth a serious look. Naturally it can handle every optical disc format you’re likely to throw at it (alas, laserdisc and HD DVD fans are out of luck). Moreover, with built in WiFi and Bluetooth, the BD-A1040 can stream A/V content from a wide range of sources. Combine that with the AVENTAGE line’s trademark build quality, and you’ve got the recipe for a high end media hub at a price that won’t break the bank. The only question we have is when can we get one of these bad boys in for review?

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.