Yamaha RX-A1000 Aventage Receiver Preview

Yamaha has done away with their RX-V designation for a new line of AV receiver products it is dubbing its Aventage line. There are five products, and the most entry level in the line is the new RX-A700 (MSRP: $599).  All of the receivers in the Aventage line feature discrete amplification, optimized amplifier layout and construction, custom designed parts, high grade speaker terminals, ultra low jitter circuitry and according to Yamaha, best in class processing.

The new RX-A1000 A/V  receiver features a  more rigidly constructed frame (new double bottom construction available on the RX-A3000), plus Yamaha has added a fifth foot (which they call the "A.R.T. wedge") to stabilize the center of the receiver as well as a stabilizing bar they call an H-cross frame. Yamaha claims that their physical case modifications are yielding "noticeable sound improvements". We'll leave that to the listener to decide, but we'll reserve judgment on just how much audible difference a fifth foot or crossmember will yield in the typical listening room.

The power amplifier layout has been optimized, with improved signal to noise ratio and "uniform vibration control". The improvement also extends to providing improved left/right channel separation. They have implemented an ultra low jitter clock that is designed especially to deal with multiple media inputs with wide-ranging timing circuits. A hybrid power supply delivers independent power to analogue and digital circuits which increases efficiency, yielding more power where it is needed. Even the DACs seem to have been improved on this receiver verses earlier models at this price point.  All five models incorporate discrete amplification and beefed up power supplies which is obvious when you examine the weight of each model.  The RX-A1000 is rated at 105wpc x 7 (full bandwidth measurement) and tops the scale at 32lbs. 

On the back, the receiver features seven (yes SEVEN!) HDMI inputs and two parallel HDMI outputs. Back are the S-video inputs for all inputs and there are WBT-style high-end 5-way binding posts in place of Yamaha's typical red and black plastic monstrosities we all love to hate. There are preamp outputs for 7.1 channels with dual (parallel) subwoofer outputs. Zone 2 has a preamp out, with analogue video support, and the dedicated Zones 3 (RX-A2000) and Zone 4 outputs (RX-A3000) are analogue audio only. The RX-A1000 has four component video inputs and a network jack for bringing audio in from the Internet or streaming from DLNA-certified sources (PCs). USB audio is also possible thanks to the front USB jack. Finally, an iPod dock connection (compatible with the YID-W10 Wireless Dock System for iPod/iPhone) and phono inputs make this about the most robust receiver we've seen from Yamaha yet - at this price point.

The RX-A1000 A/V receiver comes with a three year warranty and tons of Yamaha proprietary video processing.   Advanced GUI with OSD overlay (even over 3D and HD sources), high quality video processing with precise deinterlacing, motion adaptive and edge adaptive deinterlacing and multi-cadence (incl. 3-2 pull-down) detection, deep color support and full analog up-conversion to 1080p all make for a receiver ready to handle all of your video needs.

For videophile purists, you can step up to the RX-A2000 (MSRP: $1499) or the RX-A3000 (MSRP: $1899) to take advantage the new on board HQV Vida processor, which enhances image detail and quality with four-field motion adaptive de-interlacing, multi cadence tracking, expanded 12-bit color processing and detail enhancement. The result enhances standard-definition sources to near-HD quality and makes HD look even more detailed. Moreover, the IDT VHD1900 incorporates two new IDT HQV technologies - Auto HQV and HQV StreamClean - which automatically enhance the incoming image and provide powerful clean-up of source video, allowing the picture to be as crisp and clean as possible.

The RX-A1000 allows the use of Web Control where you can control the receiver from a web browser and there is also Yamaha's iPhone/iTouch app which allows your portable device to take over and adjust receiver functions. The RX-A1000 A/V receiver is one of the hottest products we've seen in some time. Considering Yamaha practically snuck this one out in advance of CEDIA, we were shocked and caught off guard. Look for a more thorough review soon once we can pry one out of their hands.

For more information, visit Yamaha Aventage receivers

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